Ballard Integrated Managed Services Essay Example for Free

Ballard Integrated Managed Services Essay When Barbara Tucker, General Manager for Ballard Integrated Managed Services, Inc., realized that her employee’s attitudes and behaviors were on a declining course, Barbara knew she must act promptly. Barbara oversees 452 workers divided into three divisions, each including its own management team; these divisions are food service, hospitality and maintenance. In order to fix the problems with employees, Barbara had to identify the problem first; with the help of coworkers, Barbara was able to create a plan. The plan identified and stated the problem, purpose, research questions and hypothesis for the research; Barbara also had to decide which instrument to use for data collection. Barbaras research plan identified how the data would be collected and identified measurements for the variables involved in her study. Once the study was completed, the data was analyzed by eliminating the data input errors. In the end, a conclusion must be made about the appropriateness and applicability of the data to meet the ultimate purpose of the study. A closer look into the research and the execution of the plan will give management the answers to their questions about employee morale. BIMS management has noticed negative changes within the company over the past 4 months. The turnover rate for the company has increased by close to 9%, the use of sick time has increased, management is noticing a large amount of employees killing time throughout their work day instead of working, and the quality of work has declined as well, creating complaints from the Douglas Medical Center administration, which contracts BIMS. Unfortunately for Barbara and her team of managers, employees leaving the company have not left any clues as to why these things are happening when exit interviews were conducted, leaving this management team to explore on their own in hopes of finding solutions. Barbara and the managers  involved in finding solutions to the obvious problems decide to use an employee survey instrument in order to collect data which is thought to be relevant; HR manager Debbie Horner was put in charge of creating the employee survey since she completed her MBA and based her thesis on employee motivation. Debbie created a survey with ten questions asking workers to express their view about working conditions, shift hours, quality of training, and level of compensation, fair treatment, internal company communications, and job security. The employees were asked to answer the following questions on a scale from one to five, with five being very positive; 1. How well do you enjoy working for BIMS? 2. You enjoy your assigned shift. 3. Your request for your desired shift was fulfilled. 4. How many times have you called in sick in the last month? 5. You are well trained for your work. 6. You are paid fairly for the work you do. 7. Your supervisor treats you fairly. 8. Your supervisor’s boss treats your division fairly. 9. The company is good at communicating. 10. You do not fear that you will lose your job. A few demographics were also included so that Debbie could separate responses by division; Debbie included demographics because she wanted to compute descriptive and frequency techniques, and then further study the data for possible correlations. The Quantitative research done in this case was created as an employee survey in order to get a glimpse at employee’s thoughts and feelings about their job and to decipher whether employees feel they are being treated fairly. This survey was distributed with payroll checks originally and a reminder message was sent out with the following payroll checks. The instrument to be used is a survey based on the questions that were asked of the employees, the type of statistical questionnaire was inferential statistics it was based on questions asked of the employees and was given to a sample size of estimated 449 employees; however, the way the survey was administered was not effective for the 449 employees to complete and only 78 employees completed the survey. The variable is quantitative and coded with discrete information, which is conducive to the type of survey used, and clearly shows gaps between values, however it is not representative to concluding a finding due to the sample size being smaller then what the survey was designed and planned for. Unfortunately, the General Manager was not successful at administering the survey that resulted in a 17% response rate, which does not show a good  sample size nor does it generate the results intended to make concrete improvements and changes to the company. Reference Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics Whats the Difference. (December 1, 2011). Retrieved from http://www.mymarketresearchmethods.com/descriptive-inferential-statistics-difference/

Operating System Architecture :: Computers Technology Technological papers

Operating System Architecture By gaining control of computers, computer viruses, worms, trojans, software bugs, and bad people can create extraordinary damage by shutting down infrastructure, using online banking to steal money, or using robots to attack people. Our civilization is increasingly depended on computers for survival. Therefore, a fully secure operating system is essential for the society. Below is the architecture by which maximum security against viruses and other threats can be achieved. Operating system and the rest of the software should be modular. Each small module performs a function and may take parameters. For example, a web browser uses an HTML renderer to display a webpage. In turn, the HTML renderer uses a jpg-renderer to display jpg images. An e-mail program might use the same HTML renderer. The rich collection of functions (with application program interfaces) makes writing programs much easier, greatly reduces the need to write the same functionality many times, and allows the same program to work on different computers. Modularity is also essential for stability and internal security of a complex program--failure of some modules to work properly should affect only the functions the modules perform and (usually) should not cause the program to crash or become unnecessarily insecure. Moreover, proper multi-tasking (see below) ensures that a delay in a non-essential module does not excessively delay the program. While the code for a function is loaded once into the memory, multiple executions can occur simultaneously. Functions remain in memory until the memory (RAM) is about to run out; when that happens, functions least likely to be called are unloaded or put into the swap space. Each process has a set of rights and priorities. The rights include the type of resources the process can access such as what devices (speakers, networks, etc.) and files the process can access and at what permission level. For example, a process may be allowed to modify only a certain region of the monitor. A process can be denied access to a file, given a read-only access, allowed to read and append, or allowed read-write access. Ideally, each process is given just enough rights to perform all of the functions it should perform. The priorities are specified for limited resources such as the amount of memory, processing time, bandwidth, and disk space. The priorities are determined based on the importance of each process. The process managers allocate scarce resources based on the priorities.

Joys of Motherhood Essay

Though many themes and poignant arguments arise in Buchi Emecheta’s Joys of Motherhood, the most bold of these is the impact of colonial rule on traditional African society and its ambiguous affects thereafter. These themes specifically come about in the text as the clash between colonialists and Africans and how colonial occupation comes to alter the natural development of African cities and villages. It becomes obvious that the influences of colonial presence in Africa are and will continue to be disruptive and detrimental to the lives of Africans. Though this colonial disruption is highlighted immensely, the oppressed people continually move to sidestep the obstructions placed within their society. Even with the oppression of colonial rule upon them, Emecheta’s characters manage to create insular communities to maintain both dignity and tradition. Nnu Ego returns to her father’s house and is again married off, but this time to a fellow Ibo working in Lagos as a domestic for British colonials. The arranged marriage between Nnaife and Nnu Ego is never smooth, and indeed from her first sight of her husband on their wedding day in Lagos, Nnu Ego is disillusioned, though willing to follow custom and fulfill her duties as a wife (Emecheta, 43). Though Nnu Ego is unhappy with Nnaife’s duties as a domestic servant, she stays positive in the marriage in the hopes that her chi will bless the union by allowing her to become a mother. Though her first child dies, Nnu Ego eventually goes on to mother eight children. Despite his less than desirable position as a British domestic servant, Nnaife fully assumes his position as the male head-of-household in his home in accordance with Ibo custom (Emecheta, 47-48). As the eldest son of his family, upon his younger brother’s death, Nnaife marries his two sisters-in-law and brings one of them to Lagos and incorporates her and her children into the household with his family with Nnu Ego (Emecheta, 120). The marriage of Nnu Ego and Nnaife contain many examples of the endurance of traditional African culture throughout colonial rule. As an Ibo minority in Lagos among Yorubas and British imperialists, Nnu Ego and her family struggle and live below the poverty line. One of the main conflicts depicted for Nnu Ego, her family, and society is the navigation of the British imperialistic order. United against a common adversary, the Ibos and Yorubas in The Joys of Motherhood forge a loose knit community and rely on each other during hard times. This alliance between Ibo and Yorubas is especially apparent in the relationships between the women. For instance, as a new wife in Lagos, neighboring women show Nnu Ego the best places to market for cheap, fresh foods (Emecheta, 52). When Nnaife loses his job, the neighboring women help Nnu Ego find cigarettes and other goods to stock a roadside retail stand in order for her to earn extra money (Emecheta,103). Through these hard economic times under colonial rule, the enduring principle of African community values emerges strong as ever. The women of the town especially rely on each other when the men work away from home and during the war when many are drafted into the British army. When the British army commandeers her living quarters, Cordelia helps Nnu Ego move her children and belongings into new housing (Emecheta, 98). When Nniafe is drafted and Nnu Ego is unable to read his letters, Mama Abby helps to read the letters and deposit his allotment checks into the bank (Emecheta, 149-150). Though these allotment checks from the British are extremely useful in caring for the household, Nnu Ego is working constantly and not knowing when Nnaife will return. Though it seemed that colonialism provided new opportunities for the poor to improve their economic woes, would they have been as poor to begin with if colonialism was not the rule of the land? The separating aspect of taking the men from Africa was extremely detrimental not only to those left behind but also to those who go to war. Many return mentally scarred or are ostracized for their involvement with Europeans (Lunn, 45-46) Nnu Ego and her fellow neighbors experience the variations of a changing society but manage to do so without losing the essence of their traditions. As had become custom of imperialism, Africans suffered many hardships under colonial rule for the most part without knowing what the conflicts of the â€Å"Western powers† were about. Asks Nnu Ego of her friend, â€Å"But, Ato, on whose side are we? Are we for the Germans or the Japanese, or the other one, the British? † Ato answers back, â€Å"I think we are on the side of the British. They own Nigeria you know. † Nnu Ego responds back, â€Å"And Ibuza too? † â€Å"I don’t know about that,† Ato states (Emecheta, 98). The implication of this exchange demonstrates that while the British may have political and economic control over the country, the cultural essence of the people cannot be owned. According to Lunn, most African communities were staunch in asserting tradition and sticking to it in these colonial times, showing a strength that Europeans undoubtedly were not expecting (Lunn, 46). The Joys of Motherhood portrays a distance between the generations in the relationship between Nnu Ego and her children, and in particular, the relationship Nnu Ego has with her oldest son, Oshia. In keeping with tradtion, the family invests in Oshia by providing him with the best education, and respecting his status as an elder male, and in return he is expected to take care of the family (Emecheta, 190-191). As a product of an imperialist society, Oshia is educated in a British school system and goes abroad to college where he learns the western value of self-reliance and making his own fortune independently out in the world (Emecheta, 200-201). His selfishness is borne from two both traditional and colonial influences. The fact that he’s the first-born son grants him privileges and honor from the first day he is born along with his association with wealthy students at school teaches him to expect more from life. However, in the end it is the dissociating factor of colonialism and individualism that pulls Oshia away from his family duties. The demonstration of how Nnu Ego, Nnaife, and their neighbors maintain their traditions is embodied by the numerous celebrations they have throughout the novel. Although money and power are in short supply, the African society continues to celebrate births, homecomings, and marriages. The hosts of each party are certain to have large supplies of palm wine and food for everyone, even if they cannot afford it. Upon his mother’s death, Oshia returns to the village and throws a costly funeral celebration. The funeral puts him into debt which would take three years to pay off, but there is a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that an expected ritual has been performed to honor the dead (Emecheta, 224). The new colonial economic order impacts cultural customs is always present, though. When Nnu Ego returns to Ibuza to visit her father, she is happy and becomes comfortable with the ease of being at home and surrounded with fellow villagers (Emecheta,156). However, a grand-aunt admonishes her to return back to Lagos and not to shame the family by failing to live up to her responsibilities as wife (Emecheta, 159). In this respect, tradition is extremely limiting, in that Nnu Ego’s life and her children’s lives would be much easier in Ibuza than in Lagos. Though traditions can be limiting, especially in the case of a traditional marriage such as Nnu Ego’s, the traditional bond is what links and sustains the community in Lagos. What on the one hand undermines tradition as limiting can also be seen as the thread of continuity necessary for the cultural health and identity of people. The issues about traditions that Emecheta raises stem from the dilemma of how a society reconciles and develops when ideals between cultures clash. British colonial rule certainly made life more difficult and even began to chip away at certain norms and traditions such as familial duty and class systems. The individuality espoused by British culture was in direct violation of the Ibo culture of Nnu Ego. A certainty represented in The Joys of Motherhood is when the community and family worked together, they would thrive. The individual must look to find acceptance in ways that merge into the larger cultural community and that are mutually beneficial to the traditional culture that remained steadfast and a rock during the tumultuous days of colonial rule.

Exploring the Yellowstone Supervolcano

Theres a powerful and violent  menace lurking under northwestern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, one that has reshaped the landscape several times over the last several million years. Its called the Yellowstone Supervolcano and  the resulting geysers, bubbling mudpots, hot springs, and evidence of long-gone  volcanoes  make  Yellowstone National Park  a fascinating geologic wonderland. The official name for this region is the Yellowstone Caldera, and it spans an area about 72 by 55 kilometers (35 to 44 miles)  in the Rocky Mountains. The caldera has been  geologically active for  2.1 million years, periodically sending  lava  and  clouds of gas and dust into the atmosphere, and reshaping the landscape for hundreds of kilometers.   Yellowstone Caldera is among the  worlds largest such calderas. The caldera, its supervolcano, and the underlying magma chamber help geologists understand volcanism and is a prime place  to study first-hand the effects of hot-spot geology on the Earths surface. The History and Migration of the Yellowstone Caldera The Yellowstone Caldera is really the vent for a large plume of hot material that extends hundreds of kilometers down through Earths crust. The plume has persisted for at least 18 million years and is a region where molten rock from Earths mantle rises to the surface. The plume has remained relatively stable while the North American continent has passed over it. Geologists track  a series of calderas created by the plume. These calderas run from the east to northeast and follow the motion of the plate moves to the southwest. Yellowstone Park lies right in the middle of the modern caldera. The caldera experienced super-eruptions 2.1 and 1.3 million years ago, and then again about 630,000 years ago. Super-eruptions are massive ones, spreading clouds of ash and rock over thousands of square kilometers of the landscape. Compared to those, smaller eruptions and the hot-spot activity Yellowstone exhibits  today are relatively minor. The Yellowstone Caldera Magma Chamber The plume that feeds the Yellowstone Caldera moves through a magma chamber some 80 kilometers (47 miles) long and 20 km (12 miles) wide. It is filled with molten rock that, for the moment, lies fairly quietly below Earths surface, although from time to time, the movement of the lava inside the chamber triggers earthquakes. Heat from the plume creates  the geysers (which shoot superheated water into the air from underground), hot springs, and mudpots scattered throughout the region. Heat and pressure from the magma chamber is slowly increasing the height of the Yellowstone Plateau, which has been rising more rapidly in recent times. So far, however, there is no indication that a volcanic eruption is about to occur. Of more concern to scientists studying the region is the danger of hydrothermal explosions in between major super-eruptions. These are outbursts caused when underground systems of superheated water are disturbed by earthquakes. Even earthquakes at a great distance can affect the magma chamber.   Will Yellowstone Erupt Again? Sensational stories crop up every few years suggesting that Yellowstone is about to blow again. Based on detailed observations of the earthquakes that occur locally, geologists are sure that it will erupt again, but probably not  anytime soon. The region  has been fairly inactive for the past 70,000 years and the best guess is that  will remain quiet for thousands more.  But make no mistake about it, a Yellowstone super-eruption will happen again, and when it does, it will be a catastrophic mess. What Happens During a Super-Eruption? Within the park itself, lava flows from one or more volcanic sites would likely cover  much of the landscape, but the bigger worry is ash clouds blowing away from the site of the eruption. Wind would blow the ash as far as 800 kilometers (497 miles), eventually blanketing the mid-section of the U.S. with layers of ash and devastating the nations central breadbasket region. Other states would see a dusting of ash, depending on their proximity to the eruption. While its not likely that all life on earth would be destroyed, it would definitely be affected by the clouds of ash and the massive release of  greenhouse gases. On a planet where the climate is already altering rapidly, a additional discharge would likely change growing patterns, shorten growing seasons, and lead to fewer sources of food for all of Earths life. The U.S. Geological Survey maintains a close watch on the Yellowstone Caldera. Earthquakes, small hydrothermal events, even a slight change in the eruptions of Old Faithful (Yellowstones famous geyser), provide clues to changes deep underground. If magma starts to move in ways that indicate an eruption, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory will be the first to alert surrounding populations.