Powerful But Not Immortal Essays - Epic Of Gilgamesh, Enkidu

Powerful But Not Immortal Powerful But Not Immortal The Epic of Gilgamesh still touches people profoundly even after many centuries because it is about issues that are common to all people throughout history - the anguish of death for all human beings. For example, Gilgamesh, the protagonist of The Epic of Gilgamesh, and King Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han (the famous King of China in early 400 B.C.) had tried many ways to find a solution for having everlasting lives; however, the fact was that they were human and would die. This is the absolute difference between gods and humans: gods live forever and humans must die. Consequently, immortality was the solution that both Gilgamesh and Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han sought in order to overcome their fear of death. Gilgamesh, Two third they made him god and one third man. (Gilgamesh 13), was the mythical king of Uruk in Babylonia, on the River Euphrates in modern Iraq. He was the greatest king on earth and the strongest man that ever lived. As a young man, Gilgamesh had no compassion for the people of Uruk. He was their king, but not their shepherd; he killed their sons and raped their daughters. But when he met Enkidu, he learned many things: how to love, to have compassion, and to understand the meaning of mortality. He and Enkidu journeyed into the forest to confront the terrible Humbaba because Gilgamesh wanted to set up his name where the names of famous people were written (Gilgamesh 18). When Gilgamesh refused to marry Ishtar, she was furious. She decided to seek revenge by sending the Bull of Heaven to kill Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Enkidu succeeded in killing the Bull of Heaven, but Enkidu later died as a result. With the death of his best friend, Gilgamesh was distraught with grief and denial. He despaired the loss of Enkidu but also his own death, which he knew could come some day. Seeking to avoid death, he strived to learn the secret of everlasting life. He came upon the entrance to the land of gods, another world, which would show him the secret to avoiding death. Upon failing the challenges necessary to become immortal, he finally accepted that he was human, and he would have to die as normal people. Gilgamesh's belief in immortality did not exist in human beings. Similarly, Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han, was known as the most brilliant ruler of Mong Co (now known as Nepal). He had helped Mong Co to become the most powerful empire in early 400 B.C. He was successful in conquering many countries, such as Tao (China), Cham (Thai Lan), and Giao (Kampodia). Unlike Gilgamesh, Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han was generous to his people, encouraged them to go to school, and devoted his energies to strengthening his empire. But as he grew older, his personality changed. He became villainous because of his jealousy towards younger people. He wanted to live forever, so he asked his servers to seek a way in which to help him to remain young forever. Unfortunately, his people failed his order, and Thanh Cat Tu Han killed all of them, and even their relatives. The more people he killed, the more afraid he became of dying. He would do anything to become immortal. He asked his people to build a mountain that would touch the sky, so he could climb up to the heavens and ask the go ds for a way to avoid death. As punishment for his immoral behaviors, the gods made him fall when he climbed the mountain. Thus, the search for immortality led to the terrible death of Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han. Both Gilgamesh and Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han were looking forward to finding the way to become immortal. But the fact remains: When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained their own keeping (Gilgamesh 34). No matter how hard both of them tried, they were human and still faced dead. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, I really enjoyed the main character, Gilgamesh, and his fear of death served as a good example for There is no permanence. Do we build a house to stand for ever,

Free Essays on David’s Symbolism Of Florence

Between 1501 and 1504, the Opera del Duomo commissioned Michelangelo to create a sculpture of David to help reclaim the civic imagery in Florence (348 Paoletti, Radke). David was traditionally portrayed after his victory over Goliath. Unlike Donatello’s and Verrochio’s David’s, who are depicted standing over the head of Goliath, Michelangelo depicts David before the battle and as an adolescent close to manhood. David appears ready to fight his enemy with a stone in his right hand and a satchel of rocks hidden behind his left shoulder. Michelangelo portrays a man surrounded by enemies much stronger than him, but David is a cunning victor and a symbol of strength. David and his placement have political implications that mimic the state of Florence as a city that is young, powerful, and ready to fight against outside enemies. Florence was faced with troubling times when French King Charles VIII invaded the city. Without governing power of the Medici to keep Florence together, the city faced duress. The political dilemma that the city faced is the reason Michelangelo constructed David as an adolescent ready to fight instead of as the victor over Goliath. David’s stance and readiness for battle represents the city of Florence, and the political battle it faced to gain control of the city and battle outside armies greater than its own. David’s size and stance also have underlying political implications. â€Å"The colossal size of the figure, nearly three times life size, implies a link with colossal sculptures of antiquity; the greatness of Greece and Rome now is equaled by that of Florence† (Paoletti, Radke 349). The statue represents an idea that Florence can be transformed from â€Å"ordinary into extraordinary by a decisive moment of action. Michelangelo’s placement of David in the contrapposto position â€Å"which was the Greek representation of heroes† can also imply that Florence is a city ready to take on the hero icon... Free Essays on David’s Symbolism Of Florence Free Essays on David’s Symbolism Of Florence Between 1501 and 1504, the Opera del Duomo commissioned Michelangelo to create a sculpture of David to help reclaim the civic imagery in Florence (348 Paoletti, Radke). David was traditionally portrayed after his victory over Goliath. Unlike Donatello’s and Verrochio’s David’s, who are depicted standing over the head of Goliath, Michelangelo depicts David before the battle and as an adolescent close to manhood. David appears ready to fight his enemy with a stone in his right hand and a satchel of rocks hidden behind his left shoulder. Michelangelo portrays a man surrounded by enemies much stronger than him, but David is a cunning victor and a symbol of strength. David and his placement have political implications that mimic the state of Florence as a city that is young, powerful, and ready to fight against outside enemies. Florence was faced with troubling times when French King Charles VIII invaded the city. Without governing power of the Medici to keep Florence together, the city faced duress. The political dilemma that the city faced is the reason Michelangelo constructed David as an adolescent ready to fight instead of as the victor over Goliath. David’s stance and readiness for battle represents the city of Florence, and the political battle it faced to gain control of the city and battle outside armies greater than its own. David’s size and stance also have underlying political implications. â€Å"The colossal size of the figure, nearly three times life size, implies a link with colossal sculptures of antiquity; the greatness of Greece and Rome now is equaled by that of Florence† (Paoletti, Radke 349). The statue represents an idea that Florence can be transformed from â€Å"ordinary into extraordinary by a decisive moment of action. Michelangelo’s placement of David in the contrapposto position â€Å"which was the Greek representation of heroes† can also imply that Florence is a city ready to take on the hero icon...

Business Essay Example for Free (#4)

Business Essay A. 1. As I began my journey as a new business owner of a computer company I needed to define my company’s goals, decide which direction I wanted to take the company to and create a mission statement that will best represent my company. Since the company was new I needed to come up with something catchy and promising that would invite potential clients to find out more about the products we offer. Since there were more participants in this game and from my professional experience I learned that staying on the same path and making advancements is more beneficial than trying to change directions every time. In this case I remained focused on the same two groups for the remaining 3 rounds. Instead of changing and adding more products every quarters like most of the other participants I kept my two models (one for each group) and made necessary corrections and modifications based on the market needs. I verified the requirements of each group, the priorities and the price range each client is willing to pay. Since there are no specific techniques used in this part of the business analysis I used my own judgment in making sure that I create the best product with the items that are most important to the potential client group. As stated above I initially created two products (one for each group) and after the first round they both passed 70% but in the scientific group it was not chosen as one of the best. In the second round I was given an option of reviewing products of my competitors and the only difference was the larger monitor and an upgraded keyboard. I added those options to my products and in the next round both products did very well. I had to make sure that in the nest round I keep up with the new upgrades and add them to my products to make sure that I keep up with the new technology. Even after making the upgrades the prices did not change a lot and the two groups still chose my product as one of their choices and my products were receiving 100% in both categories. Out of all the categories my market performance would produce larger results if I was not afraid in estimating more clients and produce more computers in both categories. Every quarter I ended up loosing clients and sales due to shortage in inventory. My market performance, marketing effectiveness and human resource management remained slightly low even though I was very close to my competitors. As far as my salary package I paid my employees the most but I only contributed 2% of their salary versus 5% that everyone else was contributing. I believe that salary is more important than the retirement contribution. I upgraded health benefits but kept the contribution the same. 2.I would not change the targeted markets I have selected because my decision was a success. I wanted to make sure that my company will have balance between high paying clients and not as much demand and those where the profits are not as high but the demand is much higher. My analogy was right on target because with the Mercedes I was making higher profit but the number of machines was not as high as the market for general public where the profit was significantly lower. After being chosen by both markets as a preferred factory I had to make sure that I am keeping up with current technology and by adding extra features the price difference is not too high so that I would loose my lower profit clients. With that business idea I was able to survive my competition and climb up to the top. 3.When it comes to the sales locations I selected I believe that I have done enough research to make a good decision. Since I have chosen Mercedes for scientific computers and general public I wanted to make sure that I cover United States since Mercedes mainly operated in the US and their main headwaters are in Germany. Therefore I chose NY as one of the first offices along with France in Europe. My next choice was Tokyo since they have the most advanced technology and I can use that as my selling point to generate more business. My last choice was South America even though the expenses were not as high but it is less demanding since the poverty is significantly high. As expected, choosing my locations in this order was a success. 4.Marketing research could definitely be improved since I was not as successful as I was hoping to be. Most of my business was coming from direct sales and not as much from other advertising. I did not want to invest large amounts of money on the popular magazines since the fee was very high and I was concentrating on more common papers such as Science Magazines and business papers. Maybe I should have been more adventurous and invest in more popular magazines but I was afraid that I would suffer financially. Also I was not able to come up with a very catchy advertising line to attract potential clients and was scoring somewhat low on the advertising review. B.One of the most important decisions I made was to invest in international markets. Since Mercedes is from Germany and its factories are in the US I felt as investing in a European market would be a good idea simply because I come from Europe and I know that Mercedes is in demand as well as there are a lot of companies in need of a highly developed machine that can make their discoveries and creations a lot easier. I was a little hesitant about opening offices in Tokyo since their technology is very advanced and cost is very high. But because of that I decided to stand with competition face to face and use this to my advantage. By creating same quality machines for a little lesser cost I was able to survive and beat most of my competition. South America had smaller expenses but the demand was not very high considering the high number of less fortunate individuals. If investing in the international markets required large funds I would concentrate on the US market and possibly South America. Unless I discovered high turnaround and my investment would not affect my company’s future I would consider this option. Throughout my entire game I was very cautious and I was afraid of heavy investment simply because my funds were very limited and I did not want to jeopardize my company over greed and quick wealth. After reviewing my financial reports I was able to determine if additional investment is possible and how my this would effect the company overall. Heavy investment would depend on how the financial statements looked, careful review of the international markets and position of the company in the global market. If the company would not be as successful at the end of the 4th quarter as I wanted it to be I would most likely find another route to expand my borders. Business. (2017, Feb 03).

Parties and Democracy in the Eastern European Countries Essay

Parties and Democracy in the Eastern European Countries - Essay Example Parties help fix the newly established democratic governments in a broader community and influence their stability among the numerous processes of quick social and industrial change. Valuable constitutions and the various processes implicated in the rule of law are reinforced by the possibilities parties put forward for the progress of a more active citizenry and the appearance of a strong democratic political way of life. "There are also strong reasons to believe such conditions are conducive to stable processes of economic development and the formation of effective market economies" (ibid, p.2). The concentration on electoral activity and the methods parties use to reach administration office are particularly important. To the extent of post-communist eastern Europe, it can be stated that involvement in competitive elections is a foremost attribute of party identity development and the advancement of such organizations. Party competition is an important characteristic of the contemporary governments that differentiates them from the single party totalitarianism of the communist era and offers at the present moment a real focus of attention. The single-party government that existed within the Soviet dictatorship, and afterwards reached other parts of Europe and the world, had nothing in common with the experience of the democratic competitive party regime. Modern Eastern Europe contains most of the post-communist countries and the main part of former the Soviet Union. Lewis gives the following classification of eastern European countries: "east-central Europe: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic; the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; the Balkans: Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and the most of the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) former Soviet republics: Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine" (ibid, p.5). 1989 was an important year both for the states of eastern Europe and the growth of a democratic Europe in general. Its most outstanding image can be seen in opening wide of the strongly protected gates set in the Berlin Wall and the enthusiasm with which the inhabitants of Berlin set about its destruction, but consequently it was a process of creation that would do most to resolve how long and in which form this recently received liberty would exist. This probably influenced Velvet revolution in the Baltic states with final fall of the Soviet empire. The main part of the process was the construction of new political organizations and the establishment of a variety of parties competent in expressing the viewpoints and objectives of contemporary population. On the other hand, there was a serious problem faced by the number of post-communist countries - the lack of experience of liberal democracy and the comparative limitation of party development after the countries had gained independ ence. The building of civil society as the main focus of political interest has succeeded during the recent years, since general civil liberties, gained by people, have influenced their outlook and political viewpoints. This is the main characteristic of 'subunits, capable of opposing and countervailing the state' (Gellner, 1991, p.500).  

Identify the primary theories that guide your intergrated theoretical Essay

Identify the primary theories that guide your intergrated theoretical perspective of social work practice - Essay Example A boundary line such as a line, a plane or a point, implies or secures a limit, a periphery, a range, or a barrier. To span â€Å"is to form an arch over, to extend over across† (Kerson, 2002, 1); thus, a boundary-exceeding framework to health-related social work broadens over already penciled in barriers so as to provide social workers a greater range of perceptiveness, greater autonomy in interventions, and greater access to organizations and structures. This paper then will discuss the importance of boundary-exceeding in all areas of social work so that social workers can learn to assist their patients, clients and consumers to achieve their aspirations (ibid). Throughout its years of experience, social work practice in mental health has revised itself by or has been described by several boundaries. Occasionally, the borders have been created for the participants; some times, the restrictions have been designed by the participants themselves. Such limitations have occasionally got in the way of social workers’ capability to comprehend or resolve in the most practical means. Throughout time, even if social workers have drawn the parameters themselves, they have discovered the boundaries too limiting (Meyer, 1988). In response, social workers have had to locate ways to batter down the hindrances, to do the practice tantamount to finding tougher or wider scopes, opening entryways, breaking down walls, or insisting for greater autonomy. This ecological reinterpretation caters to and redefines various existing parameters or boundaries, and this reinterpretation claims that parameters have to be spanned in manners that are less preventing (ibid). The first parameter that should be spanned is the thing that detaches health care from mental health care. Fresh knowledge on the symptomatology, etiology and handling of an array of

File transfer protocols Essay Example for Free

File transfer protocols Essay File transfer is the process of transmitting complete files from one computer to another. To achieve a successful transfer, both sending and receiving devices must establish the protocol (set of rules) by which they will communicate. Various protocols are commonly recognised but they vary in their performance and suitability for particular tasks. Some examples are described below. FTP File Transfer Protocol (FTP) allows large amounts of information to be transferred between computers very conveniently. FTP originated with the UNIX operating system and was to transfer files of all types between remote computer systems. A popular application of is for the uploading and downloading of Web site pages. ASCII This is only appropriate for text files, which contain no control characters. Thus it cannot be used to transfer files produced with a word processor, spreadsheet or graphics package. Neither can it transfer command (COM) or executable (EXE) files, or files in compressed (ZIP, for ex) form. Apart from this, the protocol is not good at controlling errors. Xmodem A file-transfer protocol used for asynchronous communications. It is commonly used in communications packages. The Xmodem protocol transfers data in blocks of 128 bytes, giving each transmitted frame a sequential block number; this number is used to identify the location of errors. A checksum (see Block Check Characters) is attached to each block to check transmission errors. Its ability to find and correct errors makes it suitable for the transfer of files, which must retain their integrity, such as program files. Zmodem Is one of the most advanced protocols, being much faster than Xmodem. Its error correction controls are absolutely reliable. CCITT V42bis. This protocol includes a data compression (through encoding, data is reduced in volume) technique and error detection and correction. Both the sending and receiving modem must possess the error correction facility. Implementation Top Down implementation is one way to achieve implementation of software. This involves coding, testing and debugging each module in turn starting with the top level and working down. This means that each new module fits naturally into the module hierarchy. Starting with the control module i. e. Songs; we code, test, debug and retest it etc. This involves calling Set_Up, Process_Votes and Menu, even though these have not yet been coded. Therefore, we create test stubs to ensure that we can test that the Songs module achieves its function. A Test Stub can simply consist of a statement which will display a message showing that the module has been called correctly, or it may consist of a set of statements which simulate the operation of the module in order to return results to the calling module which is under test. At this stage, the program would look like this Program Songs(Input, Output); Plan should be constructed which indicates an incremental development where each module is to be tested in turn, with appropriate test stubs. For each test, expected results should be noted. A Test Log indicates the results of each test run, whether the test is successful or not. If a test is successful and an error has been discovered then the code should be redesigned, amending pseudocode, recoded and retested. Total_Votes In 3. Narrative Description No Module Description 0 Songs Calls Set_up to set up the table, Process_Votes to read votes from the keyboard and Menu to offer options. 1 Set_Up Calls, in turn, Initialise and Load. 2 Process_Votes Reads in votes from the keyboard and increment the appropriate total. 3 Menu Displays menu, accept choice, and call appropriate modules Display or Report 1. 1 Initialise Initialises all entries of the table. 1. 2 Load Reads in the song details from the file and store in a table. 3. 1 Display Displays the number of votes for an input song. 3. 2 Report. Displays the percentage votes for each song. Subprogram. Stepwise Refinement is a process which takes an initial solution to a problem and refines each step until the algorithm is detailed enough for implementation in a suitable high level language. Level 0 Level 1 Level 2   Since programs can become very large and consequently can involve a number of programmers in the development process, it is useful to have a way of splitting up a program into components each of which can be handled separately. This uses a facility called a subprogram. The process of developing a solution as a collection of interconnected subprograms is called Modular Design. Each module has a single complete function and is implemented using the particular subprogram facilities of suitable high level languages. Pseudocode Each programmer can be allocated a separate module / group of modules to work on in isolation. Each module may call lower level modules. A module may be called from more than one other nodule. Programmer A Programmer B Programmer C   A subprogram is a way of grouping together statements which havea common purpose i. e.all statements help to produce a singleobjective. They allow a natural way of dividing an algorithm intoparts where each individual part can be handled separately andcarries out a single task for the problem. This is a natural extension of the philosophy of stepwise refinement where subprograms may be executed in sequence, be part of a selection or be iterated. A subprogram can be thought of as a small program which can carry out any of the functions of a program. A subprogram is called when it is needed, executed and then the processor returns control to the place where the subprogram was called from. Although subprograms can be developed in isolation, by separate programmers, they have to communicate with other subprograms in the system, particularly, with regard to the data which is shared between a subprogram and its caller. Subprograms communicate with the calling program through a well-defined interface which specifies the data being shared between the calling program and the subprogram. The interface allows the processor to suspend the calling program, transfer control to the subprogram and pass any data specified down to the subprogram. Once the subprogram finishes executing, then the interface communicates any required data changes back to the calling program and returns control to the main program at the line immediately after the subprogram call. A subprogram may be called any number of times within a program. The subprogram heading specifies the subprogram name, the type of each piece of data which is expected and the nature of each piece of data, i. e. whether it is simply to be passed down in order to aid the function of the subprogram or whether it. is a value which is being changed or calculated as part of the function of the subprogram. A piece of data which is being passed to/from a subprogram is called a parameter. A parameter has an associated data type e. g. integer. A parameter can be specified as either value (reference) or variable depending on whether the subprogram is allowed to change the parameter value permanently. This allows the program to protect certain parameter values against accidental change. e. g. Subprogram Add_Nos(Numl, Num2 : Integer; Var Result : Integer) Here Num1 Num2 are value parameters therefore the subprogram will expect to receive input values for each of these parameters every time the subprogram is called. These values can be supplied either as variable values or constants. e. g. Call Add_Nos Using Numi, Num2, Result Call Add_Nos Using 5, 6, Result Result is a variable parameter and therefore the subprogram will change/calculate a value which is to be returned to the calling program. Thus the subprogram will expect to receive the name of a variable of the required type where it is to store the returning value. The subprogram call must contain a data value (of a suitable type) for each corresponding parameter in the subprogram heading. When a subprogram is called the data values in the subprogram call (actual parameters) are passed down to the corresponding data values in the subprogram heading (formal parameters). Since a subprogram can be used more than once within a system then it is necessary to allow different names to be used for formal and actual parameters. e. g. Call Add Nos Using Nol, No2, Result Exercise Design an algorithm which will input 2 integer values, display a menu, read a choice and call an appropriate subprogram to add, subtract, divide, multiply these numbers returning the result of the calculation. The Systems Development Cycle System Testing and Implementation Implementation is the stage where the system design is converted to a working system. This is arguably the most important stage of systems development, since a well designed system which is poorly implemented may. fail, whereas a badly designed system which is well implemented may survive. The key to success is in planning for the implementation early in the design process, the main issues to be considered being :- ? site preparation ? hardware/software procurement ? system testing ? user education and training ? changeover ? Outcome 6 of the Systems Development 2 Unit includes system testing, user education and training and changeover, and these topics are outlined in the following sections. System Testing System testing ensures that the system works accurately and efficiently before it is put into live operation. All clerical and computer procedures are tested. Programs are tested individually and then in groups to verify program linkages. Hardware and communications links are also tested. The final stages of testing are the system trials involving user staff, this also being part of user training. Test data for program testing should follow the guidelines of the Software Engineering Unit. System trials should be carried out in an operational environment, using test data from earlier time periods, or even parallel runs with the old system using live data. The types of tests which should be considered for a system are as follows Inputs- form design (ease of use) data transmission input validation and correction Files- empty files addition/deletion/update access controls/security Outputs- output documents/screens recipient understanding ComputerProcedures- program linkages operating procedures recovery and security timings Clerical Procedures- effects on other systems user understanding error correction timings User Education and Training The success of a new system is very much dependent on the attitudes of the people who use it. Education aims to convince users of the benefits of the system to themselves, their department and the company. Management policy regarding re-deployment ,redundancy etc should be clearly stated. while casualties may result from the introduction of new systems, there are also many positive aspects such as ? reducing very boring clerical activities? upgrading of skills ? ? improving job satisfaction ? d? Education, therefore, complements and is a pre-requisite to training. e? Training enables users to understand their role in the new system, and prepares them for their own specific tasks. The users and people affected by the new system must be trained, and arrangements for release from normal duties must be made. Many different methods of training are available including f? formal lectures a? ? discussions/seminars ? computer-assisted training (tutorial packages,help facilities etc) ? user manuals/quick reference guides ? Usually a combination of methods will be chosen with an emphasis on hands on experience. Timing and pacing of training is also important, too early and users may forget aspects or become disinterested, too late and users will become flustered. Training does not cease with implementation, but must meet needs of new staff and system changes. changeover Implementation may involve change from a manual system to a computer system or from one computer system to an other. In both cases the system data and procedures require to be changed. A major task prior to changeover is file conversion. The data in existing clerical or computer files must be converted to the new system files, and this can be a massive task involving the preparation of thousands of records using data from a number of different sources. It is also essential that the new system data is accurate or system credibility will suffer. Changeover is the period from the start of live running to the time the DP department withdraws system support, other than for maintenance. ? Methods of changeover depend on the particular circumstances of a system development project, and fall into the following categoriesdirect changeover ? parallel running? pilot running ? Direct changeover is the complete replacement of the old system by the new in one move. This may be appropriate when system testing has been exhaustive and users have complete confidence in the new system. Also if the system is totally new and there is no comparable old system, or if there is no staff available to operate a parallel run. Parallel running is the method of processing current data using the old and new systems at the same time, then cross-checking results. It may be seen as an extension of testing, and generates confidence among users, however it places a strain on resources. Pilot running may be used in two ways, either in retrospective running of data from previous time periods, after results have been obtained from the old system, or as a staged changeover where a complete logical section of records is chosen and committed to the new system without parallel operation in the old system. when this section is operating satisfactorily the remaining records are transferred. The end of the changeover is signified by user acceptance of the new system. System performance must meet acceptance criteria previously established. Acceptance criteria would relate to factors such as response times, degree of reliability and tolerable error rate. Test Narrative An incremental development approach will be taken. This will involve each module being designed, coded and tested in turn before moving onto the next. This Top Down approach will allow newly written modules to fit naturally into the module hierarchy. Test stubs will be used to simulate the calling of modules which have not yet been coded. Menu Tests would be continued until all tests completed amendments logged and retests completed satisfactorily . Interviewing Interviewing is better than questionnaires for gathering certain information because you could see the interviewee facial expressions. Also one other advantage is that in an interview you can hear the response of the interviewee has to say. One disadvantage about the interviewing is that it takes long of time. But couple of things you would gain from the interview is that you would be gaining the trust in the interviewee, you would be making the interviewee feel important and it shows that you are interested. They will be able to give to the interviewer information that will be of value for the new system. If the interviewee says that the current system is unsatisfactory then you will need to look at the weak point of the current system and making sure that you dont make the new system have similar problem as the current system. Interviewing is factual and you would get the answers to know questions right away. Some other problems in a interview is that there isnt enough detail to know whats happening in the job and needs to meet the interviewee to observe the body language. Interview is long but an questionnaire is quicker but it has less information. Questionnaire Questionnaires are useful when you are gathering a small amount of information from a large number of people. But if you are getting a lot of information from people then it will take you a lot of time to process the whole information which will take a lot of time. A questionnaire is quick if it is a small amount of information, it is simple but a questionnaire has a slow response. A questionnaire is quicker than an interview. Questionnaire is one of the best resources to get information from. Like documents they do have information but documents it may not be regularly updated. Examination of documents is factual and has a lot of information but depending on what you are looking for. In a questionnaires you wouldnt get as much information as examination as documents. Some problems in a questionnaire is the person may not be as honest as the person would be in a interview, an questionnaire is too long and boring. Questionnaire is easy to analyze. Study of forms and documents. Procedures manual is an already made source of information so all you got to do is read the information. Examination of documents is the quicker than interviewing and Questionnaires. Records are all factual like all the rest but one of the main things may be bad about is that the information may not be as accurate as a Questionnaire and Interviewing . Input / Formatting / Validation MS Access Input Formatting Symbol. Meaning (space) Display spaces as literal characters.. ABC Display anything inside quotation marks as literal characters. ! Force left alignment instead of right alignment   Fill available space with the next character. Auto Data Types in MS Access Data Type Explanation of Data Type Text Alphanumeric Max 255 alpha-numeric, characters, 50 is the default Memo Alphanumeric Max 64000 alphanumeric characters Number Numeric Numeric values for calculation Five formats Date/Time Dates/Tinies Five date and three time formats Currency Monetary Monetary values up to 15 digits, plus decimal places AutoNumber Unique Value for each record Sequential numbers automatically inserted by access Yes/No Boolean Logical values in Yes/No, on/of for True/False formats OLE Pictures/Graphs or other OLE Object Linking and Embedding items, graphics or binary Hyperlink. Decimal placeholder and thousand date and time separators. (The actual character used depends on the settings in the Regional Settings section of the Windows Control Panel). Causes all characters to be converted to lowercase. Causes all characters to be converted to uppercase. ! Causes the input mask to display from right to left, rather than from left to right, when characters on the left side of the input mask are optional. Characters typed into the mask always fill it from left to right You can include the exclamation point anywhere in the input mask \ Causes the character that follows to be displayed as the literal character. If you create a validation rule for a field Microsoft Access doesnt normally allow a Null value to be stored in the field. If you want to allow a Null value add Is Null to the validation rule as in 8 Or Is Null. Query criteria in MS Access Field Data Field data finds an exact match for a field Smith will find smith Access is not case sensitive wildcards Two wildcards can be used to replace field characters. any single character 0 any characterds values greater than or equal to 01/12/92 Compound Criteria The user can specify more than one example and criteria at any one time.

Analysis of Cooper Industries :: Cooper Industries Business Management Essays

Analysis of Cooper Industries OVERVIEW: Cooper Industries is a broadly diversified manufacturer of electrical and general industrial products, and energy related machinery and equipment. The company operates in three different business segments with 21 separate profit centers. These segments include electrical and electronic, commercial and industrial, compression, drilling and energy equipment. The product line is consisted of cheap fuses to $3 million compressor tribune sets along with products such as hand tools and light fixtures. The company bid a $21-a-share tender offer to acquire Champion Spark Plug, manufacturer of auto spark plugs, as a counter offer for the Dana Corp.'s $17.50-a-share bid. Also, in the mean time, Cooper Industries was considering a $700 million bid for Cameron Iron Works. Even though purchasing either or both companies will give operational and organizational advantages, there were high financial risks involved. Undertaking both acquisitions would result in a 55% to 60% debt to capitalization ratio. ANALYSIS: Cooper Industries acquired more than 60 manufacturing companies over a thirty year span in order to increase the size and the scope of the company. Most of the acquired companies made it possible for Cooper to be independent of the outside environment and giving full control of the manufacturing process concerning their business while avoiding anti-trust allegations. Cooper basically purchased every company that is vital to its energy industry and all the side industries that effect it. From tools to fuses to cables to the drilling equipment was manufactured and distributed by the corporation's divisions. Each acquisition is decided from a wish list that was closely examined and studied. At the time of the take over, the Management Development & Planning division would implement the corporate strategy in a period of three to five years. This involves diversification and elimination of the products that are poor sellers. In some cases the production plant is relocated and the staff is reorganized for the best efficient set up. In time all these companies are turned into profit centers. RECOMMENDATIONS: One of my first suggestions will be to consider Cameron Iron Works first since all the valves and other natural gas and petroleum products will be more beneficiary. Apparently there is more demand for Cameron's products than the Champions. Little adjustments in the production process along with the 'Cooperization' adjustment will have make the company efficient in a short period of time. In contrast, Champion is considered to have 1950's production techniques and only one product line, spark plugs, which will require tremendous changes within the company. The other option may be to purchase both of the companies, regardless of