Decision Support Systems and Competitive Advantage Assignment

Decision Support Systems and Competitive Advantage - Assignment Example These systems do not make decisions by themselves, but through the presentation of information in a manner that enables decision-making possible and informed (Power, 2002). Â  Their application majorly in most organizations is to help create competitive advantage. This refers to an organization’s resources, capabilities or skills that significantly enhance its success within the market it operates and against rivalry situations it encounters. Such results from carrying out activities better than competitors thus creating value and superior performance to consumers and clients alike (Parsaei, Kolli & Hanley, 1996). A decision support system can only create a competitive advantage for an organization when certain criteria are met. These involve: using it and making it become an important and significant strength of the particular organization once it is implemented; being unique and proprietary to the organization and taking of the advantage provided by its sustainability until the adequate payback is received, which normally takes at least three years. These criteria have to be carefully considered to derive the benefits of the decision support s ystems throughout (Power & Business Expert Press, 2009). Â  Managers have increasingly integrated the use of decision support systems in their organizations through the use of sophisticated data-driven systems to obtain information that was initially present in ordinary files and those on computer storage systems (Green, Stankosky & Vandergriff, 2010).

The Results of Safety Training at the Moline Plant and Recommendations Essay

The Results of Safety Training at the Moline Plant and Recommendations for Future Trainings - Essay Example As the research discovers the tendency of decrease of safety incidents was slowed down in the middle of the evaluation period, which corresponds to our pre-training expectations. In this regard, one of the most important factors that contributed to the mentioned positive trend from the very beginning of the evaluation period was the high level of employee`s motivation in relation to observance of safety rules, confirmed by the questionnaires distributed in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end of the evaluation period. The decline in the level of employee`s motivation in relation to observance of safety rules was marked in the middle of the evaluation period, which correlates with the slowed decrease of safety incidents. In this regard, the important conclusion can be drawn that for safety trainings to remain maximally effective for prolonged periods of time, they should be integrally incorporated into the work process at the Moline plant in the future. This paper stresses that building on the above-mentioned considerations, some relevant recommendations can be made as to the ways to achieve the most effective inclusion of regular safety trainings, and safety culture as such as well, to the work process at the Moline plant. Firstly, the practice of involvement of contract trainers has had mixed results and should be reevaluated. As a matter of fact, two of the four trainers received relatively low ratings from the students.

Battling Crime Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Battling Crime - Assignment Example As the program is discussed, the theories are also discussed hand in hand with the program it supports. (Remove: should you need my service again, contact me through my email please ichurya2003atyahoodotcom. Thank you) Battling Crimes Introduction The prevalence of crime in communities differs and so with the type of crimes involved. Battling crimes in each community is a challenging task. It challenges the patience and wit of law enforcers as well as policy makers. While arresting and imprisonment reduce crime, it is not the final answer to all types of crimes. It requires policies and programs supported with theories to effectively respond to the needs of criminals. The focus of this study is to include four policies to battle crimes with the corresponding criminological theories supporting each. Discussion Weed and Seed Programs The Weed and Seed program which started in 1991 is an operation in an effort to control the proliferation of violent crimes, drug related crimes, and drug trafficking among others in selected neighborhood believed to be high risk. The goal of the program is to establish a neighborhood free of crime and free of drug use which would be safe for law abiding citizens to work, live and raise their families. The strategy of the program in making the neighborhood safe and clean is to employ two strategies that is â€Å"weeding† out criminals from the area and â€Å"seeding† the area with services of the law enforcers and the community. Maintaining peace and order is both the concern of the police officers and the citizens living in those areas targeted. Police officers are taken out from their patrol cars and assigned in the streets of the high risk neighborhood to dispatch their duties and responsibilities to be available in cases someone from the neighborhood report any incidences of crimes (Travis, 1999). The assumption of Weed and Seed program exemplifies the concept of broken window theory where in if one window is broken and left unattended or unrepaired the whole window of the building will soon follow to be broken. Along this line, the Weed and Seed program believes that when a single window is left unattended whether this is in the form of small breakage or a huge one, it signals that nobody cares and that window lovers in the form of criminals continue to carry out breaking new windows (Wilson & Kelling, 1982) which might encourage law abiding citizen to do the same as it is accepted in the community. Such postulation gives criminals the freedom to enjoy their criminal acts until the community control is challenged and breakdowns. The Weed and Seed program assumes that bringing the service on foot repairs criminal acts and improve the community. Although, the study of O’Boyle (2007) revealed an unanticipated results that crimes in Pennsylvania remained unchanged, the window theory and the Weed and Seed program posits that the best solution still would be to quickly fix windows being brok en to maintain intact communities. Diversion Programs Diversion program is a form of restorative measures to channel out juvenile offenders from the justice system. The attempt to divert youth offenders is based on a philosophy that the juvenile justice system poses more as a threat than serving good intention. Proponents of the programs believe that courts may stigmatize some juveniles

Native American and European Contributions to the U.S. Development Research Paper

Native American and European Contributions to the U.S. Development - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that the United States is one of the most powerful and successful countries in the world, which is linked to their diverse societies and cultures. The country is â€Å"representing global power in terms of economic and military resources based on national grounds like no other unit†. Also, it is a place for diverse immigrants from all over the world, which have positive influences on the U.S. current economic and military status. The cultures and societies they have today are formed from different settlers or colonizers they have experienced, particularly from Asia, Middle East, and Europe. Based on a collective definition, culture is based on reflected values, norms, and practices that are executed by an individual in the society, which is mostly coming from previous generations or societies. Furthermore, there is no such thing as perfect or absolute culture anywhere in the world because diversity will always be present in terms of fragmented population, demographics, beliefs, understandings, socioeconomic status, and many more. However, diversity is positively perceived by many people around the world, and they are using this concept to improve their cultural and social status by familiarizing the concept; this event is commonly known as the inclusion. Cultural differences have significant influences to modern societies or social groups. Thus, there is no certain community or country that has a pure identity of culture in terms of behaviors, attitudes, values, etc., but the culture has made a country unique and separated. Diversity and inclusion have different meanings and different usages, but they needed each other to have a well-function and consistent system or society. Diversity means â€Å"difference† in many things/events while inclusion is the â€Å"capacity to include difference† or how to make diversity works. The concept of diversity is the accumulation of everything including events, personalities, hypothesis, experiences, lifestyles, race, gender, etc., which are gained from previous settlers or generations. More often, diversity is considered as a barrier that is strongly felt in national cultures and complex societies; however, it does not mean the concept does not exist in the domestic deal. The early people are moving from one country to another, and as they crossed geographical borders, cultures have been passed, but the process is more complicated. However, it is believed that diversity is vital for the uninterrupted existence of humanity because it â€Å"widens the range of options open to everyone; it is one of the roots of development, understood not simply in terms of economic growth, but also as a means to achieve a more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence†. On the other hand, the concept of inclusion is concerned with the usage of diversity to settle societal issues, transform differences as an important tool to humanity, and become beneficial to the general welfare. Inclusion’s role in diversity could be illustrated in terms of principles or actions that are in favor to the public, and it will help diverse people to understand and admire the differences within their community. The concept of diversity or inclusion in the U.S. context is found in the country’s diverse cultures and complex social groups, which are some of today’s most salient issues.

Story Titled The Accident

Story Titled The Accident When we about to sit in a car, we usually take safety for granted. Many people dont even realize the dangers when driving from one place to another. Driving has become routine. People cant predict the dangers they face when driving, or even the tragic and disastrous moment when something goes wrong. I get asked this question quiet often, Why I am so scared to drive a car? August 6th 2007 is the date that I will never forget; that day changed my life. My perception, my thinking and social life was affected. It was the day when Ali got his license. It was 3:00 A.M in the morning, the air was misty, freezing and dark, and the streets lights were barely on. The streets were deserted and empty as if no one existed. It felt as if we were the only people in this city. There was a feeling of freedom but then something evil began to take its place, we decided to race. Even though the road was bumpy and uneven, the race seemed like a brilliant idea. Speeding up to 110mph we did not care about anything except going faster. It was fun and as far as I can recall, I was really enjoying it. Until the moment I turned my head to the right and saw Ali pointing with a smile, better keep up boy he said, this picture kept playing in my head constantly; at that very instant I felt the something wrong was about to happen. With fear I reduced my speed; just before I began slowing down, I heard a bang Alis car had flipped over, and the screech of grinding metal filled the empty streets. I used all my force to stop the car and get out. As the front wheel spun freely and oil was dripping to the ground, shards of the glass and other debris littered the crash scene like a pià ±ata spilled candy after being struck. My heart was beating rapidly, and my mind felt as if it was frozen. I rushed towards the car and saw Ali struggling with pain as cold as death itself screaming for help; his face was covered with blood and his hand was stuck behind his back. He was jammed in a very awkward position. I tried to help, and kept trying until I realized my help was not sufficient I needed more hands. Thinking of whom to call, I knew the best thing at that time was to try to keep him calm. I quickly dialed Alis residence. I called five times and every time the answering machine went on. Frustrating and panic filled my head. I then dialed the police. Thankfully, they were there in five minutes, but those five minutes felt like years. Watching Ali struggle with pain was disturbing; I felt helpless and des perately wanted this situation to end. Ali was finally dragged out of the car and was rushed to the Hospital; his condition was bad because too much blood had been lost. I finally got through to Alis parents. After an hour inside the emergency room the doctors were finally out, and what I was about to hear was something that changed my life. His spinal chord had broken. The doctors believed that he might not be able to walk. This was a very sad moment; his mother was crying hysterically, I still remember her saying no, no, no this cant be. Mr. Khan was constantly trying to comfort her, and she looked at me and shook her head with disappointment. At that very moment I felt that it was all because of me. I felt that I was not mature enough or responsible enough. I felt I had betrayed his parents; his mother always used to tell me to look after Ali. She thought I was the responsible one; it was hard to stand even a second there of her stare. Ali was not the same; we never hung out the way we used to. He was quiet and lost in his thoughts, and whenever I went to his house, he would tell his mother that he didnt want to meet me. He used to sit at home crying with disappointment when his attempt to walk failed. Every time I looked at him the picture of the crash kept playing in my head and his struggle to walk and his depression made me feel guilty every time I saw him. Eventually a gap started developing, and soon Alis isolation made him feel that I was the sole reason for this accident. The rare calls from Ali had stopped; months had passed and one day I found out Ali had moved to Dubai. I used to wonder if I am or ever will be same the person I used to be. He made a difference in my life by always being there for me and caring about me. I used to be a happy and optimistic person. My closest friend Ali made a major impact on my life; it was a major shock; that guy used to be my best friend; we hung out together; we were partners and did almost everything together. This accident that was an act of immaturity, caused an event because of which I not only lost a friend, but a great person who was also a good athlete lose his legs. The worst part is that he still feels its all because of me. His suspetition made a big impact on my life; I used to doubt myself and my ability to make friends. I got so afraid that sometimes I didnt even feel like tracing and locating him because I feel that even if I try to clarify myself it wont make a big difference; I stayed quiet most of the time and getting along with people wasnt my thing, I think it was all because I was conscious and I feared that I might end up hurting someone else. Through all of these thoughts and feelings, an annoying voice in the back of my head kept making feel that something could be wrong, that something or somewhere I must have gone wrong. Now four years have passed and I have no Idea of what Ali is up to, I never called nor I ever received a call from him, but now my views have changed. The car accident is and will always be a major moment in my life, it made me realize that God has a plan for every one and there is a hidden message behind everything. I had a great friend and probably best times in my life. Our life changes every second, this accident made me realize to value every single moment has as if it was my last, because its really difficult to predict when it all will be over.

A Summation of Pride-Related Occurrences in The Stone Angel :: Stone Angel

A Summation of Pride-Related Occurrences in The Stone Angel Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel is one of the most acclaimed Canadian novels of all time. In this novel, the most prevailing theme is that of pride; this is seen predominantly through the protagonist, Hagar, but also through other characters, such as Jason Currie. As John Moss states, "What gives Margaret Laurence's vision the resonant dimensions of universal truth is the†¦interlacing of the destructive and constructive effects of (Hagar's) recalcitrant pride†¦Pride is a double-edged sword." Indeed, her great pride helps her to cope with the many difficulties she faces throughout her life. This pride, however, also "separates inclination and response" (J. Moss), resulting in several strained relationships which Hagar was unable to mend. John Moss believes that "Hagar's pride repeatedly imprisoned her within the confines of thwarted affections and misdirected emotion." More specifically, her pride caused such things as an unhappy marriage with Brampton Shipley and a seve rance of all ties with her father, Jason, and her brother, Matt. Her pride serves her best in her dying days, when "she will not submit to frailty and deferential concern. She rages 'against the dying of the light' with the same wrong-headed spleen that she had always displayed†¦in the counterpointed present her†¦pride is heroic" (J. Moss). Definition of Pride: Pride n. 1. Inordinate self-esteem; high opinion of one's own importance or worth; conceit. 2. arrogance; haughtiness. 3. honorable self-respect; personal dignity. 4. smug pleasure taken in the success of oneself or another. 5. a person or thing in which one takes such pleasure. Analysis of the Theme of Pride via a Short Summation of Pride-Related Occurrences: The first reference to pride is in the second sentence of the novel: Hagar describes the Stone Angel as "my mother's angel that my father bought in pride to mark her bones and proclaim his dynasty†¦" (3). Hagar's father was a very proud man, a trait that was passed on to his daughter, and he takes great pride in this "terribly expensive" statue, which "had been brought from Italy" †¦ "and was pure white marble" (3). Hagar recollects exhibiting her pride as early as age 6 when she says "There was I, strutting the board sidewalk like a pint-sized peacock, resplendent, haughty, hoity-toity, Jason Currie's black-haired daughter" (6). Jason Currie was a "self-made man" who "had pulled himself up by his bootstraps" (7).

How Messed Up Education Can Be Essay

So just like any other year, students have to attend the opening ceremony; my little sister sat down in the last rows filled with graffiti in the auditorium I looked up and thinking to myself, â€Å" They changed the principle again, whoever in charge, do they think it will fix the problems? † They have been using this method for ages. Every year, the new principle would give an awesome speech about how they would fix everything. But the past decade, same problems still haunt the school. Even though fear and worries in my head, I have no choice but to let my little sister attends this school. Welcome to Northeast High of the Kansas City District; welcome to the education of my life. I moved to America when I was twelve and I attended Northeast Middle School. The District put me in the ELL (English Language Learner) program because I didn’t speak any English. So in those three years, I learned as much as I could but I was still a kid, I didn’t really pay attention to my education nor did I care about it. But in 8th grade, I got a peak of how education could turn out. Mr. Bui was my math teacher that year, he was special. Even though the school set up its lesson plan, Mr. Bui didn’t follow it; he told the class that we were ready for higher level class. So he ordered an old set of high school Algebra I textbooks and started teaching. I knew he was a good teacher, the whole class got A in the end of the year and we were ready for high school. When I was a freshman in high school that was where education became more serious for me. All the students that went to Northeast Middle were automatically enrolled in Northeast High, which is right next to each other. The school is about to be 100 years old and it was popular for all the bad things, such as: gangs, shooting, fighting, drugs, and bad education. My family didn’t want me to go to this school. But we had no choice, we couldn’t afford to move. At first, I thought these violent wouldn’t matter because I was going to try hard to learn. But I was dead wrong, the school was like a prison, these were ten security guards and two police officers always on standby in case of emergency. It just made you feel like a criminal being watch instead of a normal student like you are supposed to be. But the biggest problem prevented me from learning was the teacher, they were horrible. It seemed like they were there to babysit us, most of them would tell you to crack a book open and read one chapter then do the reviews. They usually read the newspaper, play games or read a book. Once, the class even caught my teacher watching inappropriate videos on his computer. Things were horrible, there were no such thing as homework, the school use the excuse there wasn’t enough textbook for students to bring home. Even so, not all the teacher were bad, some of them are actually teaching and a few were doing well in it. I guess it’s about who cares and who doesn’t. Of course, the students love it, they never had to do anything to get a good grade. You can just sleep in one class the entire year and would still able to pass with C. Sometimes I enjoy it but other time I hated it because I have high expectation of myself. In my junior year, the Kansas City School District was low on funds for education. It closed down a few schools and Northeast High was on the list. But then in the meeting for voting, there were so many parents showing up and spoke up; Northeast High remain stay open. Even so, the District closed down Northeast Middle and put the students in high school and it turned into the K-12 program. Which they made the problems worse; every week there would be a fight in the school, more gangs related, more bullies, more graffiti, and more shooting in the neighborhood. We had big an incident when a girl got raped in the bathroom, but they kept it as a secret. The victim moved away and the kids took part in it was punished. In my last year of my high school, disaster strike when the Kansas City School District lost its accreditation. The reason we lost it is because of the students test scores, I wasn’t really surprise but I was mad. My whole education life felt like trash, I wish I could do something to change it. But even so, I hoped for a better education in college so I kept going. The senior class of 2012, there were 142 students but only about half of us graduated. I was in the top 10% of the class rank and I received a few scholarships. Only a handful of class went on to a 4 years-college, some went to community college and the rest still trying to find a job. There are many reasons why the education system could be so mess up but someone, somehow need to fix it. If one can fire the useless teacher and hire the good teacher. I think things would be a little better. Of course, if the neighborhood were better, the school wouldn’t be effect by all the bad things around it. I’m hoping my family will finally able to move next year so my little sister doesn’t have to go through the same thing I did. I’m also glad I made it to college and getting a good education. I know some kids out there that wish to be me right now.