Monday, September 30, 2019

Father-Daughter Conflicts in Shakespeare’s Plays Essay

William Shakespeare is a playwright and poet with no need of introduction. He has written several of the most distinguished and well-received plays in the history of literary writing. With so much reflection focused on his works and writings, little is said about Shakespeare’s personal life. It has been generally accepted however that Shakespeare himself had two daughters and one son. Shakespeare placed great value in the ability of his offspring to immortalize his own name and to uphold the dignity of his family (Bevington 193). However, his hopes were not to be carried out through Hamnet, his only son. With Hamnet’s early death, Shakespeare was left to look to his daughters for the propagation of the respect due his family name (Bevington 193). This close relationship with his daughters may have played a part in the establishment of many father-daughter conflicts in his plays. This paper will further inspect several plays written by Shakespeare with particular focus on the father-daughter relationships displayed in the texts to be studied. Five plays have been chosen for this study: The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and Othello. The elements of the father-daughter relationship in each play will be discussed individually. By the end of this paper, it will have been shown that Shakespeare uses father-daughter conflict both as a plot device and as a means of reflecting views regarding father-daughter relationships. Where there is a conflict between father and daughter, the theme invariably revolves around the daughter’s pulling away from her father. Thus, it can be seen that through the daughter’s falling in love and the father’s choice of an ideal mate, there is a strain between father and daughter. The struggle to maintain authority over daughters causes fathers to hold indomitably to their decisions, leading daughters to resort to other means to accomplish their own desires. A Midsummer Night’s Dream In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Egeus demands that his daughter Hermia wed Demetrius when in truth it is Lysander whom she loves (Shakespeare 6). This causes the rift between the father and the daughter. A dominant theme in the play is thus the father’s stubborn belief that his word is law over his daughter’s affairs. Because of Egeus’ mislead belief; Hermia is forced to resort to her won measures in attaining the love she professes. Smith discusses that the conflict between the father and the daughter in this play serves to highlight the need for Hermia to establish her own character in order to free herself of the dictates of the authorities in her life. It should also be noted that the play reflects the empowerment of women. Egeus gives no reason why Hermia should follow his wishes apart from the fact that he is her father and he is the primary male authority in her life. Hermia gets her way and her own will is upheld against that of her father’s. However, this does not clearly show the power of the woman to decide for herself. If nothing else, the play only serves to put the point across that the woman’s opinion is of import as well as the man’s. It is the duke, Theseus, who overrides the will of Egeus and validates Hermia’s love for Lysander (Shakespeare 152). Thus, it is the will of a man of greater authority from which Hermia derives her freedom to act as she would. In this particular play it can be seen that the conflict between father and daughter serves more to move the plot forward than to speak of the actual interaction between the two. Egeus’ stubbornness gives insight into the latter but serves more as a blocking mechanism for Hermia’s story to develop (Bevington 193). The refusal of Egeus to have Hermia wed Lysander served to birth the entire story. This shows how Shakespeare used the relationship between the father and daughter as a plot device. It is true that Shakespeare expressed through the scenes how Hermia needed to break free from her father’s authority in order to accomplish her own ambitions. However, Hermia inevitably found such freedom only through another man clothed with a greater power than her father but to whom they both were subject. Thus, the intricacies of the father-daughter relationship though touched on, were not fleshed out. It served a greater purpose as a literary device. Romeo and Juliet Another clear illustration of the utility of the father-daughter relationship as a plot device is the relationship of Juliet with her father. The feud between the Capulets and Montagues was an inherited rivalry strongly advocated by Juliet’s father. Lord Capulet, Juliet’s father, serves as a literary plot device designed to give an obstacle to the blossoming love of Romeo and Juliet (Bevington 193). In this regard, Romeo and Juliet is much like A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Lord Capulet also serves as the authority figure over Juliet’s life and her decisions. Thus, Juliet and Romeo have to overcome the restrictions set by Lord Capulet Upon finding her own voice, Juliet is able to overcome the prohibitions of her father against her desiring a Montague. Juliet thus matures and finds that there is no sin in a name and Romeo’s name does not make him her enemy. This reflects how Juliet is pulling away not only from her father’s rules but even from her family’s tradition in order to blaze a path for herself and her love. Unlike in Hermia and Lysander’s story, the greater authority figure does not arrive to bring a peaceful reconciliation of the conflicts; rather the arrival of the Prince and his judgment of exile for Romeo starts the unstoppable turn of events leading to the demise of the two lovers. It is only upon seeing his daughter dead and hearing of the monument that the Montagues have decided to erect for Juliet that Lord Capulet decides to accept this love that his daughter has found by erecting a monument for Romeo as well (Shakespeare 239). Given however that even this last act of acceptance is fueled by rivalry, it can be shown that there was no real reconciliation between father and daughter and the strain between them a mere tool for the evolution of the plot. The Merchant of Venice In The Merchant of Venice, Bevington insists that the father-daughter conflict is yet another simple plot device (Bevington 193). However, in this play there are more distinct reflections of the daughter’s pulling away from her father. The character in focus herein is Jessica, the daughter of Shylock the merchant. It should be noted that one of the strongest themes in this text is the religious battle between Jews and Christians. Shylock himself is a strong advocate for Judaism, as is shown in a number of his lines as he mocks and argues with Christian philosophy. It is therefore a devastating blow when Jessica falls in love with a Christian. She professes, although not to her father’s face, that she is willing to become a Christian in order to become Lorenzo’s wife: â€Å"Alack, what heinous sin is it in me To be ashamed to be my father’s child! But though I am a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners. O Lorenzo, If thou keep promise I shall end this strife, Become a Christian and thy loving wife. (Shakespeare 61). † This shows how willing Jessica is to sever her ties with her father and pursue her own heart’s will. Considering the importance that Shylock places on his religion, Jessica’s defiance of her inherited religion is much the same as Juliet’s repulsion of her family’s rivalry. When Jessica finally succeeds in running away with Lorenzo, the importance that Shylock places in her worth as a daughter is revealed. Shakespeare reflects the basis of the strong paternal possessiveness: â€Å"My daughter! O, my ducats! O, my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O, my Christian ducats! Justice! The law! My ducats and my daughter! A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats (p. 81)† Smith interprets these lines in the context of Jewish tradition regarding the role of daughters in the continuation of family lineage. It is explained that in Jewish tradition families are matriarchal by nature thus the family line is passed down through the female line (Smith). Jessica being an only daughter, Shylock’s security in his lineage depended on her acquiring a suitable husband. The cries of Shylock connecting his money with Jessica reflect how he viewed her as another instrument for the attainment of his success. This theme hits quite close to the personal views and state of family affairs that Shakespeare himself was subject to at the time. Othello Othello on the other hand presents a more distinct portrait of the tension between father and daughter. Even Bevington (pp. 193-194) admits to the different quality of father-daughter relationship that is made manifest in this text. Here the conflict is more than a simple plot device utilized to move the story forward. Much like in The Merchant of Venice, the theme of the story touches on the role of marriage in the life of a family. In the former play, marriage was a means of joining together people while those who were not married became isolated and desolate. In Othello, marriage again serves as a divider between father and daughter as Desdemona elopes with the protagonist, Othello. Their elopement causes much hurt to her father, Barbantio who feels that he has been deceived by his daughter (Bevington 194). In an attempt to maintain his authority over his daughter he asks of her to whom she owes her allegiance but is devastated by her answer: â€Å"I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband, And so much duty as my mother showed To you, preferring you before her father, So much I challenge that I may profess Due to the Moor my lord (Shakespeare 41). † This shows how upon marrying, the daughter ceases to hold primary loyalty towards her father and his house and moves toward the household of her groom. The pain that Barbantio manifests is thus not only a result of the elopement of Desdemona but more so of his feelings of loss of his progeny. This play therefore serves to show more vividly the change in relationship that occurs between a father and his daughter as the daughter marries. Even though reason is planted in the wisdom of Desdemona, the possessiveness of fathers as a result of the many years of watching over and protecting their daughters is a force to be reckoned. The desire to bind unto themselves their daughters is so strong that fathers brashly discount the bind of the matrimonial tie between their daughter and another man. King Lear The sense of entitlement to the loyalty and love of a daughter are best demonstrated in Shakespeare’s King Lear. In this play King Lear tests his three daughters in order to assess whether or not they deserve to get their share of the inheritance of his kingdom. Because of their desire to gain, Goneril and Regan outbid each other in professing their love for the King. However, the third daughter, Cordelia, professes that she loves the King as she is under obligation to do so but will reserve some of her love for her future husband (Shakespeare 36). This outrages the King and he refuses her the portion of the inheritance allotted to her, believing her to be an ungrateful daughter. It is revealed however that Goneril and Regan are the ungrateful ones as they soon plot to overthrow their father and appropriate for themselves his rule. King Lear’s desire to possess the entirety of his daughters’ hearts and their dedication is not without reason. His use of the word â€Å"ungrateful† reflects how he sees his relationship with his daughters. He has invested much into their relationship – both in terms of material and emotional store. He therefore expects to reap what he has sown into all three daughters. The King has reached old age, an age wherein it is only fitting that he be cared for by others. As most parents who reach this age feel, the King imagined that the years he had spent taking care of his daughters should be repaid through service to him at his infirm age. However, Cordelia spoke wisely when she pointed out that her heart should be allowed the freedom to serve other men aside from her father. The words of Desdemona ring true herein as well. A wife should first be loyal to her husband before serving her father. Although a daughter is obligated to show respect and gratitude to her parents through her service to them, she is also allowed to experience the freedom of a life apart from her parents. Should a parent disallow a child such liberalities, then the entire essence of watching such a child grow and mature should have been for naught. Conclusion The five plays reviewed herein serve to show the importance that the father-daughter relationship held for Shakespeare. The relationship was one so strong that instabilities in the same justified the evolution of complete stories based on singular notions. There is no doubt that the conflict between a father and daughter is a strong plot device which was utilized by Shakespeare in a number of his plays. The result gave rise to some of the best works written by Shakespeare, including the popular Romeo and Juliet. The conflict may take the form of a daughter’s moving away from the den of a father or from a father’s overzealous attempts to keep a daughter’s love. The former has been shown in Shakespeare’s plays through several acts. It may be a simple disobedience to a father’s will. Sometimes it may take the form of invariance to the beliefs and traditions held by the father. However, it is seen that Shakespeare repeatedly uses the escape of marriage and love to dishonor the father. It has also been shown though that father’s themselves may desire unreasonably the regard of their daughter. In King Lear most especially has this desire been shown to be impractical as the daughter who was punished had committed no act of disobedience to her father. In the various plays it can thus be seen that the underlying theme in father-daughter conflicts is the daughter’s desire to break free from the authority of her father. This act of separation allows for the daughter’s ability to decide for herself what is best and what is desirable. Along with the freedom that the separation gives the daughter however is the anxiety that it visits upon the father. The daughter to some is the only means of ensuring family lineage and to most the daughter is the gem that has been protected for so long and should be given away only to the most worthy. The breaking away of the daughter from the father’s authority therefore leads to insecurity and feelings of loss from the side of the parent. It is this sense of loss which causes the strife between father and daughter, particularly so as the father continues to cling to the power he holds over his daughter. It is this pattern of removal from the father’s fold that is repeatedly shown in Shakespeare’s themes. Works Cited Bevington, David. Shakespeare: The Seven Ages of Human Experience (2nd ed. ). MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2005. 1. Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1993. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1992. Shakespeare, William. Othello. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1993. Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1992. Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1992. Smith, J. N.. â€Å"GradeSaver: Midsummer Night’s Dream – Study Guide. † www. gradesaver. com. 11 May 2008. GradeSaver. 11 May 2008 . Smith, J. N.. â€Å"GradeSaver: Merchant of Venice – Study Guide. † www. gradesaver. com. 11 May 2008. GradeSaver. 11 May 2008 .

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Hiroshima Cause and Effect Essay

Alexa Gombert English-Kiernan 10/28/12 Period 1 On August 6, 1945, America was responsible for the death of over 100,000 innocent souls. On this day, an American aircraft dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. This was the first atomic bomb ever used in the history of warfare. In the non-fiction book Hiroshima by John Hersey, first hand six survivors of this horrific event describe accounts of the bombing and its effects in vivid detail.The atomic bomb affected civilians of Hiroshima and the city’s environment in that people began acting irrationally, suffered from injuries and deaths, and it led to erratic environmental occurrences. The atomic bomb affected civilians of Hiroshima in that they began acting irrationally in the hours after the explosion. This irrational behavior can be seen through the actions of Mr. Fukai and Mrs. Kamai. Mr. Fukai was a secretary of the diocese who lived in a mission house with many priests and religious men.When the bomb went off, all of the survivors from the mission house abandoned the pile of rubble that was once their home, and set out for their designated safe area. Father Kleinsorge went to get Mr. Fukai, but irrationally Mr. Fukai refused to leave and said, â€Å"Leave me here to die† (44). Mr. Fukai foolishly said he wanted to die in the burning city. He wasn’t in the right state of mind and therefore was unable to a reasonable decision. Mrs. Kamai, who was found cradling her dead baby, exhibits another example of irrational behavior as a result of the atomic bomb. Hersey relays Mr.Tanimoto’s odd account when he wrote, â€Å"She was crouching on the ground with the body of her infant daughter in her arms. The baby had evidently been dead all day† (60). Holding the dead corpse for four days, Mr. Tanimoto ‘tried to cremate the baby, but Mrs. Kamai only held it tighter’ (81). During this time Mrs. Kamai was unstable and unable to make rational decisions becau se she was in shock as a result of the bombing and the chaos that came with it. Through her desperation to keep her dead baby, Mrs. Kamai demonstrates how the inhuman bombing of Hiroshima led to irrational ehavior. While some Japanese citizens were affected psychologically, others were affected physically. Civilians of Hiroshima were affected by the atomic bomb in that they suffered from severe injuries and burns. Being that this was the first atomic bomb ever used, its physical impact on people was uncertain. However, Father Kleinsorge and Mr. Tanimoto were able to witness the bomb’s physical impact when they were trying to assist the weak and feeble. While on a walk, Father Kleinsorge came across a number of desperate and wounded military men.He described them as â€Å"all in the same nightmarish state: their faces were wholly burned, their eye sockets were hollow, the fluid from their melted eyes had run down their cheeks† (73). Father Kleinsorge’s descriptio n portrays the severity of people’s injuries as a result of the bomb. The immense heat that radiated from the bomb caused these soldiers’ eyes to melt and faces to burn. Another physical effect of the bombing on Hiroshima is portrayed by Mr. Tanimoto. Mr. Tanimoto was trying to assist critically injured victims when he experienced a gruesome event.The bombs affect was apparent when Mr. Tanimoto ‘reached down and took a women by the hands, but her skin slipped off in huge, glove-like pieces’ (65). Mr. Tanimoto was taken back when he pulled off the skin, which indicates that the injuries caused by the bomb were fatal and agonizing. The heat from the bomb caused this victims skin to burn and come off with excruciating pain. However, the bomb didn’t effect just people. When the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima it resulted in an erratic reaction by the environment.Father Kleinsorge noticed these odd environmental patterns while on a walk he noted, â€Å"th rough the wreckage of the city†¦was a blanket of fresh, vivid, lush, optimistic green† (93-94) The town was in ruins, however, now there were flowers blossoming everywhere over the ruble and ashes. The bomb’s purpose was to wipe out all living things, but ironically it unintendedally catalyzed the sporadic growth of flowers and plants. On August 6, 1945 the first ever atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. It’s power and abilities were unknown being that it was the first of ts kind. In the book Hiroshima, the bombs affects were seen through the eyes of its survivors. The bomb affected Hiroshima’s citizens in that they exhibited absurd and illogical actions. The environment was also affected in that the bomb triggered natural events that were very uncommon. The inhumane nature of the atomic bomb proves that humans will do anything to get their way despite the consequences. Their desire for power will never change and their methods of warfare are only going to get more and more deadly.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Case Study Yorkshire Radio Station Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Yorkshire Radio Station - Case Study Example Strategy has two key dimensions - the resource allocation decision and the development of sustainable competitive advantage. We will confine our dissertation on development of sustainable competitive advantage leaving the resource allocation decisions. 1. Fit to market environment - the primary requirement is the perceived notion of customer for the need of the product or services. The customer looks for competitive advantage, superior value from a product. 3. Efficiency versus effectiveness: Efficiency is internal to the organization whereas effectiveness identifies opportunities to create market. As Peter Drucker says 'Efficiency is doing things right, Effectiveness is doing right things'. Primary focus of the organization should be on effectiveness rather efficiency.... Diversification strategies - Diversification are of four types 1) Forward integration, Backward Integration, concentric diversification and conglometric diversification. Criteria for Strategic success: The following five factors determine the success of a strategy: 1. Fit to market environment - the primary requirement is the perceived notion of customer for the need of the product or services. The customer looks for competitive advantage, superior value from a product. 2. Timing: nothing fails like success - A product or service, which is in vogue today, becomes obsolete tomorrow, hence timing is very important for success of a strategy. 3. Efficiency versus effectiveness: Efficiency is internal to the organization whereas effectiveness identifies opportunities to create market. As Peter Drucker says 'Efficiency is doing things right, Effectiveness is doing right things'. Primary focus of the organization should be on effectiveness rather efficiency. 4. Speed versus decisiveness: Speed is important, companies that are fast to innovate, manufacture and distribute and quick to respond to customer requirements are more successful. But with speed the decisive commitment of resources also is very important. 5. Organizational effectiveness: The organizational effectiveness in its manpower, their commitment to deploy their skills effectively contributes to the organizational effectiveness. Let us analyze the Current situation: Presently Yorkshire Radios station's activities are as follows: 1. Broadcasting Yorkshire sports like Football Rugby, Racing, Cricket 2. Broadcasting music. 3. Main focus is on coverage of Leeds United with exclusive access to the manager, Players and chairman plus full match

Executive Reward Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Executive Reward Paper - Essay Example There is a general trend that these executives are normally paid more in comparison to the other lower level employees. The pay of these executives is made by a base salary along with several other perks and short and long term incentives (Pepper, 2006). HISTORY AND CURRENT TRENDS OF EXECUTIVE REWARD IN UK: Starting from the late 1970s, the high pay commission has investigated that there had been a sustainable trend in income that leads to income inequality. Most of the wealthy elite are going to be rich and bankers and business leaders have been gaining a lot from this upward trend. Starting in the early 1980s, it has been noticed that a huge shift occurred in which pay at the top level increased exponentially in comparison to the pay at the lower level. But still this pay level appears to be increasingly disconnected from the performance of the company. In FTSE 100 companies, an executive pay rose by 49% in 2010 (The High Pay Commission 2011a). This shows that there has been a huge increase in the pay of employees at the top managerial level of some of the biggest companies. As a result of this injustice, top pay results in market failure. High levels of inequality in income have contributed to sectoral imbalances, regional disparities in investment and assets bubble inflation. Today, the association of British insurers recognises the significance of large pay awards and they have claimed that excessive or undeserved remuneration has an impact on the efficient operation of the company. There has been considerable amount of increase in the previous thirty years (The High Pay Commission 2011a). AIMS OF EXECUTIVE REMUNERATION AND FACTORS LEADING TO EXCESSIVE REMUNERATION: Setting executive remuneration is one of the important and tough task for the organisation. the aims of the organisation behind the executive remuneration are to make sure that competent executives are attracted and retained. Apart from this it is important to motivate and encourage the top exe cutives as the overall performance of the business is directly dependent on them. Another factor which should be considered while setting executive remuneration is that it should facilitate the organisation in the process of being cost effective (Hume, 1995). Apart from all these aims and objectives of the organisation, there are several other factors and elements which directly affects the executive pay or remuneration. Some of these factors are: corporate governance, government regulations, interests of shareholders, labour market, value and culture of the organisation, employees, etc. Organisations have to balance all these factors along with the requirements and aims in order to come up with appropriate executive remuneration (Hume, 1995). Some of these factors have resulted in increasing the executive pay. Four main causes behind the excessive executive remuneration are (The High Pay Commission 2011a): 1. The ongoing efforts to relate the salary with the performance. 2. The str ucture of the organisation is not able to check and control the payments and earnings at top level. Some of the committee members have their own interests associated with the level of the salary and remuneration. 3. Condition of the labour market also has direct impact on the excessive executive remuneration. Most of the organisatio

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Fracking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Fracking - Essay Example Proponents of fracking, on the other hand, believe that fracking promotes the economy and that the regulations on trafficking are enough to meet the concerns over fracking. This research essay will analyze the positive and negative political, social, economic and environmental effects of fracking. US has unlimited exports of gas especially in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, which have a number of implications to the economy. The gas producing states have experienced benefits associated with fracking that include lease payments, cheap energy, jobs and royalty checks. The gas industry has showed a revolutionary potential through creation of energy markets globally. There is high rise in demand for the natural gas prices in the international markets following the rising demands on the use of natural gas as an alternative form of energy. Fracking has brought more benefits to the concerned states. In Ohio, the state’s economy has benefited from fracking for many areas in the form of include taxation among other associated benefits. Additionally, fracking has increased the availability of jobs; research shows that Ohio counties jobs are found in fracking major industries and such jobs include pipeline constructions and drilling, which contribute to 15.5% total employment op portunities in the country. Pennsylvania and Colorado‘s economies have benefitted from fracking. Part of their economy is attributed to gas drilling, which earns the states a lot of revenues necessary for the development of other economic sectors. Unemployment sector has also benefited from the creation of jobs opportunities. Additionally, shale gas opportunities have increased and today, the state of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Colorado has registered the millions of money resulting from the gas drilled from the lands that the citizens lease. Many Americans have leased their lands to the gas extracting industries which in turn earns them more money

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Response to Law and Authority Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Response to Law and Authority - Essay Example The question of an obligation to obey the law often crops up especially in the current world where some laws within a legal system are deemed to be unjust or evil and we find ourselves within such systems. All legal systems have laws that impose obligations for their obedience but each has different criteria for measuring such kind of obedience to the law. Obedience is the act of following orders without questioning as it is deemed that they come from a legitimate authority, which may be conferred upon a person or entity by the society. Therefore, just as it is expected that all persons will be obedient to the law, the society expects that we obey the orders or the rules that are set by the legitimate authorities. Plato’s â€Å"Crito† examines how a person should respond to the law when he feels that the process has wrongly convicted him and suggests the ethical bases for obedience to the law. The ethical obligations to obey the law include the fact that, the citizen may have acquiesced to the existence of such a law and therefore, there is an implied or express accord to comply with the provisions of the said law, or if there is no implied agreement, his actions estop him from disobeying that law (Plato and Jowett, 1990). If there is no action or assent by the citizen, he is simply a beneficiary conferred to him by other citizens and therefore has an obligation to obey the law. Socrates argued that if the state was indeed protecting its young ones, then it was right for him to be declared guilty of corrupting the minds of the youth and should be punished according to the law. This is despite his personal convictions, questionings to the members of the city and examining of logi c to arrive at the true position. Reflection on the thoughts in Crito, there is a clear understanding of the teachings of Plato in that as a matter of justice and rights, laws cannot in

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Individual Sales Activities Paper and Flowchart Essay

Individual Sales Activities Paper and Flowchart - Essay Example Business to business sales mainly involves sales between two different organizations and there are different strategies such as online marketing that can be used during the current period (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). There are various selling activities that are involved in business to business sales process as shown in the flow-chart below. Info negotiate info money info Info influence info goods info Figure 1 A model for e-commerce: B2B Source: Cloete, E 2004, E-Commerce: A contemporary view, Pardus Publication, CT. As shown in the diagram above, there is a seller and a buyer and there are different process involved when they try to exchange goods or services for money. The selling activities of the seller are shown on top of the diagram. The first activity is related to arrangment of information. The seller ought to arrange the information such that they are fully aware of what their intentions are and how they will execute the. The seller needs to find information about the custom er. The second activity that is involved in B2B is related to finding the customer. The seller has an obligation of finding the customer so that they can negotiate if a sales deal can be reached. Before a sales deal is conducted between two businesses, negotiation takes place. The seller approaches the buyer and they try to influence them to buy the goods or services offered. On the other hand, the buyer would need to agree on the terms and conditions upon which the deal can be conducted. The third sales activity in a business to business sales is concerned with arranging the terms. The seller arranges the terms upon which the sales can be conducted. These terms ought to be agreed between the two parties involved. These terms may include payment terms as well as conditions for delivery of the goods and services once the transactions have been conducted. Such a sales type cannot be fast tracked since it is supposed to go through different stages. The deal may not succedd when there i s no agreement. The fourth activity in a B2B sales is related to fulfilment of the order. When an agreement has been reached and the sale conducted, the seller would need to fulfil the deal. It becomes thr duty of the seller to make sure that the products or services purchased are delivered to the customer. Unless the deal has been reversed by both parties, it can be observed that the seller would need to fulfil the promise nomatter what. The final activity in the B2B sales is support. The seller needs to support the customer so that they can return for repeat business. This helps to create mutual understanding between the two parties involved and this can significantly contribute to the growth of business. Customer loyalty is likley to be promoted if the seller contibues to offer support to them. However, business to business sales differ from business to customer sales in different ways. The main difference is that B2B sales are formalised since they involved business between two organizations while B2C sales can be conducted in an informal way since they involve an organization and a customer (Cloete, 2001). A lot of logistics are involved in B2B sales as well as activities that require the input of several people. On the other hand, it can be noted that B2C sales can be conducted in an informal way and they are flexible since they do not involve a lot of activities. a sales person

Monday, September 23, 2019

High Profile corporate collapses in the last two decades have been Assignment

High Profile corporate collapses in the last two decades have been attributed to laxities in the regulatory framework of financi - Assignment Example In June 2002, the EU has adopted a regulation to prepare their financial statements in agreement with IFRS or IAS which is required to be followed by all listed European Union companies in the regulated markets. Companies are open to select their national reporting standards and follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for associate and subsidiary companies. The regulation is applicable only on the consolidated accounts. The regulation came into consideration from the year 2005 (PwC, 2005). With an aim to develop common accounting standards in 1973, nine countries including UK formed International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). Over hundred countries have it’s become members. Countries, especially bigger economies, are bringing in their own perspectives and adapting to this accounting standards. In coming up with common acceptable accounting standards IASC had to deal with accounting conflictions (Accounting Standards Board, 1999). IASC has not been succe ssful in resolving all the conflicts with all member countries as it is nearly an impossible task to fully satisfy more than hundred accounting bodies from across the world. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or International Accounting Standards (IAS) is applicable to more than 90 countries. ... Except for some changes in IAS 39 relating to the fair value of financial instruments, IFRS 6 and some of the IFRIC interpretations, European Union has now endorsed IFRS (IFRS, 2012). The EU regulation is only enforceable for listed companies. A member state has an alternative to extend the use of IFRS within their jurisdiction to unlisted companies. Department of Trade and Industry has said that the unlisted companies would still be permitted to adopt IFRS over UK GAAP as there is no mandatory instructions for unlisted companies to move to IFRS (IFRS, 2012). Arguments in favour of financial reporting regulation Mainstream economistic reasoning has also been influential in respect of the issue of how best to regulate financial accounting. Some of the above perspectives have implications for how accounting should be regulated. Perspectives that assume the existence of perfect information clearly would not see the need for further regulation. Under the scenario of perfect and complete markets, a company that accepted all projects with non-negative present values would simply have to announce these present values or cash flows to the market, if we take a slightly less abstract view (although strictly in such reasoning this would automatically happen for markets to be perfect and complete). The value of the company would then equal the present value of these cash flows, which in turn would equal the market price. Under these circumstances one may even question whether annual reports are necessary. Within mainstream economic thinking (that assumes ‘perfect and complete markets’ to maximise well-being and the role of ‘accounting information’ to be confined to serving markets), the answer to this question would be in the negative as it would be to the question ‘is

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Environmental Distractions to Study Habits Essay Example for Free

Environmental Distractions to Study Habits Essay Every student is required to study the lessons given by the teacher. By means of proper time management, a student becomes successful in his entire intellectual endeavor. But what if there are environmental distractions in his study habits? What will happen to his learning activities? Environmental distractions in study habits make a student at a disadvantaged position if it cannot be fully determined and avoided. Therefore, environmental distractions are a hindrance to the intellectual development of a student. Environmental Distractions In order to avoid environmental distractions, it is required that a student must identify the things that gives problems to his studies. After all, how could he be successful in avoiding environmental distractions if he may not be able to identify them? Hence, correct identification of environmental distractions that might hinder the student from studying should be done. The environmental distractions to study habits may include emotional, physical and external distractions. Learning Support Center Paradise Valley Community mentioned that physical environment of the study area of a student relates to external distractions (â€Å"Improving Your Memory†). In other words, if the environment is noisy and unorganized, study habits of a student may be hampered. Since we are aware that studying includes memorization, a student cannot effectively study when there television is opened or used within his environment, when there are any people chatting around him and when sound effects around him is very disturbing. Therefore, the best way for a student to avoid external distractions is to find a place conducive for learning like a noise-free room. Learning Support Center Paradise Valley Community also mentioned that the study area of a student must have quite surroundings or those places that really intended for studying (â€Å"Improving Your Memory†). Moreover, Glendale Community College stated that a good study environment must be free from distractions that might hinder memorizing and understanding reading materials (â€Å"Study Skills†). There should also be rules to follow like having a desk intended totally for studying; not using television, radio and telephone while studying; closing the door of the study room so that people passing by it cannot distract a students attention; the study area should not be cluttered and unorganized and that the study environment should be clean and spacious (â€Å"Study Skills†). If all these can be followed, there is no doubt that a student can study properly. Lastly, a student must not dwell long to problems of the family and friends and even personal situations that can surely affect study habits. The environment should be free from emotional distractions so that the mind of a student will remain fresh and able to absorb new ideas being studied daily. Conclusion   A student needs a study area that is free from environmental distractions. This paper mentioned that environmental distractions involved emotional and physical distractions as well as external ones. Emotional distractions include family problems while physical and external distractions include television, radio, noisy environment and unorganized study area. Finally, the best way to attain an environment that is free from distraction is to identify the things that can distract a student and avoid them all. References Glendale Community College. (2008). Study Skills. Retrieved August 14, 2008, from   http://www.glendale.edu/new/services/counseling/study.htm. Learning Support Center Paradise Valley Community. (2008). Improving Your Memory. Retrieved August 14, 2008, from http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/lsc/services/tips _improving_memory.htm.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Individual Information Use Paper Essay Example for Free

Individual Information Use Paper Essay In this file of CIS 207 Week 2 Individual Information Use Paper you will find the next information: Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper identifying and describing how information is used and how it flows in an organization. Explain this use in your current place of employment or an organization you are familiar with. Describe concerns with properly controlling this flow, including keeping it safe from unauthorized use. Computer Science General CS Individual Information Use Paper Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper identifying and describing how information is used and how it flows in an organization. Explain this use in your current place of employment or an organization you are familiar with. Describe concerns with properly controlling this flow, including keeping it safe from unauthorized use. Avoid studying for big college exams the night before by taking in a lot of caffeine or other stimulants. While these things can keep you up and able to study for longer, they will make you very tired in the morning. After using chemical stimulants for a while, you will need more and more and that can be damaging to your overall physical and mental health. In this file of CIS 207 Week 2 Individual Information Use Paper you will  find the next information: Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper identifying and describing how information is used and how it flows in an organization. Explain this use in your current place of employment or an organization you are familiar with. Describe concerns with properly controlling this flow, including keeping it safe from unauthorized use. Computer Science General CS Individual Information Use Paper Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper identifying and describing how information is used and how it flows in an organization. Explain To download more course tutorials visit https://bitly.com/12BkiWc Avoid studying for big college exams the night before by taking in a lot of caffeine or other stimulants. While these things can keep you up and able to study for longer, they will make you very tired in the morning. After using chemical stimulants for a while, you will need more and more and that can be damaging to your overall physical and mental health. Computer Science General CS Individual Information Use Paper Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper identifying and describing how information is used and how it flows in an organization. Explain this use in your current place of employment or an organization you are familiar with. Describe concerns with properly controlling this flow, including keeping it safe from unauthorized use.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Air pollution control residues

Air pollution control residues INTRODUCTION Description of Overall Problem Air Pollution Control (APC) residues are the solid output of the flue gas treatment equipment installed on incinerators (this report refers specifically to APC Residues from incinerators handling Municipal Solid Waste MSW). They comprise the fly ash from incineration (middle and fine grades) together with the reagents (mainly lime and activated carbon) used in the flue gas treatment. Thus, they contain: Volatile contaminants from the original waste (inc chlorides, metals), Compounds created in the incineration process (inc dioxins), Further materials from the flue-gas treatment process (sulphates, together with high alkalinity). Therefore they are classified as hazardous waste. Approximately 170,000t/y (Technology Strategy Board 2009) of such residues are produced in the UK 3-4% of the total waste mass incinerated (Environment Agency, 2002). This tonnage is growing as more waste is incinerated to generate electricity and heat, and to reduce landfill. While increased energy recovery and reduced landfill are worthwhile in themselves, achieving them has created the problem of the hazardous APC residues. In the UK the prevalent destination for these residues has been landfill, but this option is under threat from tightening landfill Waste Acceptance Criteria, and rising landfill taxes, so new solutions are required. There are various treatment/recovery options available for APC residues. However these raise other concerns, primarily: Financial and energy cost of treatment Generation of further effluent Environmental impact of the treated waste Quality control of the recovered materials. Objectives and Scope The overall goal is to identify cost-effective management options for APC residues, within Waste Acceptance Criteria. The ultimate objectives of implementing such options are shown in Requirements (Appendix 1). For this study, the specific the objectives are: Briefly analyse the shortcomings of the existing methods of treatment and disposal of APC residue in landfills, along with the barriers in the UK for re-use of APC residues in various industries, such as cement aggregate, asphalt and ceramics. Propose energy- and cost-effective methods for the treatment of APC residue which reduce the leachability and amount of heavy metal/dioxins present. Also suggest a supplier of technology for each treatment method proposed. Compare the cost per tonne for each option, including treatment and disposal costs (including current and future landfill taxes), based on the hazardous classification of any remaining waste. Suggest potential re-use opportunities for materials recovered from the treatment process, indicating potential markets and revenues. The scope is focused on APC residues from municipal waste incineration. It is assumed that current incineration technology and operating conditions apply, with waste of current composition, resulting in residues of current composition. The objectives have been pursued in the context of current UK and EU regulation. This is explained in terms of the waste management hierarchy in table 1. Notes of Figure 1: Further processing leading to recovery may be in or outside the system boundary depending on whether the process is likely to be dedicated to this application. In either case the resulting wastestreams are inside the system boundary Landfill operations are outside the system boundary, but the long term leaching behaviour of all landfill waste will be considered, even if it meets WAC. Report structure This report has been structured to give an overall review of the management options for the Air Pollution Control residue, intended to provide a details of the findings related with work aiming to give recommendations on its treatment. Chapter 1. Background and scope. Chapter 2. Introduction to the residues, overview of major management strategies, legislative aspects, and environmental issues Chapter 3. Details on the residue treatment techniques, operation principles, and development status Chapter 4. Appraisal on the recovery and utilization techniques, operation principles, and development status. Chapter 5. Overview of status for available solutions, documentation level, assessment approach for environmental impacts, outline of important aspects for consideration, qualitative and quantitative comparison of each treatment processes. Chapter 6. Recommendations System Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) is listed in Appendix 2. This is an outline of system requirements and mechanisms for verifying whether the requirements are met. It will provide an overview to integrate different technical elements of the project. The plan will also describe the activities, processes and tools used to ensure an achievement of the project outcomes to the client and other stakeholders. Press Release is placed in Appendix 3 and this would form a basis of a publicity campaign for the project. MANAGEMENT AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR APC RESIDUE APC residues generation and characteristics APC residues come from the cleaning process of the gaseous emissions, which are produced during the incineration. Dry and semi-dry scrubber systems are used in the cleaning process and involve the injection of an alkaline material to remove acid gases, particulates and flue gas condensation (Sabbas et al. 2003). Finally, fabric filters in baghouses are used, where the fine particulates, i.e. the APC residues are focalized and removed from the gaseous emissions (Sabbas et al. 2003). It is estimated that APC residues represent 2-5% of the original waste on a wet basis and their production in the UK is approximately 128,000 tonnes per annum (Amutha Rani et al., 2008). In general, APC residues from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) consist of fly ash, carbon and lime and contain dioxins and furans (Amutha Rani et al., 2008). They are highly alkaline materials (pH 12.0-12.6) and they comprise significant concentration of heavy metals, salts and micro-pollutants (Sabbas et al. 2003 ). Depending on the initial waste composition, the incinerator and the air pollution control system, their composition may vary significantly (Amutha Rani et al., 2008). The typical range of APC residues composition is shown in table 2. The APC residues are characterized as hazardous wastes (190107*, according to the EWC) due to their chemical content and their impact on the environment, primarily by leaching. Regulatory Framework Introduction Regulations and legislation on waste management in the UK have evolved considerably over the years as a result of identification of new pollutants, public health and environmental concerns, economics and technological advancement (Pocklington, 1997 and McDougall et al, 2001). This assertion suggests that legislation and regulations play a major role in ensuring sustainable waste management. In addition, the establishment of legislation on waste management shows the radically changing perception of humans and communities towards the environmental impact of human activities (Pocklington, 1997). Today, regulations and legislation provide a framework for efficient handling of hazardous wastes such as APC residue. Amutha Rani et al (2008) observed that sustainable management of APC residues depend on the implementation of UK and EU waste management legislation. The Existing regulatory and legislative framework for managing APC residues in the UK About 80% of the environmental legislation in the UK have their origins in the European Commission laws (Pocklington, 1997). The existing legislative and regulatory framework for APC waste management in the UK and EU include: Waste Incineration Directive Integrated Pollution Control Directive Landfill Directive and ensuing waste acceptance criteria/procedure EA guidance on the classification of hazardous waste Water Framework Directive However, the discussion on the regulatory and legislative framework for this project focuses mainly on the UK Landfill directive and EA guidance on classification of hazardous wastes. These subjects are pertinent within the boundary of this project more so as Landfill disposal is common in the UK. Also IPPC directive is discussed briefly to highlight the roles public participation and deployment of best available techniques in meeting our objectives. The key objectives of these legislation and regulation are to: Reduce the amount of APC residue generated and improving the quality of exhaust gas (McDougall et al, 2001) Reduce the amount of APC going to Landfill (EA Guidance on landfill, 2006) Prevent environmental impact (ESA 2004) Reduce the risk of human harm (US National Research Council 2000, ESA 2004) This diagram illustrates the relationships between the established regulatory framework and stages in the APC management process. There is no specific legislation covering recovery or reclassification of APC residue in the UK (ESA 2004). Quina et al (2008) also points out that legislation for recycling APC has not yet been established in the UK. The Integrated Pollution Control Directive: Directive 2008/1/EC concerning integrated pollution prevention and control This Directive aims at establishing means to prevent or reduce emissions into air, water and land (IPPC, 2008). Hence this directive is crucial as it suggests various methods of incineration and treatment that could reduce the impact of APC residues on the environment during incineration, treatment or landfill. The IPPC Directive is based on four principles namely: Best Available Technique (BAT) Integrated waste management Flexibility Public participation The BAT refers to the most effective methods of operation that would reduce environmental impact and enhance results such as making residues from incineration less hazardous. In the BAT, optimizing resources and harnessing or saving energy are prioritized (Gargulas N. and Mentzis A, 2007). Also, the BAT is flexible and no terms are imposed since it recognizes that different conditions apply in different cases. The Best Available Techniques Reference (BREF) is a reference document on technical input needed to determine the BAT to be adopted. This BREF contains technical information on available means of treating APC residues such as sintering, vitrification, stabilization and solidification. This project has considered the BATs to APC treatment and these methods are discussed in chapter 3. However, there are no BATs available for landfills. Notwithstanding, Landfill operators and APC treatment plants require permits issued by the Environment Agency with public support to ensure that t here are no health or environmental impacts as a result of their activities (Macleod C. et al 2006 and IPPC 2008). The role of the public is crucial in this directive. Article 15 of the Directive, gives the public full privileges to participate in decision making processes leading to the issuance of permits for installation of plants, and for carrying out technical and administrative changes. This aspect is very important especially in the proper project planning and execution (see SEMP). Therefore the installations of APC treatment facilities and the method involved are tailored to meet public requirements as well as legislative requirements. All hazards inherent in operating APC treatment facilities shall be made known to the public in accordance to this directive. Also the outcome of compliance tests on treatment facilities with regard to environmental impact shall be made public (IPPC 2008). Thus, it can be argued that since the public are key stakeholders in this project, good public perception is needed in accordance with the IPPC directive to ensure sustainable management of APC residues. Environment Agency guidance on classification of hazardous waste The essence of this guidance is to distinguish different kinds of wastes based on their physical and chemical properties which include their toxicity or hazardous nature. The Hazardous Waste Directive (HWD), council directive 91/689/EC and the Revised European Waste Catalogue (EWC) form the regulatory framework for this guidance. The HWD aims at defining hazardous wastes to ensure the correct management and regulation of such waste (EA Hazardous Waste 2008, pg 5). This directive identifies 14 hazardous properties of wastes, thus hazardous wastes are classified H1 H14 according to their hazardous properties (EA, Hazardous waste 2008). The EWC code is derived from the industry and process producing the waste, and the type of waste (EA hazardous waste 2008). APC residues are categorized as hazardous wastes with absolute entry (Rani et al 2008 and ESA 2004). Under the European Waste Catalogue (EWC), APC residues fall under the category of wastes from incinerators (waste management facilities) that have a generic code 19. The specific code for solid wastes generated from gas treatment such as APC residues is 19 01 07. Wastes resulting from the treatment of the APC residues such as the partially stabilized APC residue, the vitrified material etc are also categorized as hazardous with absolute entry (EA hazardous waste 2008). However, when tests confirm that the constituents of treated waste have become less or non hazardous, they can be reclassified as hazardous wastes with mirror entry or non-hazardous as the case may be(EA Hazardous waste 2008). Solidified and partly stabilized wastes are coded 19 03 06 and 19 06 04 respectively with absolute entries, while vitrified wastes from flue gas treatment are assigned the code 19 04 02. The Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste The primary objectives of the landfill directive are: To reduce waste going to landfill the prevent or minimize environmental impact as a result of waste disposal Stringent measures and standards have been set to reduce the burden and reliance on landfill (EA guidance on landfill, 2006). Landfills are classified into three categories: non-hazardous, inert and hazardous landfills (Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations, 2002) For APC residues, a key requirement in the Directive prior to landfill is to perform tests to determine its long term and short term leaching behaviour and to carry out treatment to reduce its toxicity (EA guidance on landfill, 2006). This project suggests that the need for treatment of APC residues augments the case for exploring potentials for recovery or reclassification of the residues. Article 6 c (iii) of the Directive reflects our aim to make APC residues at least stable non-reactive hazardous wastes (SNRHW) or completely non-hazardous through efficient treatment techniques such as vitrification, washing, stabilization and plasma technology. SNRHW are known to have low leaching potentials (EA guidance on landfill, 2006). Treated APC residues with leaching behaviour equivalent to those of non-hazardous waste can be disposed at designated non-hazardous landfill subject to meeting the relevant waste acceptance criteria (EA guidance on landfill, 2006 and Landfill (England and Wales) Regulation, 2002). APC residues must meet the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for a designated landfill after treatment. Schedule 1 of the Landfill (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulation 2004, stipulates the procedure and criteria for disposing or accepting waste at landfills. Waste Acceptance Criteria and Procedure The WAC is elaborately designed to deal with the technical requirement of wastes such as APC residues designated for landfills in the UK (England and Wales). It also aims at controlling the disposal of wastes into landfill which is a common practice in the UK. Technically, the WAC ensures that the numerical leaching characteristics of APC residue are determined prior to disposal at landfill (EA Guidance on Landfill 2006). Thus, after their mandatory treatment, APC residues must meet the relevant waste acceptance criteria before they are accepted into landfill. The leaching characteristics include: the elements and compounds in APC residue and their leaching properties (in mg/kg or L/S) and the hazardous nature of the APC residue (EA Guidance on Landfill, 2006). The Environment agency is responsible towards ensuring that the criteria for particular landfills are met. Preceding the WAC is the Waste acceptance procedure. The Waste acceptance procedure for APC requires basic characterization, compliance testing and on-site verification (EA Guidance on Landfill 2006). The basic characterization is done to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of the waste (EA Guidance on Landfill 2006). Incineration plants are responsible for carrying out the basic characterization of the APC residues since they produce the APC while the landfill operator ensures that compliance testing and on-site verification are done (EA Guidance 2006). Approved tests are defined in schedule1 part 2 of the landfill regulation 2004 and they include tests for determining treated APC composition and leaching behaviour. The compliance tests are carried out to verify if leaching limit levels predicted in the basic characterization are credible. Besides exploring opportunities for reuse of APC residues and recovery of valuable materials from the residues, this project also aims to treat APC residues to meet at least the waste acceptance criteria for SNRHW to enable disposal at a non-hazardous landfill. Amendment 14 of the Landfill (England and Wales) regulation 2004 states the criteria for disposing SNRHW in the non-hazardous landfill. Discussions There is no specific legislation on the reuse of wastes such as the APC residues in the UK. Notwithstanding, the UK without incineration network (www.ukwin.org.uk) tagged the use of fly ash and APC residues for construction works as irresponsible. Thus it can be suggested that re-use is implied in this clause as well. However, if it is well proven that APC residues can be managed sustainably without any long or short term environmental repercussions, it will pave way for debates to strengthen the existing regulatory frame and also re-focus the views of environmental activists toward the prospects in the residues. ESA report (2004) argues the provision of regulatory certainty by the government is necessary in enhancing investment towards sustainable management of APC residues. The report also suggests that investments will focus on reliable APC treatment technologies. There are several scientific developments for managing APC residues pioneered by waste management companies such as Techtronic in the UK. Environmental problems and management strategies Most of the APC residues (around 88%) (Environmental Agency, 2002) produced in the UK, are disposed of into landfills. During their disposal or any kind of utilization or handling, a number of environmental impacts can be caused. Dust and Gas emissions Dust emissions are represented as a potential risk, due to the size of the APC residues particles (0.001-1 mm) (Sabbas et al., 2003). Despite the easily dispersion of these fine particles, a survey by the Environmental Agency at a number of landfill sites in the UK testifies that their concentrations are within the recommended air quality objectives (Environmental Agency, 2002). Gas production is another potential environmental impact related to the disposal of APC residues. Gas is produced by metallic aluminum hydration (Sabbas et al., 2003) and because of that, some explosions have been reported (Sabbas et al., 2003). However, the production of gas is significantly lower compared to the production of the municipal solid waste landfills, due to their low biodegradable content of the APC residues. Leaching production The major environmental impact is the leaching production of APC residues The leaching behaviour of the elements present in APC residues is the main source of environmental concern. Leachates can cause pollution of soil, groundwater and surface water bodies. The leaching behavior of the APC residues is very complex and depends on a lot of parameters. The pH and the liquid to solid (L/S) ratio of the residues that will occur in the landfill site are important factors which affect determine their leaching behaviorbehaviour as well as the availability of the elements which are contained in the APC residues. The pH depends on the characteristics of the leaching fluid and the waste, i.e. APC residues, and is the key factor of many elements leachability. Leaching of most major elements (e.g. Al, Ca, S, Mg) and heavy metals (e.g. Cd, Pb, Zn) are strongly pH-dependent (Astrup et al., 2006). This dependency of the pH causes a significant difficulty on the prediction of the leaching behaviorbehaviour. Generally, APC residues carry on their pH in alkaline values for a long time (many thousands of years) (Astrup et al., 2006). However, their pH decreases as the time passes and the APC residues are washed by the infiltrating water (the neutralize capacity decreases) (Astrup et al., 2006). Thus, the prediction of the landfills pH and thereby the leaching behaviorbehaviour of the residues in over a long term period is complex. The L/S ratio represents the amount of the leachate that comes in contact with a given amount of APC residues (Sabbas et al. 2003 pp what page?) and depends on the characteristics of the APC residues and the climatic conditions, the hydrology and the hydrogeology of the area (Sabbas et al. 2003). Usually, as the time of disposal passes the value of the L/S ratio becomes higher for a particular application site. Due to this contact the properties of the waste as well as the leaching behaviorbehaviour of the waste change. Thus, the value of this ratio is a very important parameter for the leachate content. The availability for leaching is a parameter, which characterizes the particular waste and represents a fraction of the total content of contaminants in the waste itself (Sabbas et al. 2003). The typical values of the availability for the APC residues are shown in table 2 and they can provide a theoretical estimation of the maximum release of a contaminant in a period of 1000 to 10000 years (Sabbas et al. 2003). The prediction of the leaching behaviour and the evaluation of the environmental impact of APC residues are based on leaching tests. Leaching values for the APC residues arising from leaching test are summarized in table 4. The first leachate from APC residues is usually characterized from soluble salts (e.g. chlorides, hydroxides of calcium, sodium and potassium) and trace element such as Pb and Mo (Sabbas et al., 2003). Contrary to the high solubility of this elements, the solubility of toxic organic compounds is believed to be not high due to their hydrophobic nature and their low concentration in APC residues (from properly operated MSWI plants) (Sabbas et al., 2003). Long term leachate concentrations are usually lower than the initial or they may remain atto the same level. The only exceptions are the elements Al and Zn, which concentrations in the leachate are increase d inover a long term period (Astrup et al., 2006). As it is explained above the leaching behaviour of the APC residues depends on the environmental conditions and changes during the time of the disposal. Thus, an analytical prediction of the long term leaching behaviour is very difficult and it should be based on a combination of information on leaching principles, leaching tests, field measurements, simulation of mineral changes and speciation (Sabbas et al., 2003 page number pls). Due to the complexity of the long term leaching behaviour, the data available in literature are limited. Management of APC residues In the UK the disposal of any waste to landfill is regulated (see regulations section). Generally, the landfills are classified as suitable for hazardous, non-hazardous or inter wastes and, for each of these types of landfill, particular leaching limit values (Waste acceptance criteria, WAC) are defined and should be achieved for any waste are to be landfilled. Table 5 shows the leaching limit values (WAC) for the three types of landfill sites and if they are compared with the values in table 4, it becomes obvious that APC residues cannot be landfilled without a prior treatment. And non-hazardous waste deposited in the same cell. Either TOC or LOI must be used for hazardous wastes. UK PAH limit values are under development. Following the recent consultation exercise the UK Govt may review the limit values in tow years time (2006). If an inert waste does not meet the SO4 at L/S 10 limit, alternative limit values of 1500 mg/l SO4 at C2 (initial eluate from the percolation test) prEN 14,405 and 6000 mg/kg SO4 at L/S10 (either from percolation test or bach test BS EN 12457-3), can be used to demonstrate compliance with the acceptance criteria for inert wastes. The values for TDS can be used instead of the values for Cl and SO4. Or DOC at pH 7.5-8.0 and L/S 10 can be determined on pr EN 14429 (pH dependent test) eluates. Disposal to landfill (Amutha Rani et al., 2008) APC residues are mixed with wastewater to form a solidified product. During this treatment the residues react with the CO2 from the atmosphere reducing the pH to values between 8 and 9. This mixing also eliminates the dispersion of the APC residues particles. After this treatment, the APC residues reach the WAC and they are landfilled into monofill cells at a hazardous waste landfill. This process is used by a treatment plant in GloucesstershireGloucestershire, from which most of the APC residues treated by this method in the UK are coming. Storage in salt mines In this disposal method the APC residues are loaded in sealed capsules and pitted 170m below the surface (Amutha Rani et al., 2008). The disposal in salt mines can take place for a long term. They are characterized as well isolated, very dry, with stable atmosphere and natural gas-impermeable salt layers (Clement, 2000). Salt mine for this purpose is located in Cheshire, England, where a major percentage of the APC residues, produced in the UK, are stored (Amutha Rani et al., 2008). Use in waste acid treatment (Amutha Rani et al., 2008) Due to the mixing of waste acid (usually HCl) and APC residues, the lime content of the APC residues is convertedsed into less hazardous components (CaCl2) and the concentrations of Zn and Pb are reduced. Furthermore, the pH is at high levels, preventing the salts release. Thus, the final mixture from this process is non-hazardous and it is described as sludge from a physico/chemical treatment; it is classified as EWC code 190206 and can be disposed of in non-hazardous landfills. TREATMENT TECHNIQUES Ash Washing Process Description: The objective of Ash washing process is to extract a number of minerals from the APC residue obtained after Municipal Solid Waste incineration and thereby diminish the leachability of various compounds remaining in the residue. The process also aims to improve the quality of the residue obtained for further re-use applications or to reduce the overall content of waste going to the landfill. According to Quina et al (2001), ash washing, acid leaching, electro-chemical process and thermal treatment are some of the most widely used methods for extracting metal values from the APC residues. The separation techniques studied in this section are ash washing with MgSO4, bioleaching using Asphergillus niger fungi and leaching using extracting agents. Each process has different prerequisites, operation time and cost, objectives and risks associated with them. Ash Washing With MgSO4: Chimenos et al (2005) The process aims to apply the optimum parameters for washing APC residue by utilising minimum energy and water. This process uses multi-stage washing process to diminish the leaching of chloride and sulphate salts present in APC residue and thereby ensuring that the amount of harmful substance present in wastewater is reduced. The wastewater produced is recycled and re-used in the process using employing a rapid spray evaporation technique which runs on the waste heat produced from pumps, turbines and incineration furnace. Figure 3a showsrepresent the overall process diagram of operation. The research conducted by Zhang et al (2008) shows that the leachability of the heavy metals and chlorides present in APC residue depends on its pH level. The pH of the solution, when MgSO4 is added during the washing process, may be controlled by the formation of gypsum as shown in Eq(1). Ca(OH)2 + MgSO4 CaSO4 + Mg(OH)2..(1) Bioleaching Q.Wang et al (2009) This process is considered to be a biohydrometallurgical approach to extract heavy metals from APC residue. It is considered to be a green technology because of it makes use of the natural ability of microorganisms to break down solid compounds into soluble and extractable form by enzymatic oxidation or reduction. The process uses the acids secreted by Aspergillus niger fungi such as oxalic acid, citric acid and gluconic acids to extract the heavy metals present. Water-washing was is used as a pre-treatment before the bioleaching process to reduce the bio-leaching period from 30 to 20 days and to extract the maximum amount of chloride and sulphate salts. Figure 4 shows an overall process diagram for the bioleaching process. Bioleaching is a low cost and low energy consumption approach. Leaching Using Extracting Agents Fedje et al (2010) This process uses leaching agents other than water for extracting heavy metals like Zn and Pb. The efficiency of the extraction agent depends on heavy metals of interest, the concentration of the extracting solution, the pH and the liquid/Solid ratio used. The goal of the process is obtain a solution in which the concentrations are high enough to enable further separation or recovery. The leaching media used for this process are 3M HNO3 L/S = 5 0.1 M EDTA with pH adjustment L/S = 5 3M NH4NO3 L/S = 5 The choice of these leaching media was based on their ability to form a complex with metal ions. Table 6 compares the efficiency of the aforementioned leaching agent in extracting the heavy metals from APC residue. Figure 5 represents the overall process diagram. The most widespread leaching method used for APC residues is acidic leaching using strong mineral acids such as HCl and H2SO4. However, due to the high alkalinity of APC residues, large amounts of acids are needed which results in trouble with storage and handling. Moreover, the reaction of APC resid

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Road Not Taken :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Road Not Taken† By: Robert Frost â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a poem about Robert Frost reflecting on a personal experience. He talks about the time when he had to make a tough decision. With the evidence gathered up, it seems as if he regretted the outcome of his decision and he is curious as to see whether the other choice could have been better or not. This is a very intellectual poem that could leave people in suspense. For a first time reader, you would never be able to tell if Frost actually regretted taking the path he chose, or if he was actually grateful for it. It all depends on how a person reads Frost’s wording. The inspiration for this poem came from his walks with his friend, Edward Thomas, of England. In 1914, when Frost and Thomas lived in Gloucestershire, they frequently took long walks through the countryside. Thomas would choose the path which he thought might show his American friend a rare plant or any kind of special interest. However, by the end of the walk, Thomas would regret the choice he made. He would â€Å"sigh† over his decision because he thought he could have taken the â€Å"better† direction. Frost would always tease Thomas for all those regrets he would have. Frost takes a â€Å"sigh† in the poem. That could really throw people off. Frost might be implying that it was a sigh of relief, or possibly a sigh of regret. He could be completely happy about the path he chose, or he could be regretful for it. This poem could be analyzed in many different ways. From the research I did, I learned that Frost never really told anyone what the â€Å"sigh† at the end of the poem really meant. He said that it was a very tricky poem. This â€Å"sigh† came from those that Thomas would make after their walks through the countryside. When Frost returned to America as a successful discovered poet, he wrote â€Å"The Road Not Taken†. The manuscript copy of the poem was sent to Thomas immediately. Frost’s expectations were that Thomas would notice how the poem pivots ironically on the phrase, â€Å"I shall be telling this with a sigh†. Unfortunately, as it turned out, Frost’s expectations were disappointed. Thoma s didn’t notice the gentle jest because the irony was handled too subtly. If someone thinks in a positive manner, they will realize that is never really a right or wrong choice in your life. Road Not Taken :: essays research papers â€Å"The Road Not Taken† By: Robert Frost â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a poem about Robert Frost reflecting on a personal experience. He talks about the time when he had to make a tough decision. With the evidence gathered up, it seems as if he regretted the outcome of his decision and he is curious as to see whether the other choice could have been better or not. This is a very intellectual poem that could leave people in suspense. For a first time reader, you would never be able to tell if Frost actually regretted taking the path he chose, or if he was actually grateful for it. It all depends on how a person reads Frost’s wording. The inspiration for this poem came from his walks with his friend, Edward Thomas, of England. In 1914, when Frost and Thomas lived in Gloucestershire, they frequently took long walks through the countryside. Thomas would choose the path which he thought might show his American friend a rare plant or any kind of special interest. However, by the end of the walk, Thomas would regret the choice he made. He would â€Å"sigh† over his decision because he thought he could have taken the â€Å"better† direction. Frost would always tease Thomas for all those regrets he would have. Frost takes a â€Å"sigh† in the poem. That could really throw people off. Frost might be implying that it was a sigh of relief, or possibly a sigh of regret. He could be completely happy about the path he chose, or he could be regretful for it. This poem could be analyzed in many different ways. From the research I did, I learned that Frost never really told anyone what the â€Å"sigh† at the end of the poem really meant. He said that it was a very tricky poem. This â€Å"sigh† came from those that Thomas would make after their walks through the countryside. When Frost returned to America as a successful discovered poet, he wrote â€Å"The Road Not Taken†. The manuscript copy of the poem was sent to Thomas immediately. Frost’s expectations were that Thomas would notice how the poem pivots ironically on the phrase, â€Å"I shall be telling this with a sigh†. Unfortunately, as it turned out, Frost’s expectations were disappointed. Thoma s didn’t notice the gentle jest because the irony was handled too subtly. If someone thinks in a positive manner, they will realize that is never really a right or wrong choice in your life.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

More Than Just A Shirt :: essays research papers

Before reading this poem one doesn't completely realize the details and stories behind an object as basic as a shirt. I had no idea that so much detail could be found in such a simple object, much less an entire poem. This poem presents a very good example of how we can easily overlook terrible things which happen, but choose to ignore. Even though we know bad working conditions exist in small countries which produce products we need, we choose to buy these products and support the inhumane working conditions. The poem does a good job of making us more aware of the world around us, and that there are more to things then meets the eye.The poem Shirt by Robert Pinsky is written in a free verse form. The poem tells the story behind a shirt. It starts by describing the shirt and its physical characteristics, but then goes into the story of the workers which produce it. The shirt is not one particular shirt, but all shirts in general. The first story which is described in the poem tells us about a factory which has poor working conditions. These conditions led to a fire which kills one hundred and forty-six people. A specific example of a man who tosses three girls out the window and then plunges to his own death serves to show us the horror of the situation. the poem then continues on to tell us of in humane conditions in Scotland. It ends by telling us about the slaves who picked and planted the cotton. The speaker seems to be telling us a story in order to inform us of what's going on in the shirt industry.Robert Pinsky doesn't have many obvious examples of diction in his work, although hints of it can be found. There is a simile in the first line of the tenth stanza. The line goes "corners of both pockets, like a strict rhyme"(line 28). When reading the poem many images present themselves. One of the first images I see continues to present its self through out the poem. This image is one of the shirt with its " invisible stitches along the collar "(2), " twin bar-tacked corners "(27), and " Buttons of simulated stone ".(45) The strongest image in the poem which really stuck with me was one of the man dropping girls out of the window, and then jumping himself.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans Essay

DRAKEN needs new growth methods, product development and new revenue sources. The implementation plan below will identify the course of action best suited for the company along with the objectives, functional tactics, action items, milestones, task ownership, and resource allocation. Also, the plan includes financial information including financial projections and a break-even analysis chart that will be used as the basis for moving the business forward. Strategy and Implementation The key strategy for DRAKEN is to build their operations and marketing around buildings and retail stores that are large enough to have permanent, on-site security needs, but not so large that they can save significant money by developing security staff in-house. To achieve this strategy, DRAKEN will: Train guards well for permanent check-in, patrol, and surveillance positions Use advertising and targeted lists to locate and market to these customer markets Focus specifically on guard services and high-level consulting audits, while outsourcing or referring to vendors for security equipment and system needs (ADT) Objectives According to Pearce, R., (2013), â€Å"Objectives or short-term objectives are measureable outcomes achievable or intended to be achieved in one year or less.† DRAKEN will base its success on meeting the following objectives: 1. Employ additional 25 full-time equivalent security guards by the end of the year 2015. 2. Supply security guards to 15 more buildings on a full-time basis by the end the year 2015. 3. Earn $2 million in revenue with net profit over $300,000 by the end of 2015. Functional Tactics According to Pearce, R., (2013), functional tactics are â€Å"detailed statements of the means or activities that will be used by a company to achieve short-term objectives and establish competitive advantage.† DRAKEN will built a competitive edge through high levels of customer service and assurance. The company will strive to not be a broker between clients and contracted security guards, as some security guard providers become, but instead be a partner in the security and protection of client’s assets, with security guards as a major tool in that protection. This strategy will require DRAKEN to carefully audit a client’s security situation and to work with them on plans to upgrade and maintain that security. DRAKEN supervisors will continually check in with clients and with the guards sent to client sites to learn about the challenges they are facing. Action items To reach its target markets of building management companies and large retail businesses, DRAKEN will use the following tactics: Improvement of a the basic â€Å"brochure† website, adding additional services, including corporate training, event planners, careers at DRAKEN, testimonials, and an open blog site. Advertising in trade publications read by managers in these two industries Advertising online with Google AdWords around keywords for security services and security guards, especially associated with these two types of customers New, more professional looking business cards and brochures for management and agents to distribute on appointments and while networking with Los Angeles business networking groups Direct selling work based on purchasing or developing target lists Direct mail of brochures and letters to these target lists of potential clients in the greater Los Angeles area. Milestones and a deadline The budgets for all marketing and personal relations (PR), and creating the brochure/stationery and website come out of the operating budget as they occur. The Chief Operating Officer will manage all marketing and sales activities while the CEO will set up accounting and operating systems and interview potential guards. These bullet points keep DRAKEN on track in its important milestones and deadlines. This helps DRAKEN management and everyone within the company to have a sense of urgency about what needs to be done. Tasks and task ownership The CEO and the COO are the primary salespersons for DRAKEN. They meet with clients at their location to perform an initial consultation and will create proposals for security services based on the client’s needs. DRAKEN management is tracking sales prospects and clients with ACT, a client management database system. The owner’s sales strategy is to listen carefully to the needs of the client and to provide assurance through stories of their experience and an expert understanding of their needs and concerns. While DRAKEN proposals may not be the lowest cost bids a potential client receives, DRAKEN management will follow up with care and the same personal attention that clients will receive if they move forward with using DRAKEN’s services. Resource allocation Resources will be allocated to all functional units in the business according to their needs. Functional units will be required to prepare annual budget for the finances they need to make units operational throughout the financial year. More resources will be committed to activities that generate more income to the business. Some of the profit generated from DRAKEN operations will be used in corporate social responsibility activities of the business. Key success factors DRAKEN believes the keys to success in its industry include: 1. Listening carefully to client concerns and objectives to create customized security guard packages 2. Knowing what the client does not know (bringing deep security expertise as well as knowledge of legal regulations and liability to the table) 3. Training security guards carefully and maintaining their training and certifications (e.g. to carry firearms) 4. Monitoring the  quality of security guard service to offer quality assurance Budget, and forecasted financials, including a break-even chart DRAKEN expects to produce excess cash after a lean year of operation in 2015, which can finance its expansion to an office space along with a 5 year home equity loan to support significant growth of its employee base in 2016 and 2017 to 25 FTE security guards (which can be estimated as 10 full-time guards and 30 part-time guards). Future growth will be financed by the business and will include launching operations in other citi es out of state and launching a line of security products. Budget The balance of start-up funding for 2015 will be provided from DRAKENS’s working capital of $56’000. Sales Forecast Security guard sales will be recurring. Assuming a client retention rate of 90% annually, based on DRAKEN CEO’s track record in the business, total sales will escalate quickly. Sales will be a combination of clients requiring 24/7 coverage and those with only daytime coverage. 40% of sales in dollars are expected from 24/7 clients. Sales are expected to meet the objective of $1.75 million in the third year. Direct costs of sales consist of supplies specific to each job, such as uniforms which must be purchased. Uniform may be a branded DRAKEN uniform, or contain the customer’s branding to provide the visible presence of security at the job site. Additional sets of uniforms must be purchased by the guards from the designated uniform provider. Suits for executive protection assignments, laundry, and cleaning of uniforms is the responsibility of the guards as well. Job supplies will include materials related to security audits and specific equipment purchases for a job as well. Break-even Analysis Monthly Revenue Break-even $24,475 Average Percent Variable Cost 4% Estimated Monthly Fixed Cost $23,407 The monthly break-even is low due to the cost savings by operating the office out of the CEO’s home in 2015. This allows for the business to become profitable quickly. Projected Profit and Loss Security guard labor is estimated at 55% of sales in 2015, dropping slightly to 53% by the 2017 as prices increase and cheaper labor becomes available due to the range of employees. Marketing includes ongoing Web hosting and maintenance fees, continued revisions and reprinting of the brochure and stationery, additional direct mail campaigns, ongoing advertising in trade publications, and online advertising for the website. Rent, utilities, and depreciation will be expenses beginning in 2016 when an office space is required. Training requires the use of larger meeting rooms for groups of guards which will have to be rented separately. Training cost will be reduced once an office is rented, as the business will choose a space with a conference room or table to hold employee training at the office. Training will be an ongoing expense both due to turnover and due to continued training and check-ins with employees. Licenses and permits will include licenses for new guards to carry firearms and to operate, and continued renewals of licensing and permits for the business each year. Net profit will swing to a net loss in 2016 due to the opening of an office space. Net profit will occur in 2017 again as the business scales up to cover these additional costs.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Srs on Management System

Software Requirements Specification For Attendance Tracking System, Release 1. 0 Version 1. 0 Prepared by Lee Bell, Graham Kennedy, Jonathan Loudin, Roger Seagle February 9, 2003 Table of Contents Table of Contents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ i Revision History†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦ i 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 1. 1 Purpose†¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 1. 2 Document Conventions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 1. 3 Intended Audience and Reading Suggestions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 1. 4 Project Scope†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1. 5 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 2. Overall Description†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 1 2. 1 Product Perspective†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 1 2. 2 Product Features†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 1 2. 3 User Classes and Characteristics†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ â₠¬ ¦ †¦ 1 2. 4 Operating Environment†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 2 2. 5 Design and Implementation Constraints†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2 2. User Documentation†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 2 2. 7 Assumptions and Dependencies†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 2 3. System Features†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ â₠¬ ¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 3 3. 1 Roll Mode†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 3 3. 2 Edit Mode†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 4 3. 3 Statistics Mode†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 6 4. External Interface Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ à ¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 7 4. User Interfaces†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 7 4. 2 Hardware Interfaces†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 7 4. 3 Software Interfaces†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 7 4. 4 Communications Interfaces†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ â₠¬ ¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 8 5. Other Nonfunctional Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 8 5. 1 Performance Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 8 5. 2 Safety Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 8 5. Security Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 8 5. 4 Software Quality Attributes†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 8 6. Other Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 9 Revision History Name Everyone Everyone Date February 9, 2003 February 12, 2003 Reason For Changes Initial Draft Revise Draft Version 1. 0 draft 1 2. 0 Final Version 1. Introduction The following document describes the functional and non-functional requirements for the Attendance Tracking System release version 1. . The contents are intended to be utilized by the software engineering class as guidelines for implementation and testing. This Software Requirements Specification document only covers the main s ystem and does not describe the implementation of the database in which the main system interacts. All the requirements stated in this document are slated for implementation in version 1. 0, unless otherwise specified. 1. 1 Purpose 1. 2 Document Conventions As of the latest version of this Software Requirements Specification, there are no document conventions.The intended audience is the software engineering class, who will be implementing and testing the Attendance Tracking System. Also, the document is to be utilized by the software engineering professor to evaluate the software’s design and features. The Attendance Tracking System will allow professors to maintain a record of attendance of students in their respective classes from a Pocket PC. Also, the system will permit the instructor to send a student a notification email of their absence. Furthermore, the program provides different modes to edit attendance, view tatistics, and take notes on elements pertaining to atten dance. The goal is to provide a professor with an easy, portable solution to attendance record maintenance and attendance statistics. 1. 3 Intended Audience and Reading Suggestions 1. 4 Project Scope 1. 5 References 1. Weigers, Karl. Software Requirements Specification Template, http://www. processimpact. com/process_assets/srs_template. doc 2. Overall Description The Attendance Tracking System is intended to replace the manual model of attendance record keeping by means of roll call and paper records.The roll call and paper records are replaced with a single interaction between the professor and the Attendance Tracking System. Professors will be able to view pictures of students on their Pocket PC and quickly maintain attendance records. The features expressed in this Software Requirements Specification document are intended to be fully implemented in version 1. 0. The system will be developed in such a way to provide easy addition of enhanced features, which may be desired in subs equent versions. The main feature of the Attendance Tracking System is for a professor to take roll from the Pocket PC.Pictures will be displayed for each student in the class, so the professor can recognize students without having to manually call roll. If students are absent, the system sends a notification email to the student stating the current number of absences the student has accumulated. Also, the system allows the professor to view pertinent statistics on student’s attendance record for the specified class. Finally, another feature of the Attendance Tracking System is the ability to easily edit the attendance record for any given day. Professors 2. 1 Product Perspective 2. 2 Product Features 2. User Classes and Characteristics A professor is a faculty member of Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina. There are 357 faculty members at the university and it is estimated that almost all faculty members will utilize the Attendance Tracking System. Profes sors will have multiple classes and interaction with the system will occur at multiple times throughout the day from multiple professors. The professor should be allowed to take, edit, and view attendance records at any desirable time. All professors have wireless Internet access through their Pocket PC’ s while on campus.This connection provides the backbone of the Attendance Tracking System. Figure 1: Context diagram for Attendance Tracking System. 2. 4 Operating Environment OE-1: OE-2: OE-3: The Attendance Tracking System shall function on the Pocket PC provided by the university. This entails the system to operate on the Windows CE platform. The Attendance Tracking System shall interface between Windows CE and a Linux server designated to store the attendance records. The Web Server and Database Software have not been established at this point.Updated versions of this document will include information pertaining to these specific operating environments. The Attendance Tra cking System will operate with a yet to be established email client for notification of absences sent to students. CO-1: CO-2: CO-3: 2. 5 Design and Implementation Constraints The time allotted for this project will be limited to the Spring 2003 semester. The language for the project will be Visual C++ and the development environment will be the embedded Visual C++ 3. 0 environment. All the HTML code for the user manual will conform to the HTML 4. 0 standard. UD-1: UD-2: . 6 User Documentation The system will provide an online user manual in HTML that describes the functionality and options available to the user. The system will provide a hard copy of the user manual, which is identical to the manual outlined in UD-1 AS-1: AS-2: 2. 7 Assumptions and Dependencies The database mentioned within this Software Requirements Specification document is previously administered with the correct information needed by the Attendance Tracking System. For attendance policies, since professors do n ot usually tabulate tardiness, it is assumed a student is either present or absent.The notes functionality allows the professor the option to comment on tardiness and the edit mode allows the professor to correct attendance due DE-1: DE-2: 3. System Features to tardiness. Class data being used for setup and student recognition is dependent on information in a database administered outside of the capabilities of the Attendance Tracking System. Statistics on student attendance is dependent on a professor’ s consistent utilization of the system for each class period. Figure 2: State Diagram for transition between modes within the system. 3. 1 Roll Mode 3. 1. 1 Description and PriorityA user whose identity has been verified will be able to retrieve a roster and take roll at class time. The Pocket PC will determine the correct roster for the current date and time, retrieve that roster from a database server, and display it for the purposes of taking roll. The user will be able to designate each class member as present or absent, and upload that status information to the server. The server will notify the class members marked as absent by e-mail. Priority = High. 3. 1. 2 Stimulus/Response Sequences Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: Response: User loads system.System queries server and if a class exists for the current date, time, and user, then that roster is retrieved and displayed. User requests that a class member be marked absent. The class member is designated as absent. User requests that a class member be marked present. The class member is designated as present. User requests that the data be sent to the server for storage. The absence data for the current roster are transmitted to the server. Stimulus: Response: Server receives data indicating a class member has been recorded absent. E-mail is sent to that class member. 3. 1. 3 Functional Requirements Roll. Retrieve. Time: Roll.Retrieve. Date: Roll. Retrieve. Roste r: Roll. Retrieve. Roster. No: Roll. Display. Roster: Roll. Display. Members: Roll. Mark. Present: Roll. Mark. Absent: Roll. Transmit. Data: Roll. Notify. E-mail: The system shall retrieve the current time. The system shall retrieve the current date. The system shall retrieve the roster from the server that matches the current time and date. If no roster is found to match current time and date, default menus will be displayed. The system will display the roster on screen. The roster will display the pictures and names of class members. Members have the ability to be marked as present.Members have the ability to be marked as absent. The system will transmit the status of each class member in the active roster to the server. The system will notify all class members by e-mail if they are marked as absent along with their current status within the attendance policy. 3. 2 Edit Mode Figure 3: State Transitions within Roll Mode. 3. 2. 1 Description and Priority A user whose identity has be en verified who wishes to change the absence status of one or more class members as is related to a past class period will have the ability to retrieve the roster data for that class period from the server.Absence data may then be adjusted and the corrections uploaded to the server. Any new absences will result in notification by e-mail to the class member in question. A change from absent to present will result in a notification that an absence has been removed. Priority = High. 3. 2. 3 Stimulus/Response Sequences Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: The user requests to view absence data from a certain date and time. The roster and absence data are retrieved from the server and displayed. The user requests that a class member’ s status be changed to absent. Response: Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: Response:The class member’ s status is changed to absent. The user requests that a class member’ s status be changed to present. The class member’ s status is changed to present. The user indicates that they are finished making changes. The altered data is uploaded to the server and server data is updated to reflect the changes. E-mail notification is sent to the class members affected. 3. 2. 3 Functional Requirements Edit. Retrieve. Time: Edit. Retrieve. Date: Edit. Retrieve. Roster: Edit. Retrieve. Roster. No: Edit. Display. Roster: Edit. Display. Members: The system shall allow the user to choose the date of the roster to be retrieved.The system shall allow the user to choose the date of the roster to be retrieved. The system will retrieve the roster and absence data from the requested date and time. If no such roster exists, an error message will be displayed. The system will display the roster on screen. The roster will display the pictures and names of class members along with current absence status on screen. Members will have the ability to have their status changed to present. Members will have the ability to have their status changed t o absent. The system will transmit the new status of each class member in the active roster to the server.The system will notify all class members by e-mail if their status has been changed to absent along with their current status within the attendance policy. The system will notify all class members by e-mail if their status has been changed to present along with their current status within the attendance policy. Edit. Mark. Present: Edit. Mark. Absent: Edit. Transmit. Data: Edit. Notify. Absent: Edit. Notify. Present: Figure 4: State Transitions within Edit Mode. 3. 3 Statistics Mode 3. 3. 1 Description and Priority A user whose identity has been verified may request absence statistics for class members in classes under their control.Statistics for an individual class member may be retrieved and displayed with regard to number, frequency, date of absences as well as the percentage of classes missed over a user-defined period of time. A list of class members who were absent for a chosen class period may also be retrieved. Priority = High. 3. 2. 3 Stimulus/Response Sequences Stimulus: Response: User requests a statistical record. Statistics are calculated, retrieved from the server, and displayed. 3. 3. 3 Functional Requirements Stats. Define. Range: Stats. Request. Number: Stats. Request. Dates: Stats. Request. Frequency: Stats. Request. Percentage: Stats.Request. List: Stats. Retrieve. Number: Stats. Retrieve. Dates: Stats. Retrieve. Frequency: Stats. Retrieve. Percentage: Stats. Retrieve. List: The user shall have the ability to set the date or range of dates for which statistics will be retrieved. The user shall have the ability to request the number of absences for a class member. The user shall have the ability to request the dates of the absences for a class member. The user shall have the ability to request the frequency of absences for a class member. The user shall have the ability to request the percentage of class periods that a class member was a bsent.The user shall have the ability to request a list of the class members absent on a given date. The system shall have the ability to calculate and retrieve the number of absences for a class member from the server. The system shall have the ability to calculate and retrieve the dates of the absences for a class member from the server. The system shall have the ability to calculate and retrieve the frequency of absences for a class member from the server. The system shall have the ability to calculate and retrieve the percentage of class periods that a class member was absent from the server.The system shall have the ability to retrieve a list of the class members absent on a given date from the server. The system shall have the ability to display the number of absences for a class member. The system shall have the ability to display the dates of the absences for a class member. Stats. Display. Number: Stats. Display. Dates: Stats. Display. Frequency: Stats. Display. Percentage: Stats. Display. List: The system shall have the ability to display the frequency of absences for a class member. The system shall have the ability to display the percentage of class periods that a class member was absent.The system shall have the ability to display a list of the class members absent on a given date. Figure 5: State Transitions within Statistics Mode. 4. External Interface Requirements 4. 1 User Interfaces UI-1: UI-2: UI-3: UI-4: UI-5: The Attendance Tracking System shall provide pictures above the names of students in the class to aid in taking roll. These pictures can be clicked with a stylus in order to indicate whether a student is present or absent. All modifications to the database will be done through a stylus, the keyboard would only be needed to enter passwords.The Attendance Tracking System will provide a help link that will download a user manual and project it onto the screen in case the user has difficulty in using the program. The program will provide a page that produces current statistics on class attendance. 4. 2 Hardware Interfaces HI-1: HI-2: HI-3: The Attendance Tracking System will reside on the Pocket PC, however, it will be able to report its data to a database set up on a Solaris machine. The Attendance Tracking System will also be able to tell the Solaris machine to send emails to students who have missed class.The Pocket PC will use a wireless Ethernet card to communicate with the database set up on the Solaris machine. 4. 3 Software Interfaces SI-1: SI-1. 1: SI-1. 2: SI-1. 3: SI-2: SI-2. 1: SI-2. 2: Attendance Tracking System This software will transmit the attendance of a class to a database on a Solaris machine via wireless Ethernet. The user will be allowed to modify attendance records at any time. If the user forgets to transmit the information, the system will automatically send it for them at the end of the class. Database The Attendance Tracking System will communicate with the database to perform the followin g options.To allow a user to enter attendance. To allow a user to modify attendance. SI-2. 3: SI-3: To allow a user to query a system to gain statistics concerning individual and class attendance. Mail Message Generator If a student is absent, the database will send the necessary information to this interface and an e-mail message will be sent to the student. 4. 4 Communications Interfaces CI-1: CI-2: CI-3: The security of a user must be consistent through the use of passwords. The Attendance Tracking System will signal the mail message generator when it needs to send an email to the student.The Attendance Tracking System will communicate to the database through a wireless Ethernet system. 5. Other Nonfunctional Requirements 5. 1 Performance Requirements PE-1: PE-2: PE-3: PE-4: PE-5: PE-6: PE-7: The program must be able to be run concurrently by multiple professors. During peak times of usage (9:00 AM to 2:00 PM), the system shall support approximately 20 users. Transmission of roll data shall occur in under 5 seconds using the wireless network card. Acknowledgement of roll received (confirmation) shall be returned within 8 seconds. Queries upon the database shall be performed in less than 5 seconds.Upon start of the roll program, roll information shall be displayed on the instructor’ s Pocket PC within 10 seconds. Email messages to absent students shall be sent within one hour of the conclusion of a class. The program shall support taking roll for class sizes of up to 100 students. With a maximum class size, performance must still conform to all performance requirements. 5. 2 Safety Requirements No safety requirements have been identified. 5. 3 Security Requirements SE-1: SE-2: SE-3: SE-4: An instructor shall permitted to view and edit absence information in the database for only his/her classes.In order to take roll or edit database information, the instructor shall be required to enter a password. This password shall be stored on the instructorâ€⠄¢ s Pocket PC after initial entry in order that it must only be entered once. Passwords shall be stored in an instructor database and verified upon each session of roll or database modification. An instructor shall be allowed to change his/her password only by supplying his/her existing password. The updated password shall be stored in the instructor database and on the instructor’ s Pocket PC. 5. Software Quality Attributes Availability-1: The system shall be available to all instructors through Information Systems during their normal hours of operation. Reliability-1: Reusability-1: Robustness-1: Robustness-2: Updatability-1: Usability-1: 6. Other Requirements Due to the use of a wireless network, reliability of the system at all times is not guaranteed. However, overall reliability of the system and roll information shall be achieved through the process of database manipulation. The system shall be able to be reused for each new semester.If no network connection can be es tablished to receive the roll information, the instructor shall be allowed to enter roll later. If a network connection is lost during roll, the program shall allow the instructor to transmit roll information at a later time. The system shall allow for addition or deletion of instructors, students, and classes while incorporating new semesters. Usability of the system shall be achieved through an online help pages and an introductory training session for all instructors upon installation of the program on their Pocket PCs. 6. 1 Database RequirementsDA-1: DA-2: DA-3: DA-4: The system shall include three databases: student, class, and instructor. The student database shall contain student information including name, email address, and student identification number. The class database shall contain information about classes including class title, department code and course number, meeting times, students enrolled, and absences. The class database shall be grouped by department code and course number. The instructor database shall contain information about instructors including name, email address, password, and classes taught.