Charles Darwin (1809-1882) Essays - Charles Darwin, Coleopterists

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) From a young age Charles Darwin disliked school and instead he liked observing birds and collecting insects to study. When he was 16 years old, Darwin was sent to a medical school in Scotland, which he found as a waste of time. In 1827, Darwin enrolled in the University of Cambridge, England. He also though that his time was wasted there too, as far as academic studies were concerned. Henslow, a professor of botany in Cambridge and Darwin's friend, encouraged Darwin in his studies of natural history. In 1831 Henslow recommended that Darwin be chosen for the position of naturalist on the ship the HMS Beagle. For Darwin, the Beagle was chartered for a five-year mapping and collecting expedition to South America and the South Pacific. Darwin read a geology book given to him by Henslow, called ?Principles of Geology,? by Charles Lyell. After collecting fossils in the Andes, observing results of earthquake in Chile, and studying thousands of different species, he came up with the conclusion that new new kinds of living organisms form every time land changes. When Darwin returned to England in October 1836, his collections from the voyage were praised by the scientific community. Observing similarities between different and fossils, Charles Darwin came up the idea that species could have common ancestors. Comparing homologous structures, vestigial organs, and embryological development of living species gave him additional evidence of evolution. In 1838 Darwin read a book called ?Essay on the Principle of Population,? by Thomas Malthus, which stated that the human race was in great ?struggle of existence,? competing of the limited resources. Combining the idea of competition with his other observations, Darwin explained how evolution could occur. First, he stated that variation exists among individuals of a species. Second, he stated that scarcity of resources in a burgeoning population would lead to competition between individuals of the same species because all use the same limited sources. From these reasoning Darwin concluded that individuals having advantageous variations are more likely to survive and reproduce than those without advantages, which leads to his theory of ?Natural Selection.? Darwin compiled evidence by evolution by natural selection for about 20 years. Between 1842 and 1844 he wrote a 230-page essay summarizing his theory and evidence for it. A British scientist, Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), came up with Darwin's same idea in 1858, and wrote to Darwin. Darwin's fellow scientists persuaded him to let them present his theory and Wallace's jointly as at a scientific meeting. However, the publication of Darwin's book ?The Origin Of species? in 1859 changed biology forever.

Analysis of Toni Morrisons essays

Analysis of Toni Morrison's essays Toni Morrisons premier novel, The Bluest Eye, is a tale of one girls battle against herself and the society surrounding her. The author tells the story of young Pecola Breedlove growing up with a vast amount of hatred around her in order to display the impact society has on people. Society pressures the ugly to be beautiful, and a little black girl to pray nightly for two bright, blue eyes to replace the dullness of her own brown ones. The blue eyes Pecola dream for obviously represents her wish to be white. Blue eyes are associated with beauty and only the fair-skinned can obtain this eye color. Being a black girl in the 1940s is an automatic shun in society when this books takes place. Not to mention the Breedlove family consists of Pecolas father Cholly Breedlove (whom eventually rapes and impregnates her), an unloving mother named Pauline, and a juvenile delinquent brother named Sammy. Pecolas family is part of the reason she becomes a social outcast, even though the poor girl has actually never done one thing against her little town. Morrison shows the way the general public can be bias towards an individual they may have never even talked to just because of family issues, their race, or their level of attractiveness. These reasons cause Pecola to live in dissatisfaction of herself. For instance, on her way to the store to buy some candy Pecola admires some dandelions, Why, she wonders, do people call them w eeds? She thought they were pretty (Morrison 47). At this point, Pecola identifies with the yellow-headed flowers, because herself is considered a weed to other people. With thoughts of dandelions in mind, Pecola enters the penny store only to be treated as she is some sort of animal. She looks up at him to see the vacuum where curiosity out to lodge. And something more. The total absence of human recognition...she has seen it lurki ...

Communication, Ethics, and Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Communication, Ethics, and Society - Assignment Example Despite the disparities in cultures, Carola slowly adjusts to the new culture; they start a business, and have a child. Her husband becomes jealous of her, especially in the event of her flirting with other men. The movie ends with Carola travelling back to Switzerland with her daughter after several arguments with Lemalian. Lemalian doubts that she would return to him. In as much as I can clearly recall the movie, I am not able to recall all the names of the characters in the movie, for instance, the serviceman at Lemalian’s and Carola’s shop, the priest in the church amongst others. Basing my argument on DeFleur’s argument, the movie is well portrayed, thus, making it less tasking for me to recall the major characters and the plot of the movie (78). The audience’s perception, attitude and attention have been aroused, allowing the audiences follow involuntarily the contents of the movie. Conclusively, the manner in which content has been displayed by the media determines the permanence and the consistence in which the audience will have in following up the themes displayed to the

Film Review Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film Review Paper - Essay Example Since then these two spend a lot of time together and fall in love. Rafe unexpectedly returns and realizes that Danny and Evelyn are very close to each other. But before they three can untangle themselves, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and starts bombing. Many ships are destroyed and Evelyn is busy in dealing with the wounded. Meanwhile Danny and Rafe manage to get air bourn and they start shooting down Japanese fighter planes with the help of their reckless tactics. If you compare this movie with â€Å"The Thin Red Line† or â€Å"Saving Private Ryan† the movie simply lacks moral ambiguity. The important issues are presented in black and white with a little focus on deciding what is actually right and what is wrong. The Japanese are shown as clear evil and Americans are shown as doing nothing and just being good to the Japanese which is not fair. The love story of the movie would have been very interesting if in the love triangle there would have been a Japanese American, because there would have been a problem of their loyalties as an American and their ancestral roots which would have been torn apart. A very big problem with this movie was that the director tries a lot of things together. With all these things Pearl Harbor didn’t do a good job but it’s still a good movie because Josh Harnett and Kate Beckinsale acted pretty well. As far as the historical accuracy is concerned the movie has got all the dates and events right. The special effects used in movie are really impressive. Despite many negative comments and reviews Pearl Harbor was one of the highest grossing films in 2001. It can be included in the list of good American War movies. The historical context of the movie is completely lost. Pearl Harbor had three hours in which to present it. The actual historical background was not present. The most obvious historical blunder is the scene of Americana that the director uses as an

Effectiveness of Teamwork in Virtual Teams Dissertation

Effectiveness of Teamwork in Virtual Teams - Dissertation Example .56 6.2. Ways to solve the problem 6.2.1. Virtual team management..59 6.2.2. Leaderships.60 6.2.3. Training provided for team members.63 6.2.4. Trust building among team members.64 6.2.5. Effective communications, e.g. add the frequency of face-to-face contacts..66 6.2.6. Boundary Management..69 Chapter 7: Case Study of Virtual Collaboration 7.1. The context and challenge.72 7.2. The challenge of building a virtual team...73 7.3. Defining a compelling challenge..73 7.4. Creating involvement ...74 7.5. Managing performance..75 7.6. Demonstrating commitment .76 7.7. Team success and illustrative outcomes ...77 7.8. Dynamics in a Global Virtual Team..78 7.9. Implications for virtual team leaders ....78 Chapter 8: Guidelines 8.1.Guidelines...80 Chapter 9: Conclusions 9.1. Summaries and Conlusions...86 Bibliography Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1. Background introduction 1.1.1. The origins of teamwork Much of the behavior of an individual in an organization is an expression of his place in the group to which he belongs. These groups tend to develop persistent patterns in their relations to each other. Because members identify with their own groups, they may express fairly uniform attitudes toward other groups. In some cases, well-developed patterns of antagonism are found between groups, with each being critical of the others and defensive toward itself. Thus, natural conflicts of interest exist even in the most wisely designed organizations. The formal structure typically establishes the basis for these conflicts by the way it differentiates its work units. With all of the diligence and understanding a manager can exert, differentiation across formal units and cohesion within each of them are the almost inevitable consequences of... If a group is not integrated, teamwork is likely to be minimal-regardless of efforts to develop it. Conversely, where integration in a group is high, there is greater potential for the development of teamwork. High cohesion is a necessary ingredient for the development of teamwork, but not the only one. In order for teamwork to be developed, a number of other elements are essential. Many factors operate to encourage the development of team relationships. Common membership in a particular group, the possession of a common terminology, the sharing of a common doctrine, common problems with regard to the current operational situation of the team, and common understandings of its significance, the possession of common means and channels of communication, the fact of frequent association, and shared values regarding the necessity for working as a team-these are all factors that enhance the development of teamwork. Nonetheless, the presence of the above factors alone will not assure effective teamwork. In addition, the development of a closely knit team requires each member to possess a frame of reference that embraces cooperation and coordination as operational requirements. When people act at cross purposes, it is because they are impelled by individual, rather than common, motives or by motives that are incompatible and irreconcilable. On the other hand, teamwork develops through the efforts of individuals who possess motives that require cooperative activities for their attainment.

Critical Thinking And Education Philosophy Essay

Critical Thinking And Education Philosophy Essay After providing a conceptual foundation of pragmatism, rationality, objectivity, and the goals of education, a discussion of critical thinking is made to present a concept of critical thinking which is 1) normative; 2) comprising of skill, ability, and habits of mind; and 3) acquiring intellectual resources. To address the vagueness of the concept itself, this review lends itself to the work of Israel Scheffler and Harvey Siegel, in order to provide a defensible proposal on how critical thinking can be infused within the educational curriculum. Critical thinking as an educational aim The current interest placed on critical thinking in the education context is well-founded. Citing Scheffler, Combs (2009) stated that education should be centrally concerned with developing rationality, reasonableness, and critical thought (p. 175). Moreover, Siegel (1988) provided the underlying principles on why critical thinking must be emphasized in youth education. First, because the youth make up the crop of tomorrows leaders, the education system must enable them to develop critical thinking as a tool towards a productive and rewarding life. Second, the development of critical thinking is viewed as a moral obligation of administrators and teachers to instill in students the ability to treat diverse views with respect and foster a climate of open-mindedness. Siegel thought that preventing students to critically think was a form of oppression. Third, the thrust of critical thinking is consistent with the belief that rationality is key towards a productive life for all. Fourth, i n line with Deweys thoughts on pragmatism, critical thinking is a crucial element of democratic citizenship. Scheffler further describes critical thinking as an educational ideal which would allow children to assess their beliefs, desires, actions, and their cognitive and non-cognitive emotions based on appropriate criteria or standards and good reason, and engaged them in the critical dialogues that relate to every area of civilization (Scheffler, 1991, p. 64). Education should not only be aimed at the development of critical abilities, but also at the development of the cognitive emotions and virtues, the critical attitude (Scheffler, 1991). Every educator must endeavor to ensure that all children blossom into critical thinkers. Critical thinking is significant to the ethics, epistemology, content, and manner of education (Siegel, 1988). Its ramifications are broad in scope and pose serious implications to society at large, not only to persons being educated. The key aspects of critical thinking include rational virtues (skills and dispositions to judge in an impartial manner) and to deli berate with objectivity, even disregarding self-interest in the process. These elements are indispensable to moral education (Scheffler, 1973). In science education, critical thinking ability helps students evaluate the strength of reasons and the defensibility of arguments in order to evaluate which among competing paradigms or theories is best. Critical thinking is also an indispensable aspect of the practical component of education. The skills and know-how of students which figure prominently into the curriculum require critical thinking. Reading, spelling, and mathematics do not only require processual skills but the ability to apply criteria or good reasoning to specific domains of inquiry. While operative principles may be taught, students need critical thought to practice these skills effectively. Furthermore, in the context of teaching, critical thinking is reinforced by a teachers critical spirit considered a principal obligation (Scheffler, 1973). In the context of teachi ng, good teaching requires educators to develop in students the skills and attitudes as described in the two-component theory of critical thinking which will be discussed later (Siegel, 1988). Critical thinking: a normative concept That critical thinking is a normative concept means that it is an educational ideal a goal that educators and administrators must strive to aim. It also means that critical thinking is considered generally relevant in the educational realm. As an educational ideal, critical thinking is helpful in organizing the educational enterprise as well as set objectives of educational efforts. Mainly, critical thinking as a normative concept addresses the questions of 1) the purpose of education, and 2) the manner of education. Our basic concept of critical thinking is essentially a normative notion, i.e. that critical thinking is in some sense good thinking. It is the quality of the thinking, not the processes of thinking, which distinguishes critical from uncritical thinking. In addition to deciding how to describe critical thinking activities and standards, we need to decide the boundaries of critical thinking, i.e. what sorts of tasks we see critical thinking as encompassing. Critical thinking is sometimes contrasted with problem solving, decision making, issue analysis and inquiry. Terms such as `problem solving and `decision making designate rather general kinds of thinking tasks. But, carrying out these tasks typically requires one to make a number of judgments, and the thinking that leads to these judgments can either fulfill relevant standards of good thinking. One may solve a problem in a critical or an uncritical manner. So, problem solving, decision making, etc., are best seen as arenas in which critical thinking should take place rather than as other kinds of thinking to be contrasted with critical thinking. Critical thinking draws from rationality and reasonableness as fundamental concepts (Scheffler, 1982). However, critical thinking is considered not only an element of rationality but an aspect which co-exists with it (Siegel, 1997). As such, critical thinking may be considered an educational cognate of rationality since it emphasizes both on beliefs and actions (p. 2). By this definition alone, we can consider the critical thinker as an individual who is motivated by reasons both in thought and action. Siegels reasons conception consists of two components: reason assessment and critical spirit; the former deals with the epistemic realm of reasons while the latter focuses on the motivational realm. This theory merits additional discussion. The two-component theory of critical thinking 1. The reason assessment component Siegel considers the critical thinker as an individual possessing the skill and ability to evaluate reasons and arguments using logical or epistemic standards. Siegel (Reason and Education, 1997) quoted Schefflers view that the critical thinker is not just being moved by reasonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ by by appropriate reasons (p. 20). What this means is that a critical thinker takes it within himself or herself the epistemic responsibility for this thoughts. To be appropriately moved by good reasons is to consciously accept and appreciate the importance of having evidential force to justify thought and actions. In determining what standards are considered meritous, Scheffler (as cited in Siegel, Reason and Education, 1997) said: However, what reasons are appropriate is not fixed once and for ever. It depends on principles which themselves are the result of evolving traditions and may be different for various domains. There are no fixed foundations. The most fundamental presupposition underlying Schefflers epistemology and philosophy of education is the possibility of rational evaluation of principles of rationality. (p. 21) While the acceptability of reasons is not fixed, Schefflers (1973) epistemology of rationality warrant reasons to be consistent, impartial, and non-arbitrary. Critical thinking acknowledges that universal and objective principles have a binding force, but subject to evaluation. The principle-based character of critical thinking is what gives it its normative character. Critical thinking is not merely a cognitive mental process but a mental process that meets epistemic criteria, separated by good and bad reasons. An individual who thinks critically is one who is able to evaluate reasons and ascertain whether prospective reasons are good or bad based on their evidential force and in light of standards or criteria. Siegel (1988, 1997) and other theorists who support critical thinking categorized the principle of reasons of assessment into 1) general (subject-neutral), 2) principles (context-bound) and 3) subject-specific. There are debates on whether reasons assessment should be based on the generalist or the specifist view and to what extent reasons can be considered general or specific. As far as Siegel is concerned, the subject-specific criteria overlook the blurring of boundaries between genres and must be debunked. Siegel proposes that while there may be different criteria, the epistemologies operating are more or less similar. The more significant consideration for Siegel is how beliefs are justified: based on good reasons and supported by universal but fallible standards. This could be interpreted as generalist or a form of contextualism because Siegel supports the identification of good reasons across a range of contexts. Siegel (1997) elaborates: We are entitled to regard these various criteria as appropriate criteria of reason assessment, and to appeal to them in order to establish or determine the goodness of putative reasons, only because they are sanctioned by a common epistemology: a theoretical understanding of the nature of reasons, according to which putative criteria are recognizable as appropriate criteria of reason assessment. (p. 32) The point Siegel tries to make is that although various groups may have their own standards to judge whether reasons are good or bad, they are still governed by common epistemology for justification across different contexts. Furthermore, one question is if emotions are relevant to reasons assessment. Scheffler (2010) described the role of emotions in reasoning, showing how the rational passions contribute to critical thinking. Inquiry is not a dispassionate activity, disassociated from emotion. Rather, people can be very emotionally committed to the search for truth and care passionately that the outcome of an inquiry be the best justified. Such rational passions as love of truth, repugnance of distortion and evasion, and respect for the arguments of others as well as emotions such as curiosity, surprise and the joy of verification (Scheffler 1991) all play a significant role in inquiry, and educational efforts should be directed to their development. In addition, emotions play an important role in rational assessment in several ways. One way is by constraining and directing attention and rendering salient certain aspects of our experience. This likely has to do with connections established in the past between certain emotions and rational assessments. Such emotions can provide useful cues for future assessments, but their adequacy must be assessed through rational criteria. 2. The critical spirit component Because critical thinking is, in our view, thinking in such a way as to fulfill relevant standards, it is the standards of good thinking that provide the criteria for determining what attributes are important for critical thinkers. If an attribute is required by persons in order to fulfill a standard of good thinking, or if it will significantly increase the chances that their thinking will fulfill such standards, it can legitimately be regarded as an attribute that should be fostered in a critical thinker. Having the intellectual resources necessary for critical thinking does not, by itself, make one a critical thinker. One must also have certain commitments, attitudes or habits of mind that dispose himor her to use these resources to fulfill relevant standards and principles of good thinking. Moreover, as Siegel (1988: 9) points out, the critical thinkers tendency to ful ® l the standards and principles of good thinking cannot be mindless or simply the result of habituation. Rather, it must be based on a recognition of the value of critical thinking, i.e. its importance in fostering true belief and responsible action. Siegel recognizes that while reason assessment is a necessary condition for critical thinking, it is not a sufficient one. For example, a critical thinker may be equipped with the skill to evaluate reasons but not be predisposed to use it. Moreover, it is not enough that a critical thinker is capable of assessing the probative force of reasons; the critical thinker should also be inclined to seek out good reasons and disposed to question whether or not candidate reasons fit epistemological criteria. Hence, for a person to become a critical thinker, he or she must be able to habitually engage in reason assessment. In addition, a person must also have a complexity of attitudes, dispositions, character traits, and habits of mind or what Siegel refers to as the critical spirit. Siegels conception of the critical spirit means that critical thought is not a product merely of skill but also of character and motivation. The critical thinker then not only values the use of good reasons and evidentiary power in judgment or deliberation, he or she must also be willing and motivated to evaluate those reasons based on consistent, impartial and non-arbitrary criteria. In other words, the critical spirit is the life force of reasons. The critical spirit motivates and guides a critical thinker in action and belief-formation. Siegel (1997) considers that having reason assessment ability as well as the critical spirit are significant are individually and jointly sufficient requirements for a person to become a critical thinker.   In defense of the critical spirit component, Siegel (1997) enumerates some of the traits that may figure into a complex of dispositions, attitudes, habits of mind, and character traits (p. 35) found in the critical thinker: dispositions to seek reasons and evidence in making judgmentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦; respect for the importance of reasoned judgment and for truthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦; a rejection of partiality, arbitrariness, special pleading, wishful thinking, and other obstacles to the proper exercise of reason assessment and reason judgment; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦habits of reason seeking and evaluatingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, engaging in the fairminded and non-self-interested consideration of such reasons.  Ã‚  (pp. 35-36) On the other hand, Scheffler (2010) also describes the critical thinker as disposed to the following traits: objectivity, consistency, intense aversion to contradiction, repugnance of error, disgust at evasion, love of reason, love of truth, and admiration of theoretical achievement. That character is indispensable in the formation of the critical thinker has been criticized (Missimer, 1990). The so-called character view espoused by Siegel is said to run in contradiction to the contributions of the worlds greatest thinkers. The intellectual greats such as Marx, Rousseau, Bacon, Freud, Russell, Newton, and Feynmann lacked many of the traits which the character view holds to be necessary for critical thinking. Marx was considered anti-Semitic; Newton was averse to criticism of his work; Rousseau and Fenymann were venal and rude to people who espoused incorrect ideas; Freud was a hothead; and Russell lied about his support for the U.S. nuclear program (Missimer, 1990, pp. 146-147). Accordingly, Siegels definition would not make the greatest intellectuals history has ever known critical thinkers. Critical thinking as identity constitution and autonomy Because critical thinking is fundamental educational ideal, Siegel (1997) considers it crucial in identity constitution. Critical thinking develops not only out of honing reasoning ability but also cultivating a motivational complex to create character disposed to the critical spirit. Character traits are fostered which constitute the critical spirit component, making up the traits of a particular type of person or identity. Thus, developing critical thinking entails no less than the formation of a certain identity. In the context of education, young people must be taught not only how to think critically, but more importantly, how to be critical thinkers. Therefore, making critical thinking a constitutive ideal is to propose for educational programs which focus on character-formation in support of critical thinking. Equally important to the concept of critical thinking is autonomy. Aside from critical thinking being coexisting with rationality, autonomy also figures into the same educational ideal. Siegel (1988) considered the importance of autonomy: If we accept critical thinking as a fundamental educational ideal, we explicitly acknowledge the desirability of the attainment by students of self-sufficiency and autonomy . . . The critical thinker must be autonomous-that is, free to act and judge independently of external constraint, on the basis of her own reasoned appraisal of the matter at hand. (p. 54) Autonomy is a state characterized by self-government. Similar to critical thinking, autonomy is also identity-constitutive in the sense that it makes up a certain type of person. Educators should strive in order to develop students who are autonomous agents. Autonomy is necessarily aligned with rationality: This aspect of the educational ideal of rationality aligns it with the complementary ideal of autonomy , since a rational person will also be an autonomous one, capable of judging for herself the justifiedness of candidate beliefs and the legitimacy of candidate values. (p. 56) An autonomous person is one who makes his or her own choices by evaluating them rationally and critically. Siegel (1988) expresses that choosing is not enough for autonomy to surface. A student must be a competent chooser and not subservient to conditions or standards he or she accepts uncritically. Also, a person can be a proto critical thinker because he or becomes slave to reason without having the necessary motivation to propel critical thought. Autonomy, then, requires not only independence in the execution of the action but also with respect to the motivation behind the action. For autonomy to be present, there must also be autonomy in the feelings, emotions, evaluation, or restructuring of principles. Autonomy must exist not only in relation to the reason assessment component of critical thinking but also on the critical spirit component.

Essay --

Robert rice Ms. Hoeb English 12 March 14, 2014 Homeless and Unemployment There is a nexus that exists within the homeless community. This nexus relates between having the essential resources to get a job and the need for a job to buy essentials that deem a person reliable. The government and businesses are the only ones in a situation to break this vicious cycle. To not have these things causes a serious barrier for the homeless. This barrier(s) can themselves lead to other problems not related to employment. These problems may include susceptibility to disease and weather due to lack of housing, malnutrition, and insecurity. The question is: How can our government, businesses and communities help the homeless, who want to get off the streets, get a job? This nexus has corrupted many attempts to leave the wandering life behind. Although it is true that many homeless want to remain on the streets there is about half who want a better life and job. â€Å"To bring these people back into the labor force offers no question those in a very short time†¦ additional income will far exceed the cost ...

Test Bank Ch1

Test Bank—Chapter One (Data Representation) Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following Boolean operations produces the output 1 for the fewest number of input patterns? A. ANDB. ORC. XOR ANSWER: A 2. Which of the following best describes the NOR operation? A. An XOR followed by a NOTB. An OR followed by a NOT C. A NOT followed by a NOTC. An AND followed by a NOT ANSWER: B 3. Which of the following bit patterns cannot be expressed in hexadecimal notation? A. 11111111B. 1001C. 110011D. 100000000001 ANSWER: C 4. Which of the following is the binary representation of 4 5/8? A. 100. 11B. 10. 11C. 110. 101D. 100. 101 ANSWER: D 5. Which of the following bit patterns represents the value 5 in two’s complement notation? A. 00011010B. 11111011C. 00000101D. 11111011 ANSWER: C 6. Which of the following bit patterns represents the value -5 in two’s complement notation? A. 00011010 B. 11111011C. 00000101 D. 11111011 ANSWER: D 7. In which of the following addition prob lems (using two’s complement notation) does an overflow error occur? A. 0011 B. 0100 C. 1100 + 1010 + 0100 + 1100 ANSWER: B 8. Which of the following representations in two’s complement notation represents the largest value?A. 00000010B. 11111111C. 00000001D. 11111110 ANSWER: A 9. Which of the following bit patterns (represented in hexadecimal notation) represents a negative number in two’s complement notation? A. 7FB. 55C. A6D. 08 ANSWER: C 10. What value is represented by the bit pattern 01011100 when interpreted using floating-point format in which the most significant bit is the sign bit, the next three bits represent the exponent field in excess notation, and the last four bits represent the mantissa? A. -1 1/2 B. 1 1/2C. -3/8 D. 3/8 ANSWER: B 11.Which of the following values cannot be stored accurately using a floating-point format in which the most significant bit is the sign bit, the next three bits represent the exponent field in excess notation, and th e last four bits represent the mantissa? A. 2 1/2B. 3/16C. 7D. 6 1/4 ANSWER: D 121. Which of the following bit-patterns represents the smallest value using the floating-point format in which the most significant bit is the sign bit, the next three bits represent the exponent field in excess notation, and the last four bits represent the mantissa? A. 01001000B. 1011000C. 00101000D. 01111000 ANSWER: C 13. Which of the following data storage systems provides the most efficient random access to individual data items? A. Main memoryB. Magnetic diskC. Optical CDs and DVDs ANSWER: A 14. Which of the following storage systems is best suited for storing and retrieving long strings of data that are processed in their sequential order? A. Main memoryB. Magnetic diskC. Optical CDs and DVDs ANSWER: C 15. Which of the following mass storage system does not require physical motion? A. Magnetic tapeB. Magnetic diskC. DVDsD. Flash drives ANSWER: D 16.Assuming that each of the following bit patterns originally had even parity, which one contains an error? A. 10110100B. 11000011C. 00011000 D. 10001001 ANSWER: D 17. How many errors per pattern could be corrected when using an error-correcting code in which any two code patterns differ by a Hamming distance of 8? A. 3B. 4C. 5D. 6 ANSWER: A 18. Which of the following is a possible LZW compression of the message â€Å"xyz xyz xyz†? A. 1234B. 1234545C. 232D. 12 ANSWER: B 19. How many different symbols can be encoded using Unicode? A. 256B. 4,096C. 65,536D. 1,046,476 ANSWER: C 20.Which of the following systems is least efficient when encoding numeric values? A. Two’s complement notationB. Excess notation C. ASCIID. Floating-point notation ANSWER: C 21. Which of the following is a means of encoding music? A. ASCIIB. MIDIC. JPEGD. GIF ANSWER: B Fill-in-the-blank/Short-answer Questions 1. A computer’s main memory consists of numerous memory cells, each of which contains ________ bits. Each memory cell is identified b y a numeric value called the cell’s _________. ANSWER: eight, address 2. Represent the bit pattern 1011010010011111 in hexadecimal notation. ________ ANSWER: B49F 3. A7DF is the hexadecimal representation for what bit pattern? ____________ ANSWER: 1010 0111 1101 1111 4. How many different bit patterns can be formed if each must consist of exactly 6 bits? ____________ ANSWER: 64 5. Translate each of the following binary representations into its equivalent base ten representation. A. 1100__________ B. 10. 011__________ C. 0. 01 __________ D. 10001__________ ANSWER: A. 12 B. 2 3/8 C. 1/4 D. 17 6. Rewrite each of the following values (represented in base ten notation) in binary notation. A. 7__________B. 23__________ C. 2 1/4 __________ D. 5/8__________ ANSWER: A. 111 B. 10111 C. 10. 01 D. 0. 101 7. If the patterns 101. 11 and 1. 011 represent values in binary notation, what is the binary representation of their sum? ____________ ANSWER: 111. 001 8. Using a two’s complemen t notation system in which each value is represented by a pattern of six bits, represent the value 3. ____________ ANSWER: 000011 9. Using a two’s complement notation system in which each value is represented by a pattern of six bits, represent the value -3. ____________ ANSWER: 111101 10.What is the largest positive integer that can be represented in a two’s complement system in which each value is represented by eight bits? ____________ ANSWER: 127 (represented by 01111111) 11. In a two’s complement system, what value is represented by the pattern 11111111111111001? ____________ ANSWER: -7 12. When using two’s complement notation, what bit pattern represents the negation of 01101010? ____________ ANSWER: 10010110 13. What value is represented by each of the following patterns in excess notation? A. 10000 ____ B. 0110 ____ C. 1011 ____ ANSWER: A. 0, B. -2, C. 14. Using an 8-bit floating-point format in which the most significant bit is the sign bit, the next three bits represent the exponent field in excess notation, and the last four bits represent the mantissa, write the bit pattern that represents the value 1 3/4. (Use normalized form. ) ____________ ANSWER: 01011110 15. What is the largest value that can be represented in a floating-point system in which each value is encoded by a byte whose most significant bit is the sign bit, the next three bits represent the exponent field in excess notation, and the last four bits represent the mantissa? ___________ ANSWER: 7 1/2 (represented as 01111111) 16. Which of the following addition problems cannot be solved accurately when using a floating-point system in which each value is encoded by a byte whose most significant bit is the sign bit, the next three bits represent the exponent field in excess notation, and the last four bits represent the mantissa? A. 2 1/2 + 1 3/8B. 3 1/2 + 4 1/2C. 7 + 3/4 ____________ ANSWER: A, B, and C 17. The following is an error-correcting code in which an y two patterns differ by a Hamming distance of at least three. Symbol Representation A 000000B 001111 C 010011 D 011100 E 100110 F 101001 G 110101 H 111010 Decode each of the following patterns 010011 ________101010 ________011000 ________101101 _______ ANSWER: C, H, D, F 18. How many errors in a single code pattern could be corrected when using an error-correcting code in which each code pattern is a Hamming distance of at least seven from any other code pattern? ____________ ANSWER: 3 19. The following is a message that was originally encoded so that each pattern had odd parity. Circle the patterns in which an error has definitely occurred. 0110101 11110000 10010010 00000000 11111111 00001000 00111101 ______________________________________ ANSWER: Second, fourth, fifth, and sixth 20. Data compression techniques apply various principles to reduce the size of data. One, called _______________________, avoids repeating long strings of the same data item. Another, called _____________ __________, encodes the difference between consecutive blocks of data rather than encoding each block in its entirety. Still another, called _________________________, uses short bit patterns to encode frequently occurring items and longer patterns to encode less frequent items.ANSWER: Run-length encoding, relative encoding, and frequency-dependent encoding. Vocabulary (Matching) Questions The following is a list of terms from the chapter along with descriptive phrases that can be used to produce questions (depending on the topics covered in your course) in which the students are ask to match phrases and terms. An example would be a question of the form, â€Å"In the blank next to each phrase, write the term from the following list that is best described by the phrase. † TermDescriptive Phrase bitBinary digit Boolean operationAND, OR, XOR, NOT addressA numeric value used to identify a memory cell exadecimal notationAn efficient way of representing bit patterns sectorA segment of a track in a mass storage system zoned-bit recordingA means of increasing the storage capacity of a magnetic disk system bufferA storage area used to hold data on a temporary basis, often as a step in transferring the data from one device to another ISOAn international organization for establishing standards ANSIA major standardization organization within the United States ASCIIA system developed by the American Standards Institute for encoding text. lip-flopA digital circuit capable of holding a single digit two’s complement notationA means of encoding whole numbers floating-point notationA means of encoding numeric values that may involve fractions truncationAn error that may occur when using floating-point notation pixelA small part of an image GIFA means of compressing an image file by restricting the number of colors availableJPEGA means of compressing images by blurring the boundaries between different colors while maintaining all brightness information UnicodeA mea ns of encoding text in which each symbol is represented by 16 bits LZWAn example of adaptive dictionary encoding MIDIA means of encoding music in terms of notes and instruments rather than actual audio Key fieldA part of a logical record in a file used to identify the record. VLSIA means of constructing complex circuitry in a very small space.General Format Questions 1. Describe how a computer can produce an incorrect answer when performing numerical computations even though it has not malfunctioned. ANSWER: Most students will probably refer to overflow and truncation errors. 2. Describe ho the concept of Hamming distance is used to produce an error-correcting code. ANSWER: By designing a code in which each pattern has a Hamming distance of n from any other pattern, patterns with fewer than n/2 errors can be corrected by replacing them with the code pattern that is closest. . a. What is the output of the circuit below? [pic] b. In general, how does the three-bit input pattern across the top of the diagram relate to the circuit’s output? ANSWER: a. 0 b. The output is 0 if the input parity is odd; the output is 1 if the input parity is even. 4. If the input and output bit patterns in the circuit below are interpreted as binary representations of numeric values, what operation does the circuit perform? [pic] ANSWER: The circuit subtracts one (except for the case of the input being 000). . Explain why such terms as kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte have acquired double meanings. ANSWER: The prefixes kilo, mega, and giga are used traditionally to refer to units measured in powers of ten. However, due to the early misuse of the prefix kilo in reference to units of the size 1024, these prefixes are now often used to refer to units that are powers of two—especially when referring to the capacity of main memories. 6. Convert the following addition problem into two’s complement notation using four bits per value), perform the addition, convert the an swer back into base ten notation, and explain the results. 6 + 3 ANSWER: In two’s complement notation the problem is to add 0110 and 0011. The sum is 1001 which translates to -7. This answer is incorrect due to overflow. 7. Under what condition is each of the following data compression techniques most effective? a. Run-length encoding b. Relative encoding ANSWER: a. Compresses most when data consists of long strings of the same entry. b.Compresses most when each block of data differs little from the previous block. 8. What is frequency-dependent encoding? ANSWER: Frequency-dependent encoding is an encoding system that uses short bit patterns to represent data items that occur most often and longer patterns to represent less frequently occurring items. The result is that entire blocks of data can be represented in less space than would be required if each data item were represented by the same size bit pattern. 9. Construct the entire two’s complement scale in which eac h value is represented by three bits.ANSWER: 3 011 2 010 1 001 0 000 -1 111 -2 110 -3 101 -4 100 10. To what does the term â€Å"normalized form† refer in the context of floating-point notation? ANSWER: Normalized form refers to a standard for positioning the bit pattern within the mantissa field. Many values can be represented in floating-point notation by different bit patterns, only one of which is in normalized form. Hence, restricting representations to normalized form assures that each value is represented by a unique pattern. 11.Explain why the final version of the dictionary need not be transmitted with a message encoded using LZW compression. ANSWER: The dictionary can be constructed during decompression in the same way it was constructed during compression. 12. Among the Boolean operations AND, OR, EXCLUSIVE OR, and NOT, which is least like the others? Explain your answer. ANSWER: There is not really a right or wrong answer. The student’s explanation is the m ost important part. Most students will probably answer NOT because it has only one input whereas the others have two. 3. If a term paper consisted 42 pages, each containing 40 lines of 100 symbols each (counting each space as a symbol), was to be encoded using Unicode, how many bytes of storage space would be required? ANSWER: 336,000 bytes (168,000 symbols times 2 bytes per symbol) 14. Explain why adding only a few characters to a text file may increase the file’s size by several hundred bytes and at other times may not increase the file’s size at all. ANSWER: File space is allocated in terms of physical records, each of which is several hundred bytes in size.Thus, the size of a file grows by physical record units rather than by byte size units. 15. In a two’s complement system, what value can be added to any other value without causing an overflow? How many values in the system have this property? Explain your answer. ANSWER: Adding the value 0 to any other va lue will not produce an overflow. However, if m is the largest positive integer that can be represented in the system, then any value in the range 1 to m will produce an overflow when added to m, and any value in the range -1 to -( m + 1) will produce an overflow when added to -( m + 1).

Ecco Case Essays

Ecco Case Essays Ecco Case Essay Ecco Case Essay They priorities quality and reliability; the supply chain is configured to produce in accordance with specification and without error. ECHO has a very atypical operations strategy compared with their industry peers. Unlike their branded marketer competitors they produce their own materials and manufacture 80% of their own products in factories around the world. Owning and controlling the entire value chain gives them huge flexibility and allows them to maintain the highest levels of quality. Leone et al. 990) state that operation strategy consists of the key decision areas concerned with the structure and infrastructure of operations: 1. 1 Structure Capacity: The majority of the manufacturing capacity is located in Asia due to the low rates of labor. However these facilities have long lead times and make the supply susceptible to changes in customer demand. There are no manufacturing plants in USA, which is one of Cocos major markets. Process technology: This is a key asset to the co mpany and the core of Cocos product strategy was shoes based on direct injection. Competitors tried to copy the erect injection technique, however, ECHO performed many small tasks differently throughout the process, which improved quality and made it hard to imitate. Its products in-house. The remaining 20%, mostly shoes with very thin soles, are outsourced, as they do not benefit from Cocos core technology. Facilities: An independent configuration of global facilities with tanneries and fullest manufacturing facilities in Europe and Asia. Distribution centers are located in the major markets of Europe and United States. The decision to open facilities in China is to access cheap labor and to serve the growing Chinese domestic demand. Research and development is primarily carried out in Denmark. Cost base: Due to the labor intensive nature of show manufacturing ECHO locate their production facilities in cheap labor countries. However there is then a trade- off in lead times and more stock must be held in local distribution centers, which increases working capital. See Appendix 1 for a full break down of supply chain facilities in each country. Page 3 of 13 1. Infrastructure Planning and control: Cocos downstream retail shops ensure full access to customer demand data. This allowed them to plan and react to changes in demand and control he amount of inventory in distribution channels. Manufacturing control is achieved through benchmarking production and by having multiple production facilities so best practice could be shared between them. Quality: Quality is key to the company strategy quality. Quali ty management is maintained by having full control of the supply chain which allows ECHO to set quality standards much higher than they could expect from external suppliers. Human resources: ECHO invests heavily in continuous training and education of its employees providing vocational training, career development and expatriation. Cosmologies, are carried out in Denmark, where they experiment with new materials, processes and technologies. Operational RD is carried out in the foreign production sites where they streamline processes and optimism the use of materials. Procurement: Compared to their competitors this is a very minor part of Cocos operations. They purchase raw hides for the tanneries and they outsource 20% of their shoes (those mainly with thin soles). We assume that ECHO maintain a number of suppliers to increase competition and to mitigate redundancy issues. 1. 3 Global vertical integration A global value chain is strengthened by the fact that shoes are relatively light compared to their value, have few local differences, are not complex to produce and have a long lifestyle. Operating a vertical value chain has advantages: 1 . Owning retail stores ensures access to consumer demand forecasts 2. Direct interface with customers helps with new product development. 3. Full control over the level of quality 4. Maintains shoe knowledge within company But also has challenges; 1 . Synergy advantage is only realizes if each discipline is performed better than competitors 2. The wide span of competencies required can dilute the focus of the company 3. Requires high investment and working capital levels 4. Increased costs of transporting materials around the world 5. A complex interlinked logistical process Page 4 of 13 A weakness of vertical integration is that it reduces the number of suppliers you can choose from (I. E. O must choose a company owned supplier), this lack of competition can lead to and increase in inefficiency. ECHO cleverly utilities multiple factories and tanneries to encourage internal competition and to keep quality high. 1. 4 Further operational execution examples . 4. 1 Manufacturing facilities Manufacturing in Asia provides low cost labor and the Slovakian facility serves the European market. ECHO made the Portuguese unit more hi gh-tech and this seems to deviate from the low cost labor strategy as its very capital intensive, this facility could be merged with the Danish facility. . 4. 2 Training centers The establishment of an education centre, research centre and the ECHO business that 80% of the companys leader should be recruited internally. 1. 4. 3 Faster lead times ECHO required faster lead times to serve the promising Russian market and the 3-4 eek transportation time from Asia was not acceptable. So a production facility was opened in Slovakia close to this new market, which also served to create extra capacity, and reduced the risk of delays from Thailand. 1. 4. Production cycle The speed of production is dependent on the flexibility and adaptability of the production system and the availability of the raw materials. Cocos tanneries in Europe and two adjacent to manufacturing facilities in Indonesia and Thailand enable ECHO to control: Efficient leather processing The quality of the leather produced Faster production of the leather Cocos global supply chain ECHO fully integrated value chain from cow to shoe means managing global operations . 2 Tanneries, manufacturing and distribution functions are owned, managed and run by ECHO. Page 5 of 13 Rawhides Germany France Denmark Finland Netherlands Thailand Indonesia Portugal Slovakia China United States Outsourcing Thin soled products 2. 1 Tanneries Cocos rationale for owning tanneries are their high demands on quality and lead times; they operate one tannery in the Netherlands and another two adjacent to manufacturing facilities in Asia. Locating tanneries close to manufacturing facilities means materials have less distance to travel and demand can be closely matched to supply. However the majority of the rawhides originate from Europe so have the additional cost to be shipped to the Asian manufacturing sites, which means ECHO are vulnerable to changes in transportation costs and it also increases the length of the working capital cycle. 2. 2 Manufacturing ECHO operate worldwide manufacturing facilities to achieving labor cost savings and to spread risk. Each production site specialties in a core competency (such as reduction of shoes or uppers), which allows for workers become expert at a particular part of the production process, which increases efficiency and lower the costs of production. The technology and knowledge intensive manufacturing functions (such as RD) are located in Europe whereas the labor intensive manufacturing is located in lower cost Asian countries. The downside to this configuration is that it may be harder to find high quality employees that match Cocos European values in Asia and also co-ordination the flow of information, materials, and people is much more difficult as the distance from corporate quarters increases. Locating manufacturing far away from retail markets increases lead times due to the inventory traveling time but also because of increased inspections and compliance at border crossings. ECHO had two main distribution centers one in the USA and one in Denmark, which feeds 26 sales subsidiaries. The majority of inventory travels through the distribution centre in Denmark, however only 6-9% of production is sold in Denmark so it then has to be shipped to the local distribution centers, some as far away as Japan. This extra travel increases lead times and costs and introduces a trade-off in terms of ERM of the cost and speed of transport methods; sea and road shipping is much more cost effective but slower and air transportation is very costly and should only be used for emergency shipments. Cocos global manufacturing facilities do not always match the retail markets it serves. In 2004 Cocos main retail markets were USA, Germany and Japan yet the majority of the production and distribution took place outside of these geographies. While we expect the Page 6 of 13 majority of manufacturing to be completed in low cost countries, in order to react to large changes in demand some manufacturing should take place close to large, important markets. 2. 4 Drivers and trends in the industry There are two main trends in the industry: 1 . Shoe brands are moving towards an outsourcing manufacturing model 2. The speed of consumer market trends is increasing Cocos competitors mainly outsource their production to manufacturing experts and use their extra resources to develop specialized sales and marketing competencies. In contrast ECHO need to develop a broader range of competencies that encompass manufacturing, materials, distribution and sales, which mean that they will not have the marketing strength of their competitors. Branding is important in consumer markets and global brands are created by large marketing budgets. Cocos integrated value chain requires large capital investments in manufacturing facilities, which means less capital to spend on marketing. As a brand it has huge awareness in Denmark (99. 4% brand recognition) but internationally this is much lower. Other benefits of outsourcing production include lower costs, a larger choice of suppliers and cheaper redundancy by having a network of suppliers. However their competitors also face downsides such as the substantial resources required to scrutinize the supplier network, monitor quality and maintain supplier relations. It can also make companies more vulnerable to the price increase in raw materials. In todays trend-driven consumer markets certain categories of shoes (such as trainers) are seen as fashion items, so the number of styles and new styles per year are more important than quality. 3 Therefore the higher levels of quality that ECHO provide are an extra cost that is not valued by the customer and provides no competitive advantage. 3 Supply chain risks and mitigation strategies We have focused on risks with the highest priority index and then discuss some dictation strategies that try to balance the risk reduction/reward trade-offs. Key Probability Cost of Mitigation High Medium Balancing capacity and inventory Impact Ezra only manufacture their clothes to worn 10 to 1 5 times, as they believe that after this the item will be out of fashion. The focus is on variety of their clothing lines and a reduction in quality. 4 The priority index is the severity x probability of occurrence x probabil ity of early detect

Organizational synchronicity Essays

Organizational synchronicity Essays Organizational synchronicity Essay Organizational synchronicity Essay By definition, synchronicity means that two things are happening at the same time but having no causal relationship at all. They are said to be simultaneous and are co-incidences. According to Lundstrom, Carl Jung said that synchronicity is based on â€Å"acausal connecting principle that links mind and matter. He said this underlying connectedness manifests itself through meaningful coincidences that cannot be explained by cause and effect. Such synchronicities occur, he theorized, when a strong need arises in the psyche of an individual† (1996). For instance, a mother cooks pesto which she unusually does and her daughter comes home from school unexpectedly with a friend who craves and loves the said dish. Organizational synchronicity means that one entity works with the rest of the organization which is not necessarily of causal nature. For example, in a customer service office, an employee has prepared template answers to customer queries just at the same time as her supervisor thinks of preparing a database of template responses to clients. Another example would be in an office, where the quality checker does an impromptu check on all employees’ work areas. One worker, who normally is untidy, just a few minutes before the check, cleaned up his work station. Meanwhile in business, organizational synchronicity between products, its value and quality, as well as customer service attract more clients to patronize the product. Cultural synchronicity is when two entities of different cultures either consciously or unconsciously work together. An example would be a teacher who is an American having Asian students. The students learn the teacher’s language and grasp them while the teacher, at some level, learns the student’s humor to establish a fun learning atmosphere and good learning relationship with his/her students. Reference Lundstrom, M. (1996). A wink from the cosmos. Flowpower website. Retrieved April 8, 2008 from flowpower. com/What%20is%20Synchronicity. htm.

Sports Econimic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sports Econimic - Essay Example Examples of these policies include securing women through the league and free agency. All of these have been discussed in detail. Other factors like labor, salaries and coaching involved in the league have also been mentioned since they are the key contributors towards the league. Keywords: Australian Football League (AFL), Salary, Competition, Competition Balance, Season, Team, Free Agency, Percentage Distribution, Scores, Point, Clubs, Discrimination, Assault, Harassment, Couch, Policy, Rules Football is no doubt an embraced game all over the world. It has intensively attracted a great number of people from different continents. For a long time, men had dominated this game while the women were left out. Today, it is a game for all regardless of the gender and age factors. If you are not a player, then you are definitely an audience. Sports are perhaps what many deny the attention but the Australian football League! You cannot afford to miss it. It consists of both games played usin g hands, like rugby and football termed as soccer in the U.S. Since the beginning in 1897, there has been progress in the game which a keen audience cannot fail to note. However, there are various issues surrounding the progress of this union, and needs to be reviewed from often to avoid loosing track. Competition existence: Competition in itself is a strong foundation for the growth and the interest of the football league. Every club has to prepare their team well enough to win the match. It is absolutely arguable too, to say that competition is also a disaster as much as it is the propeller for this league. Comparing them with the African league, they are definitely ahead. Very many components contribute to competition; every clubs player within the team has to work to his best as is expected for each team. It is through this that they market their clubs and draw more funs on their side. Booth suggests that â€Å"Most measures of within-season competitive balance focus on the dis tribution of team’s season winning percentages,† (p. 9), which applies in the case of 2012 AFL 25th season. Using the AFL ladder, you will note that several teams strived to acquire higher points to move up. Hawthorn and Adelaide teams have 68 points each, while Sydney (P) and Collingwood hold 64 points each. Their percentage distribution appears as follows respectively; 154.59%, 132.46%, 140.58%, 116.46%. (Coach – AFL, n.d.). This is appealing, and having two teams ranging with the same points but quite some distributed percentage, proves no club leaves behind a loose-end to be the Premier. Today, each club is striving to get the best player in the team for which he or she gets hired at a high price. Nothing good comes out of nothing and it is the reason you will find them striking deals every now and then. Everyone wants a high pay, so why not support the free agency timeline? So be it that, â€Å"Under the new system, if an offer is made for a restricted free agent, the club of that player has to match or better the offer if they wish to retain the player's services.† (â€Å"AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou Defends Free Agency†, 2012). Though some may refute the idea, this will be a step to improving the poor clubs’ performances in the game resulting to more desired contest. Competition balance between the teams: All variables put together, there will exist a miss and come a plus. To measure the balance, then consideration of external factors counts within a given

Enterprise Resource Planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Enterprise Resource Planning - Research Paper Example When one is reactive, one probably loses an opportunity that existed and may never get the opportunity again. Being proactive means putting in place systems that will help the business to have the checks and balances of what is needed at any predetermined time (Sheilds 2001). If one has to excel, it means that one has to be ahead of the competitors because the moment your competitors are ahead of you, one simply reacts to the demands of the consumers. In order to be proactive, one has to manage all organization’s resources very effectively and efficiently. Management means being able to be in control. The aim of this paper is to outline the benefits that come with master production scheduling (MPS) and material resource planning (RPF) as a function of Enterprise resource planning (ERS). This will be done by describing the function of Enterprise resource planning and the role of master production scheduling and material resource planning (Sheilds 2001). ... Later on ERP became an integrated system that addressed all the core functions of an enterprise, with the governments and non- profit organizations employing the system (Chang, Symythe and Timbrell 2000). When ERP systems were introduced, their main focus was to automate the functions of the back office. The functions of the back office are activities that did not involve the customers directly. They are referred to as back office activities because those activities took place in the building where other people cannot see those activities going on. Such activities include manufacturing, developing products and administration. The front office functions were integrated later in the ERP system. As opposed to the back office functions, front office functions are directly related to the customer for instance customer relationship management. Master Production Schedule (MPS) A master production schedule (MPS) is a plan that a company develops so a as to plan for production, inventory and staffing. A master production schedules gives the time the product will be demanded and also gives the quantity that will be demanded. It is therefore a plan for future production. An MPS therefore contains a statement of what the firm anticipates to manufacture. For instance, it states the amount to be produced and possibly how much labor is required. It is therefore concerned with elements such as forecast demand, production cost, inventory costs, lead-time and working hours (Sheilds 2001). The MPS translates the business plan into a production plan. Its addresses the concern of demand, hence forecast demand. It helps to avoid shortages,