High Oil Prices And The Russian Economy - 1429 Words

High flying oil price benefited oil producing countries past 5 years until recent petroleum price plunge. Russian was the one of beneficiaries who has enjoyed the high oil price. The Russian economy stabilized without much of restructuring the economic system or economic growth by developing new industry. High oil price created budget surpluses and keep Russian economy afloat; However, increase of the US oil production, oil price war between Saudi and Kuwait, debilitating European economy, and decreasing oil consumption in Asia contributed to drive oil price down quickly and substantially. Russian GDP signals that its economy gets pounded and affected hardest among major oil exporters. The Russian budget has been in balance with small portion of public debt in comparison to national GDP. Falling price of petroleum drastically reshaped the Russian economy. Financial forecasts and analysis predict that economic recession could come back to Russia. Crumbling Russian ruble and dwindlin g exports slashed 2014 Russian GDP, and its GDP will fall lower than Spain or South Korea. Without serious police changes or development of technology, already battling Russian economy will be much worse place than 2014. The Russian economy suffers from three severe blows: debilitating structural policies and strict financial sanctions from the West, and continually falling oil price. Russia has sustained significant changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, moving from aShow MoreRelatedThe Russian Ruble Crisis And Its Aftermath1453 Words   |  6 PagesTHE RUSSIAN RUBLE CRISIS AND ITS AFTERMATH After the collapse of Communism and the dissolution of Soviet Union in early 1990’s, the Russian government planned to restructure the economy by abolishing the system of price controls, in a hope to save the falling economy. 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Also, it will analyse the impact the fall in the price will have on major oil producing nations. Moreover, it will explore the effect that the fall in price will have on major oil companies and their supply companies. Finally, it will present how the fall in oil price might affect consumers in the European Union. Crude oil is the one of the most important natural resource of the industrialised nations, which could generateRead MoreRussian Economic Crisis Essay1588 Words   |  7 PagesThe Russian economy has reacted very well in the last two years in reference to the events of which resulted in collapsing oil prices and the continuation of Western penalties for certain practices. GDP has decreased a minimal 0.2% in 2016, which followed a positive 2.8% contraction in 2015 (previously estimated to result in a 3.7% decrease by top analysts). 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Up until the dissolution of USSR countries of Central Asian region, including Kazakhstan, primarily served as providers of raw materials, energy products and minerals, trade routes led to north and west towards Russian Republic (Pomfret, 2010). Since the countries of the region received independence, trading pattern s underwent no significantRead MoreRussia China Energy Relations : A Comprehensive Overview Essay1592 Words   |  7 Pagesdepend on Russia’s ability to maximize its strategic and economic position in the Asia-Pacific region. Northeast Asia is home to China and Japan – the world’s second and third largest economies by GDP, respectively – and also â€Å"boasts half the world’s population [and] includes many of the key engines of the global economy, as well as the largest emitters of greenhouse gases,† prompting then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to proclaim in 2011 that â€Å"the future of politics will be decided in AsiaRead MorePetroleum and Oil991 Words   |  4 Pagesfuture ability to export. Thus, foreign investment and ties to Western oil companies are very important to the firm’s ultimate success. Controlling 19 percent of Russia’s oil production and refining capacity and employing more than 120,000 people in its operations worldwide, LUKoil has become Russia’s largest oil company. It is also the first Russian oil company to integrate from â€Å"oil wells to filling stations.† High market prices have enabled LUKoil to amass sufficient capital to make substantialRead MoreRussias Economic Woes Essay1397 Words   |  6 PagesSoviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, declared on national TV the formal end of the Union and handed over full powers of the Russian Federation to Russian president Boris Yeltsin. Within a day, the Supreme Soviet also disbanded itself and Soviet institutions gradually faded out or became transformed into democratic institutions. From this political downfall arose the new democratic Russian Federation, followed by the first democratic governmental institutions since 1917. In order to expedite the transitionRead MorePetroleum and Oil980 Words   |  4 Pagesfuture ability to export. Thus, foreign investment and ties to Western oil companies are very important to the firm’s ultimate success. Controlling 19 percent of Russia’s oil production and refining capacity and employing more than 120,000 people in its operations worldwide, LUKoil has become Russia’s largest oil company. It is also the first Russian oil company to integrate from â€Å"oil wells to filling stations.† High market prices have enabled LUKoil to amass sufficient capital to make substantial

The Ira Free Essays

The Irish Republican Army or IRA is Northern Ireland’s most notorious terrorist organization. Like many other groups, the IRA is a militant nationalist group with Marxist tendencies. They use violent attacks such as bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, extortion, and robberies that they used . We will write a custom essay sample on The Ira or any similar topic only for you Order Now to send their message. The ultimate goal of the IRA is to use militant behavior to make British rule in Northern Ireland obsolete, thus letting Northern Ireland become an independent republic, instead of two separate countries with different governments. The IRA was founded in 1919 as a successor to the Irish Volunteers, a militant nationalist organization that was founded in 1913. One of the alias’s for the group is Direct Action Against Drugs, or DADD. The IRA operates independently of any political control or party, and† in some periods actually took the upper hand in the independence movement. †(Britannica) Unlike some terrorist groups, the IRA does not carry out attacks on countries that are not in close vicinity of Northern Ireland. The majority of their operations are based out if Great Britain, and Ireland. Some of their most favored targets were senior British Government officials, British military and police in Northern Ireland, and Northern Irish Loyalist paramilitary groups. By attacking these individuals they hoped to demoralize Great Britain to the point of turning Ireland over to the people. The IRA did not want to overthrow the government and run it themselves, they simply wanted to see a change in the government so that it would benefit the people of Northern Ireland. The IRA is organized into small, tightly knit cells under the leadership of the Army Council. While they only have a few hundred members, they have thousands of sympathizers who contribute by donating money, supplies, shelter, and even weapons. â€Å"The IRA Is suspected of receiving funds, arms, and other terrorist-related materiel from sympathizers in the United States. †(Britannica) the IRA also received a large amount of support at one point from the PLO, a â€Å"freedom fighter† group from Libya. Not only do they receive aid from other terrorist groups with similar agendas, but in 2002 three suspected IRA members were arrested in Colombia on charges of assisting the FARC to improve its explosives capabilities. The IRA was in their prime during the late 1950’s and 1960’s, though they did play a big part in the Irish Civil war of 1922. As a result of this war, the IRA became more closely related to Sinn Fein, which is the Irish Nationalist party. â€Å"In December 1969, the IRA divided into â€Å"Official† and â€Å"Provisional† wings. Although both factions were committed to a united socialist Irish republic, the Officials preferred parliamentary tactics and eschewed violence after 1972, whereas the Provisionals, or â€Å"Provos,† believed that violence— particularly terrorism—was a necessary part of the struggle to rid Ireland of the British. (Global Security) This was a result of a Sinn Fein conference that had taken place in August. After 1970, the IRA was slowly slipping into the darkness, as they had stopped attacking as much, and was not as big of a concern anymore. Because of â€Å"Bloody Sunday’, when thirteen innocent Catholic protestors were killed by British soldiers, the IRA gained support from the Catholic Church, which gave them their reputation back for a while. Eventually though, they were back where they had left off before Bloody Sunday. The IRA reorganized in 1977 into detached cells to protect against infiltration† and their arms dealing was back in full force. It was said that â€Å"in the late 1990s that the IRA had enough weapons in its arsenal to continue its campaign for at least another decade. †(Britannica) For a long time the IRA tried to use peaceful methods to gain equal treatment for the Catholic minority in the Protestant Northern Ireland. But they were were met with resistance. The Protestants and the British government met the peaceful attempts of the IRA with violence i. e. Bloody Sunday. The IRA had no other choice but to employ violent methods to gain equality and civil rights for the Catholic Minority in Ulster. The IRA began implementing methods such as Bombings, sniper attacks, and assassinations on British citizens. (www. CFR. org) The afore mentioned Sinn Fein, which means â€Å"We Ourselves† first emerged in the early 1900s. It is the oldest political party in Ireland’s history. It was a â€Å"federation of nationalist clubs and eventually, all nationalists to the left of the Irish Parliamentary Party at Westminster came to be popularly known as Sinn Feiners. (SinnFein. org) The party, like the IRA, was based on the demand for an Irish Republic. It won the 1918 election by a landslide and set up Dail Eireann which is translated to â€Å"Assembly of Ireland. † Following three years of war, led by an underground republican government, the party split in 1922 on the issue of the Treaty which partitioned Ireland into two separate provinces. T he leader of Sinn Fein left the party in 1926, causing the party to lose a lot of credibility. However, its fortunes recovered and flourished in the late 1950s and early 1960s with its new association to the IRA and their border campaign. During this time the group experienced a substantial amount of electoral success. In present day, Sinn Fein is split into two parties, Sinn Fein and Republican Sinn Fein. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) was formed in 1969 as the covert armed wing of Sinn Fein. The members of this group, called, â€Å"Provos† were formed from the Official Sinn Fein and the Official IRA. The Provisional IRA was the largest of the three republican armed resistance groups (Sinn Fein, IRA and PIRA). The policies of Sinn Fein under the new leadership of Gerry Adams led to a split in the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1997. One side accepted the new â€Å"Good Friday Agreement† and the New or Real IRA continuing armed resistance against the British. The PIRA has at this point accepted the ceasefire and is still most commonly confused with the real IRA because of their similar connections and name. The IRA and PIRA are not totally different groups, but they are actually two groups that used to function as one. It is my opinion that the split of the IRA into two factions is one of the major reasons why their goal was never accomplished. The army was in need of a way to make money and fundraise to support their cause. They became adept at raising money in Northern Ireland through â€Å"extortion, racketeering, and other illegal activities† and they policed their own neighborhoods through mock trials and beatings. As a result of this Mafia like enforcement, Sinn Fein began to play a more prominent role in trying to end the arms problem that the IRA was causing. â€Å"Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness, together with John Hume, head of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), sought ways to end the armed struggle and bring republicans into democratic politics. They were successful in doing so, and in 1994 the IRA declared a cease fire with Britain so that Sinn Fein was able to legally engage in politics with the Irish Parliament. This ceasefire was shortly ended in 1996 when a bomb that was suspected to be from the IRA killed two civilians. However it was reinstated the following year, returning things back to being civilized between the IRA and Great Britain. Technically the IRA is still a functioning terrorist group, but due to the ceasefire they have been dormant since around 2002 when the final ceasefire was laid out and agreed upon. The IRA has a very important place in Irish history, as well as the history of terrorism because of their prominence in the 1950’s and 1960’s. How to cite The Ira, Papers

Sonnet 18 (854 words) Essay Example For Students

Sonnet 18 (854 words) Essay Sonnet 18This sonnet is by far one of the most interesting poems in the book. OfShakespeares sonnets in the text, this is one of the most moving lyric poemsthat I have ever read. There is great use of imagery within the sonnet. This isnot to say that the rest of the poems in the book were not good, but this to mewas the best, most interesting, and most beautiful of them. It is mainly due tothe simplicity and loveliness of the poems praise of the beloved woman thatit has guaranteed its place in my mind, and heart.The speaker of the poem openswith a question that is addressed to the beloved, Shall I compare thee toa summers day? This question is comparing her to the summer time of theyear. It is during this time when the flowers are blooming, trees are full ofleaves, the weather is warm, and it is generally thought of as an enjoyable timeduring the year. The following eleven lines in the poem are also dedicated tosimilar comparisons between the beloved and summer days. In lines 2 and 3, thespeaker explains what mainly separates the young woman from the summers day:she is more lovely and more temperate. (Line 2) Summers days tendtoward extremes: they are sometimes shaken by rough winds (line3)which happens and is not always as welcoming as the woman. However in line 4,the speaker gives the feeling again that the summer months are often to short bysaying, And summers lease hath too short a date. In the summerdays, the sun, the eye of heaven (line 5), often shines toohot, or too dim, his gold complexion dimmed (line 6), that isthere are many hot days during the summer but soon the sun begins to set earlierat night because autumn is approaching. Summer is moving along too quickly forthe speaker, its time here needs to be longer, and it also means that thechilling of autumn is coming upon us because the flowers will soon be withering,as every fair from fair sometime declines. (Line 7) The finalportion of the sonnet tells how the beloved differs from the summer in variousrespects. Her beauty will be one that lasts forever, Thy eternal summershall not fade. (Line 9), and never end or die. In the couplet at thebottom, the speaker explains how that the beloveds beauty will accomplish thiseverlasting life unlike a summer. And it is because her beauty is kept alive inthis poem, which will last forever. It will live as long as men canbreathe or eyes can see. (Line 13)On the surface, the poem is on thesurface simply a statement of praise about the beauty of the beloved woman andperhaps summer to the speaker is sometimes too unpleasant with the extremes ofwindiness and heat that go along with it. However, the beloved in the poem isalways mild and temperate by her nature and nothing at all like the summer. Itis incidentally brought to life as being described as the eye ofheaven with its gold complexion. The imagery throughout thesonnet is simple and attainable to the reader, which is a key factor inunderstanding the poem. Then the speaker begins to describe the summer againwith the darling buds of May giving way to the summerslease, springtime moving into the warmth of the summer. The speaker thenstarts to promise to talk about this beloved, that is so great and awing thatshe is to live forever in this sonnet. The beloved is so great that the speakerwill even go as far as to say that, So long as men breathe, or eyes cansee, the woman will live. The language is almost too simple when comparingit to the rest of Shakespeares sonnets; it is not heavy with alliteration orverse, and nearly every line is its own self-contained clause, almost every lineends with some punctuation that effects a pause. .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 , .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .postImageUrl , .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 , .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367:hover , .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367:visited , .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367:active { border:0!important; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367:active , .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367 .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue2505c1912d0a0de5db138337be06367:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: William Butler Yeats Essay But it is this that makesSonnet18 stand out for the rest in the book. It is much more attainable tounderstand and it allows for the reader to fully understand how great thisbeloved truly is because she may live forever in it. An important theme of thesonnet, as it is an important theme throughout much of the poetry in general, isthe power of the speakers poem to defy time and last forever. And so by doingthis it is then carrying the beauty of the beloved down to future generationsand eventually for al of eternity. The beloveds eternal summershall not fade precisely because it is embodied in the sonnet: So long asmen can breathe or eyes can see, (line 13) the speaker writes in thecouplet, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.(Line 14)With this the speaker is able to accomplish what many have done in poetry andthat is to give the gift of an eternal life to someone that they believe isspecial and outshines everyone else around them. Perhaps it is because of aphysical beauty that the speaker see, but I believe that it is more because ofthe internal beauty as seen in line 2, Thou art more lovely and moretemperate, that the beloved is deserving to live on forever.

Adobe Photoshop Essay Example

Adobe Photoshop Essay In the past, society has treated television, computing, graphic design, radio, games machines, music production, telephones, animation, calculators, e-mail, the Web, photography, film and video as separate technologies. Now that these applications all use digital methods, todays digital media systems can integrate them using the same hardware. A PC can serve as an interactive television, a voicemail system, a music system, a games machine, and so on. Similarly, the same software can be used on a variety of platforms. For example, computer games producers now develop multimedia games that can be played on-line on the Internet, or on a television, games machine or telephone, as well as in the normal way on a standalone computer. The term for the coming together of these hardware and software technologies is convergence. Convergence is possible because of the growth, capacity, and speed of computer components, high-speed communications, and digitising techniques for all the media. DVD is a storage medium that is replacing the videotape, audiotape, computer diskettes and CDs. In the same way, televisions, radios, computer monitors and screens, and visual displays on telephones, games machines and calculators, will eventually converge into one technology. Research shows that Digital Media involvement through video gaming and movie watching has meant there has been a steady increase in levels of obesity in many of the western countries. We will write a custom essay sample on Adobe Photoshop specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Adobe Photoshop specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Adobe Photoshop specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer For example, in America levels of obesity are at an all time high, this is mainly due to the lack of exercise by the American populace. Youngsters not only in America but also in the majority of westernised countries, have totally differing lifestyles to those just 10 years ago. Nowadays youths play video games for hours and days on end, not wanting to play football in the park or join clubs such as the scouts or cubs. Health risks are imminent from playing video games for hours and with very little exercise. Repetitive Strain Injury is likely due to the constant movement in one direction; eyesight deficiencies are probable due to the glare and closeness, which you sit from the screen and back strain is also feasible due to posture instability. These are all negative cultural impacts of what Digital Media has done in our age. Crime is another sector that has been widely affected by Digital Media in both positive and negative fashions. The government and police have huge databases, with images of criminals and fingerprint recognition images, which are a huge aid in collating evidence and combating criminals. The downside to this positive impact is the crimes that Digital Media has created such as Identity theft and fraudulent activities. Impact of digital media on statistics, weather forecasting (not that we can do much still to predict disasters like the recent Tsunami) and entertainment means we can now study whilst on the move, we can watch films whilst we have a meal, we can watch the news happening in a country we are just about to land in. The speed of transfer of information has transformed communication between people at work (e-mails), people at play (instant replays of contentious sporting moments), people at prayer (flat screen displays of Popes blessings to the faithful etc. ), people at leisure (the whole gamut of films, digital broadcasts of TV programmes, interactive participation in TV add-ons, the continuing evolution of games media (X-box, PS3, etc. etc.) Those detractors from digital media forms are like believers that the earth is flat- they are in denial concerning the unstoppable progress of human inventions. Culturally we maintain our classical art examples whilst embracing new technology to create artistic masterpieces in Adobe Photoshop it is just not recognised as legitimate yet. Oscars for screensavers, the Booker Prize for databases and web pages, the Grammys for download quality MP3s Kazaa!! The futures orange? No, the futures digital Bibliography   http://www.webopedia.com.

Farm Life essays

Farm Life essays Life as a farmer was by no means easy. There were a lot of problems and strains, but it had its good points. The Homestead Act passed in 1862 by Congress gave 160 free acres of prairie land to anyone who would live on it for five years. A lot of farmers also bought land from the Railroad Company so they could be close to the transcontinental railroad tracks, which made transportation better. Though the land was free, the problems nearly outweighed the advantages. The first was housing, which gave people two options. One was the sod house. Strips of sod were plowed and chopped into blocks, then laid down to start the walls. It was layered up, with packing boxes used for doors and windows. The sod was good for insulation in the winter, but they leaked badly in the rain. The second type was the dugout home. They were built exactly as it sounds. A space was dug on a bank or into a hill. Then the opening was covered with a roof of sod. True, people were living underground, but it was good protection. Other problems in the farm life include raging fires on the prairie, hailstorms that pounded down with marble-sized stones, and plagues of grasshoppers. The other strains were emotional, the major one being loneliness. There were miles between families or signs of civilization, and there was no recreation. People became crabby and restless while staying indoors for months at a time in the winter. Very few families could handle this life and moved back east before the five-year period was up. Farm life took a turn for the better with the introduction of four new inventions. The first was barbed wire, which prevented livestock from wandering off and stray animals from wandering across crops. The next was the steel windmill. This brought water up from deep underground and helped to relieve water shortages. Third, the steel plow made possible the growth of larger quantities of crops. Then ...

Destalinization in Soviet Russia

Destalinization in Soviet Russia Destalinization was the process begun by Nikita Khrushchev, following the death of former Russian dictator Joseph Stalin in March 1953, of first discrediting Stalin and then reforming Soviet Russia leading to large numbers being released from imprisonment in Gulags, a temporary thaw in the Cold War, a slight relaxation in censorship and an increase in consumer goods, an era dubbed as ‘The Thaw’ or ‘Khrushchev’s Thaw’. Stalin’s Monolithic Rule In 1917 the Tsarist government of Russia was removed by a series of revolutions, which climaxed at the end of the year with Lenin and his followers in charge. They preached soviets, committees, groups to govern, but when Lenin died a man of bureaucratic genius called Stalin managed to warp the entire system of Soviet Russia around his personal rule. Stalin showed political cunning, but no apparent compassion or morality, and he instituted a period of terror, as every level of society and seemingly every person in the USSR was under suspicion, and millions were sent to Gulag work camps, often to die. Stalin managed to hold on and then win the Second World War because he had industrialized the USSR at vast human cost, and the system was so enshrined around him that when dying his guards daren’t go and see what was wrong with him out of fear. Khrushchev Takes Power Stalin’s system left no clear successor, the result of Stalin actively removing any rivals to power. Even the Soviet Union’s great general of WW2, Zhukov, was shunted into obscurity so Stalin could rule alone. This meant a struggle for power, one which former Commissar Nikita Khrushchev won, with no small amount of political skill himself. The U-Turn: Destroying Stalin Khrushchev didn’t want to continue Stalin’s policy of purge and murder, and this new direction- Destalinization- was announced by Khrushchev in a speech to the Twentieth Party Congress of the CPSU on February 25th , 1956 entitled ‘On the Personality Cult and its Consequences’ in which he attacked Stalin, his tyrannical rule and the crimes of that era against the party. The U-turn shocked those present. The speech was a calculated risk by Khrushchev, who had been prominent in Stalin’s later government, that he could attack and undermine Stalin, allowing non-Stalinist policies to be introduced, without damning himself by association. As everyone high up in Russia’s ruling party also owed their positions to Stalin, there was no one who could attack Khrushchev without sharing the same guilt. Khrushchev had gambled on this, and the turn away from the cult of Stalin to something relatively freer, and with Khrushchev remaining in power, was able to go ahead. Limits There was disappointment, especially in the West, that Destalinization did not lead to greater liberalization in Russia: everything is relative, and we are still talking about an ordered and controlled society where communism was sharply different to the original concept. The process was also reduced with Khrushchev’s removal from power in 1964. Modern commentators are worried by Putin’s Russia and the way Stalin seems to be in a process of rehabilitation.

Quality Function Deployment - Carry out a QFD assessment. & Submit a Essay

Quality Function Deployment - Carry out a QFD assessment. & Submit a completed 'House of Quality' diagram to show the results - Essay Example The first brick or building block should give us some information about what our target audience wants. Analyzing performance of our hand held battery operated drill among the target audience of small business operators they gave us answers in deep expecting â€Å"Voice of the Customer† that main features they require from a hand held drill are time of operation before it needs recharging, its weight as they have to carry it and hammering speed if they need to drill into concrete. (Akao, Yoji., 1990) They were not concerned about other features like durability, parts and service availability, warranty, price or maintenance so we did not have to group customer wishes into smaller groups in a way of affinity or a tree diagram. In our next step we encounter Planning Matrix at the right side of QFD house modeled matrix. Its function is many-fold as it quantifies the â€Å"Voice of the Customer† and allows for its adjustments with the issues concerning the design team. (Gibs on, J., 1995) First we need to get our customers rate how important is for them chosen requirement that we found asking them on the left side of the house. (Gaucher, E., Coffey R., 1993) We can gather this information by questionnaires where customers can rate how important the feature is for them on a scale from 1-5 or 1-10 or we can use analytical hierarchy process by combining two features and asking them which one means more to them. The second method requires a little more work on our side. At the same time when we already have a customer willing to cooperate we should also ask if she/he can evaluate his satisfaction with our product and some competitors products as a whole and by separate features. Once done and statistically measured this number are basis for comparison and calculations of Planned Satisfaction Rating, Improvement Factor, Sales Point, and Overall Weighting. Our customers gave us Feature Importance rating of 4.5 for ability to work longer without recharging 2.7 for having hammering ability and 1.8 to be light to carry around. They marked our product with 3.6 for battery life, 1.8 for easy carrying and 3.1 for hammering ability. Competitor A and B got the following marks respectively: battery life 3.2 and 2.9, easy to carry 2.9 and 3.7, and for hammering ability 1 and 4.4. (Akao, Y., 1990) Our guys from technical department added a column for Planned Satisfaction Rating at 4 for battery life, 2 for easy carry and unchanged for hammering ability. Thus improvement factor for battery life came at 1.4, for easy to carry feature at 1.2 and unchanged 1 for hammering ability. We thought that battery life could be our next sales point so we added additional 1.5 weights to it from sales perspective. (Cooper, R., 1993) The third building block oh the â€Å"House of Quality† matrix consists of technical requirements recognized as the Voice of the Company. (Gibson, J., 1995, p.8) QFD team here identifies all measurable characteristics of the pr oduct as they relate to customer wish list. A line can be added here that shows whether we need to increase or decrease the feature as decrease to make it lighter or increase to make it last longer. In our case we noted battery life increase requirement and weight decrease requirement while we think that we are on the money with one hammering speed. In the middle section of the â€Å"House of Quality† matrix we assign different weights to relationships. This is rather subjective and may lead to wrong

HRM450-0704B-02 Organizational Change - Phase 2 Discussion Board Essay

HRM450-0704B-02 Organizational Change - Phase 2 Discussion Board - Essay Example The impact of demographic diversities in a group means that more efforts are needed to be put in place so that each of the group members knows what his or her duty is and whether this person is communicated about the roles that are asked of him or her, both in the short term as well as the long run. (Sanna & Parks, 1999) Moreover, demographic changes mean that the leader has to focus more on a particular set of people or at times, the ones who are not very easy going along with the whole group. Hard work and commitment thus form the key in this whole equation of getting the best out of even the ordinary of people in the group. Leadership qualities are not inborn or inherent, they have to be developed with the passage of time and one needs to comprehend the fact that it requires strenuous exercise and a certain set of power that is needed by the man of courage, determination and dedication. Leadership qualities require that the leader gets the best out of the group members no matter how hard and trying the circumstances are. (Fink, 2002) The odds might be tough at times but it is the leader’s tact and sheer discipline that can turn the tides in the favor of the group rather than the other side. However the role of a team leader cannot be denied its due place in the related context of things nonetheless. Similarly interpersonal skills like motivating the team members, following ethical guidelines, adhering to rules and procedures are just the right tonic for building a bridge between the various team members. Thus it is also pertinent that the top management inculcates the subject of working in team rather than being loner in different projects so that the end result is a clear manifestation of the people with their respective whole hearted efforts and dedication levels exceeding what was expected of them in the first place. Teams create a sense of bonding between the employees and the top management thus the latter needs to understand

Indian Market Essay Example for Free

Indian Market Essay This report deals with oral market of India especially the mouthwash sector. the various aspect of marketing and research and development of mouthwash product are discussed in detail. INTRODUCTION (COSMETIC MARKET) According to to a research RNCOS industrial research-The rising beauty concerns among both men and women are propelling the Indian cosmetics industry, which has witnessed a strong growth in the last few years. The country’s cosmetic sector has, in fact, emerged as one of the markets holding immense growth potential. New product launches catering to consumers’ growing requirements will fuel growth in the industry, for which the future outlook seems exceptionally bright. According to our latest research report, the Indian cosmetics market registered impressive sales worth INR 264. 1 Billion in 2011, and with rising purchasing power and growing fashion consciousness, the industry is estimated to expand at a CAGR of around 17% during 2011-2015. Their new research report, â€Å"Indian Cosmetic Sector Forecast to 2015†, sees that the Indian cosmetics industry holds promising growth prospects for both existing and new players. We have specifically studied the trends, pertaining to cosmetic products, among male and rural population which will help consultants, industry analysts, and vendors understand the direction in which the industry is moving. During the consumer behavior analysis, we observed that consumers are increasingly shifting towards ‘natural’ and ‘herbal’ cosmetic products as they are associated with bio-active ingredients and safe for human skin. In addition to this, we found that women are spending more on cosmetics as they are actively earning and spending money on grooming themselves. Besides, rural india is also showing its willingness to look attractive. We also studied the prospects of various segments, including hair care, skin care, oral care, fragrance and color cosmetics, and presented forecasts for them in our report. The study revealed that color cosmetics market is growing at a rapid rate in comparison to other segments. Our comprehensive study also provides a brief analysis of markets for Hair Beauty Salon, Spa and Cosmetics Surgery that are an important part of the Indian cosmetics industry. With a view to understanding the industry’s competitive landscape and presenting its balanced outlook to clients, we have included an overview of the activities of key players like Hindustan Unilever, Marico and L’Oreal in the report, which will prove decisive for clients. COSMETIC MARKET SALE-2011 Others 23% Hair Care 20% Make Up 20% Fragrance 10% Skin Care 27% 2|Page Hair Care Market About 20% of all cosmetic products sold are for the hair. Shampoos make up the vast majority of this market since almost everyone uses shampoo. Other significant market segments include conditioners, styling products, hair color, and relaxers. Skin Care Market The range of products that are offered for the skin care market are much more diverse than the hair care market. Skin care makes up about 27% of the total cosmetic industry and includes skin moisturizers, cleansers, facial products, anti-acne, and anti-aging products. Of all the cosmetics, skin care products can be some of the most expensive with 2 ounces of product routinely selling for gt;$200. Women do not mind spending big bucks to keep their skin looking young. Make-up Market The color cosmetic market represents about 15% of the cosmetic industry and includes anything from lipstick to nail polish. Included are hings like blush, eyeshadow, foundation, etc. The array of products is vast and the number of color variations are practically infinite. You can spend a lot of time as a cosmetic chemist working on new shades of familiar products. The market is highly segmented so there isn’t really one dominant player. Fine Fragrance This market segment has really taken a hit in the last few years but it still makes up about 10% of the cosmetic industry so some companies are still making money. This is the highest profit segment of the cosmetic industry but consumers are fickle. Only a few brands (like Chanel #5) can last for a long time. Fine fragrances come and go like fashion and companies have to continue to reformulate just to compete. Other The â€Å"other† category represents 23% of the cosmetic industry and is made up of things like toothpaste, deodorants, sunscreens, depilatories, and other personal care products not yet mentioned. Actually, many of these products could fall under one of the categories already mentioned but the industry likes to keep them separated whenever they do stories on the various markets. 3|Page ORAL CARE According to a report from RNCOS industry research solution-In India, oral care segment holds a substantial share in the overall cosmetic market. On back of increasing awareness about oral hygiene, improving income, and high advertising expenditure by players, the Indian oral care market has shown stupendous growth. According to our latest research report, tooth paste and tooth powders hold the majority share of the market, and this is expected to remain the major sub-segment in future. It is estimated that the Indian oral care market will register a strong CAGR of around 14% during 2011-2015. As per the report, â€Å"Indian Oral Care Market Forecast to 2015†, there exists an immense potential for tooth brush market in rural areas. During our study, we also observed that dental health camps and free dental checkups have raised awareness about dental infections and diseases, especially in suburban and rural parts. The Indian Oral Care market is derived by analyzing and studying its subsegments including: tooth paste, tooth powder, tooth brush, and mouth wash. Besides, our extensive study also discusses why the markets for tooth paste, tooth powder, tooth brush, and mouth wash are growing in India and in which direction they are likely to move in the coming years. It also forecasts the share of oral care segments in oral care market As per scribd. com,the oral care category has a market for about 5000crore for year 2011-12 . Key Players-Hindustan Unilever and Colgate Palmolive. 93 per cent of the households reported some expenditure on toothpaste in 2009-10. The penetration of toothpaste was 95 per cent in urban households and nearly 88 per cent in rural households. The penetration of toothbrushes is much lower than that of toothpaste. Possibly, the index finger is a substitute for the toothbrush in many households, or toothbrushes last for over a year.

Having a Career in Fashion Design Essay -- Fashion Employment Educatio

Having a Career in Fashion Design The fashion design career, has recently emerged as one of the most popular and competitive among young people. Those who actually succeed in design have a very individualistic personal style and don’t follow trends set by others. Having fashion design as your profession sometimes allows you to meet glamorous people. It can also put you in charge of what is in and out when it comes to clothing through ramp shows and fashion write-ups. Most designers have a great social status, and are accepted by everyone. However, There are many aspects which may or may not help you choose it as your career. Many talented individuals are attracted to careers as designers. Those with little or no education, as well as those who lack perseverance, will find it difficult to establish and maintain a career in fashion design. There were over 16,000 people employed in this field in 2003 and demand will stay strong for designers because of our consumer culture is always wanting new styles and fashions. The employment is expected to grow fast through the year 2010 and some designers will need to be replaced as they retire, leaving more jobs available. Although, these jobs are only available in large cities such as New York or Los Angeles. Fashion designers don’t work on commission so they do earn wages. The pay is great even for beginner designers. Most beginning designers earn as much as twenty-four thousand dollars annually and upper level designers earn as much as one hundred-five thousand dollars annually. The hourly wages for a beginner is twenty dollars and ninety-five cents while more experienced designers earn as much as fifty dollars or more per hour. Fashion designers may have to keep irregular hours to meet deadlines production deadlines for fashion shows. They may have to travel over seas to productions sites or for showings and conferences or even material shopping. Designers under incorporations normally negotiate their benefits and normally receive full benefits of paid vacations, group insurance plans, and sometimes sick days or break days. It all dep ends on your employer. As for those who are self-employed benefits may depend on themselves. If they set up a health plan for them selves the y may only pay a partial amount on their expenses. Although, they will be able to take time off, but it won’t a paid vacation ... ...ando florida. When wanting to become a fashion designer you must also acquire a licence which you may receive from your school as you graduate. â€Å" You should intern at fashion companies during college. You may have to do administrative stuff, but you’ll be around creative and important people.† (Baron, pg. 73) After college, you may still have your internships but, you may want to fully establish your career. Future designers may find jobs through their training facility job placement offices. Experienced designers are able to locate jobs through other people in the industry, personal affiliations, or advertisements in trade journals or newspapers. Direct application to employers remains the most effective. You can also look for jobs online. The fashion design industry is very large and you must work hard to join those whom re part of it. Its not just about the pay or benefits that draw most people to this career. It’s the liberal feeling of creating new things and making creative, new looks. Its about self expression and freedom to share an opinion on what you think is cool. Some like it, and others don’t, because of everything it stands for or what they would have to do.

Nordstrom Employee Issues

Does the company have an ethics policy? Conflicts of Interest Nordstrom values fair and honest dealings with their customers, coworkers, suppliers, competitors and other business partners. Directors are expected to uphold these values by avoiding conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest also may arise when a Director, or a member of his or her family, receives personal benefits such as gifts as a result of his or her position as a Director with Nordstrom.Directors should use good judgment at all times to avoid relationships that could create a real or perceived conflict of interest. If a Director believes he or she has an actual or potential conflict of interest with Nordstrom, the Director shall notify the Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee as promptly as practicable and shall not participate in any deliberations and decisions by the Board of Directors that in any way relates to the matter that gives rise to the conflict of interest.Corporate Opportunitie s Directors owe a duty to Nordstrom to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises. Directors may not take for themselves a business opportunity (or direct a business opportunity to a third party) that is discovered through the use of Nordstrom property, information or position, unless Nordstrom has already been offered the opportunity and determined that it will not pursue that opportunity ConfidentialityEach Director, during his or her term of office, and after leaving the Board, must maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to him or her by Nordstrom and any other confidential information about Nordstrom that comes to him or her, from whatever source, in his or her capacity as a Director, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated or when the information becomes generally available to the public. . How are employee and labor issues addressed? Nordstrom has an open door policy.Each employee has the responsibility to speak up to create a safer work environment that supports an environment where each can realize their potential, and contributes to the company’s goal of providing excellent customer service. If you have any questions about the Code of Conduct or have a concern about any employee or customer conduct, we want to hear from you. The expectation is that any concerns will be brought up immediately. Also, in the event any employees observe illegal or unethical behavior, they have a responsibility to speak up.An anonymous or confidential option is also available. Call 1. 888. 832. 8358 or visit ethicspoint. com. Retaliation is Not Permitted Nordstrom will not permit any retaliation against employees who report possible misconduct, raise a concern regarding a violation of this Code, participate in an investigation or otherwise engage in legally protected activity. Anyone who retaliates will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. http://shop. nordstrom. com/c/nordstrom-cares-environment? origin=topnav

Evolution of Human Speech Essay

It can not be disputed that speech is an important aspect in communication and above all it enables man to adapt to his environment by expressing his feelings, thoughts and sentiments. The power of the spoken word is also apparent in different authorities at it reflects what should be done and the ultimate success of the society. This illustrates why this art was adopted millions of years ago by the ancient man and has been used since then. However, the origin and development of speech is still unclear with various theories being put forward to address this issue. The most recent development in this field has been the proposal that this unique human characteristic developed from the gene FOXP2 in the KE family. However, this is yet to be affirmed as counter propositions have been raised, both by scientists, anthropologists and biologists. It is upon this background that this paper aims at analyzing the different phases of the evolution of human speech. Speech is a complex occurrence that is characterized by intonation and flow. However, Hewitt emphasizes that gestures are the most fundamental aspect of speech because of the fact that speech emanates from the movement of certain body organs in a systematic manner (342). From this, he further argues that the earliest human beings essentially used gestures in communication (342). This marked the earliest form and starts a journey to modern human speech. According to Crow, man definitely developed this sign language from the birds and the insect gestures (49). In this respect, he indicates that the birds usually take a material for nesting to the partner as a sign of proposal. In addition, the bees usually move their tails in a certain specific motion when they land on a flower that has nectar. From observing the characters of these and other animals like the dogs and the cats, man came up with a sign language to enable him communicate just like the other animals (Hewitt 342). As such different gestures were adopted by man to symbolize different things and ideas. For example, waving meant good bye, putting fingers on the lips meant keep quiet and shaking ones head meant disagreement. Hauser indicates that these gestures are still being used by the modern man and has the same implication (52). In addition, the gestures are universal and mean the same thing in diverse cultures. This has an implication that speech developed from a single source. Further, by watching the animals such as dogs and chimpanzees make some sounds when expressing different emotions, Maddeison points out that man also imitated them and came up with certain syllables that could convey the different emotions like for instance crying, laughing among others (56). Indeed, he affirms that the traditional man was able to grunt, cry and produce other emotional sounds with the help of his laryngeal glands. However, Hewitt argues that man developed speech because of his craftsmanship (342). To this end, he indicates that as man involved his hands in practical activities like Agriculture and crafts, he increasingly found it difficult to use his hands to communicate by gesturing while working at the same time. Furthermore, since his eyes also concentrated on the duties he was doing, it became difficult to see and acknowledge the gestures. According to Hewitt, this prompted him to derive other ways of expressing his ideas while working at the same time (342). Thus, Crow shows that he developed this using the lips and the tongue and that is when speech was born (57). Development of speech is thus related to the gestures that man once used. In this respect, it can be noted that children that are learning how to write often twist their tongues as their hands move. In addition, it can be observed that when a person is using a pair of scissors to cut anything, usually, the jaws of the person also move simultaneously. From this, Hewitt argues that it can be concluded that as it became more and more difficult to use hands in gesturing, man adopted the gestures using his jaw, lips and tongue (342). Hence, the development of speech is actually related to the activities that man engaged in. In other words, man adopted his speech from movement of his hands as he concentrated on different activities. With time, man got used to using the jaw, tongue and lips and his hands retired completely from gesturing. Afterwards another vital discovery was made that if air could be blown through the nose or mouth as the jaw, lips and the tongue moved systematically, these movements could become audible either as whispers or as sounds (Hauser p. 55). This reflected the sounds of grunting, snoring and crying made by man initially. As a result man was able to hear these sounds and hence communicate even when in the dark or when away from his peers, something he could not do earlier on. However, it was soon realized that not all movements of the jaws, lips and tongue were successful in producing these audible and coherent sounds. Hence, according to Hewitt, man decided to limit the mouth movement to up and down and not sideways (343). This was very effective in producing the coherent and audible sounds and man was then able to communicate effectively. Afterwards, man realized that the repetition of these sounds could make words and many words could make a speech. He made this idea practical while relatively using the words and finally, he was able to communicate clearly. In addition, Hauser argues that the development of these words was contributed to by the activities that man engaged in (57). For example, he explains that the word â€Å"sip† originates from the act is sipping. According to him, when man sips any liquid, and air is blown in to the mouth, the sounds of sip sap are produced. This explains how the word sipping came in to existence. It should be noted that these words are acknowledged ad appreciated universally and including in English. In the development of speech, Crow points out that man started with simple words and consonants before developing more complex words (62). To this effect, he indicates that the baboon can say certain simple words like man, is, eat amongst others although it can not use the words successively to make a sentence. Likewise, Crow contents that the development of speech took the same pattern (62). According to him, man started with simple words like go, eat, is amongst others before he came up with more complex words. However, unlike the baboon, man was able to repeat these sounds because he has two interlinked tubes in the vocal track while the baboon and the chimpanzee have only one (Crow p. 63). This explains while these animals, besides being hominids can not use speech. Words differ considerably because of the different environment and other scenarios that are unique to different areas. These include the climatic conditions, culture and other natural episodes and scenarios that characterize different areas. Despite this, Hewitt asserts that speech originated from the very first attempt by man to use lips, the tongue and jaws (343). This development is perceived to have occurred almost 400,000 years ago when is thought to have developed the essential organs to aid in the same. Specifically, the hypoglossal canal is perceived to be instrumental in attaining this condition and the right size for this is thought to have developed at this time. In addition, the gland is effective in transferring the relevant signals to the brain which then develops the ideas to be passed on. Despite the development of these vital organs, it is not clear whether speech developed concurrently or later on as other studies point out that speech developed only 100000 years ago (Maddeison, p. 62). To this effect, he argues that other vital features in speech development like the long neck developed almost 100000 years ago and therefore, speech developed then. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be ascertained that the development of speech in man is a phenomenon that started millions of years ago. This started by man imitating the gestures made by birds, insects and animals. Then, he started emulating the sounds made by the same and gradually developed his own sound system. It is also worth noting that the advent of craftsmanship contributed a great deal to the development of speech. In fact, it can be argued that this was the major factor that made man develop his speech. Works Cited Davidson, Hauser. Development of Speech in the Hominids; Cambridge: University Press, 1997. Foged, Maddeison. The Diversity in Linguistics; UK: Oxford, 1996. McLarnon, Hewitt. â€Å"Anthropology: The Origin and Development of Human Speech† American journal of Linguistic Inquiry, 109 (3) 1999: 341-343 Ploog, Crow,J. The Modern Man and Development of Speech; UK: Ox

Generalized Enterprise Reference Architecture Methodology

Generalized Enterprise Reference Architecture Methodology Enterprise Integration Methods It has been noted by some practitioners that over the last few years that there has been significant growth in the importance of enterprise integration. This fact is especially given the fact that many organizations are becoming increasingly reliant on information technology (IT) (Lam and Shankararaman 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Generalized Enterprise Reference Architecture Methodology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This position suggests a need to ensure both business processes and technology systems are coordinated in a strategic manner. The increased reliance on IT provides a competitive edge though in some cases businesses require some level of IT to function. In the past organizations the required IT applications developed these as standalone systems. Such systems were often developed to address specific functional domains such as sales, marketing, personnel, manufacturi ng and billing (Lam and Shankararaman 2). The result of this individual approach to systems design resulted in several hundreds or even thousands of separate IT applications. As business evolved there emerged a need to integrate these separate IT applications to be evolved to support additional business requirements (Lam and Shankararaman 2). For example, the need to automate the transfer of customer details from a sales system to a billing system. For this reason integration of IT applications was expensive and time consuming. This piecemeal integration approach led to organizations facing problems owing to a massive application with several custom interfaces. The maintenance of such systems was expensive and thus created the interest for enterprise integration (Lam and Shankararaman 2). Enterprise integration can be defined as strategic consideration of processes, methods, tools and technologies associate with the achievement of interoperability both within and external to the ent erprise with the goal of enabling collaborative business processes (Lam and Shankararaman 2). This integration is not only about technology but also considers business processes that cut across business applications. For this reason enterprise integration is business driven. Enterprise integration involves process, service, application, data and presentation integration. There are a number of approaches that have been suggested for enterprise integration including batch, point-to-point, broker-based and business-process integration (Lam and Shankararaman 13).Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More GERAM In response to the need for enterprise integration a variety of integration approaches have come in to existence. Among these is the Generalized Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology also known as GERAM. The basis of this approach is the creation of a general architecture inclu ding tools, methods and models required to develop and maintain the integrated enterprise (Bernus, Nemes and Schmidt 23). Such tools are supposed to be useful in integration a single enterprise or even a network of enterprises. The GERAM framework is thus considered a suitable solution for all types of enterprises. The general approach used in the framework suggests previously published architecture can maintain identity while identifying through GERAM (Bernus, Nemes and Schmidt 23). The GERAM framework is meant to unify methods from various disciplines such as management science, industrial engineering, etc., making them useful as a unit (Bernus, Nemes and Schmidt 23). The most noteworthy aspect of the GERAM model is the fact that it provides the ability to unite enterprise integration efforts. This is due to the fact that GERAM allows for integration of models based on products with those based on business processes (Bernus, Nemes and Schmidt 23). ZACHMAN EAF This approach was des igned by John Zachman in the 80’s and focuses on the architectural framework based on several functional components (Radaideh and Al-Ameed 48). This model is based on a two dimensional framework and suggests the problem of enterprise integration can be tackled by separation of concerns. The use of the two dimensional framework allows the decomposition of the problem into a number of distinct partitions. Once this decomposition has been achieved it becomes possible to address the finer issues in relation to a specific partition (Hesselbach and Herrmann 544). This framework was designed to describe any idea that difficult to understand. The model is widely used for enterprise architecture modeling and consists of a 6X6 matrix (Hesselbach and Herrmann 545). Through this framework it is possible to capture different aspects of a given sustainability standard. Each cell in the model contains a description of what information should be captured and how it should be expressed. For t his reason models in separate cells can exist independently though this does not infer they have no relationships.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Generalized Enterprise Reference Architecture Methodology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Due to its compartmentalized approach this framework is widely used for documentation and/or development of enterprise wide information system architecture (Wout, Waage, Iartman, Stahlecker, and Iofmann 162). The use of traditional practices used in architecture and engineering form the basis for this framework. As a result of such a background, the framework’s vertical axis adds many perspectives in relation to the overall architecture. On the other hand, the horizontal axis of the framework classifies artifacts related to the architecture. The framework targets the creation of wholesome independent artifacts which in turn contribute to the completion of the whole integratio n process (Wout et al., 162). FEAF This approach was originally developed to integrate the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) with various to enable various Federal Organizations and their respective architectures (Saha 3). It was initially designed as a business based framework that would facilitate efforts to transform the U.S. Federal Government to one that is citizen based, results oriented and market based. This framework is supposed to provide an approach for identification, development and specification of architecture descriptions of high priority areas. The establishment of such a framework gives consideration to core components such as architecture drivers, strategic direction, and target architecture, among others (Saha 3). These components were found important to the development and maintenance of the FEA. The FEA target is the creation of a Meta architecture framework that will allow interoperability between independently developed, maintained and managed architectur es (Goikoetxea349). The framework defines expected principles that govern interoperability, conformance and migration that are used across the Federal government. It is believed that through this FEAF mandate the Federal government can promote sharing of information, encourages development of enterprise frameworks within FEAF guidelines and promotes efficiency (Goikoetxea349). This approach comes with a number of advantages such as economies of scale through sharing of services, improved consistency and ease in capture and dissemination of elements (Goikoetxea349). DODAF This approach also seeks to standardize the methods and processes modeling of large government based organizations. Just as FEAF serves the US Federal government, this approach targets the Department of Defense (Blokdijk 24). This framework seeks to integrate systems such as those concerned with weapons, information systems dealing with procurement and deployment, consolidation of various sub agencies, unification o f organizational goals and conducting global operations based on a single command system (Blokdijk 24).Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Given that such tasks are often large and complicated there is a need to have in place a defined systems framework to promote cohesion throughout the organization. The system is unique in that it offers a variety of architectural views that complement all major initiatives of the organization (Blokdijk 24). The architecture is designed to serve military operations as well as civilian operations. The framework provides a set of standards, specifications and technologies that strongly promote inter agency cooperation and seamless teamwork. The framework is based on the premise that any architecture can be described in three views namely, systems view, operational view and technical view (Goikoetxea 287). The operational view describes the participants and the information they may require to exchange. The systems view describes hardware and software requirements needed to complete the operations. The technical standards view lists the interface standards and other rules that the system must satisfy (Goikoetxea 288). The architecture is built on the philosophy that architectures should be built with their purpose in mind. In addition to that, architectures should facilitate and note impede communication between people. It is also based on the principle that architectures should be readable and allow integration of multiple architectures. Lastly it is believed that all architectures should comply with the framework sufficiently to enable the achievement of the first three principles (Goikoetxea 288). Based on these above principles architecture description according to DODAF is a six step process. The first step is to determine the use of the intended architecture. The second step is determination of the scope of the architecture. The third step is determination of characteristics to be captured. The fourth step is the determination of views and products to be constructed. The fifth step is construction of recommended products. The final step is the use of the arch itecture for the intended purpose (Goikoetxea 289). Conclusion In the course of this report several approaches to Enterprise Integration have been discussed. The main reason that Enterprise Integration has become a matter of concern has been traced to the increased reliance on Information Technology by many businesses around the world (Lam and Shankararaman 1). In light of this position it becomes apparent that there is a need to integrate these standalone systems to better facilitate information exchange. In the attempts to integrate enterprises some government agencies such as the US Federal Government and the Department of Defense have established frameworks to facilitate integration (Blokdijk 24). Whereas such frameworks have been established and can be used by both government agencies and civilians, they come with the disadvantage that they also suggest the creation of additional enterprise integration frameworks (Goikoetxea 289). This position is not very favorable given that the proliferation of frameworks appears to mimic the scenario that saw the proliferation of thousands of standalone systems. Given that proliferation of enterprise integration frameworks does not appear a suitable solution it appears there is a need for a generalized framework which can serve the needs of all users. For this reason it would appear that the development of GERAM is a suitable and lasting solution to the problem. The basis of this approach is the creation of a general architecture including tools, methods and models required to develop and maintain the integrated enterprise (Bernus, Nemes and Schmidt 23). Such tools are supposed to be useful in integration a single enterprise or even a network of enterprises. The GERAM framework is thus considered a suitable solution for all types of enterprises. Bernus, P., L. Nemes, and G. Schmidt. Handbook on Enterprise Architecture. Berlin: Springer, 2003. Print. Blokdijk, Gerard. Enterprise Architecture 100 Success Secrets â€⠀œ 100 Most asked Questions on Enterprise Architecture Definition, design, Framework, Governance and Integration. Brisbane: Emereo Pty Ltd., 2008. Print. Goikoetxea, Ambrose. Enterprise Architectures and Digital Administration: Planning, design and assessment. Danvers, MA: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., Print. Hesselbach, J., and C. Herrmann. Glocalized solutions for Sustainability in Manufacturing. Berlin: Springer, 2011. Print. Lam, Wing Hong, and Venky Shankararaman. Enterprise architecture and integration: Methods, Implementation and Technology. Hershey: Information Science Reference, 2007. Print. Radaideh, M. A., and H. Al-Ameed. Architecture of Reliable Web Applications Software. Hershey: Idea Group Publishing, 2007. Print. Saha, Pallab. Handbook of Enterprise Systems Architecture in Practice. Hershey: Information Science Reference, 2007. Print. Wout, Jack, Maarten Waage, Herman Iartman, Max Stahlecker, and Aaldert Iofmann. The Integrated Network Architecture expla ined: Why, What, How. Berlin: Springer, 2011. Print. Appendix Appendix A: Zachman Framework (Hesselbach and Herrmann 545).

Change Very Fast and Covering All Aspects of the Modern Society

How Do Change Very Fast and Covering All Aspects of the Modern Society? The ICT industry is evolving every day, and from some time, there have been different changes in the system which are evident. The technology change is very fast and covering all aspects of the modern society. The concept of ICT comes up with many elements that are normally very interdependent by nature, and there is some disruption as well where one can get impacted by many other factors as well. From last many years, many experts, as well as policymakers, are always expressing a lot of concern about saving the system from some cyber attacks. Here many experts are expected to raise the overall frequency, and it is also severe in actions in coming future as well (Van den Berg et al., 2014). The overall act is about saving the ICT systems, and the overall content has become popular and called for cyber security. A broad concept can be very helpful however it tends to defy the exact definition completely. It sometimes inappropriately gets thoroughly conflated with various other theorie s and concepts like sharing information or privacy or surveillance. But, the overall concept of cyber security can be a crucial technique which protects the privacy level and also saves many unauthorized issues and monitoring along with sharing of information. It can be based on gathering many crucial tools which impact the concept. When the management is at risk related to information system is also considered as basic to being an effective tool for cyber security. The overall risks are also related to any attack that depends on three important factors. These three factors are threats which can be a case of attack or vulnerabilities which are related to the weakness of the victim and lastly impacts which discuss the overall impacts of the attack. Many kinds of cyber attacks have restricted kind of impacts however a successful one cover some vital elements of critical infrastructure where many lead by privately owned business (Van den Berg et al., 2014). It can also lead to many imp ortant impacts on the national level security as well as the economy and the basic livelihood of people of the country. Saving the critical kind of infrastructure functions have emerged as a major issue. This happens primarily due, so many money goes through a different set of the network each day, and it also involves a broad range of functions, based on e-commerce, travel, communication in general and hospitality. Distribution of electricity, water based distribution and many another kind of utility services are dependent on ICT-related infrastructure. The defense sectors also depend on electronic systems (Lam, 2016). There are many critical systems or infrastructure is mainly owned as well as functioned by the private sector. However, the important question here is that the private sector is only responsible for it and this can only mean that government has a much lesser kind of role and these are few of the crucial issues in cyber security that countries are dealing with. At a company level, the concept is merely based on technology problems, but it is also a management based problem. This is further grounded at management of risk which asks for a clearer understanding of people, process, network as well many ICT based security features (Lam, 2016). It is also normal that many organizations are actively involved in saving the infrastructure of ICT. This leads to including many privately owned operators for different pieces of the infrastructure. These types of efforts also require and it is important to be completely coordinated with integrated kind of entity, and it also serves as a united structure which is responsible for cyber security. A different set of roles, as well as responsibilities of every party, require to be defined in clear words and also the government requires to setup right kind of policy as well as legal structures. Countries like the US have further advocated for a market-based as well as voluntary kind of approach towards the industry and concept of cyber security becomes the part of National Strategy to save the Cyberspace (Elmaghraby and Losavio, 2014). However, this is work properly completely since the investment of security produced by the industry as per the needs of the corporate are not found to start with broader interest of the country.   So the important question here is that how extra investment will be generated for the companies or will there be any case for incentives as a part of a number of incentives based program to fill the gap that exists between security-based investment.   With this, there are additional forms that are required to save many critical infrastructure (Elmagh raby and Losavio, 2014). Some security-based surveys point out the need and it also reveal that there is lack of proper knowledge among many executive related to security-based policies and cases and the recent technological answer is based on leakage of data as well as financial level loss and the overall training that is required for the workforce. The overall cyberspace is also very low comparatively, and there are number legal concepts for many standards of care that are not present (Sadeghi et al., 2015). As discussed, the overall risk related to any attack is primarily dependent on three crucial factors which are threats, vulnerabilities, and the impacts. The overall management of risk towards the information system is based on basic to impactful cyber security. Threats are related to people that actually or sometimes potentially commit cyber attacks, and such people are widely mentioned as falling into a single or sometimes more than five cases which can be criminal's related intent on many monetary advantages from different crimes like extortion or theft (Sadeghi et al., 2015). There are many spies as well where the intention is of stealing the valuable and confidential information used by the private sector and government. Many nation-state players are working to grow different capabilities and also undertake a different kind of cyber attacks right in support of the country's objectives. The concept of cyber security in many ways comes with a kind of race between defenders. The sy stems of ICT are also very complex by nature, and the attackers are continuously looking for some weakness which can happen at many points of time. There are also many defenders that can also be saved against any weaknesses, but three specifically are challenges which are inadvertent or sometimes intentional. These act by different insiders with right kind of access to the system along with supply chain vulnerabilities that can allow different kind of insertions of many bad software or hardware as per the process of acquisition and unknown previously on nil vulnerabilities with no set fix (Reddy and Reddy, 2014). Even in the case of many kinds of vulnerabilities where the solution are known, and this may not be executed in many kinds of cases since there are a number of operational as well as budget issues. The important question here is what can be the main issues where a successful kind of attack can also compromise the private information, integrity and the presence of the ICT sy stem and the data one can handle. The concepts of cyber theft or any espionage-related to attacks can bring departure of much financial, personal as well as proprietary information where an attacker can benefit the most, and it happens without the proper knowledge of the victim. There are many denials of service kind of an attack which is slow by nature and also saves many users from accessing on the system (Reddy and Reddy, 2014). Many cyber-based attacks usually have a restricted influence but either way, a successful kind of attack is the one where different elements of many critical infrastructures. Many such issues are held by the privately owned sector and can have significant impacts on nationally based security, the economy and the daily lives as well as safety of single citizen. This is why; there are very few successful attacks with high-level influence that can pose on the larger issues than a common kind of successful issues with low influence (Scully, 2014). It can be recognized that cyber-based attacks which can be a costly process for people and companies, an economic influence that can be challenging to calculate and also estimates of different influenced widely. Following are some of challenges: - The concept of cyberspace is primarily based on many diverse IT networks along with many computer resources and every fixed as well as the mobile based device which is associated with the international internet. A cyberspace of a country is a part of the international space, and one cannot completely get isolated with what is defined as many boundaries since the concept is entirely borderless (Cavelty and Mauer, 2016). This is why the concept of cyberspace is unique by nature and unlines another physical world which is restricted by geography from land to sea to other natural sources. However, the issue of cyber attacks is becoming a constant problem, and the countries are now investing heavily in ICT infrastructure with an opinion to provide a higher amount of time to integrate various national economies with the international marketplace and also make sure that the people can access more e-services. The above-discussed security issues are increasing, and the main aim is to the inve stment and the safety of cyberinfrastructure. Cavelty, M.D. and Mauer, V., 2016.  Power and security in the information age: Investigating the role of the state in cyberspace. Routledge. Cherdantseva, Y., Burnap, P., Blyth, A., Eden, P., Jones, K., Soulsby, H. and Stoddart, K., 2016. A review of cyber security risk assessment methods for SCADA systems.  computers & security,  56, pp.1-27. Elmaghraby, A.S. and Losavio, M.M., 2014. Cyber security challenges in Smart Cities: Safety, security and privacy.  Journal of advanced research,  5(4), pp.491-497. Lam, J., 2016, June. IIET: Cyber security in modern power systems-Protecting large and complex networks. In  Cyber Security in Modern Power Systems, IET  (pp. 1-12). IET. Reddy, G.N. and Reddy, G.J., 2014. A Study of Cyber Security Challenges and its emerging trends on latest technologies.  arXiv preprint arXiv:1402.1842. Reddy, Y.B., 2015, April. Security and design challenges in cyber-physical systems. In  Information Technology-New Generations (ITNG), 2015 12th International Conference on  (pp. 200-205). IEEE. Sadeghi, A.R., Wachsmann, C. and Waidner, M., 2015, June. Security and privacy challenges in industrial internet of things. In  Design Automation Conference (DAC), 2015 52nd ACM/EDAC/IEEE  (pp. 1-6). IEEE. Scully, T., 2014. The cyber security threat stops in the boardroom.  Journal of business continuity & emergency planning,  7(2), pp.138-148. Ã…  endelj, R., Lombardi, F., Ognjanovi?, I. and Guarino, S., 2014. Cyber Security in Montenegro: Practice, Framework and Challenges. Van den Berg, J., van Zoggel, J., Snels, M., van Leeuwen, M., Boeke, S., van de Koppen, L., van der Lubbe, J., van den Berg, B. and de Bos, T., 2014. On (the Emergence of) Cyber Security Science and its Challenges for Cyber Security Education. In  Proceedings of the NATO IST-122 Cyber Security Science and Engineering Symposium  (pp. 13-14). .com is the ideal place for students, who often wonder, 'who can write my assignment for me'. The reason is, we have a pool of highly skilled and knowledgeable experts, who prepare highest quality academic papers in all domains. 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Introduction In this competitive business environment where every business organization is trying to attract the customers of each other, it becomes essential for ... MSc in Psychology 1896 - Completed Orders MiM (Masters in Management) in Supply Chain Management 93 - Completed Orders Masters in Management, MMgt 184 - Completed Orders MBA in Supply Chain 285 - Completed Orders That's our welcome gift for first time visitors Rated 4.9 / 5 Based On 14001 Reviews Copyright  © 2019 .com. All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The reference papers provided by .com serve as model papers for students and are not to be submitted as it is. These papers are intended to be used for research and reference purposes only.

Critically analyze the arguments against corporate power in Joel Essay

Critically analyze the arguments against corporate power in Joel Bakans book (The Corporation) - Essay Example akan’s famous book â€Å"The Corporation† vividly visualizes these negative demeanors of the corporations and suggests the ways and means to have tighter control over them, mainly to make them to engage in more corporate social responsibility activities. This research essay reviews the above book and details the Bakan’s important critiques and suggestions to make the corporations around the world to be law-abiding citizens. Joel Bakan’s book â€Å" the Corporation â€Å" is a book about the corporate form of business , it salient features as of today , the manner it functions and the impact it has on people and also deals with the so-called corporate social responsibility, and it brings to the front core about various corporate frauds and malpractices together its insulting demeanor. Joel Bakan argues that corporations are facilitated by law to work for their interests than that for others, thereby exploiting others without least respect for moral turpitude or legal frameworks. The so-called doctrine Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the majority of the cases functions to camouflage its true identity or color thereby discarding public interest and enriching self-interest. Bakan is of the opinion that corporations which function as institution , which have the self-drafted mandate to work for its own self-interest and hence , these corporations are nothing but pathological organization, and they are now regarded as the most dangerous organization toothed with extraordinary powers through laws. In Chapter 1, Bakan is of the view that recent corporate scandals like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Satyam, etc. is not a new phenomenon, but it existed from the inception of corporate form of business. People now started to concern about the mammoth size of multinational companies, and the authority that these companies veil on the gullible public which has made a concomitant demand of introducing harsher regulations to control and manage these corporations. Bakan

Air pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Air pollution - Essay Example The paper "Air pollution" discovers the problem of air pollution. If the government rewards environment-friendly businesses and actions, it will be an example of positive consequence. On the opposite, instilling habits through adverse effects would be imposing financial penalty on an industry that is exceeding the limit of emitting pollutants in the air. Where technology has given so much to life, it has also been the source of many predicaments. Technology has given human beings too many machines that they constantly engage with and consume energy. In the end, environmental policies and their proper application can significantly contribute towards a healthier greener planet. Climate change and environmental pollution are the most crucial issues in the world. One needs to study them carefully and understand their magnitude. Recently, international attention has shifted towards studying this relationship of rapid development and the resulting environmental problems. In the last few de cades, an immense development has been observed around the world but this development comes at the cost of diminishing natural resources and negative impact on the ecosystem. One of the many problems facing Saudi Arabia is air pollution. Air pollution means the introduction of different gases and solid fumes into the atmosphere. These gases and particles are composed of biological, chemical and other dangerous components. Air pollution is becoming a major concern for the citizens of Riyadh. It is one of the largest metropolitan areas.

NO TOPIC Discussion Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NO TOPIC Discussion Questions - Research Paper Example He also lost the salary that he could have earned ($120,000) had he chose to stayed in his previous work. Since he was in Africa for two years, he lost $240,000 ($120,000 x 2 years) plus $150,000 savings. In addition he also lost the opportunity to receive additional salary through annual increase and the interest earned by his $150,000 had he invested it somewhere else. Assuming that his annual increase is 5% and the interest income of his $150,000 savings is 10%, his total opportunity cost for his failed venture in Africa are the following Marginal Cost is the additional cost that will be incurred in adding one more unit of an item which in this case is one more ECO/561 class. In the same vein, Marginal Revenue is the additional revenue that will be generated by adding one more ECO/561 class. The  increase  or  decrease  in the  total cost  of a  production run  for  making  one  additional  unit  of an  item. It is computed in situations where the  breakeven point  has been reached: the  fixed costs  have already been  absorbed  by the already produced  items  and only the  direct  (variable)  costs  have to be accounted for. Q#3- Scenario - Assume you are a new analyst hired by UOP. The Admissions Director (AD) wants to determine the optimum number of students for each ECO561 class. You are provided with the following data   Opportunity costs are those values foregone by choosing another course of action. In my case, my opportunity cost is the salary foregone when I decided to take the course. Along the way, I have to make time to attend class and do my homework which I could have spent working and make money. Opportunity costs are always considered in evaluating strategic opportunities. By quantifying the opportunity cost, or the costs that will be given up by choosing specific alternative, we are able to quantify the costs associated in choosing a specific strategy. This way, we can determine which course of

Technology Forecasting Essay

Technology Forecasting Essay The various mathematical models being used to carry out forecasts sometimes lead to significant errors. This occurs because the development of new relationships is not taken into account and possible trends changes are considered negligible. A major failure in forecasting arises from the fact that social and political issues are not taken into consideration when forecasting is carried out. It is impossible to predict the future based only on past data. The models that do that are actually excluding qualitative parameters such as the opinion of the individuals. Therefore it is essential to use a different method for dealing with these problems. According to the theory of Godet, the future is not a continuation of the past but an â€Å"outcome of the wishes of various actors and the constraints imposed on them by the environment† (Godet 1982). The configuration of prices within an energy market depends a lot on the balance between the supply and demand for energy. In order to evaluate future energy price scenarios, it is necessary to mention the parameters that affect the supply-demand balance. In 1, some typical parameters are presented. Economic growth refers only to the quantity of goods and services produced. Energy is actually the driving force that moves every economic activity. The economy can be set in motion by specific activities that convert energy from naturally sources (e.g. solar, heat, wind, running water, fossil fuels and chemicals) into forms that will be used to produce goods and services. Eventually, a high economic growth rate implies urgent needs concerning the uninterrupted supply of energy. In response to that, the infrastructure network may choose to readjust the price of energy in order to cover the demand for stable power (Alam 2006). According to Shafiee and Topal (2008), high prices might indicate the threat of a physical scarcity of fossil fuels (e.g. oil, gas). If production cost increases, then producers will try to pass this cost to customers. Eventually, the price of energy will rise. When the population increases steadily and in combination with the desire for better living conditions, the demand for energy will increase too. This leads to the requirement for additional energy production which eventually will increase prices. When an energy market is characterized by the domination of one or at least two or three suppliers, then these companies may take advantage of the surge in demand and increase prices in order to make profits and cover financial losses. Environmental taxation is a tool that can be used to meet environmental and national objectives. In the case of energy production, the pollutant will try to pass this additional cost to the customer. Eventually, the inability of the producer to comply with specific rules concerning the environment, will force the consumers to pay more for the same amount of energy. 2) Among the elements that can influence the procedure of energy price planning, there are some parameters that can be quantified, such as population, economic growth, energy consumption, type of market and greenhouse gas emissions. According to 2, three possible scenarios concerning the evolution of the earths population are presented. By taking as a typical reference point the year 2050, the difference between the final results of the three scenarios is rather large. The current population of earth according to U.S. Census Bureau (2009) is 6,792,134,536 billions. This number compared with the three different results reveals three different change rates. Table 1: (Source: United Nations 2004). Current Population Scenario High Scenario Medium Scenario Low 6.79 billions 10.6 billions 8.9 billions 7.4 billions Change concerning current situation + 56.11% + 31.07% +8.98% Taking into consideration the current population of earth and the three scenarios, someone may conclude that the low scenario is impossible to occur in the future. If something unexpected takes place (e.g. fast spread of a certain virus, war, births control etc.) slight changes may occur and the three scenarios might arise in a different form. Another parameter that can affect the future scenarios of energy pricing is the magnitude of economic growth. Economic growth is often measured through the measurement of gross domestic product (GDP).According to 3, the average annual increase for the period 1981-2008, compared to the GDP of 1980 is 1334.56%. If someone takes into account the projections indicated by the red color, the average increase for the 34 year period is 1773.29%. The PPC S.A. (2009) generates 85% of the countrys electricity and holds 91% of lignite exploitation rights in Greece. Despite the liberalization of the electricity wholesale market which started in 2001, the PPC continues to enjoy a monopoly over access to lignite (EUbusiness 2009). Partially affected by this phenomenon, the price of electricity in Greece started to rise after the so-called liberalization (RIZOSPASTIS 2002; NAFTEMPORIKI 2005; RAE 2007; Media2Day Publishing S.A. 2007; iNews.gr 2009). The emissions of carbon dioxide are a parameter that can introduce an additional cost for every country. This is because the emissions that occur from the consumption of fossil fuels, provided that they are greater than a specific limit, are accompanied by a certain amount of money that will have to be submitted by the pollutant. According to the most recent plan for the emissions rights from 2008 to 2012, the following limits/emissions rights are attributed to the sector of electricity generation (Voutsadakis 2008): Total quantity: 328 million tones of carbon dioxide Electricity generation sector: 230 million tones of carbon dioxide PPC: 220 million tones of carbon dioxide If the structure of the electricity generation sector in Greece remains the same, beginning from 2013, 2.2 billion euros will have to be submitted for purchasing additional emissions rights. This is equal to 35 more euros for every MWh produced. Consequently the price of electricity will increase by approximately 45% compared to the current prices (Voutsadakis 2008). As mentioned in section 1, numerous parameters, some of which can easily be quantified, have to be taken into account in order to form future scenarios concerning the price of energy. Godet in â€Å"La Prospective† (Godet 1982) emphasizes on the lack of a global and qualitative approach concerning the forecasting process. Although quantitative methods are characterized by a high reliability, especially in short term forecasts, in the case of long time periods quantitative methods present many blind spots. This is justified by the fact that in a long time period, the probability for a person to face unexpected events is rather high. For this reason, it is not proper to depend only on mathematical methods to make forecasts. What is needed is a combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods. This is exactly what Godet (1982) proposes in his written work. Price of energy can not be cut off from the existence of phenomena, that even though can not be easily quantified, do affect in a significant level any action related to the energy scheme. For this reason, I totally accept the view of Godet, according to which forecasting apart from numbers should be based partially on assumptions, insight and judgment; each one of these factors depend a lot on the opinion of the individual. Experience curves can make accurate estimates about the evolution of technology cost. This requires the inclusion of the methodology limitations. Once the limitations are taken into account, experience curves can be an effective tool for every private or public firm dealing with technology issues. Experience curves describe the relation between past costs and cumulated production. This way it is possible for someone to estimate future costs through the extrapolation method. An important observation is that in order to obtain reliable experience curves, it is essential to apply the specific method to a wide set of cost-cumulative production numbers. Otherwise, the forecasts will be of low reliability. On the other hand, even when the learning curve is evaluated over a wide range of data, relatively dissimilar fits of the same set of numbers are possible to occur; each one of them is equally justifiable. The conclusion is that the output of a process can be described as the total of a procedure through which experience is gained and one for which no cost reductions occur. The experience gained from individual components explains why experience curves usually bend towards the horizontal axis; this indicates the slowdown of the cost change when a technology matures (Ferioli et al. 2009). The use of experience curves based on a single countrys data might designate many difficulties and uncertainties. When dealing with specific sectors of the energy market (e.g. wind energy) a global industry analysis is more useful; especially when someone is trying to forecast global cost issues related to the energy market (Junginger 2001). As mentioned in the first paragraph of this section, limitations of experience curves have to be taken into account. First of all, lets mention the advantages of this tool (Neij et al. 2003). 1. Experience curves describe how cost declines with cumulative production; the curve emphasizes the need of experience to realize cost reductions. It clearly illustrates that RDD programs cannot stand alone. 2. Experience curves can be used as a support in strategic decisions. 3. Experience curves can be used to analyze the effect of combined policy measures in terms of installed units and cost reductions. 4. Experience curves can be used to investigate the existence of national and international systems through which experience is possible to be obtained. 5. Experience curves can assist many individuals, such as financial analysts, industry, researchers and policy makers, in analyzing and assessing strategies and policy measures. Correspondingly, the limitations of the experience curves are the following (Neij et al. 2003): The success of this method depends on high-quality data. Unfortunately, uncertainty is an element that dominates in the international literature. Constructing trustworthy experience curves requires a basic understanding of the technology in question. In order to avoid misinterpretation during data analysis, specialists should be asked for their opinion before drawing any conclusions from experience curve analysis. Experience curves are a tool that must be combined with other methods of analysis of cost reduction sources. Even when a vast amount of data is available, it is possible to draw just conclusions on an aggregated level. For a detailed analysis, other data and tools are required. Experience curves do not show the effects of individual parameters, but the combined effect of several elements. The analysis of individual parameters requires additional analysis tools. The limitations of the experience curves arise from data availability. Due to their limitations complementary methods should also be taken into account. Experience curves should be considered as a generic tool for energy technology analysis. Technological forecasting is an effective tool in setting technology strategies. A large number of techniques have been evolved for technological forecasting. The quality of forecasts depends on the selected techniques. The selection can affect the accuracy and reliability of the forecast. According to Levary and Han (1995), a good choice of forecasting method should be based on the following factors: * Data availability * Degree of data validity * Number of variables affecting technology development * Degree of similarity between proposed technology and existing technologies According to the international literature, the elements that reduce the efficiency and accuracy of technological forecasting are the following (Mishra et al. 2002): Insufficiencies of Technological Forecasting I. Limitations of Quantitative Techniques  · Adaptability to current rate of technology change is low. * Many degrees of freedom in a rapid changing environment are difficult to address. * Complex mathematical models are difficult to comprehend and practice. * Accuracy, stability and reliability are negatively affected by long-term forecasts. * Lack of adequate past data. II. Limitations of Qualitative Techniques (Exploratory)  · Definition and selection of experts is difficult. * Individual bias enters into subjective assessment methods. * Validity of assumptions in scenario development tends to be uncertain with time. * Social, political and economic factors are usually neglected. * Sharp disruptions in trends and unexpected events are usually avoided. * Forecasts are sometimes carried out by someone who belongs to a specific organization. III. Limitations of Qualitative Techniques (Normative)  · The chosen data may be conveniently selected to fit a particular technology. * Technology at the bottom of the tree may be preconceived. IV. Human Related Problems with Forecasters * Selection of forecasters team is not correct. * There is a tendency to avoid information gathering and scanning prior to forecast. * Some forecasters lack imagination and/or nerve. V. Problems in Selection of Techniques * Monitoring prior to selection is lacking. * Validation of one technique by another is not carried out to reduce subjectivity. * Techniques do not incorporate performance measures. * Failures are not considered during the forecasts. According to the previous issues, the process of forecasting will deliver low reliability results if the limitations are not restricted. In order to improve the accuracy of technological forecasts, one of the issues that need to be addressed is the proper selection of technique. Apart from this, the complexity of technology has to be taken into account as well. Finally, in order to increase the validity of the results of the selected technique, it is recommended to use another technique; this will increase the reliability of the forecast (Mishra et al. 2002). It is generally accepted between forecast researchers that the combination of methods improves forecast accuracy (Mackay and Metcalfe 2002). Experts having access to high quality data and by taking into account the previously mentioned issues are able to make relatively high accuracy forecasts concerning the evolution in the sector of technology. On the other hand, someone may wonder how come people with no expertise in a specific technological sector, have the ability to make, most of the time, an almost accurate forecast about the technological changes that will occur in the future. There are many experiments carried out in various scientific areas that justify the ability of non-experts to make an accurate prediction. A research carried out by Austin Grigg, involved specialists, trainees and people with little to none expertise. The result of the experiment was the negligible difference (in favor of the experts) in the accuracy of the prediction between the specialists and the people with little knowledge (Armstrong 1980). This phenomenon is justified by the fact that people who do not have the necessary experience and tools for a scientific forecast, depend mainly on their insight (including myself) when they are asked to make a prediction. In the third section of this assessment project, the importance of the qualitative parameters was accepted. The most significant part of the qualitative element in a forecasting process is the insight. Its about the ability to predict something, not by depending on mathematical models and numbers, but on the identification of relationships and behaviors within a model, context, or scenario (Reay 2009). Therefore, when an individual is fully aware of the interactions among the qualitative parameters, that affect the evolution of an under-study issue and the issue itself, then a prediction carried out by this individual will have a high reliability degree, concerning the proper use and explanation of the qualitative data. The chosen case study for this section is the California electricity crisis of 2000 and 2001. The deregulation of the electricity market in California was expected to reduce the high retail prices of electricity. The result was exactly the opposite compared to the initial purpose; wholesale prices increased even more, customers experienced interruptions in supply of energy and utilities bankrupted. Among the crisis roots, the following factors are included:  · The absence of additional generating capacity.  · The unexpected dry season and spikes in natural gas prices (California was greatly depended on the operation of hydro plants and natural gas).  · The market infrastructure allowed power generation firms to control wholesale prices in the power exchange market.  · The delay and inability of regulators to predict the crisis and appropriate respond to this phenomenon. In 4.2, someone may observe that power plant outages increased during the crisis period; this affected in a high degree the magnitude of blackouts that customers experienced. The yellow strip bars indicate an average increase of 8759 MW for the months January, March and May of 2001 compared to the corresponding months of 1999 and 2000. According to 7, the dawn of deregulation indicates a rather smooth trend concerning the evolution of wholesale market prices; what was expected to occur had nothing to do with the sharp increase of prices that took place after that period. The increase in retail prices ( 8-2001 to 2003) was not expected, either because the deregulation was expected to establish low prices or because past data indicated that low prices ( 8-red dots) were likely to occur in the years to come. A key point, totally irrelevant to statistical data and concerning the flaws of forecasting techniques applied before the incident of California, will be analyzed in the next lines. When the State and the regulators of California implemented the deregulation system that was successfully adopted first by other countries (Woo et al. 2003), they proceeded in specific changes (e.g. imposition of retail price caps, partial deregulation) without trying to carry out a detailed study about the complex Californian energy scheme. In other words, what might had been successful somewhere else, it was considered as a guaranteed success in the case of California. Additionally, if the adjustment of energy market infrastructure and potential manipulations had been taken into account by examining the validity of alternative scenarios concerning the risk of deregulating the Californian electricity market, certain mechanisms able to respond to a future crisis would have probably been developed. According to the previous comments, it is obvious that forecasting methods that rely exclusively on historical data trends, they ignore the opinion of individuals and do not take into account the conditions that prevail in the environment where the under-analysis phenomenon develops. Thus, any forecasts made are of low validity and reliability. The following table contains the data for the installed nuclear capacity between 1965 and 1985. These data have been highlighted with the green color. Table 2: (Source: Nuclear Energy Agency n.d.). Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 326 1995 345 2000 352 2002 359 2005 368 By using the available data of table 2, the period 1965-1985 will be used as a reference time (instead of 1967-1987). Respectively, predictions will be made for the period 1990-2005. Forecast method: Trend Source: Excel Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 281.20 1995 342.80 2000 404.40 2002 429.04 2005 466.00 Forecast method: Linear extrapolation Source: Excel Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 280.80 1995 342.40 2000 404.00 2002 428.64 2005 465.60 Forecast method: Logarithmic extrapolation Source: Excel Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 282.64 1995 343.67 2000 404.55 2002 428.86 2005 465.28 Forecast method: Polynomial extrapolation Source: Excel Years Installed Capacity (GW) 1965 5 1970 16 1975 72 1980 136 1985 253 1990 ≈ 400 1995 ≈ 590 2000 ≈ 790 2002 ≈ 900 2005 ≈ 1000 It is obvious that among all the extrapolation-forecasting techniques, the one with the lowest divergence from the actual data is the logarithmic extrapolation method followed by the linear technique. On the other hand, none of the used methods was able to give high accuracy forecasts because the nuclear installed capacity evolution was highly affected by the incident of Chernobyl. The various mathematical methods can not express the fear of the scientific community to abandon the development of nuclear sector. According to 9, knowing that the incident of Chernobyl occurred in 1986, it is obvious that the rapid increase in nuclear installed capacity started to decline approximately 4 years (1990) after the incident of Chernobyl. Based on 10 and table 3, someone may conclude that the energy balance in Europe is highly depended on the operation of Gazprom. Table 3: (Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration 2008). Country 2006 % of Domestic NG Consumption Germany 37% Turkey 64% Italy 25% France 20% Czech Republic 79% Poland 47% Hungary 54% Slovakia 100% Austria 74% Finland 100% Romania 28% Bulgaria 96% Greece 82% Serbia Montenegro 87% Croatia 37% Slovenia 64% Switzerland 12% Skopje 100% According to table 3, Greece dependency on Gazproms natural gas is approximately 82%. This share indicates that a potential crisis in natural gas supply could lead to significant problems in sectors such as domestic heating and gas-fired power plants. Greece as a major energy user Greece has insignificant domestic reserves of oil and gas and relies greatly on energy imports. In 2006, the total energy consumption was 1.4 Quadrillion Btu. The distribution of this amount of energy can be located on 11. Although the share of natural in total energy consumption is not very high ( 11), the high dependency degree on Gazprom supply and the decreasing reserves of Greece in natural gas, would result in significant impacts in the energy balance of Greece. Provided that I would be somehow involved in the coordination of the energy planning of my country, I would propose the following measures. 1. Greece already has one natural gas import terminal situated at Revithoussa (DESFA 2007). The supplier is the Algerian company Sonatrach. The first thing that someone would have to do is to estimate the additional quantity that this company could provide to Greece on an annual basis. Then, proceed in reducing the imported natural gas from Gazprom by the same amount. 2. The countries currently facing problems with the natural gas supply from Russia are Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Skopje, Romania and Turkey. Partial supply decreases have also been reported by Austria (90%), Slovakia (70%), the Czech Republic (75%) and Hungary. Another solution to the problem could be the restart of Unit 3 at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. Kozloduy-3 was shutdown in December 2006 as part of an agreement with the European Union, which was concerned about inadequate safety levels. However, Bulgarias EU accession treaty apparently allows closed reactors to be temporarily re-started in the event of an acute energy shortage (Resnicoff 2009). 3. Rational use of energy, especially in sectors being supplied by natural gas, would be the last recommendation by my side. 9) The first and the third proposed measure can be characterized as a necessary but conservative approach. The proposed energy policy of Greece towards an energy crisis must ensure the energy security of the country. Taking into consideration the great dependence on energy imports in Greece, the out of the box solutions seems to be enough risky. More precisely, the improvement on the penetration of RES is a conservative and safe solution. Additionally energy efficiency and rational use of energy can be described as an incremental approach too. The out of the box solutions in the proposed response include new natural gas suppliers and improvement on energy storage capacity. The first solution is possible to lead to disturbances between Greece and Russia and the second one might require a large capital invested in various storage methods. Regardless the type of the response (out of the box or conservative-incremental approach) that someone might propose, both approaches have their merits and limitations. The adoption of a conservative approach offers a sense of security. Usually this kind of solutions can be accomplished easily due to the fact that includes measures that have been tested in previous similar situations. Also there are various limitations for this kind of approach. For instance, the increase of RES in Greek fuel mix has the following barriers. The legal framework and the authorization procedure can be described as complex procedures. In many cases this can frustrate many small investors. Another limitation is the inhibitive cost for the interconnection to the grid (mostly for reinforcement or construction of new network lines). Additionally for larger stations (more than _20MW) and in certain areas with very high wind potential there is lack of sufficient High Voltage (HV) system capacity. Due to enviro nmental restrictions and local community protests, expansion of the HV system is in some cases completely blocked. Finally, in the case of wind farms, public acceptability is also an issue in certain cases, basically due to visual impact or other reasons (Hatziargyriou, 2007). The adoption of an out o box solution in the case of an energy crisis might be risky. For this reason, this type of approach could be followed by conservative solutions ensuring that the energy security of the country will remain sufficient in any case. As it is mentioned before, Greece began receiving gas from Azerbaijan and the relative imports will likely increase as the Turkey-Greece interconnector is further utilized. This can be described as an out o box solution that can lead to imbalances between Greece and Russia, reducing the amount of Russian natural gas in Greece. On the other hand, the competition among various natural gas suppliers will have a positive effect on the corresponding energy prices. T o sum up, both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. The selection of an appropriate crisis management scheme is a complicate procedure and requires mature choices taken by veteran politicians. In addition an out o box solution for Greece may be a conservative incremental approach for another country that is an energy exporter or a country that has a stronger economy or better international relationships than Greece. 10) References Alam, S.M. (2006). Economic Growth With Energy [online]. [Accessed 24 December 2009]. Available from: . Armstrong, S.J. (1980). The Seer-Sucker Theory: The Value of Experts in Forecasting [online]. [Accessed 1 January 2010]. Available from: . Cabral, L. (2002). The California energy crisis. Japan and the World Economy [online]. 14(3), [Accessed 5 January 2010], p.335-339. Available from: . California Energy Commission (2009). Utility-wide Weighted Average Retail Electricity Prices [online]. [Accessed 6 January 2010]. Available from: . Consumer Watchdog (2002). How Deregulation Let the Power Industry Steal $71 Billion From California [online]. [Accessed 5 January 2010]. Available from: . DESFA (2007). Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal at Revythousa [online]. [Accessed 7 January 2010]. Available from: . Energy Information Administration (2009). Greece Energy Data, Statistics and Analysis Oil, Gas, Electricity, Coal [online]. [Accessed 7 January 2010]. Available from: