Lumpkin

Plumbing was formed and slowly grew for the first half of the sass's. Due to rapid business growth in the latter part of the decade, Mr.. Limpkin decided to expand on the company's existing building. This expansion was made possible by a $1 50,000 loan approved by Ms. Mae Elli from Central National Bank. For the past 5 years Limpkin Plumbing has been banking with this bank, yet this was its first loan. The company regularly provides reports regarding its progress and Mr.. Limpkin keeps In contact with Ms. Elli.This makes them highly applicable for additional loans with this bank. While the projections were underestimated, this Is a positive sign that making the loan payments should not be a concern. Limpkin Plumbing is a well-managed business with high potential for future growth and success as long as it keeps operations under control and improves projection accuracy. Marketing Analysis Limpkin Plumbing's demand is slightly seasonal, with an increase in sales during the spring and e arly summer. Based on the company's projections, even they were not expecting the high increase of sales.While the projected a sales growth was 20%, the actual growth rate was 63. 1%. This increase proves that there was higher demand for Limpkin Plumbing's business. Perhaps with the newly added display areas, retail sales will Increase the net sales even more. This could give the business a competitive advantage in the future. One of the biggest issues I have with this company is the inaccuracy of its projections; especially for the inventory and accounts payable. Inventory from 1 998 to 1999 increased by 18. %; however, the projection for 2000 is only for a 10. 5% increase. If they are expanding to accommodate growth then I think the growth rate for inventory should have been higher. Operations Analysis As a wholesale distributed, Limpkin Plumbing operates with a high level of inventory that should be turned over swiftly. The inventory turnover rate for 1999 was 3. 80% and 3. 35% f or 2000. This decrease Is most likely due to the underestimated amount of purchases and depreciation for 2000. This however Is not necessarily a negative sign.If the demand was there from customers then purchases must be made. With the building expansion, hopefully Limpkin Plumbing can improve the efficiency of orders which will lead to a high turnover rate. This high amount of inventory is also affecting its liquidity based on the quick ratio. Unfortunately, the quick ratio for Limpkin Plumbing has decreased from 1. 73 to 0. 56. Company should take a look at their credit terms to see if they could collect more from customers. In regards to the company's cash conversion cycle it has decreased from 106. In 1999 to 83. In 2000. While the average collection period decreased minimally; the main driver for this is the decrease of the payable period from 45. 1 to 12. 7. Therefore, while customers are paying the company sooner, it is taking longer to pay vendors. This could possibly cause problems in the future. When comparing the fixed asset turnover of 1999 to 2000, there is a decrease of 18. 2%. This main reason for this is due to net sales not increasing enough in relation to the increase of net property and equipment. Mr..Limpkin should focus some of his attention on making s fixed assets for efficient to generate higher revenues. Financial Analysis To avoid unnecessary costs by renting additional space Limpkin Plumbing decided to use debt for the first time which changed their business structure greatly in regards to leverage. One of the most noticeable changes in its financial is the ROE increase of 8. 41 ; which is great for investors. Another change that deserves attention is the debt to equity ratio changing from 0. 22 in 1999 to 0. 96 in 2000; however, the projected ratio for 2000 was only 0. 5. Not only is the new loan driving this ratio to increase but also the accounts payable balance increasing by 494%. For future financing purposes, it may want to pay off some of the vendor accounts in order to help lower the DIE ratio to seem more attractive. Summary Overall, Mr.. Limpkin made the right decision to expand Limpkin Plumbing's warehouse by borrowing debt from Central National Bank. Based on the increase in both net sales and net income the company should have no problem repaying the loan and are a good candidate for future loans.However, I think they might run into some problems with vendors in the future if they do not start paying their account payable balances a little more attention. It should also find someone to provide them with more accurate projections. By having more accurate projections, they will be in a better position for not only future loans, but also prospective investors. So far, Mr.. Limpkin has done a great Job keeping in contact with Ms. Elli and should continue to do so in order to keep a trustworthy relationship for future banking and financing needs.

Rates of Reaction Lab Investigation

Chemestry Lab Rates of Reaction (Picture from: http://sciencespot. net/Pages/kdzchem. html) The rate of reaction is how fast or slow a reaction is completed. This is important for factories and chemists all over the world. What happenes during a reaction is atoms or molecules that collide and form new molecules. You can affect this rate of reaction with: temperature of reactants or suroundings, surface area of reactants, if there is a catalyst present, but in theis lab the concentration was changed as the IV. The reaction rate is masured in change/time, in this case it was: volume of gass produced/minutes.Gas was measured in ml/minute, and this was the DV. Aim of lab was: To find the change in rate if reaction, depending on the concentration of hydrocloric acid. Hypothesis: If the concentration of hydrocloric acid is increased, the rate of reaction will increase and the volume of gass will increase. The reasoning behind the hypothesis is that when there are more molecules in the solu tion the reactants collide more often, so more product is made in a shorter periode of time. The equation was: Mg + 2HCl > MgCl2 + H2 Similar article: Measuring Reaction Rate Using Volume of Gas ProducedIndependent variable| Dependent variable| Controled variables| Value| How to control the CV| Concentration of acid| Rate of reaction| Vol of acid| 20 ml| Measure using a 50ml Measuring cylinder| 2 moles pr. L| Vol of gas| Temp of acid| Room temp. | Not controlled, only montored| 1 moles pr. L| | Amount of Mg| 5 cm or ribbon/ 0. 07g| Ruler, and weight| 0. 5 moles pr. L| | Precence of catalyst| No| Not have a catalyst| 0. 25 moles pr. L| | Type of acid| Hydrocloric| Have same type of acid| Method: 1. Gather aparatus and materials, and set up as shown in diagram below aparatus list. 2. Bucket + water 3. Measure temp, in room and water 4.Fill measuring cylinder with water 5. Rubber tube + sidearmed test tube 6. Obtain 0. 08 g using a weight, place in side-armed test tube 7. 20 ml HCl of 2 moles pr. L in measuring cylinder 8. Place measuring cylinder in bucket with water, upside down, without air leaking in to the cylind er when flipped. 9. Puor HCl into side-armed testtube. 10. Start the stopwatch 11. Close the top of the side-armed test tube by placing rubber tap 12. Weight 3 min. be accurate using the stopwatch 13. Record ml of gas produced 14. Reapeat the experiment twise pr. Concentration: 2 moles pr L, 1 mole pr. L, 0. 5 moles pr. L and 0. 25 moles pr. L Aparatus list: Sidearemd testtube – Rubber plug – Rubber tube – Bucket – Water – 2x 100ml measuring cylinder – 400ml Beaker – 40 ml in each concentration type of HCl acid, 2, 1, 0. 5 and 0. 25 M. Pr. L – 8x 0. 08g of Mg ribbon – Stopwatch Raw data table showing amount of gas created in the two trials of the experiment: Concentration in moles pr. L| Trial 1 – ml og gass produced in 3 min| Trial 2 – ml og gass produced in 3 min| 0. 25| 8| 10| 0. 50| 30| 32| 1. 00| 70| 73| 2. 00| 61| 65| First proceced data table showing average of gas made: Concentration in moles pr. L| Average of trial 1 and 2 in ml of gas produced in 3 min| 0. 25| 9| 0. 50| 31| 1. 0| 71. 5| 2. 00| 63| Proceced data table showing rate of reaction: Formula used=ml of gass produced/time (in seconds) Concentration in moles pr. L| Rate of reaction calculation in ml/sec| Rate of reaction result in ml/sec| 0. 25| 9/180| 0. 05| 0. 50| 31/180| 0. 17| 1. 00| 71. 5/180| 0. 40| 2. 00| 63/180| 0. 35| Graph showing the rate of reaction: Conclusion: As the results clearly show, the rate of reaction increases rapidly and this strongly supports my hypothesis. The amount of succesfull collisions increased, because of increased number of atoms in the product, so when the concentration was increased it rate of reaction increases.There are more collisions because of more atomes, and therefor more succesfull once. Evaluation: Random errors: * Therometer used to measure temperature * Inaccuracy of +/- 1 C * Balance weight used to measure Mg ribbon * Inaccuracy of +/- 0. 01 g * Measuring cylinders used to measure volume of acid and volume of gas * Inaccuracy of +/- 0. 5 ml * Ruler used to measure Mg ribbon * Inaccuracy of +/- 0. 1 cm Ways to prevent random errors and improve the method: – Compleet the experiment more times Systematic errors: – As you see in the graph, the fourth result was anomalus.During the 3 minutes the magnesium ribbon was â€Å"used up† in a very short period of time. The rate was so fast in the 2 moles per liter that it was over in under a minutte, but in the other concentration types it tok longer time for the reaction to compleet. Therefor we have to look away from the highest concentrations, and focus on the three lowest. This was a big weakness in the lab. – When pouring the HCl acid into the side armed test tube, some of the reaction had been compleeted before we had time to put the rubber stopper on every time. The temperature was only monitored, not controlled. Ways to reduce systematic errors and improve the lab: * Have a shorter reaction time: shorten the time form 3 min to around 1 minutte. * Use a fisle-funnle to prevent gas leaking out before the stopper is placed on the testtube. * Do the experiment in a controlled environment, like in a water bath. Sugestions to possible further investigations into this topic: You can change the IV, to one of the other factors that affect rate of reaction. Eg. Take the same concentration of HCl acid and change the temperature, or the precence of catalyst.

Analysis of Infinity Games

You are to complete the following task in the order given:   Task A: Carry out user and task analysis. You must have a clear view of the users of this system. Consider that not everyone is comfortable with the technology. For example, you need to deal with user variation such as age or language skills. Perform a user analysis, i.e. characterise the users and identify your potential users. Clearly identify the tasks the potential users perform, and in what order. These are all user interface design considerations that you should take into account.   Task B: Propose design and system requirements. Consolidate your findings from your user and task analysis with the given specifications into a design and system requirements. For example, the number of items to display, the screen size, what colours, how many different screens to display etc.   Task C: Develop a low-fidelity prototype using Storyboard (a minimum of 4 screens). Based on the above requirements, develop a preliminary design of the web user interface. At this stage, the prototype is basically a medium to support your initial concept and ideas. For example, the prototype should show where the ‘Business Hour’ button is located or would it be possible to fit 20 images aesthetically on a single page, etc? You can use paper-based (e.g. paper and colour pencils etc.) or screen based (e.g. painting software) to sketch your design. Low- fidelity prototyping is mainly to allow designers to produce alternative designs expediently without having to go into depth or functionality. Think of low-fidelity prototyping as the 5D tool for: design, draft, decide, discard and do-over.  Ã‚   Task D: Obtain user feedback. Invite 3 – 4 potential users (e.g. friends, family members, classmates, etc.) to provide you with feedback of your low-fidelity prototype (your storyboard). Carry out the evaluation according to prescribed methods as in Chapter 4 of your textbook (Shneiderman & Plaisant, 2010) or from other scholarly source. Use appropriate survey techniques. Analyse the data you have collected from the user evaluation and refine and improve on your initial design.   Task E: Develop high-fidelity prototype based on the user test feedback and recommendations from Task D. The high-fidelity prototype should be a reasonably complete version for the Infinity Games website and does not need to work as a complete website. A minimum of 4 screens should be produced in correspondence to your Task C storyboard. High-fidelity prototype must be computer-drawn and any drawing software is acceptable.   Task F: Write a report. Produce a report to document the tasks and the outcome of your efforts undertaken for the project. Remember, this report is intended for your employers. You need to document and support the viability of your website – that is, to convince your employer that your webpage design is satisfactory and that it meets user acceptance test.   The analysis has been done for the website which is related to infinity games. The website is just a simple and static website which describes the shop layout and the products present in the shop. So, the analysis has been done so that improvements may be done in the website. Different opinions have been taken from different types of users belonging to different age groups, different occupations. It has been analyzed whether the design of the website is adhered to the principles of design or not as bad design is always unpleasant and disturbs the visitors on the website.  Ã‚   The website has been designed to help the customers who have interest in the games, toys or playing cards. This website is designed for gaming business and users who like to visit the website lie in the age group of 15-60 years. The website has been designed with so much simplicity and it is user friendly as anyone can access or understand it easily. All of the design principles for a website are followed in this website. The pages of the website are similar to each other in terms of the background. According to the principles of design, any copyright notice should be kept at the bottom of the website. In this website, copyright notice has been kept at the bottom only as per the design principles. The color of the content should be proper and clear so that user does not find difficulty to read the content of the website. So, color chosen for the website is simple and good which does not affect the user to create complexity. According to the principles, navigation layout must work pro perly i.e. the links should navigate to the proper webpage. Navigation has been done properly in this website. The website has been designed with the use of high quality images and efficient textual description (Wirtz, Jakobs &   Ziefle, 2009).   Tasks in a particular sequence that are usually performed by the users are as follows: This is the first task which is performed by any user. User loads the website by typing the url in address bar or by searching the website on any search engine. This is a very simple task and sometimes varies in terms of duration. Next task to the loading is Reading as user reads the information he sees after loading and checks whether he/she is surfing the right website or not. By reading the information on the loaded main page user is able to understand about the type of website he/she is surfing. This task is also much simple.   This is the third task followed by reading in which user actually starts browsing what they are looking for. For e.g., for this website user looks at the different products on different WebPages and start comparing them on the terms of price, features or compatibility. This task may be performed by the user as many times user wants. This task of navigation gets automatically started once the browsing gets started. Navigation is basically done through links, buttons, menus, actionable items etc. Navigation is easy for those who keep on visiting various websites daily but difficult to understand for those who have little knowledge about computers. The website should adhere to the following design principles:   It should be ensured that the window of the browser should not contain scroll bars, instead only one window should be displayed. It should be kept in mind that all kinds of advertisements, pop-ups and multi level windows should not be opened, their use should be avoided. Navigation to any page should be displayed in bold letters. It should be understandable by the visitor that where he/she is at presently. So, use of navigation must be proper. Menus having drop down hierarchies should be avoided. It is important that the relevant types of graphics must be used. Animations in the website should be used when it is needed, else it should be avoided. Images should be put in the website with the alt tags. Icons used in the website should have a specific meaning and can be identified easily. The content written for the website should be simple and understandable to every visitor. Important information should be highlighted with bolded letters. There should be a clear difference between the links which have been visited and the links which have never been visited. The links which have been visited must be displayed with some other color than the actual color of the link so that it can be identified that it is a visited link. It is to ensure that there should be proper spacing between the names of the links so that they do not over-clutter with each other. It should be kept in mind that the colors which are dark and loud should be avoided for background purpose as there are so many kinds of visitors, the old aged visitor may feel difficulty to read content on the dark colored background. Similarly, the content of color should be kept sound to the background i.e. there should be a good contrast between the color of background and the color of the content so that content might remain readable for all visitors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A good website always must have a feedback form in the contact us page so that visitor may leave their feedback and the improvements must be made in the website accordingly.   User Acceptance Test has to be done for the website so that designers must know how can be website accepted by the users and if there are any issues, how those issues are to be solved. One of the efficient methods to perform User Acceptance Test is to take feedback from the different users and accordingly bringing up the news ideas and thoughts for the website. So, for this website User’s Feedback has been taken by asking them different questions which are as follows:   Therefore, on the basis of the above questions, feedback has been taken from three different users which is described in the next section. Feedback has been taken from three persons who belong to different occupations and different age groups. Feedback of those three visitors has been described as follows: Person 1 is a 62-years retired professor who is living his life on the pension income. He hardly has knowledge about the computer use. He hardly uses internet, if he does so, he uses it for news and Wikipedia purpose. Since he has little knowledge, so he can also access the simple websites, complex kind of website confuses him. His experience with this website is good as the website has been designed with so much simplicity. So, he did not feel difficulty and could easily surf the site. He rates the website as 8 on the scale of 1-10.   Person 2 is a 19 year old college going boy and usually completes his assignments by surfing on the internet. Therefore, he has a good knowledge about computer and so internet. He may handle even the complex sites as he is aware of navigating the links and browsing the website. When this website was given to him for review, he could easily point out that the website is about gaming business as he has a lot of interest in gaming and all. He told that the website looked so simple and understandable that he got to know about every webpage so easily. He felt that the website should have more of multimedia things and content to make the website look more attractive and catchy. He rates the website as 7 on 10.   Person 3 is a 45 year old homemaker who is graduated but does not earn money. She did not have much knowledge about the computers, but her son taught her the basics of computers and Smartphone. So, now she used to access many of the health related websites, recipe related websites, social networking websites such as facebook or instagram. She used to access the internet daily for 2-3 hours. When the website was given to her, she understood clearly that the website is about playing cards, boards games or toys but she was confused that these products can be bought online or not. She felt the site looks like ecommerce site. So, she recommended that if the website would contain ecommerce features, she would have taken the help from her son or someone else to buy some games. She said that website might look more beautiful and innovative if it becomes more colorful (Darejeh &   Singh, 2013).   Three walkthrough scenarios have been taken for the website considering the home page, contact page, and product pages. Walkthrough scenarios are as follows: As person 1 has little knowledge about computers, so probably he might not make use of navigational menu. But person 2 and 3 used the navigation map to navigate to other webpage while person 1 just used the navigational menus on the top to navigate to the other webpage. Person 2 has also little knowledge of computers but she used to increase her pace as if she is adapted to the websites.   This is a simple walkthrough that might take time from 40 seconds to 1minute. Person1 did not complete this walkthrough while person2 hardly took 25 seconds to complete the walkthrough and person 3 could complete it but took time of around 1 and half minutes. This walkthrough scenario is bit different from the previous scenario and usually takes 1 minute to get complete. Person2 took around 40 seconds to get this walkthrough done while person 1 took around 3 minutes to get this done as he was not aware of going back to the homepage. Person 3 completed this walkthrough in around 2 minutes but she had to reload the entire session for returning to the homepage as she was also not aware of going back to the homepage (Axelsson, 2012).   In this report, principles of the design play a great role in determining the efficiency of the website. It is considered that if website follows the design principles, then the website has good interface else the bad interface leads to the unpleasant impression on the website. This analysis has been done by taking various feedbacks from various visitors so that designers might know where the improvement is required in the website.  Ã‚   Axelsson, A. (2012). Consistency in Web Design from a User Perspective. Bhaskar, N., Naidu, P., Babu, S. and Govindarajulu, P. (2011). General principles of user interface design and websites.  Int J Softw Eng, pp.45--60. Darejeh, A. and Singh, D. (2013). A review on user interface design principles to increase software usability for users with less computer literacy.  Journal of Computer Science, 9(11), p.1443. Wirtz, S., Jakobs, E. and Ziefle, M. (2009). Age-specific usability issues of software interfaces.

Accountancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Accountancy - Essay Example But as any student of business knows, evaluation of managerial efficiency or corporate health is not that straightforward an issue. There are two reasons for that. Firstly, all organisations are not established with the objective of earning profit, especially those that are owned and operated by the public sector. If you feel confused at this comment, just think about the London tube railway. Though nobody would be unhappy if it could earn what is commonly known as commercial profit, would any citizen ever quiz the service it provides and, would any government ever dare to even think of discontinuing the service as it is not a profit making venture? Obviously not, since it was conceived as public utility. The second reason why profit calculated by the mercantile method is not always a true indicator of the commercial success of business enterprise is the accrual concept and the conservative approach which lie at the heart of any set of accounts prepared anywhere in the world. By taking into account all possible or even vaguely plausible expenses and ignoring all incomes except those that are absolutely sure, the accountant in effect tries to take a hyper conservative approach and presents a situation which cannot be worse. It might suit those at the helm of affairs of business houses, but these two basic tenets of accountancy do indeed paint a picture which is bleaker than what the actual situation is. Thus many stalwarts of accounting profession strongly feel that a trend of profits, instead of profits earned in individual periods and considered in isolation, would be a better estimate to gauge the financial health of an enterprise. And there is, rather was, a lot of confusion regarding how far conservatism could be stretched while drawing up accounts for a financial year. Some opinion makers of this profession were passionate about the independence of accountants and argued in favour of the

Martin Luther King Jr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Martin Luther King Jr - Essay Example Many union leaders were arrested while others died during protests (Brands et., p766). Despite, the hardship, their spirits never died. No matter how long it took, US now enjoys equal rights and even has a black president. The journey to womens rights has faced many challenges since independence (Brands et., p785). Before the 1990s, the number of top jobs women held was less than three percent of those available (Brands et., p786). However, by 1998, the number had increased tremendously. By 2009, the womens wages were established to be eighty percent of the earnings given to men (Brands et., p786). There has been a wide perception on the rights given to the gay community throughout US history. In the administration of Bill Clinton, it was an issue with the pentagon on the acceptance of the act in the military (Brands et., p789). However, in the arrival of the new century, the Supreme Court in 2000 ruled that all rights should be given to all civil unions. Presently gay unions receive a continuous acceptance in several parts of the

Egyptian Cultural Values and Beliefs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Egyptian Cultural Values and Beliefs - Essay Example Women take care of their homes and should not engage in adultery besides they have right to education, employment and right to own property. Conversely, men provide and make decisions for their families besides giving permission when they are marrying of their daughters. Contrary to the women, men are free to wear any kind of male clothes they wish so long these attires would go against their beliefs’ statutes and culture. Children stay with their mothers besides mandated to attend schools, religious teaching sessions, assisting parents as well as behaving well. Boys are more favoured compared to girls whereby the latter do not have any freedom to mingle with boys except their brothers though at certain times in the family. Children join school at the age of six years where they ought to learn up to secondary level. Young children in most cases tend to study their traditions and religion teachings the first and essential one being memorizing Qur’an and Hadith (Stewart). Some of the practices, which Qur’an prohibits, include having sexual relations before marriage, looking down when talking to someone, use of left hand, failing to finish all food in one’s plate. These besides other of the similar sort based on Islamic culture are taboos. I like the way the Egyptian culture distinguishes the responsibilities of men, women and children. This allows each person in the community to play his or her own roles without interfering with those of colleagues. Hence, promoting respect and peace in the family levels as well in the entire Egyptian community because each member knows his or her responsibilities besides not partaking other peoples tasks hence reducing disagreement cases (Stewart). Some of the Egyptian elements that I may like to emulate and advocate in my family or community encompasses how women tend to be responsible in taking care for their homes, children as well as not engaging in affairs out of own marriages (Stewart).

Cultural Differences and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cultural Differences and Justice - Essay Example From a social science perspective, the term refers to an individual's subjective perceptions of whether or not he/she is treated fairly (Markovsky, 1985 in Mueller and Mulinge, 2002). It is likewise important to consider that justice pertains to the application of a normative rule to the allocation of resources to recipients (ibid). It is important to examine these subjective perceptions of justice and injustice since individuals' understanding affects their attitudes and perceptions of the subject. Since cultural differences may alter a group's perception on what is just and what is not, it then implies that people's actions and approaches to these actions on the given subject also vary. The perception and understanding of justice is different in various nations and cultures, thus there is a need to focus on cultural differences when attempting to understand how a particular group views this concept. It must be noted that the concept of justice has not only emerged from levels of individual issues but also from levels of group or collective issues (Hayashi and Sekiguchi, 2006, p. 207). This is where the importance of how a group perceives the concept of justice and injustice takes place. It is from this multi-level perception that this paper considers describing how cultural differences alter understanding of injustice and approaches to justice. Collective justice perception is tended to be viewed to have associations with group-oriented cultures such as India. It connotes whether a group as a whole is treated fairly within the organisation and how such understanding of justice alters their view of said treatment (Hayashi and Sekiguchi, 2006, p. 207). In India, it may be inferred that religion is a factor that alters people's understanding of injustice and approaches to justice, accounting for a cultural difference between its people and the rest of the world. As a starting off, it is important to mention that the Indian culture and its general economic structure are heavily founded on religion and there is a need to understand the system of worship as well as the central concept of reincarnation governing people's lives. The cultural differences of the Indian people in terms of understanding justice and injustice lie on the understanding of various connections between Hinduism and general Indian culture, which includes history with an underlying caste system that has thrived for several centuries. The Indian caste system governs the social system in India, directly linking religious beliefs and social segregation into status groups, thereby creating divisions. Weber notes the prevention of the development of urban status groups by this caste system (Dumont and Gulati, 1980). He analysed how the aspect of traditionalism of the caste system is supported by religion and posits that the economic development of India is slowed as the "spirit" of

Business Decision Making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Business Decision Making - Assignment Example Secondary and primary data will be used to gather the data which will help in making the decision of opening a new branch of the restaurant. The restaurant is very successful and in a short span of time it has earned the company big profits. The taste of the food and ambience of the restaurant are the top priority because of which it gathers the attention of more and more customers. In addition to it, the price of the food is not very high and it is easily affordable by many. The success of the first restaurant and the increasing number of restaurants in London has encouraged the owners to open a second branch of this restaurant. It is expected that the second branch of the restaurant will also be successful and will also contribute in the profits of the company. Taste of the food and ambience of the restaurant are the two most important factors that influence the decision of a person to go to a restaurant and these factors will be determined by a market survey of restaurant goers. Financial effectiveness of the plan that will be made will be determined through Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). From the articles of Chen et al. (2015) and Stroozas (2014) it is extracted that the ambience of the restaurant has a big impact on the minds of the customers. The ambiance of the restaurant influences a person to opt for a better restaurant. The customers are more attracted towards a restaurant which have a good quality environment, this factor increases the profitability of the restaurant. It is also observed that the emotions and loyalty are also connected with the ambiance of the restaurants which allows a person to come again and again to the same particular place (Chen et al., 2015; Stroozas, 2014). According to Ivanova et al. (2012), a healthy nutrition environment of the restaurant plays an important role in gaining the attention of people. The tourists are also attracted towards the restaurant where there is a healthy

Managing People in Engineering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Managing People in Engineering - Assignment Example Further, it understands the changes in the workforce with regard to demographics, skills, interests as well as performance. Workforce planning also capable of identifying various gaps in capability, as well as understanding the suitability of the current workforce for the purposes of future job needs. In addition, this process develops strategies, for example recruitment, retention as well as training for the purposes of addressing needs of staff, according to the gaps (1). The general employment environment plays a major role in workforce recruitment and selection. For recruitment and selection processes to be successful the employment environment has to be inclusive, whereby, for example, there is support by staff for processes such as agency workforce diversity initiatives. Environment includes the external environment- this refers to the various factors that affect the ability of a manager to attract, as well as recruit new workforce. Employment environment refers to factors such as the style of management, work-life balance as well as learning and development factors. For successful recruiting and selection to be achieved, the following processes and procedures are carried out. The first process involves short-listing. This involves making assessments of the applications of candidates to establish their suitability for the engineering post, which is done according to the job description and the person’s specification. After short-listing, persons are required to fill application blanks, which record qualifications, experiences as well as any other necessary specialty. This is an important selection process as it provides important information which can be used to properly identify the person and develop appropriate inferences with regard to his suitability. What follow is employment tests, which are carried out to match the physical, mental as well as temperamental pattern of the individual. These

The Carbone family Essay Example for Free

The Carbone family Essay In A View From The Bridge, the audience is introduced with three prominent characters who are Eddie Carbone, Catherine Carbone and Beatrice Carbone. All of these characters show their unique qualities in the sense that Eddie is a much more demanding person, whereas Beatrice can be seen as a weaker person who is inclined to follow her husband Eddie in a patriarchal society and Catherine who is loose in terms of her actions and naive through her words. The familys values are very strict as the reader can infer from the story of Vinny Bolzano. First of all, Eddie Carbone is a simple person who is a victim of circumstances but he also contributes to his own downfall. He works as a longshoreman at the Brooklyn Docks. Eddie is characteristically uneducated but still is a very hardworking man. He is presented as being dignified and having integrity by being proud and honest. These characteristics are seen from him when he says to Beatrice that, All Im worried about is you got such a heart too big a heart. This shows that Eddie is observant and he is mindful of the fact that his wife can be over-exploited at occasions like when he describes the story of his father-in-laws house burning down. He believes he should be the leader of his house. This can be seen as he talks to Catherine about her new job as a stenographer, Why didnt you ask me before you take a job? This shows that he wanted Catherine to ask for permission and to authorise it from himself. This manly character of Eddie means that he feels as the boss of his house and that he would be insulted if not done otherwise. This is one of the cause of his collapse at the end of the story being too masculine that he couldnt show his emotions as everything was bottled inside. Eddie is also an affectionate and big-hearted man, which can be seen by his esteem for Marco and Rodolfo when they come to stay. For example at what time Marco tells Eddie in a formal manner, that when you say go, we will go Eddies response to this was that theyre welcome he also adds that theyve got plenty of room here. Eddie also believes in family loyalties, this is mainly due to the tightly bound Sicilian community that he comes from originally. Eddie is over-protective towards Catherine and this can be seen from the apparel that Catherine wears and shows it to Eddie in a very excitedly manner. This is shown when he says I think its too short. Eddie feels more affection for Catherine than is natural for a man towards his niece. Catherine, I dont want to be a pest, but Im tellin you youre walkin wavy. Eddie said this phrase when Catherine wears a new skirt she had brought, to show Eddie. He is concerned that she will receive attention from men, which Eddie doesnt like as he thinks of Catherine as his. He also says you isnt all the girls. Here Eddie means that Catherine is his, and that he is much more demanding of her Catherine should only do what he says her to do. All of these factors motivate Eddie to be over-protective of Catherine. Due to Eddies strong beliefs in the Traditional Italian Values it has a great effect on his own life and the lives of those surrounding him, so when Catherine proposes the job as a stenographer, Eddie strongly opposes this, whereby he wants to keep Catherine away from other men, (sickened) I know that neighbourhood B. , I dont like it ,however this could also be because of his traditional views whereby the male is the breadwinner, and will provide for the family, and if Catherine too brings in money for the house then Eddie may take it as an assault on his manhood. Also due to Eddies traditional Italian values he is immensely proud as is expected, and therefore will never admit that he is wrong or admit his unacceptable feelings for Catherine.

Effect of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure

Effect of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure Pharmacogenetic Association of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure in Relation to Enalapril/Lisinopril among Malay male newly diagnosed hypertensives Abstract Objective: It has been suggested that genetic backgrounds, which have an association with essential hypertension, may also determine the responsiveness to ACE inhibitor. We determined the association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (I/D, G2350A), angiotensinogen (M235T, T174M and A-6G) and renin (Bg/I and Mbo/I) gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension and the relationship between genetic variant of interest and high blood pressure response to ACE inhibitor (enalapril, lisinopril) in patients with essential hypertension subjects from Seremban, Malaysia. Methods: A newly hypertensive Malay male population (n=142) was recruited for a mono-trophy[ah1] pharmacogenetic study. Hypertensive patients were treated with ACEI drugs, particularly enalapril or lisinopril alone. We differentiated between those who controlled their HT with those who did not. Each group’s characteristics were compared to determine the risk of non-controlled HT associated with RAS polymorphisms by adjusting for different variables. Results: Statistically significant associations of I, G, T and M alleles were observed with essential hypertension in I/D, G2350A, M235T, and T175M. The decrease in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure after 24 weeks of treatment of the patients carrying II, GG, and TT genotypes was greater than the groups carrying DD, AA, MM and MM genotypes. In contrast, no significant difference was shown between renin gene polymorphisms (Bg/I and MboI). Conclusions: Although this study shows a possible association of polymorphisms of RAAS genes[ah2] with the risk of non-controlled HT in ACEI-treated patients and indicates the importance of all components in this system in regulating HT, it needs to be replicated in other data sources. Keywords: Essential hypertension; renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; single-nucleotide polymorphism; ACE inhibitors; pharmacogenetic INTRODUCTION Essential hypertension (EH) is an increasingly important medical and public health issue [1]. In Malaysia, the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2013 has shown that the prevalence of hypertension in adults ≠¥18 years increased from 33.2% in 2006 to 35.7% in 2013 [2]. Furthermore, the prevalence increased from 42.6% to 43.5% for those >30 years old. Unfortunately, 60.6% of total hypertensives were â€Å"undiagnosed† [3]. These poor rates of high blood pressure (BP) control are not explained by the lack of treatment, as one study estimated approximately 30% of treated hypertensive patients take one antihypertensive drug, 40% take two antihypertensive drugs and 30% take three or more antihypertensive drugs [4]. These data suggest that the present trial and error approach for high blood pressure management is suboptimal, and alternative approaches for identifying the optimal antihypertensive regimen in a specific patient are needed. Using genetic make-up of an indiv idual along with the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for hypertensive response offers a new preventive approach to lower adverse drug interaction risk. A renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is an important component of blood pressure regulation, and it has been suspected to be involved in hypertension [5]. Moreover, the major active peptide of the RAS is angiotensin II. Produced from the precursor molecule, angiotensinogen (AGT), via an enzyme cascade involving ACE enzyme, angiotensin II exerts numerous effects on the homeostatic regulation of blood pressure, the vast majority of which are mediated via the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) [6]. The presence of polymorphisms in the ACE, AGT and renin (REN) genes of the RAS has been associated with adverse EH changes in several studies [7,8,9]. For example, the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphisms of the ACE gene have been associated with increased blood pressure, urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and target-organ damage in hypertensive patients [10]. Moreover, ACE G2350A gene polymorphisms in exon 17 were reported as a remarkable genetic variant mostly associated through hypertension with an average increase of 3.2 mmHg in SBP by having the G allele [11]. It has been reported that the presence of A-6G polymorphism of AGT gene among Chinese hypertensives increased body weight gain in hypertensive patients [12]. The Mb/I and Bg/I polymorphisms of the REN gene have been associated with hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, aortic stiffness and exaggerated vasoconstriction; additionally, the Bg/I polymorphism in the same gene appears to confer protection against the development of microalbuminuria in patients with hypertension [13]. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of four RAS gene polymorphisms on the antihypertensive response in newly detected hypertensives receiving two ACEIs (enalapril and lisinopril). The polymorphisms investigated were A-6G, the A for G substitution of the AGT gene 6 nucleotides upstream from the start site; the ACE I/D polymorphism corresponding to an insertion or deletion of a 287bp alu repeat; and two polymorphisms of the REN gene, Bg/I and MboI and both in the coding area of intron 9. There are compelling reasons hypothesizing that variations in genes of the system may be predictive of variations in BP response. Therefore, genetic variation of the RAS has been investigated in relation to antihypertensive response to ACE inhibitors in various population and dosage (Table 1) as the most common lowering BP agent in Malaysia [14]; however, previously publications have had somewhat conflicting results elsewhere [15-19]. We hypothesized those genetic polymorphisms in RAS genes, including ACE I/D, G2350A, AGT M235T, T174M, A-6G along with REN MboI and Bg/I were associated with the incidence of EHT. Therefore, the aim of this pharmacogenetic study was to investigate the association between seven RAS gene polymorphisms of interest among 142 newly diagnosed Malay male hypertensives that never took BP medications. They were treated once daily for 24 weeks with 20 mg of enalapril or lisinopril. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patient Populations Malay male patients >18 years of age with three-generation Malay family who were newly diagnosed with essential mild-to-moderate hypertension were collected from clinics for non-communicable disease Seremban, Malaysia. The information includes age (25-60 years old), onset (25-60 years old), systolic BP > 140 mmHg and a diastolic BP > 90 mmHg on 2 consecutive visits for those untreated, absence of secondary forms of hypertension. Subjects with a history of diabetes mellitus, renal failure and major infectious disease were excluded. They had no metabolic or endocrine disorder, as well as any acute illness. They were not on any antihypertensive treatment and were drug-naive patients. Written informed consent was obtained from each patient before being included in the clinical trial, and patient’s identity was kept strictly confidential. A specific consent form was requested for genetic testing permission. BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION PATTERN Lifestyle Modification For patients, lifestyle modification for a period of three months was advised. The patients were seen three times during this period to assess the efficacy of the non-pharmacological management including weight loss, regular exercise, and ingestion of a high-fiber, low-fat, and low-salt diet. Follow-up Mon-trophy[ah3] Management Dispensed ACEIs (lisinopril or enalapril) on the same date for individuals have recorded. Each patient received lisinopril or enalapril (20 mg, once daily) for 24 weeks on a regular basis. Patients’ BP was measured using the same device and protocol; follow-up visits were made 12 times (once per two weeks). Of the 152 patients, 10 lost to the follow-up along monitoring due to relocation, travelling and/or change of medication. Eventually 142 hypertensives (92.6%) completed the study. This subsample was divided into two groups; individuals whose HT was not controlled as the non-responded (n=35), and individuals whose HT was under control as the responded (n=107). Figure 1 presents how responded and non-responded HT groups are categorized. Fig. 1. The flowchart of sample collection. Genotyping procedures A blood sample was taken in two separate tubes; one was used for colorimetric analysis of total cholesterol (TC), high density lipid profile (HDL), low density lipid profile (LDL), triacylglycerol (TG) and fasting glucose (FBG) using Diays Commercial Kits (Diagnostic System, GmBH, D66559 Holzheim, Germany), and the other test tube contained venous blood samples collected on EDTA was subjected to DNA extraction, which was obtained from individuals in the morning after a minimum of 8 hours fasting at the time of randomization. Eventually, the samples were stored at -20 °C for further molecular and biochemical analysis. DNAs were extracted from 5 mL blood samples as explained elsewhere [20]. ACE I/D polymorphism was genotyped using DNA amplification with oligonucleotides as described elsewhere [21]. For ACE G2350A, DNA amplification followed the approach by Zhu et al. [22]. Reactions were conducted using DNA amplification in a final volume of 25 mL containing 20 pmol of each primer, 0.4 mmol/L of each deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dNTP), 2 mmol/L of MgCl2, 1XTaq buffer and one unit of NEB Taq DNA polymerase (New England Biolabs, Beverly, MA, USA). The PCR cycling conditions were carried out in an iCycler machine (BioRad Laboratories, Hercules, CA, USA). Were chosen[ah4] for genotyping using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) approach, and the details are presented in Table 2. Eventually, DNA fragments were stained in ethidium bromide and visualized by Alpha Imager (Alpha Innotech, San Leandro, CA, USA) under ultraviolet (UV) light. Statistical Analysis SPSS 20 statistical package (SPSS, Chicago, USA) was used for analysis. Allele frequencies were calculated from the genotypes of all subjects. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was assessed by χ2 analysis. Continuous data are presented as mean  ± SD. Differences between groups were tested by an χ2 test for qualitative parameters and by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). All tests were two-tailed and the values of p

Narrative on Attending a Speech by Ira Berlin -- Slavery

Narrative It was 2:23 on a Friday afternoon. Normally, at this time, I would have been missing my Computer Science lecture. But by a strange and, dare I call it convenient, twist of fate, the professor?s father died a couple days ago and the class was canceled. Not that it would have made a difference; I was prepared to skip the lecture and attend another given by Ira Berlin, a distinguished Mellon Senior Scholar, entitled Rethinking Slavery: 1800-1861. I walked through the entrance to 213 Gregory Hall, the room in which the lecture was to be given, and entered a completely empty room. To the best of my knowledge, the lecture was supposed to start at 2:30, which puzzled me. I figured that maybe it was rescheduled to a later time, and I?d stick around for a while until I got bored enough to leave. I seized the opportunity to choose my seat wisely. The room was divided into two major groups of seats, oriented in columns. Each column was seven seats wide and 10 seats deep. And there were a few seats lined up along the windows in the back as well, providing an approximate capacity of 150 persons, I estimated. My thought process was that I was here to observe the people more than the lecture. I also analyzed the fact that I don?t like history and concluded that if I sat in front, to see and hear the professor with greater ease, I would either bore myself or I wouldn?t understand. And since both of those were scenarios that ev entually resulted in my narrative being terrible, I decided to try my luck in the back. Two minutes passed before two more entered the room. They were two men, young enough to be students. The first had white skin, and wore a T-Shirt, a cap, and a metallic watch similar... ... made my way out. I had sat is that seat for over 2 hours and 10 minutes. My legs needed stretched, and I had a taste for a Big-Mac. What was the point of that lecture? For me, it was for a grade in Rhetoric 105, but I was probably a minority. It puzzled me that the lecture was open to the public, yet the average Joe, unless I have seriously overestimated my intelligence, would have no idea what Berlin was talking about. I go to lectures and classes in order to learn something, but I learned nothing here. Berlin spent a good 45 minutes bombarding me with new information, but he obviously assumed that the audience already knew things that I didn?t, because I comprehended none of the material. The only conclusion I could make was that, in order to understand what Berlin was saying, you had to already be familiar with the material that Berlin was covering.

Allie’s Basketball Dream Essay -- Literary Analysis, Barbara Barber

Allie’s Basketball Dream Just by looking at the cover of the story â€Å"Allie’s Basketball Dream† by Barbara Barber I could already tell that the story itself seems to be an ideology. The ideology is not hard to figure out; even the name of the story gives it away. Most girls dream of being a ballerina, a princess, or even a vet but with Allie’s case she wants to be professional basketball player. When I first picked up this book, the name of the book intrigued me to want to read it because I never would have guessed a girls dream would be to be a professional basketball player. As I started to read this book I noticed that the book is based on adults and children of African-American race in urban and inner-city areas. In urban and inner-city areas, playground basketball is a popular form of recreation. Many children and adults in these areas play neighborhood games in parks, alleys, driveways, backyards, and playgrounds. In the neighborhood I was brought up in, I never saw basketball played anywhere besides at school or if you had a basketball hoop in your driveway. The story starts out with Allies father giving her a gift of a basketball that she really wanted. Allies father brought her a gift and said â€Å"Because I love you (Baber 2)† and kissed Allie on her nose. This shows that Allies father is already portrayed as strong and caring which makes this book adult-centered already. When I look at the picture of Allie and her father at the beginning of the book I can see the loving relationship they have with each other (1). The colors of the background of the picture are yellow and soft which makes the picture safe. Allie and her father are in the center of the page along with the basket ball. This shows that Allie, her fat... ...he first time her father brought her to a basketball game she said "No way i'm getting rid of this ball! It's a gift from my dad. Someday I'm going to be the best basketball player ever (Barber 20)." Even though Allie doesn’t say something like "I don't want to be girly" she is still resisting the ideology that â€Å"only guys play basketball† or â€Å"girls don’t play basketball.† In this book gender role interpellation is shown. Up to now, it has been assumed that boys are more dominant and powerful then girls. For example, boys â€Å"are stronger† and can protect better then woman because they are men and they are built differently. However, females have been seen are the care takers, compassionate, and taking on the role of being feminine which means acting and doing all the things girls are supposed to do. Also, females are portrayed as being more â€Å"emotional† then males.

Essay --

Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz commented, "The most dangerous thing for a brand is low interest." (Gschwandtner) Red Bull is currently available in over 165 countries, resulting in over 35 billion cans sold. (Red Bull) While many companies try to push their products on consumers, Mateschitz decided to take a more personal approach towards attracting consumers and influencing them to make his product stand out and become their first choice. Red Bull's owner states that most of its success came from bringing consumers to the product rather than the other way around. (Gschwandtner) With events in the industries of sport, music, art, technology and adventure, there is little the company does that is not interesting to just about everyone. Red Bull hosts or actively sponsors contests and showcases for athletes in surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, bike riding, and free style motorcycle riding events. These events take place all over the world and can attract as many as 30 to 50 thousand spectators during the event. (Gschwandtner). This "pull" strategy (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel) makes customers attracted to the event, and the actual drink plays a more secondary role. Using different host cities allow the company to incorporate the local culture and natural resources to its benefits. In Germany, a downhill mountain bike even used an abandoned potash mine to serve as its course because of the different elements provided throughout the 2,100-foot track. (Gschwandtner) Brazil, as a second example, was the host for a B.A.S.E. jumping event that had spectators watching jumpers perform back-flips and other aerial acrobatics off of their famous "Christ the Redeemer" statue with a parachute, of course. (Gschwandtner) O the... ... conclusion, sponsoring or acting as the main host of these international events, Red Bull uses reminder advertising to keep the product fresh in the customers mind. (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel) Placing the product in any market they want to and providing slogans like "It Gives You Wings" differentiates its product from other competitors with a message of "revitalizing" your mind in addition to getting an energy jolt. Having well known athletes in events is beneficial to attracting consumers to the events, where they are given free samples. By pushing the status quo of sporting events and breaking world records, Red Bull has a message of increasing human capability while also honoring the environment. With its high market share in local and international markets, and its increasing growth, the company should keep investing in events and sponsorships to continue expanding.

University of Manila

Organizational Framework This Chapter consists of History of the company, mission and vision of the company, Nature of the company, size of the company, organizational chart, strategic trust and program, critical business and system management as well as strategic concern and IT used. Name of the company / school: The University of Manila Proposed System : Payroll System and Employees Information System History of the SchoolNinety one years ago there were five visionaries whose dreams where for the Filipino youth. Their collective vision: to establish institution of learning which would mold the minds of the youth and ultimately shape the destiny of this country? Undaunted by the challenge s that lie ahead and an incurable optimist that they were, they pursued the realization of their dreams with unflagging devotion and unflinching courage. Armed with hard rock determination, steely idealism and unparalleled dynamism, they tenaciously blaze the trail.The men behind such grand dream, dream a rainbow coalition of sort four men and woman of diverse interest yet united in a single purpose of establishing an institution geared towards excellence: Apolinario de los Santos, Mariano de los Santos, Maria de los Santos, Buenaventura Bello and Manuel Montilla. From these giants, the INSTITUTO DE MANILA was born on October 5, 1913, with Dr. Apolinario de los Santos as its first president. The INSTITUTO’S doors first opened in school year 1914-1915.The forerunners of this institution, offered only elementary and high school courses in a leased building on the corner of Madrid and Penarubia Streets. Binondo District. Effective school year 1919-1920 however, the INSTITUTO conducted its burgeoning populace and to provide better education facilities. Before embarking on a more ambitious program of expansion to meet the growing needs of the country, the INSTITUTO perforce had to undergo internal changes.Its original incorporators unanimously agreed, on the occasion of the eight anniversary of the founding of the institution, effect massive reorganization geared towards the attainment of a universities status. The decision was subsequently followed by the reincorporation of the INSTITUTO as THE UNIVERSITY OF MANILA on November 3, 1921 under the provision of act 1459 of the former Philippine Legislature. Right after its re-incorporation, the university progressed by leaps and bounds. The development marked the turning point of these democratic and progressive institutions, which has withstood the ultimate test of time.It fortunately survived two world wars and bewildering variety of changes – ideological, social, economic, and political. From being an institution which offered only elementary and high school programs, the university crescendo dramatically, with its building reaching for the sky. The mustard seed that was THE UNIVERSITY OF MANILA continue to grow throughout the years. Its genesis of growth was meteoric. In March 1919, the Colleg es opened in 1922-1923 namely: College of Philosophy and Letter, College of Education, College of Business administration.The Department of Graduate Studies (LIM) opened in 1941-1942. The College of Engineering opened in December 1945. In 1946, the Academy on Music and the school of Foreign Service were born. In 1949, M. A. in Political Science was offered in the Department of Graduate Studies followed by M. A. in History in 1951. Bachelor of Science and Elementary Education was offered in 1951. Then from 1963-1966, the College of Criminology and penology, School of Secretarial and Master’s degree in Public Administration was opened.The fruition of these labors was products of the highly innovative, creative and brilliant mind of those who occupied the reign of the presidency. Dr. Apolinario de los Santos headed this seat of higher learning since its inception until 1927 when he was succeeded by his brother, Dr. Mariano de los Santos. Dr. MVDLS assumed the presidency at the a ge of 29 and it is a matter of record and source of pardonable pride that he held the distinction of being the youngest president until his untimely demise on October 13, 1959.The unfinished task of leading the University was continued by Madame Helen de los Santos, who was later described by Dr. Mariano as a life partner in his book, Education and Life, as one â€Å" who has shared with me all the tribulation of life but cared so little for its vainglories†, was a complete Filipino women. She held presidency with the distinction from 1959 up to 1981. Another chapter of U. M’s history unfolded when the incumbent president, Dr. Virgilio de los Santos (from the second generation of the de los Santos’s) took over the reign of presidency in 1981.With Dr. Virgilio de los Santos the helm, the University continually strives to strengthen its resolve and commitment for total academic excellence. It has remained true to its trilogy: Patria, Sciencia ET Virtues. Under Vir gilio’s stewardship, the University has placed to a higher level of credit and standard. In line with the thrust of the government and in order to cope up with the tempo of the times, the University offered courses in Tourism, Hotel and restaurant Management and Computer Technology in the later part of the 80’s.The University of Manila has come of age. In response to the clarion call of the 90’s. It has another string of new course to offer: Doctor of Education, Doctor of Public Administration, and Master of Business Administration to provide administrators, Businessmen, educators, Analyst Researcher with the board theoretical and conceptual background and the specialized technical skills needed for the planning, implementation, management, supervision, and evaluation of public policies, in a developing country like the Philippines.These three new programs are design with the board purpose of developing competent government managers, strengthening executive lead ership and raising standards of administrative performance in the public and private service. The Elementary and High School department is presently undergoing expansion. The elementary building in Turtuosa St. has been demolished to give way for the contraction of the University hospital. The presidentVirgilio, who is endowed with a thousand and one ideas declared: â€Å" I have plans in the future to open medical courses like Nursing, Medical Technology, Physical Therapy, Midwifery, Dentistry and even Medicine. â€Å" Under a workaholic president who refused to understand the word rest, the University is headed towards a glimmering future ahead. These are positive proofs that the University continue to grow throughout the years.The complete composite and all around education of the youth is the major reason why the University exists. It is concerned with the making of man, the search for academic knowledge, the development of technical and vocational skills and most importantly, instilling and inculcating on the learners mind lasting and far reaching spiritual and moral values such as deep reverence of God, patriotic fervor and love of country and benevolent good will and peaceful co-existence with his fellowmen.The University of Manila aims to give the young men and women, who posses requisite talents, aptitude and moral fitness, a convenient opportunity to acquire a well rounded education and the necessary training for any of the various professions needed to cope with the complex demands and requirements of the present age. Mission StatementThe University of Manila, an institution of higher learning aims to create an atmosphere of academic excellence and competence, that is firmly anchored with love of country, science virtue where citizens, deeply concerned and truly committed to respond to the socio-cultural, psycho-spiritual and politico economic challenges of the contemporary Filipino community are formed, fully empowered with modern scientific tech nological skills with which to brave the challenges of the global society. Vision StatementThe University of Manila envisions a dynamic community that is deeply steeped in the trilogy of UM ideals; love of country, love of science, and love of virtue; fully equipped with human conceptual and technological skills, firmly determined to make life for changes, better brighter, lighter, and more livable by making quality education accessible to all. Nature of the school The University of Manila is one of the oldest and prestigious private universities in the Philippines. It is located in the center of commerce, industry and education.It is right in the heart of Sampaloc District Manila. Bigger challenges and opportunities face the University of Manila as it approaches the 21st century in pursuit of world class research. With its newly-acquired computer and Engineering equipment, UM is preparing itself to become one of the â€Å"Leading institutions in the Philippines and in the Asia Pac ific region. With its growing culture of research in all its colleges particularly in the Graduate School and with the infusion on high-tech devices. UM gains an advantage in undertaking project of scientific merit and excellence.For eighty years, the University of Manila has served not only the Filipino youth of the land but also other Asian who have hosen this institution as their second home in their educational pursuit. UM is headed towards the year 200 and beyond with the goal of rendering better service through the quality of education. The University of Manila is totally committed to academic excellence, which is the benchmark to its revered founders would continue to live throughout the ages as history unfolds. Size of the School University President – 01Executive Vice – President & Registrar – 01 Senior Vice President & Chief Academic Office – 01 Treasurer – 01 Executive Officer & Dean of the College of Liberal Arts-01 University Comptroll er & Consultant -02 College of Law – 01 College of Business Administration & Accountancy -01College of Criminology -01 College of Engineering -01 College of Education – 01 College of HRM 7 School of Foreign Service -01 ROTC Commandant – 01 Head, Computer Department -01 University Physician -01 University Dentist – 01 Executive Assistant, Office of the Senior Vice President – 01Executive Secretary College of Criminology – 01 Executive Secretary College of Engineering – 01 Chief, Record Section II, Registrar Office – 01 Chief Librarian – 01 Assistant Chief Librarian – 01 Security Guard – 04Maintenance – 06 HR Department – 06 Total: – 39 Strategic Thrust and Program of the School Another building has been constructed to be able to meet the demands of the changing time and the growing population of the school. Other laboratories have been erected and modified for the convenience of the stud ents and to be able to make learning easier but knowledgeable.The university administration has been complying with all CHED and DECS requirements to be able to provide added knowledge for the students. The Revised Audio-Visual Learning Resource Center has been added to help the student to improve their learning process, thus, teaching become more innovative, creative and effective. The New Physical Education Building was also created the construction of these new physical education building in a manifest sign of their vibrancies and relevance as an educational institution attuned to the needs of the new millennium.The University of Manila is home to the winning’s basketball team of the decade not only in the Philippines but all throughout the Asia. Also the newly-erected UM Gymnasium was renovated as sign of UM’s growth and progress as it moves toward the next millennium. The University of Manila also held some programs like dancing, beauty contest, and etc. every fou ndation day in order to help the students to enhance their skills, powerful and amazing talents as well as their abilities. In this research, the researcher found that there is no existing format information about the salary of their employees.The system software proponents has conducted study and developed systematically designed payroll system. This proposed system makes the work easier, faster, effective and less human effort through computerized system that the user or authorized personnel are the first beneficiaries of this proposal. In the long term the company will benefit from having less expenditure because of the latest version and automated system that can make payroll transaction accelerated and accurate. As part of this system, it limits the number of Information that only certain user responsible to know and getting information to the epartment not allowed to know the information of anybody. Critical Business and System Management Basically, the school used a system wh ich is not secured, intruders might access and resulted into a tampered of inputs because there is no Database Management System. The computation of the wages of their employees is manually done. The authorized personnel of this institution encountered some different problem like the computation is time consuming. The information of their employee is not secured because there is no Database Management System in Storing data.The computation of the total hours of employee is also manually done as well as the computation of deduction such as SSS, tardiness and withholding taxes are also manually computed. Strategic Concerns for IT used Stated here are the possible problems that will need information technology as possible solutions. 1. School’s employee records can be edited without anybody noticing if it is not secured. 2. Deleting, editing and storing new employee records may become a hard task if records are nowhere to be found. 3.The computation of the wages of their employe es is manually done. Based on the problems encountered, the following solutions are: 1. School’s employee records should be secured by passwords to avoid accidental editing and maintenance of privacy. 2. Editing, deleting and storing new employee records will be easier to do if the records for their employees are intact. Creating databases will help make the task easier. 3. Computerized payroll system should be developed for faster transactions and efficient in payments.

Computron Inc. Case

Q1: How far does Zimmermann have to cut the price to have a chance? The cost of a 1000X computer for the European market usually consists of the cost to manufacture ($768’000), the overheads, a markup of 33 1/3% ($256’000) that includes the profit, research and development and selling expenses; in addition to these components, there are transportation and installation costs ($67’200) and finally the import duty ($153’600). Computron Inc. has previously assembled and manufactured its products in the US and shipped ready goods to Europe, thus having to raise the original US price in order to cover the expenses of the last component of the price, the import duty. Given that the company has made a strategic decision to build a factory in Frankfurt that would cover the assembling and manufacturing services for the European market, that consists of 15 countries, and given that the opening of this newly constructed facility is the 15th of September 2006; it is valid to assume that the manufacturing and assembly of the 1000X computer for Koning & Cie, AG, if the order is made, would take place at the local facility in Germany, rather than in the US. This factor eliminates the expenses related to import duty ($ 153’600) as well as significantly reduces the transportation costs. Moreover, knowing that the company’s policy has never permitted reducing the markup percentage in the European market and that Koning’s vice president in charge of purchasing is not in favor of purchasing any equipment that has a price of more than 20% higher than the lowest bid; subtracting the import duty from the original price of ($1’244’800) would b the first step in reducing the initial price to $1’091’200. The value is 4. 1% higher then $1’046’400, what would be the exact ‘maximum price’ mentioned by Koning’s official. If we do not take into consideration the potential for cost reduction from reduced transportation costs in order to make up for the loss in ‘before tax profit’ from 17% to 6% in the last year compared with the one before, the price should stay at $1’091’200. However, if the financial situation permits a further reduction in price, the price should be lowered to $1’046’400, which is exactly 20% higher then the lowest bid of competition ($872’000). This value should be final, because if Zimmermann will be tempted to further reduce the price in order to get the order, there is a very high risk of loosing on the image of ‘superior product’. Koning has made orders from Computron before and therefore they are well aware of the flexibility, accuracy and overall high quality of its products. Submitting the bid of $1’046’400, exactly 20% more then the lowest bid, would show compliance with the customer’s budget and thus will give a certain favorability to Computron, strengthening the already existing customer relationship with Koning and ensuring future contracts for products and services. Q2: What is gained by bidding low? According to a reliable trade source, Koning has a total of four different offers other than Computron. These are the four main competitors, three of which together with Computron itself, own 80% of the sales in the German Market. Since the original price, which Compuron is willing to offer, is 43% higher than the lowest bid, there’s a big chance Computron loses the sale. The fact that Koning is an already acquired customer of Computron is a major strength in terms of winning the sale. If Computron offers the lowest bid, Koning will definitely consider their bid. It is simpler for Konig’s to deal with a company they had purchased from already. Koning have experienced that Computron’s products are ‘flexible, accurate and of a high quality’ from their previous purchases. Bidding lower then the benchmark of a lowest bidder plus 20%, could possibly ensure getting the order, as well potentially maximizing the market share of Computron in the long-run. Furthermore, reasonable price is an important factor for Koning in acquiring this particular product and thus bidding low could be a favorable factor in this particular situation if we do not take into account the fact that Computron is already a market leader, so aiming to maximize their market share should not be of particular focus. The focus should be mainly on maximizing the levels of trust and loyalty with the customers. Q3: What is lost by bidding low? Zimmermann has calculated a price of $ 1,244,800 with respect to: markup costs, factory cost, 17. 5% of import duty and transportation & installation costs. The markup cost in European market was fixed for Computron at 33 1/3%. Considering the fact that sale in 2005-06 was 6% comparing to the 17% the year before, the company aims to increase the sales and profit for their current year. Meaning, Computron would preferably ncrease markup cost in order to increase profitability & sales. Although to have a higher possibility of making the sale to Koning, they have to reduce the price and recalculate their costs by much less than 43% of the lowest bid. This leads to Computron having to decrease markup cost, or eliminate other cost from the final offer to Konig’s. The reduction of markup cost will leave the company facing cash loss comparing to the amount the y’re paying for selling & administrative expenses, and the price their offering. Computron are investing 8% of the total markup cost in R&D. Research & Development has an effect on Computrons position in the German Market, whereas they have highest percentage of digital process control computer sales. Although, the company will have to invest less in R&D in order to prevent profit loss for reducing their price bid to Koning. Computron will go behind again in sales by offering low price, as it would be one of the biggest sales of the year, Computron would definitely increase their profit if they succeed making the sale with their desired price. Having to reduce the price will put Computron behind in their aim of increasing profitability. Furthermore, the lowest bid is 872,000, it’s too low for Computron regarding their transportation cost, and markup costs. It’s not an option for them to lower their price to that price. Even if they manage to reduce their costs enough to reach a similar price, it will affect Computrons quality image. As mentioned, they have a good reputation of quality and flexibility. Finally, if Computron reduce their price, it’ll be harder for them to have higher bids later in Germany, and especially with Koning, which have good experience with Computron. Q4: What is gained by bidding high? Computron’s position in the market and relationship with Koning seems strong. The price Computron ‘s offering represents the cost being implemented to provide high quality product that exceeds the customer needs. By insisting on bidding at the â€Å"normal† price, the company is actually setting a standard on their product price and the input on its enactment. As mentioned, Computron is aiming to increase their profit on sales for the current year. Bidding high in the Koning’s sale will prove the company stabilizes quality and performance. Koning will have no doubts of the price reduction, where elimination of cost could be related to the performance of the machine, especially if the price is drastically reduced. Computron is affirming their quality by sticking to their highest bid, although competitors are offering 43% lower prices. ’ Furthermore, by insuring the image of their superior product quality, supported by Koning’s opinion on their past machines, will add up to Computron reputation, and stronger market position. If the idea of quality and performance was introduced to Koning’s properly, and the fact that they provide them with after sale service, could convince the Koning’s to choose Computron over the competitors. If Computron wins the sale, they’d reach their goal of increasing profit on sales. Selling to Koning with a high bid and their quality will only provide the company with a stronger brand image and customer loyalty and respect. Considering their past experience and the prove of new good investment by purchasing Computron’s 1000X. Q5: That is happening in the market? It is predicted that the market will grow by 25% in the next several years. The market is valued at 16,000,000 dollars per year, of which Koning is a major part of, which leads to the conclusion that whoever seals deal, is likely to continue selling to Koning in the future. There worth of new business to come about in the period 2005-2006 is estimated to be worth 5,200,000 dollars, which includes; Koenig & Cie AG Frankfurt Plant$ 1,200,000 Dusseldorf Plant$ 1,000,000 Mannheim Plant$ 600,000 Central German power commission$ 1,760,000. Deutsche Autowerke $ 640,000 $ 5,200,000 The European market is in fact not so active, as Koenig happens to be the only major purchaser in the continent. Furthermore Computron hasn’t been receiving any major orders from big companies for their products; so far it has only been small businesses demanding Computron’s computers. It seems all the big purchasers already have what they need, and are only interested in post-sales servicing/maintenance/updates. The submission deadline for Koenig is 1st, August, 2006. Q6: What is the competition doing? Ruhr Machinenfabrik AG are developing a computer specifically for Koning’s bid, and their pricing is substantially lower than that of Computron’s 1000X. This is partly because they have an import duty advantage; as they are based in Germany, they need not to have this additional cost. This consequently allows for a 17?% price differential. This reiterates the aggressive nature of the firm. Up until now, they only engaged in the sale of general-purpose computers. However, their drive to increasing their market share is the likely explanation for such an aggressive reaction. Elektronische Datenverarbeitungsanlagen AG is seen as a long-range threat to Computron. They produce their product of a similar quality to that of Computron 1000X. In order to secure their position they sold their first computer at a break-even cost, and ever since then they have been selling below Computron’s price (by a differential of Computron’s import duty subject). Digitex produce a product of only a fair quality compared to Computron’s 1000X however uses a price cutting tactics/ sells at low cost (sometimes 50% below Computron’s). All the production is done in Germany. Their inferior quality has hindered their competitive capabilities. The rest of the competition is unlikely to cause any threat according to Zimmermann’s point of view. Q7: What is Koning’s thinking about the situation? Koning’s invitation for bids was basically for the reason of wanting to pay a reasonable price along with high dependability of the machine. Since the machines are going to be used for five years training, these requirements would best suit what its being used for. Koning wants to probably reduce the cost of machines used in training. It would be a good investment for the company to have five years training computers and still use it after for other duties, although the low price could be aimed to abandon the machine after. Requiring a machine specified for training wouldn’t’ have the same specifications in the computers needed for the on-line process control. Clearly the case showed the differentiation between having a flexible accurate machine, or a machine that is highly dependent for training purposes. Koning looking at the situation from a perspective which he wants o gain the best opportunity on having the lowest price for a training machine, even if the quality wasn’t as good as accurate machines needed. Koning already bought three machines from Computron, and are satisfied with the results of the machines performance and quality, and seems to match the requirements needed for their plants. The company is most probably now aiming to invest less in the machines they want to purchase, whi ch means having less concerns with the machine quality performance, as its not being used directly on their process. Q8: What is Zimmermann’s position as manager of the European sales? Zimmermann is in a rather sticky situation because it is imperative that he seals the sale with Koenig who is their most important customer and satisfies the buyer’s demands. However at the same time he must comply with Computron’s pricing guidelines. The pricing guidelines reinforce the customer perception of a high quality, superior and reliable product (diligence element). Furthermore a reduction in price in this case, will lead all future purchasers to believe that from now on, Computron’s products are cheaper and will automatically (wrongfully) anticipate lower prices from Computron in the future. There is no turning back. This situation is further accentuated with the factory construction in Germany. If the deal is not sealed, it is likely that that factory will remain idle for several months due to lack of business. This will have a devastating impact on their brand image. Lastly, and most importantly, they biggest strain placed on Zimmermann is from the competition. There are several competitors who have different advantages ranging from technological factors to pricing advantages. All want to make a sale just as bad. Zimmermann is going to have to address all of these, if he’s to seal the deal. Q9: What should Zimermann do? * Price reduction $1’046’400 (85. 4% of the original price) * Offer the price reduction + inform Koning & Cie, AG of the local manufacturing and assembly facility local support (opening 16. 09. 06) * Focus on absolute necessity of getting the order long-term business relationship & added credibility * Should NOT reduce the mark-up for European market (other customers will expect similar conditions with future orders) * Emphasize on Koning’s familiarity with the standards of Computron’s products affirm the quality

Book Report on `A Young Woman’s Mathematical Journey In Code

They say some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. In case of Sarah, did she achieve greatness? The answer to this question is both yes and no! How she can achieve greatness, where was the time for it?She was just sixteen, a tender age not even good enough to fall in love, and yet the word ‘great’ was firmly implanted on her. Was greatness thrust upon her? The answer to this question is firm ‘No!’   The part of the statement that befits her is that she is born great. Her illustrious mathematical journey had arrived at the sterling landmark at that young age.This work is both knowledge and enjoyment. The brilliance of the students comes to the fore at the Undergraduate and University levels. That is the time when the Professors spot the intelligent, brilliant and the brilliant among the brilliant students. But Sarah’s extraordinary brilliance must have been spotted when she was in the kindergarten. This is so, because, her father was a renowned Professor of Mathematics.Academic studies do matter for students like Sarah, but such genius children invariably study in the College of Self-Education, where their mind is their Principal. Their initiative, their Professors! Their hard work, their tutors! They are ambitious and industrious. They decide upon a project; start, act and finish.â€Å"The eldest among five children, Flannery went to high school at Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal in Blarney, where she gave a science fair presentation on cryptography. In researching RSA encryption, she created her own encryption algorithm, which earned her an Esat Young Scientist Exhibition and later an Intel Fellows Achievement Award.She went to college at the University of Cambridge, graduating in 2003 with a degree in computer engineering. Now she works for American video game developer Electronic Arts.†(Planet†¦)In brief, what the book is about†¦.This book is the mathematician’s deli ght. How the serious subject like mathematics, can be interspersed with humor. Her introduction to the book itself fascinates and kindles curiosity. By reading it, you realize why she attained instant fame which she richly deserves.In introduction she gives details about public-key cryptography, the RSA algorithm and the alternate algorithm that she created. The lucid style and control on the language required to deal with mathematical explanations is the strong point of the book.Genius has nothing to do with the age. Therefore, forget for a while that a teenager is the author of the book, yet you can not forget that lovely and inspiring face of the author in the cover page of the book! Unless known in advance, you will find it difficult to believe that she is the owner of such a brilliant brain. You probably think that this book is the creation of an experienced Professor, well researched from a long list of bibliography.The book begins in an orthodox style. Instead of saying somet hing about the author straightaway, the book gives description with pages of family background. That again is about mathematics, because her father was the Professor of mathematics.   A long section, titled, â€Å"Early Challenges† follows. This is where the challenges for the readers are thrown. They are recollections of her past.The mention of about a dozen puzzles is made. She owned them from her father, told for the benefit of Sarah and her brothers. David Flannery, their father was the mentor of mathematics as well. The description for each puzzle is given along with an invitation for the reader to try to solve the same, before trying to locate the solution provided in the book elsewhere. Your chances of success are not very bright. A black-board in the dining room!That is bound to happen when you have four sons and a daughter, all interested in the serious study of mathematics. On the blackboard, new puzzle was recorded each day for them to work on. Like, â€Å"Given a five-liter jar and a three-liter jar and an unlimited supply of water, how do you measure out four liters exactly?†Some got into more difficult concepts: â€Å"How might you determine the average earnings of a group of people in a room (at a class reunion, perhaps) without any individual's divulging his or her salary?† the second puzzle has the latent message, which forms part of the theme all through the book.That is to try getting information and hiding information. With such intelligent invitations the readers become part of the proceedings in the book. It is no effort to score over the reader but to win the reader in a positive style. It is to encourage him, and no to affront one with the exhibition of intelligence. Those who think that this is a book on the subject of mathematics which is bound to have the serious start will have peasant surprise to be greeted with mind-boggling puzzles.Fame and Publicity and thereafter†¦.She received instant fame, became a celebrity in mathematics overnight, but she was humble about her achievements. Here she speaks beyond her age refuses to expand like the balloon with inflated ego. â€Å"I have no doubt that I am not a genius,†she declares.â€Å"I am not being falsely modest. Through my father’s classes I have seen examples of true genius and I know I do not possess that ‘insight’ that distinguishes geniuses from those regarded as merely intelligent.†(p. 243). Those who read the book were sure about her impending success in the world of mathematics. She was the worthy mathematics daughter of a worthy mathematics Professor.Next to puzzles†¦.She attempts the most original aspect of the subject of mathematics problems that take her to the position and fame sky-rocketing. Overnight she is a world-figure as for mathematics. The subject matter for any national level competition has got to be the unique one. She was to enter the Esat Irish Young Scientist’s Co mpettion-1998.The project on cryptography was done by her at the suggestion and instance of her father. Her project will throw light on various cryptographic techniques, providing the account of the famous RSA algorithm. The mention and discussion of all these things is initiated at page 40 of the book, she discuses learning the relevant mathematics and the programming involved.Then her father takes over the mathematical literature for the next 110 pages, and you catch up with Sarah again in page number 150.These pages contain mathematical exposition authored by David Flannery. They provide the basics of cryptography, and to understand it, is not the easiest of the propositions. He introduces thoroughly RSA algorithms at this stage.When Sarah takes over at page number 150, she is at the threshold of the fame that is about to engulf her young personality. She gets tremendous response for her project that fetches her several prizes, and she is inspired to prepare for another ambitious and prestigious entry –the Rafe Jones at Brown University.She is on the second step of the ladder of success. She undergoes a week-long internship at a Dublin cryptography company, and notices several techniques. Thereafter, she devises an alternative algorithm to the RSA and that is the flagship issue of her new project.The results achieved by her are astounding. Her method is simple matrix multiplication instead of the relatively cumbersome modular exponentiation of the RSA. Her algorithm runs twenty times faster. It is christened by her as the Cayley Purser algorithm, the 19th century British mathematician Arthur Cayley as also Michael Purser, the mathematician whose ideas caught her imagination during her internship.She runs in to the thick of the issues now-she proves how the new algorithm is secure from certain kinds of attacks and it becomes the mathematical odyssey for her, wherein she is required to explore and master the cobweb of not too familiar mathematics. Such a situation is the testing time for any student of mathematics.It was probing the new waters for the first time with lots of hopes of positive results, but also with the fear of disappointment, should anything go wrong, at the most unsuspected moment. Mathematics is such a subject where there is no scope for errors. You have got to be accurate, as otherwise the whole edifice built by you step by step will collapse.â€Å"All of this was an unusual experience for me,† she writes, â€Å"but I had a great feeling of excitement. I think it was because I was working on something that no one had worked on before. I worked constantly for whole days on end, and it was exhilarating† (p. 208).To get the worthy solution, you need to have a strong problem. That was the situation Sarah, luckily found she in. The thesis problem provided lots of enthusiasm to her to go ahead. With the finalization of the thesis problem, she considered her to be lucky.The problem was of her creation a nd she was bent upon to own the responsibility to solve it herself. She began to put extra efforts and worked desperately to find the authentic solution.She reaped the dividends for her sincere efforts, she was able to prove that Cayley Purser algorithm had strong defenses and it can withstand successfully attack from a large family. She provides the detailed description to judge her new project, both algorithm and proof, in the 1999 Irish Young Scientist competition.An inventive mind is always excited about any new achievement-you decide on a problem for you and then solve it successfully. Same was the case with Sarah.When you smell success, when you have positive indications that you are nearing solution, the excitement is all the more. At that stage Sarah burnt the midnight oil to continue her sincere efforts. Success had to kneel before her; she showed the strong defense for the Cayley-Purser algorithm in the face of multi-pronged family attacks. She gives the detailed account, step by step, how her project needs to be judged, and the related explanation for the algorithm, with unassailable proofs.In the 1999 Irish Young Scientists Competition., she quotes from her journal, â€Å"On one occasion,† she writes, â€Å"I looked out of our little huddle and it felt really strange—our conversation was so very intense that just to look around was like coming up for air† (p. 222). The finest moment of her judging was, she writes: â€Å"Before they left, [the judge] asked me the simplest question of all, and I could see he was wondering whether or not I would be able to answer it.The answer was the fast exponentiation algorithm, and I must have smiled before I replied, because I knew it was the perfect end to the perfect session. I had been able to defend my project at all levels. The last question was a check to see if I knew the fundamentals. They smiled at each other on my final answer, which I’ll never forget.† (p. 223).It was the perfect culmination. The excitement was about how gracefully Sarah walked up to the stage to accept the title of Irish Young Scientist of the Year. It was one of the extraordinary moments of her life. The charm of youth was on her side.And the algorithm she talked held excellent possibility of rich dividends. The inquisitive media stood alerted and the unexpected bonus arrived, when London Times front-paged an article on her mathematical exploits. Overnight she entered the portals of stardom in mathematics. It did not take long time to transform her academic achievements towards the commercial gain.The would-be cryptograph entrepreneurs were seeking her services. She received many offers to give lectures in Singapore. Mention of her name was made in the official magazine of the Spice Gils. She also received a request from Profile Books in London to write up the experiences and all that prompted to advance on the tough path of mathematics.The budding young mathematician’s book had the firs print order of 35,000 copies, the marketing budget of $ 65,000 and an eight-city author-tour.About the contents of the book, Sarah often   sweetly apologizes for going deep into number theory; before explaining matrices, she writes, â€Å"I promise that from then on there will be no more explicit mathematics, only light explanations of mathematical ideas.†The hard-core mathematics in the book is restricted to two chapters. For those who wish to learn more, there are appendices. Her main project is about how the most famous current encoding system works, and in the meantime, she had invented one of her own. She takes extensive pains to explain both the systems and goes deep into the number theory along the route.With the winning of the prize, fame and the monetary gains consequential to the fame arrived like an avalanche. Pepsi wanted her to concede that the mathematics brain and that of the family was due to lavish consumption of Pepsi, but the offer of c ontract was promptly turned down. A good mathematical calculation viewed from the humanitarian angle; they were aware perhaps of the harmful effects of such addictive drinks on the health of the younger generation!â€Å"I have no doubt that I am not a genius,† said the prize winner of the 1999 European Contest for Young Scientists. Bu who would believe her and at the same time remain without deeply appreciating her modesty! She was the media sensation within days after getting the prestigious award. She was about to be hailed as an instant celebrity, for the public key to cryptography, the method used to transmit secure data over the Internet, but destiny played its part.When everyone in the knowledgeable circles thought that her encryption algorithm is worth the millions, a security hole was discovered. Nevertheless she had done a great job. Now she met her father on equal terms, a mathematician talking to another senor mathematician.There is an interesting interaction betwe en the father-daughter mathematical duos. To be taught lessons from her father in the drawing room of the house was one thing. To be part of his lecture fraternity, and listen to his mathematical revelations in an organized way sitting as one among the audience was altogether a different experience. The previous day, he had a serious, purposeful conversation with Sarah. Her father said, â€Å"Now that you have decided to do transition year, I must do some math with you.† He continued, â€Å"I'd like to show you how some beautiful but reasonably elementary mathematics is applied, stuff that you wouldn't ordinarily come across in school.†She could not understand the immediate intentions of her father. She thought he was inviting her to the kitchen blackboard, as she was aware of his enthusiastic ways; how he got inspired at the most unsuspected moment and wished to unleash his mathematical knowledge on her, whether she was mentally prepared   for it or not.Perhaps, at that moment she was not ready to receive the tough lessons of mathematics. She replied, â€Å"Dad, whatever you do, do something structured!† That set him thinking, as to the proper, most effective and appropriate way to teach and take her to the world of mathematics. He remembered his past. The debt he owed to the one who taught him mathematics. How the torch of mathematical knowledge was passed on to his hand.It now depended, what he would do, with what his teacher did for him, and from where he left.   He strongly felt that he must transfer the knowledge to some one else who richly deserved it. Who else could be that individual except his own daughter, in whom he must have noticed the latent mathematical genius?He told his daughter, â€Å"Of course, only if you are genuinely interested-I wouldn't force it on you.† She was genuinely interested. The evening lecture by her father proved to be the foundation stone for the grand mathematical edifice that she was going to build.Sarah was now part of the class of serious students studying mathematics. The evening classes from seven ten, with the student strength of 8, continued for twenty five nights. The daughter was the youngest student, just 15 years and six months, but a couple of other students too were young.There were adults who came from various backgrounds. Computer scientists, a secondary school mathematics teacher, a chemistry graduate working for a medical laboratory. They were the ones who loved mathematics, and who regretted their inaction in not pursuing the mathematics study, when young. It was a class that had its own specialties.The cause of study was great, not the career out of the study. No credits were given. It was not part of any major. No home work or study was demanded. It was David Flannery’s way of â€Å"getting back into math† with no holds barred approach. You wee encouraged to come up with your most silly questions. He loved and appreciated those who mad e fools of themselves, as according to him, only those will learn and had the chance of success.These assurances, coming from a reputed Professor, were greatly appreciated by the students. They looked forward to the classes with expectancy and with hope that they will be exposed to something interesting about the mathematics in the next session.Sarah though had peculiar problem that the teacher was her father, she was able to mentally sort out the issue. Her dedication and the serious approach when she meant study, paved the way or her progress.From the teacher’s perspective, what one teaches is important. But how one teaches, what one teaches is more important. Towards this end David Flannery filled the bill admirably. He was the one who enjoyed his teachings and encouraged his students to learn in style.No time-bound hard tasks were expected from the students. Each one was encouraged to estimate one’s level of understanding, and progress accordingly. He was able to m aintain an atmosphere of affection at home and in his classes.The brain teasing puzzles enticed the students to know more and more, and the hours spent by the students in the association of David Flannery, proved highly fructifying. His company kindled their curiosity further. They eagerly awaited his next class and firmly believed that something more interesting would be in store for them.The class was not all fun as was made out initially by David Flannel. That was his style of making the students interested in the subject. Soon, the intensive part of his chartered syllabus for the students began and his forays were in the  Ã‚     elementary number theory, with cryptography as the final destination.He would the take the students entirely to different horizons of mathematics, interesting sights that were rich in content, may not be of use for the immediate application.When David Flannery was a student, the application of the number theory were so few (industrial and internet re volutions had not taken off), and yet the number theory was of prime importance to the mathematicians, its study was considered pure. By the end of 1970s, the situation had drastically changed.The various technicalities involved in the message system and their readings gave a shot in the arm for cryptography. It became a much sought after subject and millions of dollars were invested into the development of this subject. The demand for expertise in this area became tremendous.The book is a treat to read for the simple reason that it is a great human story as well, a success story, a management and pubic relation story etc. The way she prepared for the competitions would set the standard for any youngster who wishes to be an achiever.What a careful and great teacher her father was! The concepts of teaching itself have undergone metamorphic changes, and mathematics is no exception. The style of teaching has become more student-friendly.As for Sarah, her mathematician father was her gr eat career-asset. But her mother also continuously encouraged her by telling interesting anecdotes about the subject. ‘Mathematics is the queen of the sciences and number theory is the queen of mathematics.’ Such sweet nothings said about the subject during formative years of a young girl had great positive impact on her.Her Mom said Mathematics and the number theory was like the Sleeping Beauty Fairly Tale, and Sarah Flannery writes, â€Å"I thought about those who had toiled away through the centuries at unraveling the mysteries of this subject, motivated by nothing more than a passionate desire to know. They could have hardly dreamt of the applications that some of their results would one day find.I wondered what it was they had discovered, and what they would think if they could see how some of these discoveries are now being used. I was eager to learn the subject and surmise for myself whether they would be surprised or not.†But everything about the number t heory is not all that sweet. It is a deceptive theory. When you think that you are on the verge of success, you are suddenly knocked out by a lethal punch. The simple questions that you will ask your Professor may look so simple to you. The same questions were asked by many brilliant students in the past. The answers to such questions have not been found until this day, and the most intelligent ones are raking their brains to find out the solutions.But the toughest obstacle lay in waiting for Sarah. The sharp attacks on the Cayley-Purser algorithm arrived with Michael Purse alerts, making her mathematical advancement difficult. Sarah was on the defensive; she made efforts to repair the algorithm, but could not succeed. She stated that it is not salvageable as a workable encryption system.The theoretical interest stood in her favor through this testing time. She included a postscript explanation on the successful attack. It brought her further success when she was conferred the title of European Young Scientist of the Year for 1999. They say, â€Å"When the going gets tough, the tough gets going!†It is very easy to say that Sarah climbed the stage to receive the award. But behind this glorious moment in the life of this sports-loving teenager from Blarney in Country Cork, Ireland, lay the extraordinary talent and matching efforts of relentless research and discoveries in Internet cryptography.At the age of sixteen to get the international recognition and to be hailed as â€Å"brilliant† by the London Times, is no ordinary achievement. Newspapers and periodicals hailed it as â€Å"a wonderfully moving story about the thrill of the mathematical chase† (Nature) and â€Å"a paean to intellectual adventure† (Times Educational Supplement).The dinner-time conversation with her father led her to the hall of fame. Her burning curiosity, the inner joy of persistence paid off handsomely. What is the meaning of the wise saying, â€Å"Have a wil l to grow and grow you will!†Ã¢â‚¬â€ask Sarah! David Flannery lectures on mathematics at Ireland’s Cork Institute of Technology. Sarah Flannery is now a student at Cambridge University.Some shortcomings of the book†¦.To say that it is the combination of a set of two books, would not be a far-fetched criticism on the book. Two narrative segments of the book, at the beginning and the end, do not serve the actual cause for which the book stands for. The 150 pages, though there is no doubting the merit of the contents, it is right thing at the wrong place. It makes the tough and prolonged reading, and causes obstruction in understanding the life of Sarah in a systematic, chronological order.The book goes on an aim-less wandering, and it defeats the structure of the book. But those who do not like mathematics intensely, for those who are not the serious students of the subject, these 150 pages are a good read! However, this can not be considered as the serious lapse of the book, but the professional critics of this literature, would not like to miss this   point, as a matter of their duty.The mathematical exposition part of it is flawless in contents and style. The beginning holds the interest of the common reader as well. The elementary examination of the prime numbers is detailed. The idea of primality about Mersenne primes, the Sieve of Eratosthenes and also primalaity testing are the important topics.Then is the chapter on Modular arithmetic, Fermat’s Little Theorem, and pseudo primes. For complete understanding of the RSA algorithm, the last two of these three mathematical chapters are necessary. But they can be avoided by those who are desirous of the elementary feel for public-key cryptography.The author has no problem with the English language, the exposition and style of writing is lucid. In fine, Sarah has given a very interesting book. The theme of the book and the author’s attitude towards the theme of mathematics, bot h evoke and sustain curiosity. The book deserves an outstanding position not only for the awards that it brought to Sarah, but also for the real contribution   it made to the cause of mathematics, for all time to come.There is something uniqueness about the book. Some more remarkable books should be expected from Sarah’s pen. The author has dealt with the topic in an excellent manner and the contents of the book gain stature, without losing its ground and reality. The book is the creation of the child, with father’s blessings. What more is required for the child and what does a father expect from the child? Both see the fulfillment of their respective mathematical missions through this book.When a child gives the account of her experiences that ultimately led her to great heights of success, the reader’s interest is all the more, for the simple reason that every parent wishes to visualize and  Ã‚   aspires for the success of their children.From the point of view of human psychology and management principles that lead to success, this book is the torchbearer. Her thoughts are playful, yet never missing the mathematical purpose of the book.The number of high school students who enjoy mathematics is not very high and many do the subject, as they have to do as it is the unavoidable subject up to a certain level. But an introduction and interaction with this book should change their perspective.Many may not be lucky enough get a mathematics genius Professor-father. In the case of Sarah, her pastime of solving the mathematical puzzles with her father paid her rich dividends. It started as a game and slowly turned into a thrill of the mathematical chase. Nothing succeeds like success and one good thing in her life, led to the other.A great lesson for the psychologists and sociologists who study the parental impact on the life and future of children! But for the encouragement and influence of her mathematician father, Sarah would have been yet another university student, pursuing the syllabus-oriented degrees for a routine career.Conclusion:God made the natural numbers, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 0 and what all ‘complications’ the human being has created under the subject-banner mathematics! But for becoming the mathematician, Sarah would have been a storyteller.The art comes naturally to her. She has dealt with a highly intellectual subject, without any pretensions, without the sense of overbearing. At times, the writing takes the serious turn, but that is what the subject matter is. Her childlike descriptions maintain the essential dignity. If she tries her hand at other subjects of writing, we may be in for surprises.That’s what her imagination, wit and charm throughout the book reveal. â€Å"In Code†, has the makings of a very good novel and her pen holds out great promises for even better works. It is a twice-blessed book. Primarily it is a book on mathematics, and more importantly it is an int eresting book of human endeavor, the human spirit, the book on positive qualities like grit and determination. Few children are lucky to have such great upbringing.The black board in the kitchen truly speaks about the studious family. She and her four brothers made it the perfect class at home, and mostly issues related to mathematics were discussed at the dining table. At lunch, the distraction would be not be like the television set in the modern drawing room, but the attractions were puzzles appearing on the blackboard days after day, without intermission. David Flannery had a clear purpose about the puzzles.They encouraged the children into enjoying abstract reasoning. But do no imagine, Sarah liked all these intensely. She was not a book worm. She liked to ride horses, played hurling and basketball, did boating and liked other adventurous team sports.She carried that adventurous spirit to her mathematics research as well.So to say, Sarah was a philanthropist mathematician and d id not possess any motivated desires about her accomplishments. Mathematical community offered the talented Sarah all co-operations. Experts in the field of cryptology were eager to help her.Initial reactions to her code system, was that it was patentable and she had the possibilities of becoming the millionaire. The exchange of vital information with other mathematicians could have damaged her interest for financial gains. Yet, she shared the information bearing in mind the overall interest of mathematics.She was only 17, when she was a guest speaker at an IBM leadership conference for women. Sarah was also given an invitation to attend the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm. To write an interesting readable book on mathematics, normally considered a dry and brain-racking subject is no mean achievement. She has set the trend for the budding young scientists, and great scholars in any subject need not be men and women with silver hair.The book provides to all concerned, the parents , the teachers and above all the combustible younger generation, who wish to achieve something in life, but do not know the correct procedures and steps to achieve very valuable information. Sarah provides good solutions to one’s ambitions and the way to achieve them.This makes the book even greater, than her contribution to cryptography. Bertrand Russell once talked about ‘the silent beauty’ of mathematics. Sarah has demonstrated how the skills of the mathematician and the skills of the fiction & fantasy writer can be clubbed together to create an outstanding contribution to the world of literature. Here is the combination of great human experience mixed with intellectual stuff. It is very easy to record and offer her congratulations for all that she achieved at the young age of 16.But think of the hard work she did, the relentless pressure she was able to endure at such a young age, and all this she did at the same time enjoying and pursuing her hobbies. So, if you have young children, and do not have many ideas as to how to inspire them, give this book to them—it would be more appropriate if the parents read and discuss the contents of this book for their benefit. The results are bound to be far fetching as for their future. The contents of the book have the lessons in ‘moral counseling’ as well.The application of cryptography has caught up fast with the internet revolution. Many of the big companies are willing to sponsor researches and Sarah is eminently suited to take advantage of this situation. Her achievements have changed her perspective of life. The career opportunities that arrive at her doors are perhaps too much for her to handle. She has traveled to important destinations all over the world, met cryptography figureheads like Ronald Rivest and Whitfield Diffey. But the best is yet to come, and Sarah Flannery knows it well.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  References Cited:In Code: A Mathematical Journey (Paperback)by Sarah Flannery (Author), David Flannery (Author}Paperback: 352 pagesPublisher: Algonquin Books (December 30, 2002)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1565123778ISBN-13: 978-1565123779PlanetMath: Sarah Flanneryplanetmath.org/encyclopedia/SarahFlannery.html – 19k – Cached, Retrieved on January29,2008