Monday, September 30, 2019

Differentiated Instruction Essay

â€Å"What Is a Differentiated Classroom?† is the title of the first chapter of our course text. Below the title is a quote from Seymour Sarason’s â€Å"The Predictable Failure of Educational Reform.† The quote states: â€Å"A different way to learn is what the kids are calling for †¦.All of them are talking about how our one-size-fits-all delivery system – which mandates that everyone learn the same thing at the same time, no matter what their individual needs – has failed them. This is a powerful statement and one that admittedly paints an accurate picture of much of my teaching style coming into this course – â€Å"a one-size-fits-all delivery system.† My initial reaction to the opening statement was a bit defensive and off-putting. As I continued to read, I was momentarily validated when shortly afterwards I read that teacher’s often ask the question â€Å"How can I possibly divide time, resources and myself so that I am an effective catalyst for maximizing talent in all my students?† There are seemingly just too many needs and variables to reach the masses in a classroom. Teach to the middle seems to be a logical strategy. If we assume the 80-20 rule, we can reach 80% of the students fairly effectively with this methodology. Of the remaining 20 %, some portion of them should be able to glean part of the information. To be sure, I am available and encouraging of questions to assist in understanding. Additionally, I may grade an individual’s work with some reasonable variance. But other than some on-the-fly adjustments I may make to assignments as I see need that is the extent of my differentiation in the classroom. SEEMS reasonable enough! Or should I say SEEMED reasonable enough!! The remainder of chapter one promptly provided a stern but inspirational slap-in-the-face. It offered a quick but stark contrast to my seemingly logical method of operation. A few of the â€Å"differentiation† concepts highlighted which served as motivation a prompted further reading: †¢Teachers begin where students are, not from the start of a curriculum guide †¢Teachers must be ready to engage students in instruction through different modalities, by appealing to differing interests, and by using varied rates of instruction along with varied degrees of complexity †¢Teachers provide specific ways for each individual to learn as deeply as possible and as quickly as possible, without assuming one student’s road map for learning is identical to anyone else’s. †¢Teachers begin with a clear and solid sense of what constitutes powerful curriculum and engaging instruction. Then they ask what it will take to modify that instruction so that each learner comes away with understandings and skills. †¢It is difficult to achieve a differentiated classroom because there are few examples of them. (Tomlinson, 1999) With these thoughts as an introduction and tapping into my drive for continual improvement the stage was set for the course. Moving forward, I see in retrospect, what chapter one did for peeking my interest in differentiated instruction I believe the rest of the book, the course workbook and the course itself did for laying the foundation towards true implementation. The following are four lesson plans I have developed to begin the process of differentiating lessons for my students. The differentiated concepts utilized are Entry Points, Problem Solving, Sternberg’s 3 Intelligences and Extension Menu’s. These lessons, while unique in their methodologies, all reflect the underlying assumption of Differentiated Instruction (DI). And that assumption, as reflected in a graphic organizer in our course workbook, is that †¦.Differentiation is a response to the learner’s needs using learning profiles, interests and readiness in content, process and product. The first lesson constructed utilizes Howard Gardner’s â€Å"Entry Points† strategy. This lesson is designed to account for the various learning profiles of student’s and is based off of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory. The major tenet of MI theory is that people learn, represent, and utilize knowledge in many different ways. These differences challenge an educational system which assumes that everyone can learn the same materials in the same way and that a uniform, universal measure suffices to educate and test student learning. According  to Gardner, â€Å"the broad spectrum of students–and perhaps the society as a whole–would be better served if disciplines could be presented in a number of way s and learning could be accessed through a variety of means.† The Multiple Intelligences postulated in this theory are: †¢Linguistic Intelligence –The capacity to use oral and/or written words effectively. †¢Logical-Mathematical Intelligence –the ability to effectively use numbers and to reason. †¢Spatial Intelligence –the capacity to accurately perceive the visual/spatial world and create internal mental images. †¢Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence –the ability to skillfully move one’s body and to move and manipulate objects. †¢Musical Intelligence –a sensitivity to and grasp of the elements of music. †¢Interpersonal Intelligence –the capacity to perceive and distinguish moods, intentions, and feelings of others. and using simulations to learn about events, feelings and alternative strategies for behaving. †¢Intrapersonal Intelligence –the ability to know one’s self and act on the basis of that knowledge. †¢Naturalistic intelligence – the ability to recognize and classify plants, animals, and minerals including a mastery of taxonomies. (The Theory of Multiple Intelligences) Stemming from the MI theory is Gardner’s â€Å"Entry Point† strategy for education. According to this strategy, Gardner proposes student exploration of a given topic through as many as five avenues: Narrational (presenting a story), Logical-Quantitative (using numbers or deduction), Foundational (examining philosophy and vocabulary), Aesthetic (focusing on sensory features), and Experiential (hands-on). (Grants and Research Office) In utilizing the Entry Point strategy in the first lesson plan, students will explore and be introduced to the world of â€Å"new products and services through invention, innovation and discovery† via four of the five entry points listed: Narrational, Logical-Quantitative, Foundational and Aesthetic. The fifth entry point, Experiential, is included in the unit lesson and will be used as a summative experience. The differentiated design of this lesson taps into the multiple learning styles of students through a variety of processes. Teaching Strategies Entry Point Strategies for subject â€Å"New Products†: †¢Narrative: Students browse the internet searching for new products which have recently been introduced to the consumer. Student’s compile a list of their findings as they progress. †¢Logical/Mathmatic: Students gather statistics regarding the sales of a product over the products life cycle. Student’s then incorporate that statistical data into a graph via excel †¢Aesthetic: Students create a collage of new products along with the demographic who would utilize the product †¢Foundational: Entrepreneurship: Students view three of a possible five video clips on the role of Inventors/Innovators/Entrepreneurs and their connection to new products. Discussion to follow †¢Experiential: Field Trip to QVC to view new products as they are being displayed, advertised and sold The second of the four differentiated lessons centers on the essential question of â€Å"What is the Six Step Developmental Process?† The differentiated strategy employed in this lesson is based on Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence. I looked forward to putting this lesson together as Sternberg’s theory is one that resonates with me. Coming from the business management world, and being new to the vocation of teaching, I find much of my class instruction project based with a real world â€Å"practical† slant.  Additionally, as a manager in business, one is constantly striving to place the correct people in the correct roles within a company. Hiring’s, training, evaluations, promotions, firings, relocations are all a product of a manager’s evaluation of employees strengths, talents, weaknesses and deficiencies. When evaluating and placing individual’s the criteria often looked at are an employee’s analytical, cre ative and practical skills. This theory strikes me as a perfect correlation between educational/intellectual theory and real world application. A brief summary of Dr. Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of (Successful) Intelligence contends that intelligent behavior arises from a balance between analytical, creative and practical abilities, and that these abilities function collectively to allow individuals to achieve success within particular contexts. Analytical abilities enable the individual to evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast information. Creative abilities generate invention, discovery, and other creative endeavors. Practical abilities tie everything together by allowing individuals to apply what they have learned in the appropriate setting. To be successful in life the individual must make the best use of his or her analytical, creative and practical strengths, while at the same time compensating for weaknesses in any of these areas. This might involve working on improving weak areas to become better adapted to the needs of a particular environment, or choosing to work in an environment that values the individual’s particular strengths (Plucker). As applied to the classroom, it is important to provide students with the opportunity to learn based off of their natural and stronger intellectual ability(ies). Too often, education has tried to fit everyone into the â€Å"Analytical† mold. However, it is to be noted, teachers should also strive to provide the opportunity for students to learn subject material via their weaker intellectual ability as well so as to simultaneously develop intellectual learning abilities as well as a base of knowledge in a particular subject matter. Teaching Strategies Sternberg Based Strategies for lesson – â€Å"Developing New Products – The Six Step Process†: †¢Analytical †¢Identify the Six Step Developmental Process in developing a new product. †¢Choose and research one of the product options given and cite how that product progressed through each of the six step process †¢Write a one page summary on your thoughts of the effectiveness of the Six Step Process in the development of the product you chose. Would you have followed the same process or deviated at any point? State why or why not and if you would have deviated state how and why. †¢Creative †¢Identify the Six Step Developmental Process in developing a new product. †¢Describe a fictional product that you would like to see invented †¢Assume the role of an inventor and take your fictional product through the Six Step Developmental Process. Describe the considerations and possible decisions made at each step. †¢Create a model of your product via a picture or prototype †¢Practical †¢Identify the Six Step Developmental Process in developing a new product. †¢Describe a product you use and find valuable in everyday life †¢ Assume you were the inventor/innovator of the product you described, describe some of the considerations and decisions you believe were made at each step of the Six Step Developmental Process. †¢In a presentation, show and demonstrate the product you have chosen and describe some of the elements of the Six Step Developmental Process you believe were critical in its development. The third of the four lesson plans has as its content the â€Å"Marketing Mix.† The essential questions the students are to acquire answers to and achieve understanding for center around the â€Å"Distribution† component of the Marketing Mix. The DI teaching strategy to be utilized in this lesson is that of â€Å"Problem Based Learning.† As with Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Learning this particular strategy also resonates strongly with me. Again, coming from the business world, I see great value in a Problem Based Learning approach. It is very often how business gets done. Answers to problems must be contemplated, researched, solutions designed, implemented, evaluated †¦process repeated. Taking both DI approaches a step further, I see that merging Sternberg’s theory with Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a way of maximizing the PBL approach. A quick summarization of PBL: Problem-based learning (PBL) is an approach that challenges students to learn through engagement in a real problem. It is a format that simultaneously develops both problem solving strategies and disciplinary knowledge bases and skills by placing students in the active role of problem-solvers confronted with a situation that simulates the kind of problems they are likely to face as future managers in complex organizations. Problem-based learning is student-centered. PBL makes a fundamental shift–from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning. The process is aimed at using the power of authentic problem solving to engage students and enhance their learning and motivation. There are several unique aspects that define the PBL approach: †¢Learning takes place within the contexts of authentic tasks, issues, and problems–that are aligned with real-world concerns. †¢In a PBL course, students and the instructor become co-learners, co-planners, co-producers, and co-evaluators as they design, implement, and continually refine their curricula. †¢The PBL approach is grounded in solid academic research on learning and on  the best practices that promote it. This approach stimulates students to take responsibility for their own learning, since there are few lectures, no structured sequence of assigned readings, and so on. †¢PBL is unique in that it fosters collaboration among students, stresses the development of problem solving skills within the context of professional practice, promotes effective reasoning and self-directed learning, and is aimed at increasing motivation for life-long learning. (Purser) Below is a diagram located from the University of California, Irvine website. I found it succinct and anticipate it to be very helpful as I move forward in the implementation of Problem Based Learning in my classroom. WHAT: HOW? WHY? Student-centered & Experiential Select authentic assignments from the discipline, preferably those that would be relevant and meaningful to student interests. Students are also responsible for locating and evaluating various resources in the field. Relevance is one of the primary student motivators to be a more self-directed learner Inductive Introduce content through the process of problem solving, rather than problem solving after introduction to content. Research indicates that â€Å"deeper† learning takes place when information is introduced within a meaningful context. Builds on/challenges prior learning If the case has some relevance to students, then they are required to call on what they already know or think they know. By focusing on their prior learning, students can test assumptions, prior learning strategies, and facts. The literature suggests that learning takes placewhen there is a conflict between prior learning and new information. Context-specific Choose real or contrived cases and ground the count in the kinds of challenges faced by practitioners in the field. Again, context-specific  information tends to be learned at a deeper level and retained longer. Problems are complex and ambiguous, and require meta-cognition Select actual examples from the â€Å"real life† of the discipline that have no simple answers. Require students to analyze their own problem solving strategies. Requires the ability to use higher order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and creation of new knowledge. Creates cognitive conflict Select cases with information that makes simple solutions difficult: while the solution may address one part of a problem, it may create another problem. Challenges prior learning as noted above. The literature suggests that learning takes place when there is a conflict between prior learning and new information. Collaborative & Interdependent Have students work in small groups in order to address the presented case By collaborating, students see other kinds of problem solving strategies used, they discuss the case using their collective information, and they need to take responsibility for their own learning, as well as their classmates’. (Gallow) †¢What are the four components of the â€Å"Marketing Mix† and which component deals with the delivery of a product to the consumer market? †¢What are the three methods of distribution†? †¢How does the method of distribution a company selects impact availability to the consumer? Teaching Strategies â€Å"Problem Based Learning† Strategy for lesson on the Marketing Mix component of â€Å"Distribution†: †¢Problem/Scenario: In pairs, â€Å"Marketing Partners† will determine the best methodology to â€Å"DISTRIBUTE† the product assigned to their â€Å"Marketing Firm.† †¢Problems to solve/Questions to answer: †¢What distribution channels does the competitor use? †¢Create in table form your competitors names, distribution channels and relative success of the competitor †¢What distribution options are viable for your company? †¢Create in table form a list of all possible distribution channels for your product as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each channel †¢In email form, compose a letter to your Director of Marketing defining the three levels of distribution intensity (Intensive, Exclusive and Selective) and indicate which level you recommend utilizing and explain why. †¢Based on the distribution intensity strategy you selected, create a data base (excel or word using tables) of at least 10 stores that may be a good fit to carry your product. Database should include the prospects: name, address, phone number, email and a short list of products carried. †¢Create a â€Å"Marketing Proposal Presentation† to deliver to your co-workers (class) which outlines your proposed distribution plan. The fourth lesson plan created and to be implemented as part of my new-and-improved DI Classroom of the future will utilize the strategy of Extension Menus. This lesson, as with the previous lesson, will have as its content the â€Å"Marketing Mix.† However, the focus and essential questions will center on the concept of â€Å"Promotion.† I see the significance and benefits of extension menus as many. Among the value points of extension menus is that they can be created to meet student needs using all three of the discussed vehicles: Learning Profiles, Interest and Readiness. In researching and then summarizing Extension Menus I have summarized the key elements in bullet form: Definition of Extension Menu An extension menu is an array of independent learning activities to provide students with choices for extending or enriching the essential curriculum. Purposes of Extension Menus †¢Enrich or extend the essential curriculum †¢Challenge the abilities of highly able students †¢Provide alternative activities that address the differing abilities, interests, or learning styles of students Advantages of Extension Menus †¢Can be written for any curriculum area †¢Provide rigorous and challenging learning activities for highly able students †¢May be tiered to accommodate all levels of instruction in the classroom †¢Can be used to target specific learning activities for an individual student or group of students †¢Allow student choice as well as challenge †¢Encourage the development of independent thinkers †¢Allow the teacher to monitor students’ choices and behaviors to learn more about their interests, abilities and learning styles †¢Promote student use of higher level thinking skills †¢ Promote flexible grouping in the classroom †¢Allow the teacher to be a facilitator Varied Uses of Extension Menus †¢Follow-up activity after a lesson †¢Culminating activity at the end of a unit †¢Anchoring activity (defined by Carol Ann Tomlinson as, â€Å"meaningful work done individually and silently especially when children first begin a class or when they finish assigned work †¢Learning center for enrichment and/or extension of the curriculum †¢Independent activity for students who have compacted out of specific curricular objectives or who have completed their work (Byrdseed, 2009-1012) Below is an Extension Menu I came across in my research. It will serve as a model moving forward. I thought it appropriate to include as an illustration of excellence. Tic-Tac-Toe Menu Collect Facts or ideas which are important to you. (Knowledge) Teach A lesson about your topic to our class. Include as least one visual aid. (Synthesis) Draw A diagram, map or picture of your topic. (Application) Judge Two different viewpoints about an issue. Explain your decision. (Evaluation) Photograph Videotape, or film part of your presentation. (Synthesis) Demonstrate Something to show what you have learned. (Application) Graph Some part of your study to show how many or how few. (Analysis) Create An original poem, dance, picture, song, or story. (Synthesis) Dramatize Something to show what you have learned. (Synthesis) Survey Others to learn their opinions about some fact, idea, or feature of your study. (Analysis) Forecast How your topic will change in the next 10 years. (Synthesis) Build A model or diorama to illustrate what you have learned. (Application) Create An original game using the facts you have learned. (Synthesis) Memorize And recite a quote or a short list of facts about your topic. (Knowledge) Write An editorial for the student newspaper or draw an editorial cartoon. (Evaluation) Compare Two things from your study. Look for ways they are alike and different. (Analysis) (schoolloop.com) For my first crack at Extension Menus I am offering a choice between three options. The projects assume a given level of â€Å"Readiness† as they are culminating exercises. â€Å"Interest† and â€Å"Learning Profiles† are tapped into as the choices offered are through the mediums of graphics (brochure), audio recordings (radio announcement-recorded or recited) or writings (public relations article). Additionally, the exercises also tap in Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory by meeting â€Å"Creative† and â€Å"Practical† components. †¢What are the four components of the â€Å"Marketing Mix† and which component deals with making the public aware of a business’ products or services? †¢What are the various methods of â€Å"Promotion†? †¢How do promotional activities influence consumers? Teaching Strategies Extension Menus for lesson on the Marketing Mix component of â€Å"Promotions†: Following unit lesson regarding the â€Å"Promotions† aspect of the Marketing Mix, students will be provided the opportunity to select one of three extension projects to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject. The basic nature of each assignment will vary to allow students the opportunity to select a methodology in which they are more inclined. The students will create either an artistic, written or verbal/kinesthetic product. †¢Extension Menu Project An entertainment group has just booked a three week engagement at your cities convention hall. Your marketing firm is one of two firms being considered to promote this event. You have been tasked to provide a sample marketing piece to win the job. Choose one of the following methodologies and create a â€Å"Promotional† piece for this event. Details of the event will be distributed. †¢Tri-fold Brochure: Using â€Å"Word† or a similar program, create a tri-fold brochure which pictures the entertainment groups major events and as well as various features of their business. †¢Public Relations Article: Using †Word,† create an article publicizing the coming of the entertainment group to your city and generate a â€Å"buzz† that will draw attendance to the various events. †¢Radio Announcement: Using a recording program, create a radio advertisement announcing the coming of the entertainment group to your city and highlight several of the main events. Also promote your station’s on-site appearance at one of the events. OR Write your radio announcements and perform them live for the class. As the saying goes †¦.†If you’re not moving forward – you’re moving backwards!† The challenge for us in this course, through classroom instruction, discussion, exercises, text readings and research, is to move forward in our instruction by way of transitioning from traditional methods of instruction to differentiated methods. I came into the course skeptical. I exit via this LEP project as encouraged and inspired. We talked about starting small and moving towards the greater goal. With these lesson plans and the tools acquired during class/research the foundation of a start have been laid. Works Cited (n.d.). Retrieved July Wednesday, 2012, from schoolloop.com: http://pps-pajaro-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1303568322190/1312697332954/8516106516570643153.pdf Byrdseed, I. (2009-1012). Byrdseed. Retrieved July Wednesday, 2012, from Offer Choice with Extension Menus: http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/file/view/Extension+Menu+directions+9.1.04.pdf Gallow, D. .. (n.d.). University of California, Irvine. Retrieved July Tuesday, 2012, from Problem-Based Learning Faculty Institute: http://www.pbl.uci.edu/whatispbl.html Grants and Research Office. (n.d.). Retrieved July Monday, 2012, from Applying Research to Practice:

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Continuous Assessments Essay

Continuous Assessment is an on-going process of gathering and interpreting information about students’ learning that you use to make decisions about what to teach, how to teach and how well students have learned. Basic characteristics of Continuous Assessments include the following; * It is an on-going process * It comprises of a variety of assessment methods * It gives timely feedback * Its aligned with curriculum and * Its collaborative with students. Some differences between Continuous Assessments and Formal Assessments Continuous Assessments| Examinations| Ongoing in the classroom throughout the year| Usually at the end of a unit, semester, term, year or cycle| Many different tasks| One exam or few tests per subject| Carried out by the teacher| Can be administered by someone other than the teacher| May be developed by the teacher| May be written by persons other than the classroom teacher| Marked by the teacher| May be marked by persons other than the classroom teacher| Teachers use assessment results to improve teaching| Don’t help teacher to identify learner weakness| Are connected to the syllabus being taught| May not be always be connected to what is taught|. General Advantages of Continuous Assessment * Learners will be assessed using different and appropriate assessment methods and this will provide a more valid assessment of the learner’s performance. * Assessment will now take place in an authentic context i. e. the learner will be assessed in a realistic situation, which is integral to the learning process. * During assessment, there will be immediate feedback into the learning process, thus promoting the formative role of assessment. * Opportunities are provided that would be impossible in a once-off external examination. * A variety of skills can be assessed by internal assessment, which otherwise would not have been considered for assessment purposes. * Assessment is on-going and therefore learners are compelled to work consistently and this will contribute to re-instating the culture of teaching and learning. * The educator who works closely with the learner will now carry out judgment of the learner’s performance. Specific Advantages of Continuous Assessment to the Learners * Monitor student progress * Develop study behaviour * Identify misconceptions * Motivate improvement Have realistic expectations. Specific Advantages of Continuous Assessment to the Parents * Involve in monitoring child’s progress * Understand student’s strengths and weaknesses * Strengthen learning partnership with school Seek assistance for their child Specific Advantages of Continuous Assessment to the Teachers * Evaluate effectiveness of their lessons * Modify teaching strategies * Improve judgments about what students have learned for final grades Evaluate effectiveness of programs How is Continuous Assessment Used? Continuous Assessment is usually used for the following Formative purposes; * Diagnosis: identify skills that students can do. * Diagnosis: identify errors that a student is making * Help decide how to change the lesson / unit plans * Provide students with practice * Help decide where to begin teaching * Modify students’ behaviour Continuous Assessment is usually used for the following Summative purposes; * Grading and promotion * Assigning final grades * Selection of students for programs * Provide superiors with data * Give awards (formally or informally) for work well done / effort made * Student classification Some Concerns of Teachers * Continuous Assessments is time consuming and requires a great deal of preparation and record keeping * A few students do not do well on projects during the term, but do well on final examinations; the zero on projects brings down their final grade * Some students are de-motivated when they do not see the rate of progress they anticipate * Lack of trust that the assessment tasks, such as projects and home work assignments that are not done under good supervision are the students’ own work *. Students seem overwhelmed with so many school-based continuous assessments that count towards their final grades, if every subject gives a project or a term paper, that’s a lot of work * The marks from continuous assessment are inconsistent across teachers Some Examples of Alternative Assessments * unseen written examinations * Seen written examinations * portfolio development * essays * projects * strategic or business plans * fieldwork * literature searches * journal article analysis/critiquing * oral presentations * dissertations * book, article, multi-media material reviews * laboratory reports * case studies * group/team work * audio/video tape production.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

American Temperance Society

* Formation of the American Temperance Society marked the beginning of the first formal national temperance movement in the US. * The Temperance Movement was an organized effort during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to limit or outlaw the consumption and production of alcoholic beverages in the United States. By the mid 1830s, more than 200,000 people belonged to this organization. The American Temperance Society published tracts and hired speakers to depict the negative effects of alcohol upon people. Lyman Beecher was a prominent theologian, educator and reformer in the years before the American Civil War. * Lyman Beecher was a prominent theologian, educator and reformer in the years before the American Civil War. Beecher was born in 1775, in New Haven, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale College in 1797 and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1799. He became a minister in Long Island, New York. In 1810, he accepted a position as minister in Litchfield, Connecticut. He became well known for his fiery sermons against intemperance and slavery. In 1826, he resigned his position in Litchfield and accepted a new one in Boston, Massachusetts. By this point, his reputation had spread across the United States. The church in Boston had more money to pay a minister of his standing. It also had a much larger congregation. In 1830, Beecher’s church caught fire. A merchant who rented some rooms in the church stored whiskey in the basement. The whiskey somehow ignited. Beecher took this as a personal affront considering the sermons he delivered in the church’s sanctuary against the evils of liquor. Neal Dow, temperance reformer, born in Portland, Maine, 20 March 1804. He is of Quaker parentage, attended the Friends’ academy in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and was trained in mercantile and manufacturing pursuits. He was chief engineer of the Portland fire department in 1839, and in 1851 and again in 1854 was elected mayor of the City. He became the champion of the project for the prohibition of the liquor traffic, which was first advocated y James Appleton in his report to the Maine legislature in 1837, and in various speeches while a member of that body. * Through Mr. Dow’s efforts, while he was mayor, the Maine liquor law, prohibiting under severe penalties the sale of intoxicating beverages, was passed in 1851. After drafting the bill, which he called â€Å"A bill for the suppression of drinking houses and tippling shops,† he submitted it to the principal friends of temperance in the City, but they all objected to its radical character, as certain to insure its defeat. It provided for the search of places where it was suspected that liquors intended for sale were kept, for the seizure, condemnation, and confiscation of such liquors, if found; and for the punishment of the persons keeping them by fine and imprisonment. Maine Law of 1851, The law was forced into existence by the mayor of Portland, Neal S. Dow. Its passage prohibited the sale of alcohol except for medical or manufacturing purposes. By 1855, there were 12 states in the U. S who joined Maine in what became known as the â€Å"dry† states. And the states which allowed alcohol were dubbed â€Å"wet† states. – The act was very unpopular among many working class people and many immigrants. That is when opposition to the law turned deadly by June 2, 1855 in Portland, Maine. It was rumored that Neal S. Dow was keeping a vast supply of alcohol within the city while denying it to the citizens of Portland. He was then called the â€Å"Napoleon of Temperance,† and to others, an unadulterated hypocrite. The alcohol which was allowed into Portland was supposed to be used for medicinal and mechanical reasons were valued at about $1,600. It was distributed to doctors and pharmacists as authorized by the Maine law. – The Irish immigrant population of Portland, Maine was vocal critics of the Maine Law. They saw it as a thinly disguised attack on their culture based on stereotypes. The Irish community already distrusted Neal S. Dow. The Maine law that Dow sponsored had a mechanism whereby any three voters could apply for a search warrant based on suspicion of someone illegally selling liquor. † The Father of American Education†,† Horace Mann, was born in Franklin, Massachusetts, in 1796. Mann’s schooling consisted only of brief and erratic periods of eight to ten weeks a year. Mann educated himself by reading ponderous volumes from the Franklin Town Library. This self education, combined with the fruits of a brief period of study with an intinerant school master, was sufficient to gain him admission to the sophomore class of Brown University in 1816†³ (4, Cremin). He went on to study law at Litchfield Law School and finally received admission to the bar in 1823 (15, Filler). In the year 1827 Mann won a seat in the state legislature and in 1833 ran for State Senate and won. Horace Mann felt that a common school would be the â€Å"great equalizer. † Poverty would most assuredly disappear as a broadened popular intelligence tapped new treasures of natural and material wealth. He felt that through education crime would decline sharply as would a host of moral vices like violence and fraud. In sum, there was no end to the social good which might be derived from a common school -In 1848 Mann resigned as Secretary of Education and went on to the U. S. House of Representatives and then took the post of President of Antioch College in 1852. He stayed at the college until his death in August 27, 1859. Two months before that he had given his own valedictory in a final address to the graduating class; † I beseech you to treasure up in your hearts these my parting words: Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for Humanity† (27, Cremin). – Mann had won his victory as the public school soon stood as one of the characteristic features of American life – A â€Å"wellspring† of freedom and a â€Å"ladder of opportunity† for millions. William McGuffey, U. S. educator remembered chiefly for his series of elementary readers. McGuffey taught in the Ohio frontier schools and then at Miami University (1826 – 36). His elementary school series, starting with The Eclectic First Reader, was published between 1836 and 1857. Collections of didactic tales, aphorisms, and excerpts from great books, the readers reflect McGuffey’s view that the proper education of young people required their introduction to a wide variety of topics and practical matters. They became standard texts in nearly all states for the next 50 years and sold more than 125 million copies. In these years McGuffey also served as president of Cincinnati College (1836 – 39) and of Ohio University, Athens (1839 – 43). He was a founder of the common school system of Ohio. In 1845 he was elected to the chair of mental and moral philosophy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, a position he held until his death. Noah Webster published his first dictionary of the English language in 1806, and in 1828 published the first edition of his An American Dictionary of the English Language. The work came out in 1828 in two volumes. It contained 12,000 words and from 30,000 to 40,000 definitions that had not appeared in any earlier dictionary. In 1840 the second edition, corrected and enlarged, came out, in two volumes. He completed the revision of an appendix a few days before his death, which occurred in New Haven on the 28th of May 1843. * Webster changed the spelling of many words in his dictionaries in an attempt to make them more phonetic. Many of the differences between American English and other English variants evident today originated this way. The modern convention of having only one acceptable and correct spelling for a word is due mostly to the efforts of Webster, in standardizing spelling. Prior to this, the popular sentiment toward spelling might have best been summed up by Benjamin Franklin who said that he â€Å"had no use for a man with but one spelling for a word. † * produced his own modern English translation of the Bible in 1833. Though an excellent and highly accurate translation, Webster’s Bible was not widely accepted, due to the continued popularity of the ancient King James version. It was, however, was the most significant English language translation of the scriptures to be done since the King James version of more than 200 years earlier. Mary Lyon, American educator, founder of Mt. Holyoke College, b. Buckland, Mass. She attended three academies in Massachusetts; later she taught at Ashfield, Mass. , Londonderry, N. H. , and Ipswich, Mass. Interested in promoting the higher education of women, she won the aid of several influential men and succeeded (1837) in establishing Mt.  Holyoke Female Seminary (later Mt. Holyoke College) at South Hadley, Mass. She served as principal for 12 years, directing the development of a well-rounded college program and emphasizing the principle of service to others. Emma Willard, Educator. Born Emma Hart on February 23, 1787, in Berlin, Connecticut. Emma Willard is remembered for her trailblazing efforts on behalf of women’s education. Raised by a father who, while a farmer, encouraged her to read and think for herself, she attended a local academy rom 1802 to 1804 and then began teaching. – In 1807 Emma Willard went to Middlebury, Vermont to head a female academy there. Two years later she married a local doctor named John Willard. She opened her own school, the Middlebury Female Seminary, in 1814 to provide advanced education that young women were denied by colleges. Her Address†¦ Proposing a Plan for Improving Female Education (1819) was a much admired and influential proposal to get public support for advanced education for young women. Emma Willard moved to Troy, New York, in 1821, where she opened the Troy Female Seminary. (It was renamed the Emma Willard School in 1895. ) With both boarding and day students, in some respects it was the first U. S. institution of serious learning for young women, though even it recognized that most of its graduates would be housewives, not professionals, and most of its students came from families of means. The school actually made a profit, and she also earned money from the textbooks she wrote. American Temperance Society * Formation of the American Temperance Society marked the beginning of the first formal national temperance movement in the US. * The Temperance Movement was an organized effort during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to limit or outlaw the consumption and production of alcoholic beverages in the United States. By the mid 1830s, more than 200,000 people belonged to this organization. The American Temperance Society published tracts and hired speakers to depict the negative effects of alcohol upon people. Lyman Beecher was a prominent theologian, educator and reformer in the years before the American Civil War. * Lyman Beecher was a prominent theologian, educator and reformer in the years before the American Civil War. Beecher was born in 1775, in New Haven, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale College in 1797 and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1799. He became a minister in Long Island, New York. In 1810, he accepted a position as minister in Litchfield, Connecticut. He became well known for his fiery sermons against intemperance and slavery. In 1826, he resigned his position in Litchfield and accepted a new one in Boston, Massachusetts. By this point, his reputation had spread across the United States. The church in Boston had more money to pay a minister of his standing. It also had a much larger congregation. In 1830, Beecher’s church caught fire. A merchant who rented some rooms in the church stored whiskey in the basement. The whiskey somehow ignited. Beecher took this as a personal affront considering the sermons he delivered in the church’s sanctuary against the evils of liquor. Neal Dow, temperance reformer, born in Portland, Maine, 20 March 1804. He is of Quaker parentage, attended the Friends’ academy in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and was trained in mercantile and manufacturing pursuits. He was chief engineer of the Portland fire department in 1839, and in 1851 and again in 1854 was elected mayor of the City. He became the champion of the project for the prohibition of the liquor traffic, which was first advocated y James Appleton in his report to the Maine legislature in 1837, and in various speeches while a member of that body. * Through Mr. Dow’s efforts, while he was mayor, the Maine liquor law, prohibiting under severe penalties the sale of intoxicating beverages, was passed in 1851. After drafting the bill, which he called â€Å"A bill for the suppression of drinking houses and tippling shops,† he submitted it to the principal friends of temperance in the City, but they all objected to its radical character, as certain to insure its defeat. It provided for the search of places where it was suspected that liquors intended for sale were kept, for the seizure, condemnation, and confiscation of such liquors, if found; and for the punishment of the persons keeping them by fine and imprisonment. Maine Law of 1851, The law was forced into existence by the mayor of Portland, Neal S. Dow. Its passage prohibited the sale of alcohol except for medical or manufacturing purposes. By 1855, there were 12 states in the U. S who joined Maine in what became known as the â€Å"dry† states. And the states which allowed alcohol were dubbed â€Å"wet† states. – The act was very unpopular among many working class people and many immigrants. That is when opposition to the law turned deadly by June 2, 1855 in Portland, Maine. It was rumored that Neal S. Dow was keeping a vast supply of alcohol within the city while denying it to the citizens of Portland. He was then called the â€Å"Napoleon of Temperance,† and to others, an unadulterated hypocrite. The alcohol which was allowed into Portland was supposed to be used for medicinal and mechanical reasons were valued at about $1,600. It was distributed to doctors and pharmacists as authorized by the Maine law. – The Irish immigrant population of Portland, Maine was vocal critics of the Maine Law. They saw it as a thinly disguised attack on their culture based on stereotypes. The Irish community already distrusted Neal S. Dow. The Maine law that Dow sponsored had a mechanism whereby any three voters could apply for a search warrant based on suspicion of someone illegally selling liquor. † The Father of American Education†,† Horace Mann, was born in Franklin, Massachusetts, in 1796. Mann’s schooling consisted only of brief and erratic periods of eight to ten weeks a year. Mann educated himself by reading ponderous volumes from the Franklin Town Library. This self education, combined with the fruits of a brief period of study with an intinerant school master, was sufficient to gain him admission to the sophomore class of Brown University in 1816†³ (4, Cremin). He went on to study law at Litchfield Law School and finally received admission to the bar in 1823 (15, Filler). In the year 1827 Mann won a seat in the state legislature and in 1833 ran for State Senate and won. Horace Mann felt that a common school would be the â€Å"great equalizer. † Poverty would most assuredly disappear as a broadened popular intelligence tapped new treasures of natural and material wealth. He felt that through education crime would decline sharply as would a host of moral vices like violence and fraud. In sum, there was no end to the social good which might be derived from a common school -In 1848 Mann resigned as Secretary of Education and went on to the U. S. House of Representatives and then took the post of President of Antioch College in 1852. He stayed at the college until his death in August 27, 1859. Two months before that he had given his own valedictory in a final address to the graduating class; † I beseech you to treasure up in your hearts these my parting words: Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for Humanity† (27, Cremin). – Mann had won his victory as the public school soon stood as one of the characteristic features of American life – A â€Å"wellspring† of freedom and a â€Å"ladder of opportunity† for millions. William McGuffey, U. S. educator remembered chiefly for his series of elementary readers. McGuffey taught in the Ohio frontier schools and then at Miami University (1826 – 36). His elementary school series, starting with The Eclectic First Reader, was published between 1836 and 1857. Collections of didactic tales, aphorisms, and excerpts from great books, the readers reflect McGuffey’s view that the proper education of young people required their introduction to a wide variety of topics and practical matters. They became standard texts in nearly all states for the next 50 years and sold more than 125 million copies. In these years McGuffey also served as president of Cincinnati College (1836 – 39) and of Ohio University, Athens (1839 – 43). He was a founder of the common school system of Ohio. In 1845 he was elected to the chair of mental and moral philosophy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, a position he held until his death. Noah Webster published his first dictionary of the English language in 1806, and in 1828 published the first edition of his An American Dictionary of the English Language. The work came out in 1828 in two volumes. It contained 12,000 words and from 30,000 to 40,000 definitions that had not appeared in any earlier dictionary. In 1840 the second edition, corrected and enlarged, came out, in two volumes. He completed the revision of an appendix a few days before his death, which occurred in New Haven on the 28th of May 1843. * Webster changed the spelling of many words in his dictionaries in an attempt to make them more phonetic. Many of the differences between American English and other English variants evident today originated this way. The modern convention of having only one acceptable and correct spelling for a word is due mostly to the efforts of Webster, in standardizing spelling. Prior to this, the popular sentiment toward spelling might have best been summed up by Benjamin Franklin who said that he â€Å"had no use for a man with but one spelling for a word. † * produced his own modern English translation of the Bible in 1833. Though an excellent and highly accurate translation, Webster’s Bible was not widely accepted, due to the continued popularity of the ancient King James version. It was, however, was the most significant English language translation of the scriptures to be done since the King James version of more than 200 years earlier. Mary Lyon, American educator, founder of Mt. Holyoke College, b. Buckland, Mass. She attended three academies in Massachusetts; later she taught at Ashfield, Mass. , Londonderry, N. H. , and Ipswich, Mass. Interested in promoting the higher education of women, she won the aid of several influential men and succeeded (1837) in establishing Mt.  Holyoke Female Seminary (later Mt. Holyoke College) at South Hadley, Mass. She served as principal for 12 years, directing the development of a well-rounded college program and emphasizing the principle of service to others. Emma Willard, Educator. Born Emma Hart on February 23, 1787, in Berlin, Connecticut. Emma Willard is remembered for her trailblazing efforts on behalf of women’s education. Raised by a father who, while a farmer, encouraged her to read and think for herself, she attended a local academy rom 1802 to 1804 and then began teaching. – In 1807 Emma Willard went to Middlebury, Vermont to head a female academy there. Two years later she married a local doctor named John Willard. She opened her own school, the Middlebury Female Seminary, in 1814 to provide advanced education that young women were denied by colleges. Her Address†¦ Proposing a Plan for Improving Female Education (1819) was a much admired and influential proposal to get public support for advanced education for young women. Emma Willard moved to Troy, New York, in 1821, where she opened the Troy Female Seminary. (It was renamed the Emma Willard School in 1895. ) With both boarding and day students, in some respects it was the first U. S. institution of serious learning for young women, though even it recognized that most of its graduates would be housewives, not professionals, and most of its students came from families of means. The school actually made a profit, and she also earned money from the textbooks she wrote.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Ryanair airline Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ryanair airline - Case Study Example Yet it raises opportunities for the low-fare carrier segment, such as Ryanair that is a rising star in the skies of Europe, having been performing well post 9/11. The aim of this report is to analyse the overall performance of Ryanair in the fast-changing environment, and then few recommendations will be provided. Conclusions will be drawn at the end of this report. Irish-owned Ryanair, founded in 1985, began to introduce a low cost operating model in the early 1990s. The company primarily serves short-haul, point-to-point routes that target business commuters and leisure travellers by offering low, multi-tier fare pricing and sngle-classs air transportation. Having overtaken EasyJet, Ryanair is now the largest low-cost carrier in Europe In January 2000. (Doganis, 2001) The company offers approximately 475 scheduled flights per day serving 84 locations in 14 EU countries. The worldwide commercial aviation has suffered from terrorist attacks of 9/11. The tragedy dramatically decreases the number of passengers and pushed Airline industry facing deterioration in their financial positions. Similarly, impact of SARS and Iraq War reduce willingness of people to travel outside their countries. Since 1997, the Euro... For example, any airlines holding a valid Air Operators Certificate in the EU have right to operate on any route within the European Union, including flights wholly operating within another country. On May 1st 2004, ten new members joined the EU as part of EU enlargement. The era of single European sky related to Open-Sky Treaty, allowing point-to-point service between any EU countries is approaching and airline companies will benefit from consolidation; on the other hand, they will have to confront fiercer competitions against each other. (Loddenberg, 2004) The price-sensitivity for routes to and within accession countries is naturally suited to low cost airlines. The average Ryanair fare in 2003/4 was 40 and the expectation is a 38 average fare in 2004/5. The net margin fell from 28% in 2002/3 to 21% in 2003/4 and is predicted to fall to 18% in 2004/5. The net margin has thus fallen by 10 points in two years. While the margin exceeds the industry average, it may come under pressure from factors such as further falls in yields and the lack of scope for more reductions in an already low cost base. Economic factors Economic recession Overall, the world's economy is slowdown, which affects European economy as well. People are reluctant to spend money in leisure activities. Currency fluctuation In related to companies' operating costs, currency fluctuation affects those companies' revenues that are not in US dollars. Weakness in US dollars enables fuel cost reduction. Social and cultural factors Population intensity High level of population density in the EU region (six times larger than the USA) is likely to stimulate the growth of short-haul point-to-point routes within Europe, which provides major opportunities for low-cost

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Vikings Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Vikings - Assignment Example historians reached Polynesia in the 16th century, the ability of Polynesians to carry out distant voyages had already been lost and they had been widely isolated on scattered islands. This, coupled with the lack of literate persons to record their history, led to little being known about their culture and expansion (Hadley 19). This led to the eventual decline of both groups. The main reasons for exploration were trade and colonization. The case is the same with the Vikings, but, a bit more is known about their expansion since they are said to have explored places such as North Africa, North Atlantic, Middle East, and Russia, mostly raiding, pillaging and engaging in trade. Vikings built very sophisticated ships for various uses, mainly raiding and trading, and their ship craftsmanship was superb. The Polynesians mostly relied on outrigger canoe construction techniques to build their vessels and had navigators at various islands. Trade was more developed among the Vikings compared to the Polynesians (Hadley 33). Both cultures were non-literate and had no literary

The effect of advertisement on consumer behaviour Research Paper

The effect of advertisement on consumer behaviour - Research Paper Example Literature Review The review of literature of the effects of consumer behavior on advertisements have been done with the review of the several factors that guides the consumer behavior and the influence of advertisements in catalyzing those factor that stimulate consumer behavior and decision making for purchase of products and services. The aspect of consumer behavior encompasses the response of the customers from the point of viewing the product to the point of making decision for purchasing it and then going beyond to value the experience after purchase to decide on the acceptability of the product in the long term. The decision making aspect is the most important part of consumer behavior which is influenced by the advertisers through their attempt for promotion of the product and service in the market (Hutt and  Speh 67). The first step that the consumers go through after seeing the product and the service is the recognition of need of the product for use in future. Once the c onsumer has recognized the need of the product, it is considered by them for the purpose of evaluation. In this stage the consumer studies the various options available and the substitutes of the product in the market. In order to judge the aspect of the value for money, the consumer behavior takes into account the relative cost and benefits of the purchase. By comparing the competitor products and the substitutes, the consumers decide to purchase the product based on the several characteristic features which are unique to different age groups of the consumers. These features of the products that influence the consumer behavior and the decision making for purchase are the quality, price, durability, guarantee, discounts, post-sale service... This "The effect of advertisement on consumer behavior" essay outlines how advertisements have influenced the consumer behavior of the young population of Qatar. The consumer behavior of the age group of 18-26 years in Qatar and the effects of advertisements on the consumer behavior of the said age group has been analyzed as follows. Qatar has attracted international investments in the various sectors of the economy and the top retail chains in Qatar have identified this opportunity to set up establishments and expand their business in Qatar. The big names that have tapped the potential consumer demands in Qatar are Carrefour, Marks and Spencer, etc. In this highly competitive market, advertisements by these companies have played a crucial role in influencing the consumer behavior in Qatar. The analysis of the consumers of Qatar in the age group of 18-26 years reveal that this target customer segment is young and energetic which follows the latest changes in the technological advance ments and is aware of the value for money spent for purchase of products. The analysis of the sample questionnaires reveal that the consumers of the age group of 18-26 years in Qatar closely follow the advertisements of the products that they use. These consumers in the Qatari market prefer to socialize with the products by identifying as the best possible option that would satisfy their needs. These consumers are updated with the happenings of the market and even follow the advertisements of the products that they do not use (Kozami 94).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Technology Sector Privite Equity and a New Speculative Bubble Term Paper - 1

Technology Sector Privite Equity and a New Speculative Bubble - Term Paper Example According to US securities law, a private company is not permitted to have more than 500 individual investors without making its financial information public. Being a private company, Facebook is not required by the SEC to share financial information with investors at this time. In this paper, we will take a look at the history and features of speculative bubbles including the technology bubble of the late nineties (dot com bust) in an attempt to use economic data to analyze today’s environment to detect the presence of a bubble and its potential impacts. Speculative bubbles have long fascinated and puzzled economists across many time periods. From the original Tulip Mania of the 1630’s to the Dot- Com bubble of the late nineties, these phenomena have kept economists on their toes for centuries, in trying to pin down substantive causative agents that are responsible for the swift increase in the market values of particular assets. Till today, experts have been unable to chalk down exact reasons for the emergence of such bubbles as they can rise up even in the most predictable markets; where the market participants can very accurately calculate the intrinsic value of the assets and where speculation plays no part in the actual valuation process. What is the origin of bubbles? Simply put, speculative bubbles are caused by â€Å"precipitating factors† that have the ability to bring about a change in the public’s perception about the value of an asset and about the future prospects of that asset, which can have an im mediate impact on demand (Shiller , 2000) One of the most famous economists of all time, John Maynard Keynes pointed out in his book â€Å"The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money†, that abrupt and immediate stock price changes have their roots in the â€Å"collective crowd behavior† of the various market agents more than anything else and that in almost all such scenarios, these rises in prices have

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Case Problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Problem - Assignment Example Laws include the Federal Lanham Act, the State laws in the form of consumer protection laws, and the case laws acting as a precedent. C. It will be unconstitutional to ban the advertisement. The justification may be that though the present law grants the government power to regulate advertisement under certain conditions as per Central Hudson v. Public Service Commission and Board of Trustees of the State University of New York v. Fox, , the conditions remain unfulfilled. In the present case the question is whether the government will have the power to regulate liquor advertising in the state of Washington. The conditions which will allow the government to do so would be presence of substantial state interest, which is actually there in the present case in the form of a need to stop under aged drinking. The second condition is whether the regulation directly advances the interest, which it doesn’t as there’s no proof that banning advertisement will stop under aged drink ing particularly. The third condition is that the regulation is not unreasonably extensive than what is necessary, which it is, as there is no evidence that it will stop underage drinking in particular and will surely affect the liquor business. Case problem-2 The sales representative is not correct in her assertion, as it is material whether the commercial speech is true or false. The reason is that commercial speech is not protected under, any law, if it’s false and misleading, as in the present case. Certain statutes and Federal Trade Commission Rules prohibit it, in addition to the case laws which act as a precedent to support the cause. If the national company is taken as a competitor to my present online business, civil suit can be brought against the company for publishing false or misleading description of its goods. In addition to the Lanham Act, the state consumer protection laws also protect the consumers against false and misleading advertisements given by a busin ess. Finally, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also prohibits it. The FTC can invoke its powers, with regard to false and misleading advertisement, if the communication is an advertisement, the advertisement affects interstate commerce and the advertisement is false or deceptive. In addition to the remedies offered by the courts under the Lanham and consumer protection laws in the form of injunction and fines, the FTC has its own set of remedies to take care of the issue. The FTC publishes specific guidelines for advertising in an entire industry. The FTC has voluntary compliance remedy, which will seek a voluntary agreement from the advertiser to terminate a campaign and to repeat the same, without any sort of determination. Moreover, the FTC can make consent agreements with the advertisers, issue a litigated order in case the advertiser refuses to sign the consent order, force the advertiser to prove the claims made in an advertisement by Substantiation and move to court for an order of injunction. Case Problem-3 The consumer organization is correct in its assertion, as the conditions laid down by FTC for an ad to be taken as false and deceptive are fulfilled. In the present case there is a representation which will mislead the consumer. The exercise club states that clients of the club lose 30 to 50 pounds in two months, yet, they didn’t make their claim based on substantial evidence. When they

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Culture Study Coursework

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Culture Study - Coursework Example It is still regularly in the news bulletins as different schools and their systems all over the United States have either banned it or restored it in their teaching spaces. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has for a long time been perceived as Mark Twain’s masterwork and a classic American literature and was the first critical American work that departed from European literary models. The book utilized borderline humor, vernacular speech as well as an uneducated young narrator in the portrayal of life in America. Even though the novel was initially plainly condemned as being inappropriate for the well-mannered readers, it ultimately found an outstanding place in the canon of American literature. The book is recognized for its intriguing description of people and places that are located along the Mississippi River. The Book is set in the Southern antebellum society which had stopped existing almost twenty years prior to the publication of the work and is often a sarcastic acc ount of ingrained attitudes especially racism. The book had been criticized when it was released as it contained coarse language and its contentiousness increased in the twentieth century because of its apparent use of racial typecasts as well as its frequent usage of racial slur regardless of the tenor of the book being considered anti-racist. Continually popular with the readers, the book has also remained a focus of study by numerous literary critics since it was published. The book dwells on ideas of associated with race and identity which are obvious complexities that exist in regard to Jim’s character (Stecopoulos and Uebel 366). Even though it can be concluded that Jim is good at heart, ethical and unintelligent, the novel has continued to be perceived as racist based on the use of the word â€Å"nigger†.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

In Civil Peace, How Does War Affect Society Essay Example for Free

In Civil Peace, How Does War Affect Society Essay In human history, especially in the ninetieth century and the twentieth century, there were many civil wars in different countries because of political, economic, religious, ethnic, and cultural conflicts, for example, the American Civil War between the United States and several southern slaves states from 1861 to 1865; the Korean Civil War between the Republic of Korea and Democratic people Republic of Korea from 1950 to 1953; the Chinese Civil War between the Republic of China and the Communist Party of China from 1927 to 1950, and the Nigeria Civil War between the Hausas Party and the Igbo Party from 1967 to 1970. Civil wars cause serious poverty and starvation for the people, kill tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and bring tragedies to many families. For instance, in the Korean Civil war, more than one million soldiers and civilians were killed, including over 40,000 American soldiers, 511,493 South Korean soldiers and civilians, about 400,000 North Koreans, and over 148,000 Chinese soldiers. Therefore, civil wars affect societies severely. In â€Å"Civil Peace†, the war causes terrible casualties of civilians and soldiers, results in fearful society instability, and destroys tremendous infrastructures and houses. In human history, especially in the ninetieth century and the twentieth century, there were many civil wars in different countries because of political, economic, religious, ethnic, and cultural conflicts, for example, the American Civil War between the United States and several southern slaves states from 1861 to 1865;[1] the Korean Civil War between the Republic of Korea and Democratic people Republic of Korea from 1950 to 1953;[2] the Chinese Civil War between the Republic of China and the Communist Party of China from 1927 to 1950, and the Nigeria Civil War between the Hausas Party and the Igbo Party from 1967 to 1970. 3] Civil wars cause serious poverty and starvation for the people, kill tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and bring tragedies to many families. For instance, in the Korean Civil war, more than one million soldiers and civilians were killed, including over 40,000 American soldiers, 511,493 South Korean soldiers and civilians, about 400,000 North Koreans, and over 148,000 Chinese soldiers. [4] Therefore, civil wars affect societies severely. In â€Å"Civil Peace†, the war causes terrible casualties of civilians and soldiers, results in fearful society instability, and destroys tremendous infrastructures and houses. First, most Nigerian civilians live in hunger and malnutrition, but more miserably, tens of thousands soldiers and civilians are killed during the devastating civil war. It is estimated that about 180,000 soldiers and civilians were battle deaths and non-battle deaths. [5] Contrary to Jonathan’s luckiness, such as â€Å"He had come out of war with five inestimable blessing-his head, his wife Maria’s head and the heads of three out of their four children†(Achebe 20), many parents lost all of their children and many other children lost their parents. They all live in extreme grief and sorrow of losing their family members. Furthermore, those children whose parents are dead can hardly survive in the extreme postwar poverty. A lot of people suffer life poverty and spiritual grief. Most important, civil war brings tragedies to many families. These tragedies will affect survivors forever. Secondly, civil war not only results in lots of corporations being closed down and many employees being unemployed, but also brings social instability. For example, most of Jonathan’s fellow ex-miners cannot find jobs. They cook meals that they scrounge together in Bournvita tins. Moreover, because a large number civilian population lacks food and money and they are always in starvation; some civilians are forced to make a living through robbery. These robbers bring people serious fear and pain. In â€Å"Civil Peace†, after Jonathan brings his ex-gratia award back home, a gang of robbers comes and threatens that they will break into the house at night if he doesn’t give them one hundred pounds. â€Å"Jonathan and his family were now completely paralyzed by terror. Maria and the children sobbed inaudibly like lost souls. Jonathan groaned continuously† (Achebe 23). At last, the thieves rob Jonathan twenty pounds. Therefore, the Civil War causes serious social instability and brings civilians more sorrows. Thirdly, in addition to life hardships and spiritual grieves, tremendous infrastructures and houses are destroyed in the war. Many people become destitute and homeless. For example, when Jonathan comes back Enugu, he is astonished to find that â€Å"Only two houses away a huge concrete edifice some wealthy contractor had put up just before the war was a mountain of rubble† (Achebe 22). Some ex-miners are sleeping out of the offices because their houses are ruined in civil war. It is well known that roads, bridges, railways, and rban water and electricity facilities are always heavily destroyed during wars. Civilians suffer starvations during the days and endure cold during the nights because their houses are damaged. Indeed, it is inconceivable how tough conditions people live in during the war. Jonathan is an extra-ordinarily lucky man, but most civilians’ lives are tragic. Without food, houses, money, families and jobs, many people almost collapse into near-madness. Therefore, civil war results in numerous houses and infrastructures ruined. In addition, civil war will severely block postwar national economic development. The governments need to invest lots of money to rebuild ruined national infrastructures. â€Å"Nothing puzzles God† says Jonathan (Achebe 25), but civil wars puzzle everyone. Most Nigeria civilians undergo poverty, homelessness, cold and sadness. Civil wars not only bring extreme poverty and starvation, but also cause severe casualties of soldiers and civilians. Moreover, numerous houses and facilities are terribly ruined. In addition, a lot of factories and corporations are forced to close down. Above all, the civil war contributes to severe social instability, brings families tragedies, and causes people deep sorrows.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Supporting It Infrastructure In Cimb Bank Information Technology Essay

Supporting It Infrastructure In Cimb Bank Information Technology Essay The Strategic Role of Information Systems and Supporting IT Infrastructure in CIMB Bank Berhad on the future direction to implementation of cloud computing in your organisation. The main purpose of this report is to add detail to the findings and recommendations of cloud computing which was being analysed in all aspects. We hope that our recommendations will be helpful as you consider the implementation of cloud computing to your organisation which would be cost savings whereby no additional infrastructure will be used and cloud computing also helps to save the environment by contributing to green computing. We look forward to discussing this report with you. Thank you. Yours sincerely TJ Consultant EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Cloud computing is a new way of delivering computing resources, not a new technology.  [1]   The CIMB Bank Cloud Computing Strategic Direction Paper describes the whole of MSF Sales Force policy position on cloud computing. The strategy will states that the MSF Sales Division can choose a cloud-based service if it show clearly and deliberately value for money, fitness for purpose and are adequately secure; provides guidance for MSF Sales Force on what cloud computing is; and some of the issues and benefits of cloud computing that MSF Sales Force need to be aware of. Our investigation focused on three areas such as IT infrastructure and related problems, business processes and Environmental issues. Result of our analysis has lead to several recommendations. The paper recognises that the public cloud is still undergoing a gradual change, particularly in areas such as security and privacy. These issues need to be adequately resolved before critical MSF Sales Division can be transitioned to the cloud. As a result, the paper outlines three streams of work: Stream One provides the sales division with guidance and documentation. Stream Two encourages sales division to adopt public cloud services for public facing unclassified government services and to undertake proof of concept studies to fully understand the risks of the cloud environment. Stream Three encourages a strategic approach to cloud. This work is dependent upon greater clarity around projects commissioned under the Data Centre Strategy. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Page 1. Introduction 6 2. IT infrastructure and ecosystem 8 2.1 Data management storage 8 2.2 Consultant and System Integration 8 2.2 Network Telecommunication 8 2.4 Software Application 8 2.5 Operating System Platform 8 2.6 Computer/Hardware 8 2.7 Intranet Platform 8 2.8 Issues and Challenges 9 3. Cloud Computing and its business benefits and costs 10 3.1 10 3.2 10 3.3 10 3.4 10 3.5 10 3.6 11 3.7 11 3.8 11 4. Recommendations of Cloud Computing Adoption 13 4.1 Market demand for CIMB / MSF services 14 4.2 CIIMB / MSF Business Strategy 14 4.3 CIMB / MSF Information Technology (IT) strategy, infrastructure cost 14 4.4 Information Technology Assessment 14 4.5 Competitor firm services 14 4.6 Competitor firm IT infrastructure investments 14 4.7 14 4.8 14 4.9 14 5. Conclusions 14 5.1 Summary of key findings 14 5.2 Recommendations 14 5.3 Limitation of studies 15 LIST OF REFERENCES 16 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Journal 18 Appendix 2 Cost and Benefits 20 Appendix 3 21 Appendix 4 22 Appendix 5 23 1. INTRODUCTION CIMB Group is the leading Asean Universal banking franchise, offering full range of financial products and services covering consumer banking, corporate and investment banking, Islamic banking, assets management, wealth management, insurance and Takaful and private banking. However, we are writing report based on one of CIMB Bank sales division known as Mobile Sales Force. Mobile Sales Force or more known as MSF is the largest sales channel in CIMB Bank. Comprising more than 2,000 staffs, promoting and distributing CIMB Bank key products such as mortgage loan for private and corporate, personal loan for government sector, hire purchase and credit cards. MSF was established backed in 2006 with the vision to be the best-in-class sales organization with a passion for exceeding expectation. Prior approval and consent from MSF head of department had been obtained in conducting this research. CIMB Group Profile CIMB Group is ASEANs leading universal banking franchise. We offer a full range of financial products and services covering consumer banking, corporate and investment banking, Islamic banking, asset management, wealth management, insurance and takaful, and private banking. With over 37,000 employees, CIMB Group reaches 81% of the ASEAN population, representing 89% of the regions gross domestic product. Our retail network of over 1,000 branches is the widest in the region. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, CIMB Groups main markets are Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia. Our presence in 13 countries covers ASEAN and major global financial centres, as well as countries in which our customers have significant business and investment dealings. In addition, we extend our reach and range of products and services through strategic partnerships. Our partners include the Principal Financial Group, Aviva plc, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Standard Bank plc, Daishin Securities and the Kanoo Group, among others. CIMB Group As the leading ASEAN universal banking franchise, CIMB Group offers a full range of financial products and services covering consumer banking, corporate and investment banking, Islamic banking, asset management, wealth management, insurance and takaful, and private banking. We operate our businesses on a dual banking leverage model, giving customers a choice of both conventional and Islamic financial solutions. Our main markets in which we offer full universal banking facilities are Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. We also have a presence in other countries where our customers have significant business and investment dealings. CIMB Bank Our Consumer Banking business offers a full range of conventional and Islamic financial products and services to meet the borrowing and financing, wealth management and transaction needs of our individual customers and businesses. Our spectrum of banking services include credit cards, mortgages, auto loans and financing, commercial banking services for Small Medium Enterprises and mid-sized corporate customers, insurance and takaful, investment and wealth management services. We have an extensive retail network across the region in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia that serves over 11 million customers. (http://www.cimb.com/index.php?ch=g2_aupg=g2_au_contenttpt=cimb_groupcat=profile) The rest of this report is as follows : Section 2 : IT Infrastructure and Ecosystem. Explained the IT infrastructure and Ecosystem of the organisation. Section 3 : Cloud computing and its business benefits. Provided cloud computing and its benefits and costs. Section 4 : Recommendation of cloud computing adoption/adaption. Recommended a suitable cloud that MSF could adopt. Section 5: Conclusions. Summarises the key points from the analysis and provided recommendation 2. IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECOSYSTEM CIMB IT infrastructure today consist of seven major components that must be coordinated to provide the division with a coherent IT infrastructure and the major vendors within each category INTERNET PLATFORMS Microsoft, Unix, IBM, Java DATA MANAGEMENT STORAGE IBM, DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase COMPUTER HARDWAREPLATFORMS Dell, HP IT INFRASTRUCTURE CONSULTANT SYSTEM INTEGRATOR IBM, EDS, Accenture ECOSYSTEM OPERATING SYSTEM PLATFORMS Microsoft Window NETWORKING TELECOM-MUNICATION Microsoft Window Server, Linux ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE PLATFORMS Oracle, Microsoft CIMB CORPORATE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE: Issues and Challenges Securing Information System CIMB MSF are faced with challenges of data and information security. We need to have a more specific users security procedures guidelines. At the moment, CIMB MSF rely on CIMB Group rules for business conduct and Code of Ethics BNM GP7. As MSF is a firm providing financial services, MSF must comply with the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, better known as the Gramm-Leach Billey Act (Laudon, KC Laudon, JP 2010, pg 337) However, in Malaysia all financial institutions is govern by central bank or more known as Bank Negara Malaysia. Malicious Software Malware (Laudon, KC Laudon, JP 2010, pg 328) will be another hurdle for implementation of cloud computing as there is no IT department within MSF. All IT issues and problems will have to be refer to CIMB Group IT. This will cause time delaying as the problem cannot be solve in-house and need to wait for IT department action. MSF will have no control as to when CIMB Group IT will react to the reported problem. Absent of Transaction Processing Systems MSF did not have TPS a systems that keep track of the elementary activities of the organisation such as sales for all products such as personal and enterprise mortgages, personal loans and credit cards, customers information like age, annual income, employee, and credit decisions like common rejection reason and best customer profile. (Laudon, KC Laudon, JP 2010, pg 75) Decision Support Systems (DCS) Executive Support Systems (ESS) Due to absent of transaction processing system (TPS) no proper management information systems (MIS) to enable DCS ESS. DCS is useful in providing support non-routine decision making for middle management and ESS for senior management (Laudon, KC Laudon, JP 2010, pg 78 81) Database management Systems (DBMS) As MSF have multiple products, all data given will be in different formats and all users will have their own preferred format of reporting thus creating double work when each product user need to extract and reformat the data into meaningful information. (Laudon, KC Laudon, JP 2010, pg 240) Establishing an information policy Although there are numerous CIMB Banking Acts like, Banking Financial Institute Act1989 (BAFIA) section 97 secrecy, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) GP7 confidentiality, CIMB Group Code of Ethics governing the information policy, it is still a good practise to draft information policy for MSF sales division. More specific guidelines, rules and penalties in controlling MSF information policy for sharing, disseminating, acquiring, standardising, classifying and inventorying information systems. (Laudon, KC Laudon, JP 2010, pg 259) Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is widely implemented strategy for managing a firm interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. Most banks will have their own CRM. CRM is only possible if there is enough data captured which can be transfer into information and CRM uses the information formed by the data to enable the user better forecast the needs and wants of the customers. At this moment, CRM is not available in MSF. 3. CLOUD COMPUTING AND ITS BUSINESS BENEFITS AND COSTS National Institute Of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines Cloud computing as a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. The benefit of early adoption of cloud computing in Global 2000 enterprises enables organization on cost savings on maintaining its IT infrastructure. Therefore organization started to invest in cloud computing to take advantage on better infrastructure utilization by way of automation and charge back over virtualized infrastructure to help to improve its over-all utilization. 3.1 Type of Cloud Computing General there are 4 basic type of cloud computing and it is depend on organization on which type is suitable for its application delivery and business services. Type Description Private Cloud Cloud service that are merely for the use of the organization and provided by third party and it services may be free or offered on a pay-per-usage-model. Community Cloud Cloud service that are share among several department in the organization and managed by third party or service provider Public Cloud Cloud service available to public use over the internet and managed by third party by offering free services or pay-per-usage model. Hybrid Cloud A environment in which organization provides and manages some of its resources in-house for storage of operational data and has others provided externally by third party. This advantages the organization of the scalability and cost effectives without exposing its important applications and data to the third-party vulnerabilities. 3.2 Cloud Services and Capability The CIMB MSF division can adopt three basic types of cloud services, defined by NSIT and it is also accepted by the business industry. Cloud Services Description Software as a Services Software applications like ERP, collaboration that runs on the service provider IT infrastructure and delivers to the organization through the internet by way renting the software applications Platform as a Service The user organization can access the hardware platform and operating system over the internet on a pay-per-use basis. Infrastructure as a Service It is cloud computing platform which allow user organization to storage, process and networking through the service provided IT infrastructure by way of on a pay-per-use model. 3.3 Benefits of Cloud Computing Reduced cost Cloud technology is paid incrementally, saving organizations money. The organization is able to plan the needed expenses more wisely. By cloud computing the cost is proportion to the requirement. Increased Storage Organizations can store more data than on private computer systems. Highly Automated No longer do IT personnel need to worry about keeping software up date and backup. Cloud computing will automatically do the update and backup the system giving the organization more time to do business than fixing the problems on its own. Flexibility Cloud computing offers much more flexibility than past computing methods. More Mobility Employees can access information wherever they are, rather than having to remain at their desks from morning till evening which is tiring and sometimes a boring job. The cloud made the business go mobile. Allows IT to Shift Focus No longer having to worry about constant server updates and other computing issues, organizations will be free to concentrate on innovation and research and development. This help business and product growth in the long run. 3.4 Cost of Cloud Computing Today, many large firms are burden with redundant, incompatible hardware and software because departments and divisions have been allowed to order and purchase their own technology. This make the cost of owning technology assets are relatively high. The cloud concept is paying what you use and no minimum fee required. The users are paying either on a monthly subscription fees or per transaction basis which are composed of the following mandatory components:. Management Interface at $6.25 per month Platform creation cost Application template Release Low usage (one time fee) Average Usage (one time fee) Frequent Usage (one time fee) SAP ERP 6.0 Eh P4 $29 $179 $679 SAP Enterprise Portal 7.0 Eh P1 $19 $169 $669 SAP Solution Manager 7.0 Eh P1 $49 $199 $699 SAP Business Intelligence 7.0 (BI Cont 7.05) $39 $189 $689 SAP Ides CRM 7.0 $39 $189 $689 Computing infrastructure cost This cost will only be charged when you operate your platform. Operational support and the used computing infrastructure as cpu, memory, a static network address and network traffic are included. Configuration Set CPU Memory Low Usage (per hour) Average Usage (per hour) Frequent Usage (per hour) 1-5 users 4 core 8 GB $1.99 $1.68 $1.49 6-10 users 4 core 12 GB $2.68 $2.37 $2.18 11-15 users 4 core 16 GB $3.37 $3.06 $2.87 16-25 users 8 core 18 Gb $3.98 $3.67 $3.48 4. RECOMMENDATIONS OF CLOUD COMPUTING 1 Market Demand for Your Firms Customer Services, Supplier Services Enterprise Services 2 CIMB / MSF Business Stratefy 6 Competitor Firms IT Infratructure Investments CIMB / MSF IT Services Infrastructure 4 Information Technology 5 Competitor Firms IT services 3 CIMB / MSF IT Strategy, Infrastructure Cost 4.1 Market Demand for CIMB / MSF Services Transaction processing system (TPS) A system that store, modify and retrieve the transactions of MSF. However, all TPS must pass through atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability, otherwise known as the ACID test. Decision support system (DSS) executive support system (ESS) DSS is a decision support system for middle level management and executive support system is for higher management. DSS and ESS not only provide better judgement, the system also enable what if analysis, which we can create several scenario to get the best desired result. Below is a diagram of DSS which consist of MIS. In order for a DSS or ESS to be created MSF must first have MIS, TPS and DBMS as all these systems are interrelated. An example of such software can be found at Vanguard Software corporation (www.vanguardsw.com) However, not all managerial roles are supportive using either DSS or ESS such as interpersonal role as a leader, decisional roles in a conflict between staff. Management information system (MIS) Report exceptional conditions, such as when the sales quota for a specific territory fall below an anticipated level or high staff turn-over for a certain department. MSF do not have MIS as report generated only upon request of individual. Database management system (DBMS)- is a software package with computer programs that control the creation, maintenance and the use of a database. DBMS will allow MSF conveniently develope databases for various applications by database administrators (DBAs). A DBMS also provides facilities for controlling data access, enforcing data intergrity, managing concurrency control, recovering the database after failures and restoring it from backup files as well as maintaining database security. Opportunity in internet banking can be explore as there is no sales link or contact us link uploaded in CIMB Bank website, CIMB internet banking more known as CIMB Clicks does not provide any leads to MSF nor does it provide contact details of MSF. MSF should explore the business opportunity in internet banking by creating a website for MSF. There is also demand for detail breakdown of incentive paid to sales staff. At this moment, no detail breakdown of incentive paid even in CIMB intranet and extranet, Human Resource Information System HRIS https://hris.cimb.com 4.2 CIMB / MSF Business Strategy MSF five year vision is to be the best in class sales organisation with a passion for exceeding expectations. Best in class sales organisation means number one mobile sales force in Malaysia and in sales productivity among our region peers. In order to achieve this long term five years plan, MSF will need to improve it present information system and possibility of setting up its own IT department. 4.3 CIMB / MSF Information Technology (IT) Strategy, Infrastructure Cost MSF does not have an IT strategy but are using 400 desktops and 200 laptops. Giving an example of setting up a MSF office will easily cost more than MYR100,000. Below are the example of the breakdown costs: Hardware acquisition Each brand new desktop cost about MYR3,000. Software acquisition License software for Microsoft windows and office cost about MYR2,000 each desktop. Installation Installing an office of 5 desktop cost about MYR10,000. Training Training cost can be diversified as senior staff of MSF can train new recruits. Support Support cost had been diversified as all IT technical support are provided by CIMB IT department, GIOD. Maintenance Infrastructure Downtime Space and energy 4.4 Information Technology Assessment CIMB Group spent MYR108 million last year for IT which is the highest among all other banking peers. Despite the large number, CIMB MSF still using some computer unit with windows XP instead of window Vista or 7, Intel pentium4 processor instead of Intel core processor and monitor screen instead of liquid crystal display (LCD). Most of CIMB group IT spending is on developing of a new CRM known as 1 View. However, the 1 View CRM is not provided to MSF. 4.5 Competitor firm services Banks Special IT Features Availability in CIMB HSBC Bank Online application tracker No Online file upload services for credit card No Public Bank E-mall for online shopping within PB website No Maybank Green calculator for online banking environmental cost savings calculation No UOB Office locator for mobile team, providing contact person and office address No 4.6 Competitor firm IT infrastructure investments Competitor Banks 2010 IT Spending Comparison with CIMB Group IT spending Maybank Group 61,000,000 56% of CIMB Group IT spending RHB Bank Group 72,000,000 66% of CIMB Group IT spending Public Bank Group 41,000,000 38% of CIMB Group IT spending HSBC Bank Group 15,000,000 14% of CIMB Group IT spending UOB Bank Group 90,000,000 83% of CIMB Group IT spending * all data are based on individual banks 2010 annual report 5. CONCLUSIONS The following summarises the findings and recommendations as outlined below. 5.1 Summary of key findings The study leads to the conclusion that cloud computing has the potential to transform IT, not necessarily through its impact on an agencys core business systems, but through commoditizing routine services such as e-mail, web servers, and data storage. Cloud computing can also easily deliver services that are common across government, such as accounting, procurement, and collaboration tools. If CIOs can increase their reliance on commodity computing, they will then have more time and resources to focus on the strategic management of IT and provide leadership and value for their agencies. We hope that this timely and informative report will be useful to profes ­sionals and executives across government who are seeking innovative approaches in order to leverage the new technology of cloud computing in their effort to reform and improve ITprograms and the delivery of services to both government itself and to citizens. 5.2 Recommendations 5.3. Limitation of Studies LIST OF REFERENCES Department of Finance and Deregulation 2011,  Cloud computing strategic direction paper: opportunities and applicability for use by the Australian Government  , viewed 5 April 2011, and 22 May 2011 . Mell P Grance T 2011, The NIST definition of cloud computing (draft) , viewed 19 March 2011, . Wyld, DC 2009, Moving to the cloud: an introduction to cloud computing in government , viewed 19 March 2011, . Laudon, KC Laudon, JP 2010, Management information systems: managing the digital firm, 11th edition. Cirrus cloud computing : Price list, viewed on 30 April 2011 CIMB Statement on Internal Control 2007 and Annual Report 2010 http://www.cimb.com/annual_reports/CIMB_Bank/2007/pdf/SOIC.pdf http://announcements.bursamalaysia.com/EDMS/subweb.nsf/7f04516f8098680348256c6f0017a6bf/65487497790102fe482578640016d4a2/$FILE/CIMB-AnnualReport2010%20(3.2MB).pdf http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/search/query?start=0filter=1q=SAAS, IAAS PAAS, APPENDICES Appendix 1: Journal Appendix 2: Cost and Benefits Appendix 3: Cloud Computing Benefits Appendix 4: Problems With Data Centre Power Consumption Appendix 5 : Power Consumption For Each Computer Appendix 1: Journal (390 words) Thomas 24 March, 2011 Thursday: Conducted informal interview (9:30am) with Sim, Customer Service Engineer. Obtained basic information of MSF IT infratructure Thomas 03 April, 2011 Sunday: Visited report writing presentation by Adrian Stagg Lindy Kimmins (11:00pm) Thomas 03 April, 2011 Sunday: Seek permission from MSF Head (10:30pm), Mr. Daniel Cheong on selecting MSF Department for assignment 4 Thomas 04 April, Monday: Approval obtained by Mr. Daniel Cheong at 12:06am Thomas Janet 04 April, 2011 Monday: Both of us arranged to communicate through phone and email as we are from different parts of the country after office hours at 7.30pm. We discussed briefly on which of the organization intended to work on to our assignment report. In the end, after much discussion we decided to select either one of our company which we are currently employed for our assignment report after which we have discussed with our relevant IT department in our next meeting. Thomas Janet 04 April, 2011 Monday: We communicate again at 8.30pm. After much exchange informations of our survey on our IT department, we decided to select company, CIMB Bank Bhd as the organization to work on for our assignment report due to the good support from his company IT personnel. Next we discussed about the plan on how to complete our assignment through allocation of jobs. As we have selected my company to work on for our assignment report, Thomas 05 April, 2011 Tuesday: I log into CIMB Group website www.cimb.com/index.php?tpt=cimb_group and started my introduction part of my report (11:00am) Janet 06th April, 2011 Wednesday: I visited a few website : www.finance.gov.au/e-government/strategy-and-governance/cloud-computing.htm,    www.isaca.org/Knowledge-Center/Research/Documents/Cloud-Computing-28Oct09-Research.pdf  and www.startupbizhub.com/business-benefits-of-cloud-computing.htm which give me some information on opportunities of adoption by the Australia Government Thomas 08 April, 2011 Saturday: Sent email (8:30pm) to MSF Head personal assistance, requesting for MSF organisation chart, MSF IT infrastructure Eco system Janet 11 April, 2011 Monday: Visited the Australia Department of Finance and Deregulation 2011 again and started to complete the Executive Summary for our assignment. Thomas 16 April, 2011 Saturday: Visited USQ study desk for assignment 4 resources (9:00pm) http://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?inpopup=trueid=391393 Visited Wikipedia for pseudonym http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonym (9:20pm) Reading assignment 4 mock up report (10:00pm) Reading CIMB Group Rules for Business Conduct (11:00pm) Janet 25 April, 2011 Monday: Compute the company IT Infrastructure Ecosystem diagram provided by Loudon Loudon 11e (page 203) and visited http://www.intek.net/a/images/netdesign.gif for fictitious diagram on corporate network infrastructure Janet 30 April, 2011 Saturday: Compute the cloud computing benefits and it cost Thomas 09 May, 2011 Monday: Checking and resizing fonts size for assignment paper (12:00pm) Browse CIMB Group website http://www.cimb.com/index.php?ch=g2_aupg=g2_au_leadercat=bodtpt=cimb_group for CIMB Group CEO profile. Browese USQ website