Networking Design And Development

Networking Design And Development Every system developed or task that had been carried out needs a framework or method to follow as guideline in order to make sure of success implementation. Guideline of structured framework can help to manage and plan projects, to reduce the difficulties like failure to meet requirements, low quality, high operation cost, not meeting the estimated time, inefficient work, and expensive maintenance. In networking, the entire concept of designing a network is simplified through the use of planned or structured design methodologies. Structured design methodology is a set of distinct steps that help to guarantee that all of the essential tasks in the network design process are accomplished. In this presentation report, we were concentrating on three major topics on development and implementation framework; System development Life cycle (SDLC), PDIOO (acronym of Planning, Design, Implementation, Operation and Optimization) and PPDIOO (enhanced version of PDIOO). System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is framework that describes the activities executed at each stage of a software development project. It is also a theoretical model used in project administration that describes the phases involved in an information system development project from an initial possibility study through maintenance of the completed application. System life cycle models describe phases of the system cycle, Figure 1 and the order in which those phases are executed. There are different phases for SDLC and the following are the main phases of it. Figure SDLC Cycle Phases of SDLC model Project planning phase During this phase, resources will be acknowledged and cost will be estimated in order to succeed project objectives. Project planning is process of defining methods, scope, length and work for completion of a project. Requirements Definition phase Under this phase, the projects goal is determined and the functions are brought to focus. Gathering of information and analysis of the users requirement is also done in this phase. Design phase A sample structure of the entire project is created in this phase and all necessary data are gathered. This is where everything is put together and the actual design of the system is done. This is also where documentation such as the Maintenance Manual, Operations Manual, and Training Manual begin. This is also where some of the flaws in the original planning may appear and require some adjustment. Again, there is documentation and approval. Development phase The system is built. The software, hardware, and testing occur during the Development Stage. This is also the phase where the bugs are worked out of the system. Integration and Test phase This is the formal integration and testing of the system. Testing has been done on the development phase, but in the Integration and Testing Phase it is a formal, documented testing procedure, not only to assure that the system performs as designed, but testing the roll-out of the system. Installation and Acceptance phase After completing the testing phase, the completed system should be installed at the end user sites. Users will accept the system after all errors and bugs captured during the previous phases have been modified and repaired. SDLC Models There are various SDLC methodologies, Figure 2, have been developed to guide the processes involved including the waterfall model (the original SDLC method), rapid application development (RAD), prototype model, spiral model and many other models. Some models work better for specific types of projects, but in the final analysis, the most important factor for the success of a project may be how closely particular plan was followed. The image down shows some of SDLC models: Figure SDLC discussed in this report Waterfall Model Waterfall Model is the most common and classic of life cycle models, also referred to as a linear-sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall model, Figure 3, each phase must be completed in its entirety before the next phase can begin. At the end of each phase, a review takes place to determine if the project is on the right path and whether or not to continue or discard the project. (Priya, 2008) Figure SDLC, Waterfall Model Phases of Process Requirements defines needed information, function, behaviour, performance and interfaces. Design data structures, software architecture, interface representations, algorithmic details. Implementation source code, database, user documentation, testing. Verification (testing): Brings all the pieces together into a special testing environment, then checks for errors and bugs. Maintenance System changed to reflect changing conditions. Advantages This model is very simple and easy to use and easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model each phase has specific deliverables and a review process. Phases are processed and completed one at a time. It works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well understood. (Priya, 2008) Disadvantages If there any adjustment scope during the life cycle can kill a project progress. No working software/product is produced until late during the life cycle. It has high amounts of risk and uncertainty. As far as the development concern, it is a poor model for complex and object-oriented projects. It is not suitable for long and on-going projects where requirements are at a moderate to high risk of changing. When to use the Waterfall Model It is going to be used when project requests are very well known and understandable. The product definition is stable and the technology is understood Figure SDLC, Prototype Model Prototype Figure 4 shows a Prototype Model. In this model, once the requirement analysis is done and the design for a prototype is made, the development process gets started. Once the prototype is created, it is given to the user for evaluation. The customer tests the package and gives his feed back to the developer who refines the product according to the customers exact expectation. Advantages Customers can see the system requirements as they are being gathered. The developers can learn from the customers. It proper to a more accurate end product and there will no unexpected requirements accommodated where it allows for flexible design and development. Disadvantages It has bad status for quick-and-dirty methods. The customer may want the prototype delivered. At the end of it, the process may continue forever. When to use the prototype Model When requirements are unstable or have to be clarified. And other thing, where project has to deal with development of user interfaces when it needs a short-lived demonstrations with information for the analysis and design portions of object-oriented development required to be presented. Spiral Cycle Model In the spiral cycle model, Figure 5, the concept is more on risk analysis. The spiral model has four phases which are Planning, Risk Analysis, Engineering and Evaluation. Requirements are gathered during the planning phase. In the risk analysis phase, a process is undertaken to identify risk and alternate solutions. A prototype is produced at the end of the risk analysis phase. Figure SDLC, Spiral Cycle Model Advantages It has a high amount of risk analysis which that kind of information is very useful to the project. Good for huge and mission-critical projects. Lastly, in software development, the product will be created early in the software life cycle. Disadvantages It can be an overpriced model to use and risk analysis requires highly specific expertise. The Projects success is highly hooked on on the risk analysis phase and it doesnt work well for smaller projects. When to use the Spiral Model When costs and risk evaluation is important and it is good for medium to high-risk projects. Spiral model is the best when users are unsure of their needs and requirements are complex. If dealing with a new product line, it significant changes are expected and the model ready to deal with it. Incremental Model The incremental model is a natural approach to the waterfall model. Figure 6 shows multiple development cycles take place, making the life cycle a multi-waterfall cycle. Cycles are divided up into smaller, more easily managed iterations. Each iteration passes through the requirements, design, implementation and testing phases. Figure SDLC, Incremental Model Advantages It generates working software quickly and early during the software life cycle. It provides more flexible less costly to change scope and requirements. And it is easier to test and debug during a smaller iteration. Furthermore, it is easier to manage risk because risky pieces are identified and handled during its iteration. Customer can respond to each build with lowers initial delivery cost. Initial product delivery is faster but the customers will get important functionality early. At last the risk of changing requirements is reduced. Disadvantages It requires a good planning and design and early definition of a complete and fully functional system to allow for the definition of increments. Sometimes, well-defined module interfaces are required (some will be developed long before others). Not forgotten, total cost of the complete system is not lower. When to use the Incremental Model Risk, funding, schedule, program complexity, or need for early realization of benefits. Most of the requirements are known up-front but are expected to evolve over time. This model needs to get basic functionality to the market early. It suitable on projects which have lengthy development schedules or a project with a new technology PDIOO Network Life Cycle Cisco uses a methodology known as PDIOO as part of designing networks ( Lamml Barkl, 2003). PDIOO is an acronym that describes some of the major elements in a network design process, namely: Planning Design Implementation Operation Optimization Figure PDIOO (Oppenheimer, 2004) But then cisco come out with a new enhanced concept called PPDIOO where the first P refers to PREPARE. In this paper, part of the phases in PDIOO is going to be explained in PPDIOO phases. PPDIOO Network Life Cycle PPDIOO is the improved PDIOO methodology composed by six (6) phases closely related to PDIOO rather than has one additional phase that is required by real life business of a company. Prepare Planning Design Implementation Operation Optimization Figure PDIOO (Oppenheimer, 2004) PPDIOO service lifecycle allows network design engineers and network planners to better manage large network installations. Cisco created this methodology to allow network engineers to better plan and meet business objectives. Why PPDIOO Model? The methodology created to reduce the total cost of network ownership while the company or organization adds some new technologies or upgrade the existing network (Semperboni, 2009). Increasing availability, Downtime can badly affect income and can reduce profitability through costs associated with the network staff having to troubleshoot and function in a reactive mode (Semperboni, 2009). To surge availability request to carefully planned redundancy, sound security, and scalability and also requires carefulness throughout the network lifecycle. To Improving business agility can be described as an organizations ability to respond rapidly to changing business or market conditions and adapt to the changing demands of its customers and the business environment Access speed: Speeding access to applications and services helps enable business agility. Availability targets are influenced by business goals. Targets are established early in the network lifecycle and achieved throughout it: a smooth, well-planned deployment helps minimize risk of downtime, and sound planning for day-to-day operations helps speed problem resolution. (Semperboni, 2009) Life Cycle Phases: The network design methodology composed by six phases (Cisco, 2008), Figure 9, closely related: prepare, plan, design, implement, operate, optimize. In this section we give you more details of each of the phases. Figure PPDIOO phases Prepare Business agility starts with preparation. The preparation phase is the discovery process to understand the business requirements gathering to build a business case and financial motivation to support the implementation of new technology (CiscoSystem, 2004). By expecting future needs and developing both a technology strategy and a high-level architecture to meet those needs (Cisco, 2008). In this phase we should know about: Business requirement development Consider and document the business requirements for end-user service delivery that support the technology investment. Business requirements development can help to: Make sound financial decisions by developing a business case that establishes the financial justification for making a technology change Establish a basis for developing a technology strategy Technology strategy development Analyse your business and service requirements and identify the Cisco advanced technologies that support them. Document a technology strategy. Technology strategy development can help to: Improve efficiency throughout the solution lifecycle by aligning your technology strategy to your business goals Meet end-user service-delivery requirements by identifying which advanced technologies can create a solution that can support them Operation Technology strategy development Create an operational strategy that defines the people, processes, and tools required to support the operations and management of the technology solution. Operations technology development can help to: Achieve business goals by aligning your operations strategy with your business and technical requirements Reduce on-going network operations costs by identifying the operational requirements for supporting the operation and management of the technology solution High Level Design Development Create a high-level conceptual architecture of your proposed system that addresses business and technical requirements and creates the foundation for system deployment. Include specifications for availability, capacity, and security to meet service requirements. High-level design development can help you to reduce rework during the design phase by identifying and validating required technologies and features early in the solution lifecycle. Business Case Development Prepare and present an executive-level business case that details the business and financial justification for migrating to the new technology solution. Include a detailed financial analysis, including capital and operational expenses, cost-to-benefit analysis, and projected return on investment. Business case development can help in make sound financial decisions by demonstrating: That the technology investment supports your business goals and high-level design The cost-to-benefit ratios of both adopting and not adopting the proposed solution Return on investment based on multiple investment criteria such as net payback period and internal rate of return Proof Concept Develop and conduct a proof-of-concept test to validate the high-level design. Identify design enhancements necessary to meet business and technical requirements. Proof of concept testing can help you reduce costly rework and project delays by identifying design enhancements necessary to meet your business and technical requirements before proceeding to detailed design Plan The network requirements are what you need to identify in the planning phase. (CiscoSystem, 2004). Important considerations for this phase include determining exactly where you plan to install the network, its objectives, and the types of services it will provide and to whom, etc. in this phase the existing network tests its network for security implementation or security vulnerability to ensure it will be able to assist with intruders and outside networks . In this phase the most important things is to ensure that the existing environment is carefully analysed before going to design phase. Development Project Management Provide for one or more project managers or program managers to manage the planning, design, and implementation of your deployment project. Develop and implement a project management plan, manage information and resources, and control change. Deployment project management can help to: Reduce risks by using proven project management methodologies and risk mitigation strategies Resolve problems quickly by managing information, facilitating collaboration, and escalating issues promptly and effectively Keep the project on track by managing and controlling change throughout the project lifecycle. System Readiness Assessment Prepare for your technology solution deployment by assessing the readiness of your existing system infrastructure to support a new technology. Analyse the physical and logical configuration of the network, systems availability, and systems capacity, quality of service, systems resiliency, security, and integration with existing platforms. Identify network and application modifications that should be made prior to implementation. Systems readiness assessment can help to: Improve the return on investment and speed migration by identifying and planning for necessary infrastructure changes as well as resources Reduce deployment costs by analysing gaps early in the planning process to determine what is needed to support the system Improve productivity by identifying and resolving gaps in service-level requirements associated with availability, capacity, and security specifications. Site Readiness Assessment Prepare for your technology solution deployment with a comprehensive site assessment that evaluates the readiness of your current facilities infrastructure to support the new technology. Identify any physical, environmental, and electrical modifications that should be made prior to implementation. Site readiness assessment can help to: Reduce deployment costs and delays by identifying facilities preparation requirements early in the planning process Reduce the risk of downtime caused by facilities-related problems. Operation Readiness Assessment Prepare for your technology solution deployment with a comprehensive operations assessment that evaluates the readiness of your current operations and network management infrastructure to support the new technology. Identify any changes to people, processes, and tools that should be made prior to implementation. Operations readiness assessment can help in: Effectively plan and budget for technology expenditures by gauging operational preparedness and ability to support current and planned network technologies and services Avoid downtime by enhancing readiness to operate and manage technologies and services Reduce network operations costs by identifying the operational changes required to support the operation and management of the technology solution Improve IT staff productivity by identifying high-demand repeatable tasks that can be automated. Security Vulnerability Protect your network from inside and outside intruders by assessing system, application, and network device vulnerabilities. Safely simulate activities typical of attacks on your network, without affecting your network. Recommend changes that should be made to the network to help prevent security breaches and reduce risk of attack. Security vulnerability assessment can help to: Mitigate network security threats by limiting their ability to do damage Reduce the downtime, business disruption, and costs associated with viruses and worms, information theft, application abuse, and denial-of-service attacks Improve the overall security state of the corporate trusted network and the systems and information within it by identifying changes to address vulnerabilities Prevent attacks from external sources and mistakes made by trusted insiders from resulting in security breaches Support regulatory compliance by demonstrating that adequate security measures are in place to protect sensitive information assets. Design In this phase, the network designers should make a design aligned with business goals and technical requirements can improve network performance while supporting high availability, reliability, security, and scalability, according to requirements gathered during the Plan phase (CiscoSystem, 2004). Also by developing detailed design is important to reduce the risk, delay and the total cost of network operation. The design phase can also guide and accelerate successful implementation with a plan to stage, configure, test, and validate network operations. Application Development: Prepare for a new technology deployment by planning and developing custom applications for the technology to support feature and functionality requirements, and to enable the applications to integrate with your existing network infrastructure. Applications development can help to: Reduce risk when integrating a new technology system into your existing infrastructure by using a proven applications development methodology Speed migration by providing a detailed development, integration, and test plan that addresses such elements as customized scripts, reporting, and database design Detailed design development Develop an in-depth, implementation-ready detailed design for your new system. Derive the design from availability, capacity, reliability, security, scalability, and performance specifications that align with your business and technical requirements. Detailed design development can help to: Reduce expensive, time-consuming network redesign by creating a well-engineered design early in the network lifecycle Increase system or solution performance, resiliency, and availability by specifying the correct set of hardware, software releases, and hardware and software features and functionality Improve deployment team and operations staff proficiency by providing continuous knowledge exchange throughout design development Accelerate adoption of new technologies and improve return on investment by integrating your technical requirements and business goals into a detailed design. Staging plan development Develop a step-by-step plan for staging the configuration, implementation, and connectivity testing of the technology system or solution in a controlled environment that emulates, but does not affect, your production network. Staging plan development can help to: Reduce delays and other problems during staging with a detailed plan that addresses staging requirements including physical, electrical, and environmental conditions on the site; network hardware and software; and third-party devices Accelerate staging plan creation by using industry leading practices and staging expertise Operation Implement Plan Development Develop an operations implementation plan detailing the tasks needed to deploy and commission the operations and network management system for the technology to be deployed. Include scheduling of priorities, resources, and responsibilities. Operations implementation plan development can help to: Reduce delays, disruption, and other problems by accurately estimating the time and resources required to implement new operations and network management systems Improve efficiency during the operations implementation phase by creating a plan that covers staging, tools, processes, task owners, configuration, testing, documentation, system user acceptance, and success criteria Staff Plan development Prepare your staff for a new technology deployment by using conventional instructional design methodologies to create a staff plan. Determine the technical activities and tasks required to support the system, measure the ability of functional groups to perform those tasks, and develop a curriculum plan to address skill and knowledge gaps. Staff plan development can help to: Reduce on-going operating costs by identifying proficiency issues that could affect staff productivity and performance Improve training effectiveness by comparing staff performance to industry leading practices and your standard operating procedures and defining a role-based curriculum to close any gaps in skill or knowledge Implement This phase begins, after the Design phase has been approved. In this phase activities are performed to ensure that the network is designed according to the design specifications without any difficulties or weakness. This phase the network will be implemented to ensure that the new infrastructure meet all the business requirements by installing, configuring, integrating, testing, and commissioning all systems Staging In this staging process, it will stage and test your new technology system in a controlled environment that does not affect your live network, as outlined in your predefined staging plan. Staging can help to improve efficiency and reduce costly delays and rework during implementation by identifying and resolving issues. Implementation Install, configure, and integrate the new technology system as specified in your implementation plan. Complete predefined test cases. And need to document all the components, devices, and applications used. Implementation can help to: Successfully deploy the new technology system by following an in-depth, detailed implementation process based on leading practices Realize business and technical goals of the new system by implementing it in accordance with recommendations made in the earlier phases of the lifecycle. Operation Implementation Install, configure, test, and commission the operations and network management system for the technology and deploying in accordance with operations implementation plan. Operations implementation can help to reduce network operating expenses by improving the efficiency of operations processes and tools. Migration Migration can help you to reduce risks such as downtime, delays, and the need for rework by following a thorough, detailed implementation process based on leading practices. System Acceptance testing Perform systems-level acceptance testing: objectively measure operability and functionality of the system you are deploying to verify that it meets your business and technical requirements and is ready for production. Document the test results. Systems acceptance testing can help you to speed migration; accelerate return on investment; and reduce unnecessary risk, including disruption, delays, rework, and other problems. These benefits are achieved by demonstrating that your newly deployed system or solution meets the operational, functional, and interface requirements defined in the system acceptance test plan. Business Readiness testing Test the readiness of existing network to support end-to-end business processes, including operations, management, and security processes, as outlined in business readiness test plan. Business readiness testing can help to reduce risk of downtime by testing your production networks operations and management business processes. Staff Training Staff training concerning managing or implementing development plan for workers skill and competency in the organisation. It is includes scheduling classes, creating the enrolment process, providing course materials, and managing training vendors. Staff training can help to: Increase overall productivity and reduce on-going operating costs through training designed to close the skill gaps that were identified in developing your staff plan Reduce downtime through expedited case handling and reduced mean time to resolution through training targeted to improve operational knowledge Improve training efficiency and effectiveness by applying the ideal combination of training methods and tools as needed to close skill gaps. Operate This phase is the last test of the effectiveness of the design before going to last phase. During this phase the operation team monitors the health of the network to improve service quality; reduce disruptions; mitigate outages; and maintain high availability, reliability, and security. This phase could be the longest phase in the network development life cycle to ensure that the infrastructure is well designed during all previous phases. System monitoring In this task, it will monitor, manage, and report on service-level metrics and abnormal events or trends that might adversely affect the availability, capacity, performance, and security of your system. Systems monitoring can help to: Improve service quality and reduce disruptions and outages by proactively monitoring system health Remediate system availability issues by tracking and assessing capacity, performance, utilization, and other service-level metrics. Incident management Manage and resolve real-time incidents with system components using an incident management process that creates and maintains a report of the status of an incident from isolation to closure. Incident management can help to: Restore normal service operation quickly by providing an in-depth incident management process that includes case management, investigation, and diagnosis; hardware and software replacement or updates; and service restoration, testing, and verification Reduce incident rates and increase network and/or application availability, reliability, and stability by providing software updates and upgrades as an on-going part of your network operations Problem management Manage and resolve recurring incidents using an in-depth problem management process that analyses incident trends to identify patterns and systemic conditions. Problem management can help you to reduce the risk of downtime and increase network and/or application availability, reliability, and stability. It delivers these benefits by analysing the root cause of recurring incidents and

Private Schools vs. Public Schools :: Education Religious Schools Teaching Essays

In a recent report, a little over six million students were enrolled in a private school during the year 2003- 2004. That is roughly 11.5% of all students enrolled in schools. But how do parents decide which private school is the best for their child? Parents consider many factors when choosing the right private school. They look at many factors such as the type of private school, class settings, academic curriculum, administration, accreditation and vouchers. There are many different types of private schools. The most common private schools are Catholic, Religious Affiliated and non-sectarian. According to a report by the Private School Universe Survey of the school year 1999-2000, 48.6% of private school students attended Catholic private schools, 15.7% attended religious affiliated private schools and 15% attended nonsectarian.[1] Catholic private schools have greater diversity and larger enrollment than any other type of private school. [2] 85% of all private schools are affiliated with religious organizations.[3] According to the National Center for Education Statistics, â€Å"†¦in 1993-94, about one-quarter were Seventh-Day Adventist; 15 percent, Missouri Synod Lutheran; 10 percent, Episcopal; about 6 percent, Hebrew Day; 8 percent other Jewish; and the remainder, other religious groups.†[4] Religious affiliated schools can be found all over the United States. The main goal of religious schools is to implement religion in students’ studies. Nonsectarian schools are not affiliated with any religion. In contrast with religious schools, nonsectarian schools generally emphasize development or moral character in their studies than the study of religion.[5] There are also specialized private schools that focus on a general interest which makes someone’s decision about a private school easier. A private school that focuses on a certain skill is called a trade or vocational school. These schools would be beneficial to students who already know what major they would like to pursue in the future. A trade/vocational school would be placed under a nonsectarian private school. Reducing class size improves student achievement.[6] When students are in smaller class sizes the teacher is able to have more control over her class. The children receive more individualized attention from the teacher when the student- teacher ratio is less. The teachers can also identify learning disabilities sooner and engage family participation within the child’s education.[7] In a study conducted in 1985, The Tennessee Student/ Teacher Achievement Ratio, the state randomly selected students in grades kindergarten through third and assigned them to small classes; 13-17 students, and regular classes; 22-28 students.

Frank Lloyd Wright Essay examples -- Essays Papers

Frank Lloyd Wright â€Å".......having a good start not only do I fully intend to be the greatest architect who has yet lived, but fully intend to be the greatest architect who will ever live. Yes, I intend to be the greatest architect of all time.† - Frank Lloyd Wright 1867-1959 CHILDHOOD Born in Richland Center, in southwestern Wisconsin, on June 8, 1867 (sometimes reported as 1869), Frank Lincoln Wright, who changed his own middle name to Lloyd, was raised under the influence of a Welsh heritage. The Lloyd-Jones family, his mother’s side of the family, had a great influence on Wright throughout his life. The family was Unitarian in faith and lived close to each other. Major emphasis within the Lloyd-Jones family included education, religion, and nature. Wright’s family spent many evenings listening to William Lincoln Wright read the works of Emerson, Thoreau, and Blake. His aunts Nell and Jane opened a school of their own, pressing the philosophies of the German educator, Froebel. Wright was brought up in a comfortable, but certainly not warm household. His father, William Carey Wright, who worked as a preacher and a musician, moved from job to another, dragging his family across the United States. Possibly as a result of this upheaval, Wrightâ€℠¢s parents divorced when while he was still young. His mother, Anna, relied heavily upon her many brothers, sisters and uncles, and Wright was intellectually guided by his aunts and his mother. Before Wright was even born, his mother had decided that her son was gong to be a great architect. Using Froebel’s geometric blocks to entertain and educate her son, Mrs. Wright must have struck the genius that her son possessed. Use of imagination was encouraged and Wright was given free run of the playroom filled with paste, paper, and cardboard. On the door were the words, SANCTUM SANCTORUM (Latin for place of inviolable privacy). Wright was seen as a dreamy and sensitive child, and cases of him running away while working on the farmlands with his uncles were noted. This pattern of running away from one thing or another continued throughout his lifetime. WRIGHT’S FIRST BREAK In 1887, at the age of twenty, Frank Lloyd Wright moved to Chicago. During the late nineteenth century, Chicago was a booming, crazy place. With an education in engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Wright found a job as a d... .../snail shell design that seems to grow out of the ground in the heart of New York City. The huge skylight provides light for the entire museum. The design allows people to see the art in a continuous manner. Visitors are intended to take an elevator to the top and walk all the way down, viewing all the exhibits as they descend. Today, after an exhaustive competition, a second building is attached to the museum, providing even more display space. The winning design is a simple, thin tower that is designed not to distract from the beautiful spiral. In true Wright fashion, the architect stated that he did not want to disturb nature, giving the museum its own place in the environment. Wright never retired; he died on April 9, 1959 at the age of ninety-two in Arizona. He was interred at the graveyard at Unity Chapel (which was considered to be his first building) at Taliesin in Wisconsin. In 1985, Olgivanna Wright passed away and one of her wishes was to have Frank Lloyd Wright’s remains cremated and the ashes put next to hers at Taliesin West. After much controversy, this was done. The epitaph at his Wisconsin grave site reads: â€Å"Love of an idea is the love of God.†

SUMMERTIME AND SPRING RAIN Essay example -- Essays Papers

SUMMERTIME AND SPRING RAIN Upon first sight, it appears that John Sloan’s Spring Rain and Edward Hopper’s Summertime only common characteristic is that they are both oil paintings on canvas. Spring Rain, from the school of Impressionistic art, was painted in 1912. Summertime, which possesses a simplified, schematic style, was created over thirty years later, in 1943. Therefore, there are extreme differences in the two artists’ technique and style. However, despite these differences, the two painters’ works embody the same theme: They are both scenes of urban realism characterized by isolation and loneliness. John Sloan’s painting depicts a dismal view of municipal life. The painting’s gloominess is achieved most effectively through Sloan’s use of color. He uses deep shades of purple with the contrasting color green in the background. This color scheme provides an eerie fog throughout the painting. The woman’s clothing also accentuates the dark tone of Spring Rain. She is dressed entirely in black. This signifies that her personality is somber and perhaps conservative. However, it is interesting that the woman is wearing red stockings. The fact that Sloan chose such a bold color suggests that he wished to show a slightly daring side of the woman’s personality. Hopper, on the other hand, uses a much lighter color scheme. However, the lightness does not diminish the painting’s melancholy mood. Light gray, seen in the building’s face and the sidewalk...

An Example of Successful Change Essay

Introduction Why is Wal-Mart so Successful? Is it Good Strategy or Good Strategy Implementation? In 1962, when Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas, no one could have ever predicted the enormous success this small-town merchant would have. Sam Walton’s talent for discount retailing not only made Wal-Mart the world’s largest retailer, but also the world’s number one retailer in sales. Sam Walton has made certain changes that help Wal-Mart to achieve its success today. His change techniques involve changing people, technology, and product. Indeed, Wal-Mart was named â€Å"Retailer of the Decade† by Discount Store News in 1989, and on several occasions has been included in Fortune’s list of the â€Å"10 most admired corporations.† Changing People Wal-Mart is successful not only because it makes sound strategic management decisions, but also for its innovative implementation of those strategic decisions. In order to become a superstore, Wal-Mart decided to change the skill level of its workforce. Walton’s greatest accomplishment was his ability to empower, enrich, and train his employees. He believed in listening to employees and challenging them to come up with ideas and suggestions to make the company better. At each of the Wal-Mart stores, signs are displayed which read, â€Å"Our People Make the Difference.† Associates regularly make suggestions for cutting costs through their â€Å"Yes We Can Sam† program. The sum of the savings generated by the associates actually paid for the construction of a new store in Texas. One of Wal-Mart’s goals was to provide its employees with the appropriate tools to do their jobs efficiently. The technology was not used as a means of replacing existing employees, but to provide them with a means to succeed in the retail market (Thompson and Strickland 93). Changing Product Wal-Mart stores operate according to their â€Å"Everyday Low Price† philosophy. They provide customers access to quality goods, to make these goods available when and where customers want them, to develop a cost structure that enables competitive pricing, and to build and maintain a reputation for absolute trustworthiness (Evan, Shulman, and Stalk, 55). Through Sam Walton’s â€Å"Buy America† policy, Wal-Mart encourages its buyers and merchandise managers to stock stores with American-made products. In a 1993 annual report management stated the â€Å"program demonstrates a long-standing Wal-Mart commitment to our customers that we will buy American-made products whenever we can if those products deliver the same quality and affordability as their foreign-made counterparts† (Thompson & Strickland 68). With a variety of product and low cost, Wal-Mart has attracted more consumers. Changing Technology Wal-Mart has invested heavily in its unique cross-docking inventory system. Cross docking has enabled Wal-Mart to achieve economies of scale which reduces its costs of sales. With this system, goods are continuously delivered to stores within 48 hours and often without having to inventory them. Lower prices also eliminate the expense of frequent sales promotions and sales are more predictable. Cross docking gives the individual managers more control at the store level. A company owned transportation system also assists Wal-Mart in shipping goods from warehouse to store in less than 48 hours. This allows Wal-Mart to replenish the shelves 4 times faster than its competition. Wal-Mart owns the largest and most sophisticated computer system in the private sector. It uses a massively parallel processor computer system to track stock and movement which keeps it abreast of fast changes in the market (Daugherty 24). Information related to sales and inventory is disseminated via its advanced satellite communications system. Conclusion Sam Walton, a leader with an innovative vision, started his own company and made it into the leader in discount retailing that it is today. Through his savvy, and sometimes unusual, business practices, he and his associates led the company forward for thirty years. Today the company is still growing steadily. Wal-Mart executives continue to rely on many of the traditional goals and philosophies that Sam’s legacy left behind, while simultaneously keeping one step ahead of the ever-changing technology and methods of today’s fast-paced business environment. The future also looks bright for Wal-Mart, especially if it is able to continue its customer-driven culture, it should remain a retail industry leader well into the next century.

So Much to Tell You – John Marsden

So Much to Tell You by John Marsden, explores the struggle that the protagonist, Marina, endures along her journey to mental wholeness. Marina’s soul has been shattered due to a traumatic event, and being witness to a large amount of violence and hatred in her family. So Much To Tell You is rich in techniques that are used effectively to convey the idea of Marina’s struggle, and journey towards mental wholeness. Marina’s difficulty in achieving psychological completion is shown through the major technique, structural contrast.We follow Marina’s personal journey and her healing throughout the novel, and we watch as she develops from an introverted, mistrustful person into someone who is able to appropriately communicate with other individuals. Marina uses a tone of self-loathing to show us that she views herself as a â€Å"nutcase†, psycho† and â€Å"the freak of Warrington† who suffers from â€Å"anorexia of speech†. Marina is se nt to Warrington Boarding School â€Å"to learn to speak again, because [her] mother can’t stand [her] silent presence at home†.At first Marina is isolated and detached from the rest of the school, shown through the retreat imagery of Marina as she â€Å"slinks along the walls and corridors†. As the novel progresses, Marina’s entries suggest that she is becoming more in touch with her peers, and â€Å"moving round the school more confidently†. Her visit to Mr Lindells house over the weekend is a very significant event in Marina’s transformation. Throughout the weekend she becomes more expressive, expressed through her tone of excitement in the phrase â€Å"it was good!And they’re so nice! Nice, nice, nice†! Here, the use of exclamation and the repetition of the word, ‘nice’ emphasise Marina’s positive involvement in life. This is contrasted with Marina being a passive spectator during school tennis, and life in general. Towards the end of the novel Marina chooses on her own accord to return to Warrington, and reaches out to Mr Lindell to help her, a drastic change from the beginning of the novel where she didn’t interact with anyone at all.In the early stages of the novel, the struggle and difficulty of repairing Marina’s psyche due to damage and conflict within her family, and Marina’s journey towards mental health, is conveyed through the composer’s effective manipulation of fragmentation imagery. Perhaps the most prominent examples of fragmentation imagery would be Ann Maltin’s â€Å"spangled star doona cover†. Ann tells Marina the â€Å"the stars do fit together, but it took [her] years to figure it out†. This is a metaphor for Marina’s damaged psyche, and it foreshadows her psychological wholeness.Her psyche will fit together again; she just has to give it time to heal. Marina also explains the she likes ‘the word †Å"coalesce†, though when [she] looks at it for a long time it seems strange and ugly†. This is how Marina views herself, a jumble of â€Å"strange and ugly† fragments that need to â€Å"coalesce† in order to become one healed psyche. She also writes about the way the pool is when there is nobody there â€Å"then the first girl jumps or dives in – and it all cracks†. This demonstrates how fragile Marina’s psyche is; it could shatter at any time. Ann Maltin also â€Å"had a ceramic piece†¦ on the cupboard beside her bed.It was a big bird, an eagle†. Whilst â€Å"vacuuming the dorm† Marina accidentally knocks the bird of its stand, and it promptly shatters on the floor. Even after Ann has glued it back together, she â€Å"can still see the cracks. [She] will always see them. This indicates that Marina will heal, but she will never be exactly the same person as she was before the incident, and she will always be scarred from the traumatic event. John Marsden has greatly emphasised the importance of Marina repairing her damaged psyche through the use of metaphors, foreshadowing, and fragmentation imagery.Symbolism and figurative devices are also used effectively by John Marsden to evoke the idea of Marina’s need for retreat or refuge from the difficulties of reality, prior to her significant journey to wholeness. For Marina, the chapel at her school symbolises a sanctuary. â€Å"Churches [are] safe places, where you [can] hide†, Marina sits by herself in her dark corner and writes in her journal, it is where she can think about her life, and her father. She feels protected in the chapel, and in the school generally too.This is shown through the use of similes in the phrase â€Å"in the hospital [she] felt exposed under the white light, here [she] feels like a black snail†. This contrasts between the white exposure of the hospital, and the black refuge of the school. Similes, ret reat imagery, and symbolisation are used dextrously throughout So Much To Tell You to demonstrate Marina’s difficult journey to wholeness. John Marsden dextrously uses effective techniques throughout So Much To Tell You to explore the concept of struggle and wholeness, demonstrated by the protagonist, Marina.We learn about Marina’s personal struggle to become whole again after the tragic events that have occurred prior to the beginning of the novel. We see this through the contrast of Marina’s character between the beginning of the novel and the end of the novel, the extensive use of fragmentation imagery, and the retreat imagery, that is used to convey Marina’s struggle. We trace her traumatic personal journey, difficulties and mental healing throughout the novel, on an emotional rollercoaster that is Marina’s life.

Game theory in setting quantity oligopoly Essay

           Game theory is a formal study of conflict and cooperation in economics. In fact, it is usually concerned with predicting the real outcome of the games of strategy where the potential individuals have incomplete awareness about the others’ plans. The game theoretic concepts usually apply whenever the actions of several agents are interdependent. Probably, these agents are either, groups, individuals or firms. The concepts of game theory give a language to prepare a structure, analyze, and comprehend deliberate scenarios.          Game theory has straight relevance to the study conduct of the venture as well as the performance of the firms in oligopolistic markets. A good approach is the decisions that companies takeover pricing and levels of production. Also, how much money needs to be invested in research and development expenditure (Binmore, 1993).          Oligopoly is a type of imperfectly competitive markets. It has only a few sellers, provide a related or identical product to the buyers in the market. Collusion in economics is simply an agreement of two or more firms with an aim to exclude a couple of competing companies in the market so that may obtain high profits. It is clearly that competition in the oligopolistic markets reduces accelerating the performance of that collusion. For that reason many firms quit the marketing operations enhancing profitability to the relating competitors hence deteriorating their economic decisions. This results to complete dissolution of the firms. The output of the collusion increases since most of the firms have quit the market; others loosen their momentum to adhere to the upcoming changes launched in by the oligopolistic markets (Mertens, 1994). As a matter of fact, this becomes advantageous to the remaining firms in the market (Thomas, 2003).             It is noted that collusion is a characteristic trait of oligopolistic firms. Stiff competition and interdependent decision-making encourage oligopolistic firms to cooperate. In fact, one way to lessen the oligopolistic rival is joined together and meets targeted forces forming collusion. There are two main types of collisions in an oligopolistic market. Exclusively, include explicit collusion and implicit collusion. Explicit collusion is a type of collusion which has more two than firms in the same industry. It is formally agreed to control the market force on their own way whereas implicit collusion also more than two firms in the same business but informally they have the similar outlook in the market, habitually with nothing more than interdependent (Binmore, 1993).The price collusion is a form of criminal offense since several firms work as a team so as to keep the price of commodity high with an aim to receive huge income. The relating firms involved necessar ily try to chase out their competitor. History and impact of game theory          In 19th century, game theory was first discovered by one of the early inventors. Consequently, in 1838, the first publication was done by Antoine Cornet. In broad spectrum, he came up with well-formulated researchers on the Mathematical Principles of this kind of theory basing on wealth. He went further to illustrate more on the principles of the publication relating to the game theory. Notably, he tried to explain the underlying rules constituting the actual behavior of the duopoly in the discipline. Even though this publication was associated with the theory of Games and Economics character in 1944, it had the latest principles of game theory that were formulated in it. The game theory has been greatly applied to the behavior of producers with few or one competitor. This perspective of the game theory was conceived by Von Neumann in 19th century.          In macroeconomics, oligopolistic markets are characterized by a few, large firms and its differences from the other market structures as stated above. It is noted that more competitive markets in the firms are of smaller size and its firm’s behavior have slight or no effect on its close competitors. Besides this oligopoly markets changes its output, enlarge into a new market, provides modern services and even advertize. This will have a consequential impact on the market competitors, therefore, increasing the profitability. This enhances more power in the market operation hence deviating losses had to be encountered. For this reason, the firms in oligopolistic markets are always considering the act of their competitors when implementing their economic decisions. The oligopolistic owners strictly tackle any leakages in their market so that they may attain their set goals and formulated objectives. Information exchange in collusion         In broad spectrum, information is an essential tool in planning to come up with mature and complete mechanization of the involving firms. Basing this argument on the game theory, it is realized that in decision making, information is significantly employed. For that reason, a successful collusion in the oligopoly market has sophisticated means on how to underlie its perspectives in a manner that no rival firm come to know. Therefore, crude ideas empower any collusion with a vision to reduce their competitors in the market. Advances in economic theory have enabled the economists to set competitive distinctions between different types of information exchanged between the firms. The required beneficial effect on the consumers and potential side-effects for competition depend on the nature and characteristic of the information that exchanged and also the type of competition in the market. Therefore, it should be known that firm owns the secret in the industry such as firmâ €™s prices, sales, cost demand and other parameters.According to game theory, the competitors are not supposed to get any of this secretive information. Competition authorities are strictly suspicious when information is conveyed especially about prices and quantities because this information is normally significant for monitoring deviations from collusive arrangements and hence empowering collusion. Mostly exchange of information on the cost and demand is seen in another dimension and more favorably. However, information about the prices and quantities is used to convey information about the cost or demand in collusion. For instance, when the firms share information on the past or current prices and quantities inform other players about the demand in the market. This enables their rivals to obtain inferences on how to predict the future period which is against the game theory. Notably, this will weaken their collusion that later on begins to deteriorate in their existence in th e market. As a matter of fact, demand and cost information is useful since is the central element for predicting future demand.               Effective collusion needs good coordination that is well supported by the exchange of information about their plans. This monitors the performance of the collusion in some days to come. In so doing, their rivals will be unable to out-compete them. They become prominent in the market achieving their set goals and objectives. The aggregated information determines whether the collusion will succeed or not. This depends on how the decision making is done. The aggregated information means anonymous or individualized information. Probably, such information may be valuable to the firms. Therefore, it is necessary to know who or where a certain estimate has been made or whether it is enough to comprehend the private signals in the entire industry. In addition, information can be either private or public. The effects of information exchange extremely differ depending on whether the information is made public or kept private, especially in the industry that exchange inf ormation. The game theory does not support exposure of the firm’s intentions. Definitely, they try it, their rival players will come up with the newest perspectives to out-compete them. Therefore, this should be done privately for future success (Thomas, 2003).          It realized that if the information does not give rise to competition distress it will be definitely positive to welfare. Indeed, the usefulness from information exchange is large compared to its demerits. There are quite number of the ways in which information exchange is useful in the welfare. Information exchange is a great part of the discovery mechanism in the industry economy. This implies that through exchange of information in between the formed collusion encourages expansion of the market economy. It also improves investment decision and organization learning. It is only through information where collusion members come up with complete ideas to uplift their set goals. Information exchange also results to output adjustments and lowering search costs in the firm. In the world, information is really required about the demands and rival activities. Notably, the firms would have to become accustomed to the changing circumstances by a trial and error process. Inform ation exchange is a great tool in playing the role of uplifting market economy in collusion hence output in the firms. Impact of rational behavior in collusion            Rationality is one way of decision-making practice wherein a firm exercises prudent choice making that gives it a maximum amount of benefit. Rational behavior usually facilitates decision making that is not productive in collusion. But it only strives to achieve benefits that are mostly achievable in nature. This usefulness can be either monetary or non-monetary. The word monetary stands for finance activities whereas non-monetary is associated with non-financial activities in a company. Therefore, any successful firm considers the following perspectives. This kind of decision making may not possible return materially to the firms at that moment on (Chatterjee, 2014). Therefore, rational choice theory is an economic principle. It states that firms make prudent and logical decisions so as to attain a complete satisfaction in the firm due to its abundant benefits.            The output of collusion increases over time due to changes made in by the decision makers. The identified plans that based on rational behavior usually alter operation of oligopolistic market. Operations may greatly expand performance of the company undermining its valuable transactions. When the collusion need to uplift its operation have to be economical on the way do operate their activities so that can observe a slight differences. Notably, some measures need to be employed to overcome its competition from its rivals. The firms recruit innovative and competent staffs to invest great fortune in the organization.            Competent economists formulate ideas flourishing functionality of the collusion hence uplifting profits, quantity, and its dignity. This shows how game theory is significantly applied in the oligopolistic market basing on the rational behavior. It is preferably considered as a means of competition through decision making. This scares rival players in the market such that are unable to operate their firms. Due to this condition, many firms in the markets are readily to be dissolved. The cause of this is just continuous losses experienced on every end fiscal year resulting to dissolution.             According to game theory, rational behavior is greatly a crucial tool required to make decisions that are needed to eliminate relating firms in the market. Most importantly, competing firms’ quantity reduces as well as its income accelerates due to well-played game theory in the oligopolistic market. Mainly rationality has a positive impact to the prudent collusion. Therefore, game theory is correlated to rationality behavior as far as decision making is concern in an oligopolistic market as mentioned earlier. Only that rational behavior is conditions suitable for accomplishing this specified theory (Mertens, 1994). Even though, participating firms can employ it, frequently is determined by competency of the collusion. Impact of time horizon in the collusion             In economics, time horizon is also referred to as a planning horizon, is a fixed point of time in the future at which some activities will be evaluated. It is noted that is specified a time when all planned activities or processes are supposed to terminate. Therefore, time horizon is a vital condition to any successful stakeholders. It enhances a strict time layout on how to operate your business transactions before targeted deadline. This minimizes time wastage and considers it as a significant factor in implementing business laws. Actually, the set objectives and underlain goals, with the cooperation of competent experts in business, are easily achieved. Time horizon has optimum benefits to those who put it into consideration.             Collusions have unique pathways on how they operate their organizational activities. Additions to that have business ethics for guiding set goals to reach its financial year and attain them. For a successful collusion, time horizon is much in demand to eradicate other firms out of the market. Especially, it needs strictness so that the set firm’s goal is accomplished on reaching time horizon. It confers bright future to competing firms enhancing increased output in the collusion. Time horizon sharpens performance of the most firms with an aim to make more profits in their organizations. Similarly, time horizon is a beneficial condition on practicing game theory in an oligopolistic market. It creates immense difference in the industry. The time horizon can be a month, a week or a year depending on the decision of the firm (Mertens, 1994).Broadly, time horizon is a viable and secret â€Å"tool† that empowers collusion to diminish performance of its riv als in the industry. Eventually, it becomes determinant condition in collusion leading the business to enjoy huge profits and crude output. Collusion lowers its products’ price encouraging more sales whereas its rivals remain constant to the initial price. Cost is usually lower hence encouraging more sales due to high demand. The collusion stagnates in the same price until time horizon comes. At that planning horizon, several firms would have left the industry enabling collusion with uncompetitive environment to work on (Chatterjee, 2014). Conclusion             In broad spectrum, game theory deals with decision making that reinforce competition perspectives in the market. It is kind of a game whereby participating individuals hide their intentions purposely to win over the other. In this case, information, rationality, and time horizon are determinant conditions that boost succession of collusion in an oligopolistic market. It signifies that to acquire viable benefits in the market has to employ well-formulated conditions.Therefore, cost, demand, and quantity differ from relating firms in the industry. Strictly, collusion tries to lower its prices with an aim to increase its output and eliminate the number of firms in the industry. Similarly, quantity in the industry increases with increased prices from other firms. Due to that reason number of consumers in those firms reduces joining newly formed collusion. This enforces rivals to reduce its prices of their products leading to uncountable losses hence leading to collaps ing of many firms. The collusion succeeds its target of eliminating other firms from the industry henceforth starts enjoying oligopolistic benefits including profits. Reference Binmore, K. (1993). Frontiers of game theory. Cambridge, Mass. [u.a.: MIT Press Telser, L. G. (1971). Competition, collusion, and game theory. London: Macmillan. Chatterjee, K., & Samuelson, W. (2014). Game theory and business applications. New York: Springer. Mertens, J.-F., & NATO Advanced Study Institute on ‘Game-Theoretic Methods in Economic Equilibrium Analysis’. (1994). Game theoretic methods in general equilibrium analysis: [proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Game Theoretic Methods in General Equilibrium Analysis, Long Island, NY USA, July 1 – 12, 1991]. Dordrecht [u.a.: Kluwer. Thomas, L. C. (2003). Games, theory and applications.Voigt, S., & Schmidt, A. (2005). Making European merger policy more predictable. Dordrecht: Springer. Source document