Huffman Trucking

Huffman Trucking Infrastructure Assessment Huffman Trucking is first major freight carrier that has managed to grow tremendously over the past few years (Huffman Trucking, 2008). The company has 925 drivers, 425 support personnel, 800 road tractors, and 2100 trailers. The organization offers various customers base and distribution capacity. The mission of Huffman Trucking is to increase the profit and become a growing, and adaptable company. Huffman Trucking plans to leverage the automated information system, and technology to provide better customer service and business performance. Information System InfrastructureHuffman Trucking is a major transportation company that has four facilities around the country. The organization anticipated that knowledge worker information systems infrastructure requires improvement and to solve this problem, organization implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The infrastructure of Huffman Trucking is as follows: Networks The corporate office of Huffman Trucking is in Cleveland, Ohio. The organization uses Avaya Digital Phone System at Ohio and Missouri locations, and private branch exchange (PBX) and plain old telephone system (POTS) at New Jersey and California locations.The organization uses different workstations with wireless bar code, scanner, shipper, and telephone at Ohio. The location at California uses Nortel Digital Phone System that supports voice overIP (VOIP) connected to an Ethernet connection. The use of Avaya phone is very beneficial for small and mid-sized organizations (Caroll Communications, 2008). Network Protocols and Topologies Huffman Trucking uses different network protocols, to send and receive data, like IPX/SPX, and TCP/IP. Huffman Trucking employs star-ring topology, and token ring topology.The existing infrastructure of Huffman Trucking includes mix of networks. The organization implements local area network (LAN), and wide area network (WAN). The four locations of Huffman Trucking e stablish LAN locally and WAN supports the connectivity of its four locations. The LAN implements Internet and Intranet facility to perform business operations. Network Security The network security at Huffman Trucking involves backing up the data that allows copying critical business data. The organization also uses physical security that includes video monitoring, and biometrics protection.The organization developed in-house system to track the employees for operational and financial data. Information System Huffman Trucking implemented human resources information system (HRIS) that manages employees at enterprise level. The organization analyzes the data regarding new hires, and existing employees’ performance reviews. HRIS provides four functionalities including capturing employee personal information, maintaining state and federal level compliance procedures, capturing employee/labor relations information, and tracking the applicants.HRIS system provides the organization a central place to capture, access, and keep employees’ and applicants’ records. Issues and Opportunities Huffman Trucking information system allows performing daily tasks. The information system provides the functionality for distributing, receiving, and tracking information. The information system also provides processes for sales, service, vehicle maintenance, ordering, scheduling, contracting, general ledger, and payroll. The problems of the information system include downtime, and incorrect information.The problems of information system result into severe issues such as wrong payroll, maintenance logs, and improper customer tracking. These problems affect organizational performance, and cause penalties. The management fears that the rapid growth, and the problems can result into loses, and thus resulting in not meeting the future needs of the organization. To meet the requirements, management has implemented ERP that integrates all the processes of the organizatio n.ERP also integrate all the four locations, and the business components like customer ordering, tracking the order, generating the bill, order delivery, distribution, and after sales service (Huffman Trucking, 2008). Huffman Trucking plans to track the vehicles with tracking devices. The tracking devices enables the organization to measure, analyze freight delivery, and performances. The tracking device ensures accurate delivery time, and tracking shipments on the way. The database at Huffman Trucking will allow capturing, and maintaining the information at its four locations.The database will also support the workers by providing the ability to track the trucks like when a truck requires maintenance work. The database can also capture the information generated from tracking devices and can help drivers to complete tasks on time. Huffman Trucking can make use of distance information and distribution schedule to guarantee the shipments. The trucks can have scheduled maintenance and can avoid problems due to non-maintenance. The database will help in maintaining records, inventory information, and vendor related ordering at appropriate time.Huffman Trucking plans to develop an information system, and database that suffice the requirements. Huffman Trucking plans to become a warehousing delivery supplier with providing the shipments just in time (Huffman Trucking, 2008). The implementation of just in time shipments, ERP, and vehicle tracking devices can enable Huffman Trucking to provide abilities to knowledge workers to improve its service. Huffman Trucking looks forward to improve productivity, better management and customer satisfaction with its connectivity between locations.To sustain company’s growth and focus on the customers, Huffman Trucking should build an understanding of decision-making process of customers. The company can avail the opportunity to initiate a customer audit that allows tracking of orders from ordering to shipment, and delivery . If Huffman Trucking has automated processes, and required information system then knowledge workers can manage the productive outcomes. Knowledge workers employ the automated systems effectively with the help of better decision-making, and appropriate infrastructure.Huffman Trucking future policies, designs, and practices can help in accomplishing the goals and objectives of the organization. Conclusion Huffman Trucking recognized that organization has facing severe problem with the increase in business. To meet the challenges, company has decided to implement an ERP that will ensure integration of business operations. The ERP will automate the business processes like customer ordering, tracking the order, generating the bill, order delivery, distribution, and after sales service.Vehicle tracking device can ensure accurate delivery time, and tracking shipments on the way. The tracking devices enable the organization to measure performances, and provide freight delivery analysis.Re ferences Huffman Trucking (2008). Huffman trucking. Virtual Organizations. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/PortBus. htm Carroll Communications (2008). Avaya Business Telephone Systems. Retrieved from http://www. carrollcommunications. com/

Who Killed Reconstruction?

North or South: Who Killed Reconstruction? Harper’s Weekly September 1, 1868 Harper’s Weekly September 1, 1868 â€Å"Is This a Republican Form of Government? Is This Protecting Life, Liberty, or Property? † â€Å"Is This a Republican Form of Government? Is This Protecting Life, Liberty, or Property? † Overview: The twelve years after the Civil War proved to be a difficult time for America. Called Reconstruction by historians, this era saw an increase of freedom for former slaves. However, there was also great resistance to change.In 1877 attempts to reconstruct the South officially ended, leaving white-only governments in power. This DBQ asks you to decide who, North or South, was most responsible for the end of Reconstruction Background Essay North or South: Who Killed Reconstruction †¦ the slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery. -W. E. B. Dubois 1876 was an exciting year for America. It was the 100th a nniversary of The Declaration of Independence and America was on the move. Homesteaders and ranchers were filling up the land west of the Mississippi River.Railroads were being built at an astounding rate. It seemed the United States was creating enough opportunity that all Americans and millions of immigrants could pursue their hopes for happiness just as Thomas Jefferson had envisioned 100 years earlier. So it is a great irony of history that the election of 1876 officially crushed the American dream for millions of black Americans. This election saw Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican candidate and eventual winner, square off against Samuel J. Tilden, the Democratic nominee. Although Tilden won the popular ote by a wide margin, election results in Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana were so close that a winner could not be determined. If these three states went for Hayes, he would win the Electoral College vote and become President. Talk of a new Civil War was in the air as th e opponents in the disputed states submitted separate sets of electoral ballots. An informal agreement, now called The Compromise of 1877, avoided the crisis by granting Hayes the Presidency. In return, Hayes promised to remove the last Federal soldiers from the South, almost guaranteeing that all-white governments would rise to power.The dream of Reconstruction was officially dead. For a while, however, it had seemed that the dream of Reconstruction might be realized. The 13th Amendment ended slavery. The 14th Amendment gave black Americans citizenship and civil rights. A Military Reconstruction Act was passed to make sure African-Americans' new rights were protected. Black churches were founded. Public schools were built for black children, and universities like Howard, Fisk, Morehouse, and Hampton were founded for black students seeking higher education.Sixteen African-Americans were elected to Congress and numerous others served at state and local levels. Finally, the 15th Amend ment was ratified making it illegal to deny someone the right to vote based on race. Indeed, real progress was made. However, in the early 1870s, the tide shifted. Southern states began to elect governments dedicated to whites-only rule. Between 1870 and 1876 all but three Southern states turned back Reconstruction efforts. When Rutherford B. Hayes agreed to remove federal soldiers, he was simply putting an end to an already dying effort.But dying or dead, what had gone wrong? Your job is to read the documents that follow and answer the question: North or South: Who killed Reconstruction? 1. Why was 1876 an important year for America? 2. Who ran for President in 1876? What were their political parties? 3. An â€Å"irony† is something you don't expect, something that doesn't seem to fit. What was the irony of history that occurred in 1876? 4. What was the Compromise of 1877? Who got what? 5. Describe each of the following Amendments to the Constitution. a. 13th Amendment: b. 1 4th Amendment: . 15th Amendment: Document A Source: In the years following the Civil War – throughout the South -state, city, and town governments passed laws to restrict the rights of free African-American men and women. These laws were often called â€Å"Black Codes. † The example below of â€Å"Black Codes† comes from laws passed in Opelousas, Louisiana immediately after the Civil War. ————————————————- 1. â€Å"No negro or freedmen shall be allowed to come within the limits of the town of Opelousas without special permission from his employers.Whoever breaks this law will go to jail and work for two days on the public streets, or pay a fine of five dollars. † ————————————————- —————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- 2. â€Å"No negro or freedman shall be permitted to rent or keep a house in town under any circumstances. No negro or freedman shall live within the town who does not work for some white person or former owner. † ————————————————- ————————————————- 3. No public meetings of negroes or freedmen shall be allowed within the town. † ————————————————- ————————————————- 4. â€Å"No freedman shall be allowed to carry firearms, or any kind of weapons. No freedman s hall sell or exchange any article of merchandise within the limits of Opelousas without permission in writing from his employer. † ————————————————- ————————————————- 5. â€Å"Every negro is to be in the service of (work for) some white person, or former owner. Document Analysis How did black codes restrict the freedom of freedmen? Document B Document Analysis Based on the document above and your knowledge of U. S. history, what was the real end result of sharecropping? Document C Source: Albion Tourgee, Letter on Ku Klux Klan Activities. New York Tribune, May 1870. Note: Tourgee was a white, Northern soldier who settled in North Carolina after the War. He served as a judge during Reconstruction and wrote this letter to the North Carolina Republican Senato r, Joseph Carter Abbott. ————————————————- ———————————————— It is my mournful duty to inform you that our friend John W. Stephens, State Senator from Caswell, is dead. He was foully murdered by the Ku-Klux in the Grand Jury room of the Court House on Saturday†¦ He was stabbed five or six times, and then hanged on a hook in the Grand Jury room†¦ Another brave, honest Republican citizen has met his fate at the hands of these fiends†¦ ————————————————- I have very little doubt that I shall be one of the next victims. My steps ave been dogged for months, and only a good opportunity has been wanting to secure to me the fate which Stephens has just met†¦ I say to you plainly that any member of Congress who, especially if from the South, does not support, advocate, and urge immediate, active, and thorough measures to put an end to these outrages†¦is a coward, a traitor, or a fool. ————————————————- Source: Independent Monitor, September 1, 1868. Document Analysis What group(s) is the KKK threatening? According to Tourgee, what types of people are being attacked by the KKK?Why would the KKK attack these people? How do these documents help answer the DBQ question? Document C Source: Abram Colby, testimony to a joint House and Senate Committee in 1872. Note: Colby was a former slave who was elected to the Georgia State legislature during Reconstruction. ————————————————- Colby: On the 29th of Oct ober 1869, [the Klansmen] broke my door open, took me out of bed, took me to the woods and whipped me three hours or more and left me for dead. They said to me, â€Å"Do you think you will ever vote another damned Radical ticket? I said, â€Å"If there was an election tomorrow, I would vote the Radical ticket. † They set in and whipped me a thousand licks more, with sticks and straps that had buckles on the ends of them. ————————————————- ————————————————- Question: What is the character of those men who were engaged in whipping you? ————————————————- ——————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Colby: Some are first-class men in our town. One is a lawyer, one a doctor, and some are farmers†¦ They said I had voted for Grant and had carried the Negroes against them.About two days before they whipped me they offered me $5,000 to go with them and said they would pay me $2,500 in cash if I would let another man go to the legislature in my place. I told them that I would not do it if they would give me all the county was worth†¦ No man can make a free speech in my county. I do not believe it can be done anywhere in Georgia. Source: Harper’s Weekly, October 21, 1876. Caption: â€Å"Of Course he wants to vote the Democratic ticket. † Document Analysis Why did the KKK attack Abram Colby? According to Colby, what types of people make up the KKK? What seems to be the ultimate goal of the KKK?What is the main idea of the cartoon? Document D Source: Gerald Danzer et al. , The Americans, McDougall Littell, 1998. —— ——————————————- †¦ in the 1870s, Northern voters grew indifferent to events in the South. Weary of the ‘Negro Question' and ‘sick of carpet-bag' government, many Northern voters shifted their attention to such national concerns as the Panic of 1873 and corruption in Grant's administration†¦. Although political violence continued in the South†¦ the tide of public opinion in the North began to turn against Reconstruction policies.Source: Kenneth Stampp, The Era of Reconstruction, 1865-1877, Vintage, 1967. ————————————————- Meanwhile southern Democrats gained strength when Congress finally removed the political disabilities from most of the prewar leadership. In May 1872, because of pressure from the Liberal Republican, Congress passed a general amnesty act which restored the right of office holding [and voting] to the vast majority of those who had been disqualified†¦After the passage of this act only a few hundred ex-Confederates remained unpardoned. Document AnalysisExplain the phrases â€Å"weary of the ‘Negro Question’† and â€Å"‘sick of carpet-bag’ government. † Why might increased anger about the corruption in government lead to less interest in government attempts to reconstruct the South? How did the restoration of voting rights to white Southerners undermine efforts to preserve and protect the voting rights of the freedmen? Document E Source: Heather Cox Richardson, The Death of Reconstruction: Race, Labor and Politics in the Post-Civil War North, 1865-1901. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2001. ————————————————-In the fall of 1873, even the stau nchly (firmly) pro-Grant and pro-freedman Boston Evening Transcript ran a letter †¦ arguing that â€Å"the blacks, as a people, are unfitted for the proper exercise of political duties†¦. The rising generation of †¦ blacks needed a period of probation and instruction; a period †¦ long enough for the black to have forgotten something of his condition as a slave and learned much of the true method of gaining honorable subsistence and of performing the duties of any position to which he might aspire. Northern artist’s portrayal of the South Carolina State Legislature during Reconstruction.Source: The Cover of Harper’s Weekly, March 14, 1874 Document Analysis According to the letter from the Boston Evening Transcript, why did some people believe blacks were unfit to be government officials? How does this letter show racism existed in the North? How do this cartoon & letter help explain why Northerners lost interest in Reconstruction? How does the image above depict black politicians in the South? Document F Document Analysis How was it possible that Hayes â€Å"won† the election of 1876? How did this disputed election lead to the end of Reconstruction?

Beam Deflection Essay

Summary The primary goal of the experiment was to determine the structural stiffness of two cantilevered beams composed of steel and aluminum while maintaining both beams at a constant thickness and cross sectional area. The experiment also investigated material properties and dimensions and their relationship to structural stiffness. The experiment was divided into two separate parts. The results for the first part of the experiment were obtained by clamping the beam at one end while applying different masses at a specified length across the beam and then measuring deflection. The measuring device was set a specified distance from the clamped end. The following procedure was employed for both the steel and aluminum beam. The second part of the experiment required placing a single known mass at various lengths across the supported beam and then measuring the resulting deflection. This method was only completed for the steel beam. The deflections from both parts of the experiment were then averaged independently to ascertain final conclusions. The first part of the experiment resulted in a much greater deflection for the aluminum beam, with its greatest deflection spanning to an average of 2.8 mm. Moreover, the deflection for the steel beam was much less, concluding that steel has a larger structural stiffness. In fact, the structural stiffness that was found for steel was 3992 N/m, compared to aluminum, which was 1645 N/m. In addition, the theoretical values of structural stiffness for steel and aluminum were calculated to be 1767.9 N/m and 5160.7 N/m, respectively. There was a large error between the theoretical and experimental values for steel, close to 29%. This could have been due to human error, or a defective beam. The second part of the experiment resulted in validating the fact that the values of deflection are proportional to length cubed. It was also determined that deflection is inversely proporti onal to the elastic modulus and that structural stiffness is proportional to the elastic modulus. Despite the fact that there was considerable error between some of the theoretical and experimental values, the experiment still proved to be effective in determining a reasonably accurate value for structural stiffness as well as verifying its relationship between material properties and beam dimensions. Introduction The beam deflection experiment was designed to investigate the structural stiffness of cantilever beams made of steel and aluminum. Cantilever beams are fixed at one end and support applied loads throughout their length. There are many applications for cantilever beams such as bridges, balconies, storage racks, airplane wings, skywalks, diving boards, and even bicycles. Figure 1 shows an example of a cantilevered beam in bridge design. The primary objective of the experiment was to find the structural stiffness for the two cantilevered beams made of aluminum and steel. For the first part of the experiment, various known loads were applied at the same distance from the fixed end of each beam. The second part of the experiment had one point load applied at different lengths. Due to the fact structural stiffness is heavily dependent on dimensions, the two beams were required to have almost identical thicknesses and cross-sectional areas. In addition, structural stiffness was assumed to be proportional to the elastic modulus of the material. It was expected that the steel beam would have a higher structural stiffness than the aluminum beam due to its higher modulus of elasticity. It was also expected that for aluminum to have the same  structural stiffness while being the same length, the dimensions of the aluminum beam would have to be larger to increase the cross sectional area. Figure 1 The Fourth Bridge in Scotland, United Kingdom, an Example of a Cantilever Beam Copyright   George Gastin, at http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/File:Forthbridge_feb_2013.jpg. Theory Deflection is the displacement of a beam due to an applied force or load, F. The figure below represents this deflection for a cantilevered beam, labeled as ÃŽ ´. The figure below represents a cantilever beam that is fixed at point A and has a length, l. Figure 2 Cantilever Beam of Length l, Clamped at One End and Loaded at the Other End The deflection of a beam is given by the equation  ÃŽ ´ = Fl3/3EI in m. (1) E is the elastic modulus of the material, and I is the area moment of inertia. The elastic modulus describes a material’s ability to elastically deform when a force is applied. Elastic modulus is given as stress, ÏÆ', over strain, ÃŽ µ. The equation below represents this relationship. E = ÏÆ'/ÃŽ µ in N/m (2) The area moment of inertia of a rectangle (the cross-sectional shape of the beam) is dependent upon the base, b, and height, h, of the beam and is given by the expression I = bh3/12 in m4 .(3) The deflection of the beam can be rewritten as ÃŽ ´ = 4Fl3/Ebh3 in m.(4) From the following equation, it can be seen that deflection is dependent on force, the elastic modulus, and the dimensions of the beam. Therefore, a larger load that is applied to the beam will result in a larger deflection. A greater deflection will also occur if the length of the beam is increased. Alternatively, a larger width and height (a larger cross-sectional area) as well as a higher material stiffness will minimize the deflection. From equation 4, the force applied, F, can be written as F = (Ebh3/4l3)ÃŽ ´ in N,(5) or, F = kÃŽ ´ in N.(6) Where k is the structural stiffness of the beam, given as, k = Ebh3/4l3 in N/m.(7) From this equation, it can be seen that k increases as material stiffness increases. Dimensionally, the structural stiffness of the beam will also increase with a larger width and larger height and decrease with a longer length. Therefore, a smaller length will result in a larger structural stiffness. The following equation also shows that the larger the structural stiffness is, the less deflection a beam will have. The statistical analysis for the multitude of measurements taken throughout the experiment required two equations. The first equation was the statistical average given by Xave = ∑ xi /n,(8) where, Xave represents the statistical average of the measurements, xi represents the individual measurements, and n represents the total number of measurements. The second relationship was the standard deviation, given by S = (∑i=1→n[(xi – Xave) 2 / (n-1)]) 1/2. (9) The percentage error between the experimental and theoretical values for structural stiffness was calculated using the following expression, % Difference = |xth – xexp|/((1/2)*(xth+xexp)), (10) where xth and xexp represents the theoretical and experimental values, respectively. Test Setup & Procedures The experiment was conducted in a campus laboratory. The experimentation was setup to where two cantilever beams were tested for deflection using TecQuipment’s Deflection of Beams and Cantilever apparatus. The beams were  identical in geometry, but made out of two different metals, one of which is steel and the other aluminum. The beam would be inserted into the apparatus’s clamp and held in place by tightening the screw on the clamp using a hex wrench. After the beam was secured on the apparatus, the Mitutoyo Absolute displacement meter was calibrated by clicking the origin button. Next, the two experiments were conducted. The first experiment tested deflection on each metal by varying the mass while keeping the load placed at a constant length. The second experiment tested deflection using a constant mass while varying the distance of load placement from the fixed end of the beam. Table 1 Equipment List Equipment List Apparatus TecQuipment’s Deflection of Beams and Cantilever CalipersMoore & Wright Range: 0-150 mm Precision 0.1 mm Displacement meterMitutoyo Absolute Mitutoyo Corp Model ID- S1012M Serial No. 33631 .5-.0005 (12.7-0.01 mm) Masses (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) g Aluminum Beam Width: 19.9 mm Height: 4.45 mm Steel BeamWidth: 19.89 mm Height: 4.45 mm Procedures Experiment 1: Experiment 1 began with measuring and recording the width and height of each of the beams using a caliper. A beam was then inserted into the clamp fitting of the apparatus and tightened using the hex wrench. The displacement meter was calibrated to zero by pressing the origin button. A length was selected for the mass to be hung from the beam. Starting from the lowest mass (100 g, 200 g, 300 g, 400 g, and 500 g), each mass was hung using the hanger from the selected length. When the hanger and mass  stabilized, the deflection measurement displayed on the meter was recorded. Three trials were conducted for each mass. After the data was recorded, the mass was removed and the meter was recalibrated to zero before hanging the new mass. The experiment was repeated using the second beam. Experiment 2: Experiment 1 setup procedures were repeated for experiment 2. A steel beam was used for this test. For each length (100 mm, 200 mm, 300 mm, 400 mm, and 450 mm), a 200 gram mass was placed on the hanger. Three trials were conducted for each length. When the system was stabilized, the deflection length was recorded. After each trial and test, the deflection meter was recalibrated for accuracy. Results Experiment 1: The following results were acquired and calculated from the data obtained directly from the experiment. Refer to Appendix (figures 11, 12, 13, and MATLAB Full Calculation Script). Below are the properties of the two specimens, aluminum and steel. Table 2 Test Specimen Properties Note: The length for the two beams was held constant for Experiment One. The first experiment required five different masses to be placed at a constant length on the two beams. The deflections were measured for each mass three times. The average and standard deviation were calculated for each mass’s data set using equation 8 and equation 9, respectively. The theoretical deflection was also calculated using equation 1. The tables below describe these relationships. Table 3 Force and Experimental and Theoretical Deflections for the Aluminum Beam Table 4 Force and Experimental and Theoretical Deflections for the Steel Beam In order to determine the experimental structural stiffness, the average experimental deflections for both beams were plotted. The plots also contain the standard deviation of the experimental results and the theoretical values for comparison. Refer to figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 Load vs. Experimental & Theoretical Deflections | Aluminum Figure 8 Load vs. Experimental & Theoretical Deflections | Steel The data was fitted using a linear best-fit line to gather further information about the experimental deflections. Using the inverse of the slope from the linear trend lines of aluminum and steel, experimental stiffness was calculated. The theoretical value of stiffness was also calculated using equation 7. Table 5 represents this data. Table 5 Theoretical and Experimental Structural Difference and Percentage of Error for Both Beams The figure below shows a quick representation of the theoretical and experimental structural stiffness’s for the two specimens. Figure 9 Experimental & Theoretical Structural Stiffness for the Steel and Aluminum Beam Experiment 2: Experiment 2 was conducted using various experimental beam lengths and a constant force. Steel was the only material used. The deflections were measured three times for each length and averaged. The theoretical deflection, theoretical stiffness, average, and standard deviation were calculated for each mass using equations 1, 7, 8, and, 9, respectively. Table 6 represents this data. Table 6 Length3, Experimental and Theoretical Deflections, and Structural Stiffness for the Steel Beam The figure below shows the relationship between length3 and displacement. Figure 10 Length3 vs. Experimental & Theoretical Deflections | Steel Discussion The final results obtained represent the attempt in experimentally determining the hardness value for as received and annealed AISI 1018 steel. The results revealed that the average experimental hardness for the as received steel, 96.6, is much greater than the annealed steel, 64.76, as seen in figure ##. To further strengthen these results, the measurements for both of the specimens maintained a fairly low standard deviation, showing great consistency and accuracy throughout the individual measurements. In addition, since no biased error was continuously repeated, there were no trends associated with the standard deviation, it was simply scattered. The considerable error, 28.9%, between the theoretical and experimental values of stiffness for steel could have been due to bad measurements or due to the fact that the theoretical calculation is highly idealized (see table 5). The error associated with the aluminum beam, however, was much lower, 7.9%, even with larger standard deviations. The following conundrum begs the question that if the theoretical determination for aluminum was accurate, what caused the large amount of error inherent with the steel beam? For any further non-subjective conclusions to be made the experiment for the steel beam would have to be repeated. Nonetheless, Experiment 1 proved effective in determining fairly accurate values for structural stiffness. In addition, it was also concluded that force was linearly proportional to displacement, as shown in figures 7, and 8. Furthermore, for beams with the same dimensions, the ratio of deflections was equivalent to the inverse ratio of the two material’s modulus of elasticity. In other words, deflection is simply proportional to the inverse of the modulus of elasticity. Alternatively, it can be said that the ratio of structural stiffness between the two materials and the ratio of modulus of elasticity’s are directly proportional. The results of Experiment 1 validated these statements by showing that steel deflected much less than aluminum due to it larger value of E and higher value of structural stiffness (see tables 3 & 4). The derived theoretical  equations agree with both of these statements. Experiment 2: Experiment 2 resulted in data being obtained by continuously changing the length, but keeping the mass and therefore the force constant. The results show that if the length of the beam was increased the deflection increased (see table 6). Furthermore, it is easily seen that the quantity length cubed is directly proportional to deflection, as shown in figure 10. Therefore the final conclusion can be made that structural stiffness is directly proportional to the inverse of length cubed (see table 6). Besides these trends, there was one other trend that was noticed. The standard deviation seemed to increase as the length was increased. This must be due to the fact that there is considerable more error associated in measuring deflection with a longer beam, as seen in table 6. Conclusion Overall, both experiments were effective in validating the primary trends within the derived theoretical equations. The experiment also accomplished the goal of experimentally determining the structural stiffness of aluminum and steel beams given a specific geometry. Though the lab was rather repetitive, it proved to be a simple and great way of supporting some of the theories and techniques acquired from the course of solid mechanics. One recommendation for the lab would be to use multiple samples of steel and aluminum in order to ensure that at least one sample is consistent and that you’re not using a sample that has extensively been tested by prior labs. This may ultimately reduce the error associated with the steel beam and the overall accuracy of the experiment.

Black& Decker-eastern Hemisphere and the ADP initiative, Essay

Black& Decker-eastern Hemisphere and the ADP initiative, - Essay Example He wanted to change the culture and build a company which could be flexible enough to adopt to different values and management practices applied throughout different other parts of the world also. Through ADP, Lancaster wanted to actually improve the employee development as he wanted employees in Eastern Hemisphere to be more trained and become more equipped to face the new challenges in terms of stiff competition being faced by the company. He wanted that ADP should contribute towards making employees more responsible and integrated with each other while at the same time become more participatory in nature. Apart from this, by implementing ADP, Lancaster was willing to change the culture of the organization and infuse in employees a new sense of understanding about how things are working at the international level. It was also intended to decrease the reliance of employees on management and make them more responsible for their development and training needs of the future. Probably the most important concern was that of the cultural conflict between the Asian employees and that of the other employees of the organization. Most of Asian managers actually raised their concerns regarding this system because of the lack of willingness of the employees to be actually more open for their bosses. Their lack of being critical of their bosses therefore may lead them not to provide the kind of feedback required to properly evaluate all employees through 360 degree appraisal. In order to properly implement the system, it is important to implement a hybrid system which takes into account the cultural aspects of organization also. Culture is something which changes slowly therefore it may be difficult for Lancaster to implement the required changes immediately as it may attract resistance from all levels. It is however, also important to further refine the hybrid system to truly reflect upon the cultural side of doing business in Asia. It seems that

Making Sense Of Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Making Sense Of Organisation - Essay Example The machine is comprised of interlocking components which work together in sync. Well-oiled, it functions flawlessly to take a physical input and convert it into an output that serves some utility. In the same way as machines are fabrications of men, organizations are themselves an invention, a fabrication that was necessitated by human need. Organizations are fictitious persons with legal rights and obligations that are exercised by the persons who are empowered to act in behalf of it (Champoux, 2011). The organisations, while made up of people and acting through them, are separate entities from the people who comprise them. Humans work together to fulfil common needs; organizations have been devised to provide the structure by which human efforts may be coordinated, in order to more effectively attain the goals they have set out to achieve (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). Organizations are more formally defined as ‘a system of two or more persons, engaged in cooperative action , trying to reach a purpose.’ As systems they are bounded, and feature a structure including authority relations, communications protocols, and formally established incentives by which peoples’ behaviour and social interaction are structured and regulated, even controlled (Champoux, 2011, p. 6). Also, ‘Organizations are (1) social entities that (2) are goal-directed, (3) are designed as deliberately structure and coordinated activity systems, and (4) are linked to the external environment’ (Daft, 2007, p. 10). A cursory observation is that elements common to machines and organisations are that they are both goal-oriented, they are both creations of humans, and they employ a system that takes inputs from the environment, converts them through a pre-determined process, and creates the desired output which they return to the environment. The following discussion will thresh out the machine-like elements in the organisation that pertain to the latter’s historical, rational-technical, and sociological (seen through the psychological, cultural, and symbolic) components. Historical elements of organisations The historical element of an organisation becomes apparent when one comes to realise that while organisations are made up of people, they are capable of exceeding the limitations of the people who comprise it at any one point in time. This means that while people can leave, retire or die, organisations live on through the next generation of individuals who succeed those who have left. In practical terms, it is possible for organisations to last longer than any natural person can, and even cross over to several generations into the future. There are many organisations that have lasted for hundreds of years. In London, the oldest merchant bank was Barings Bank; it was established in 1762, but collapsed in 1995 due to rogue trading. Today, a remnant of the bank survives as ING Barings after it was bought out in 1995 by ING Bank. That being said, it is remarkable that a British bank, a private organisation that existed separate from the government, was older than the Unites States itself. Scanning the internet, however, Barings was a young bank when compared with the Halifax Bank of Scotland (1695), the Berenberg Bank of

Trokosi As Modern-Day Slavery in Africa Research Paper

Trokosi As Modern-Day Slavery in Africa - Research Paper Example he definition of slavery under the supplementary convention since the families are bound to the conviction that they are subjected to suffering from a disease and deaths until they offer the virgin girl to please the gods. On the other hand, they decide to offer the virgins for acquiring luck and fortune. In fact, there are estimates of more than five thousand trokosi slaves in Ghana, and other twenty nine thousand and thirty five thousand slaves estimated to be in other countries. Therefore, trokosi is a practice that has become a component of traditional obsession associated with gods and spirits in sacrament things and shrines priests. In Ghana, trokosi practice is originated from Ewe ethnic groups since seventieth century in Togo and Benin, whereby trokosi was considered a ritual in 1600s. In fact, they offered used offer virgin girls the war gods in order to please them and in return, they would acquire victory. Therefore, the warriors visited the religious shrine in order to of fer these girls as sacrifices while the priests of trokosi shrines had a conviction that this would communicate to the gods. Modern Trokosi Practice Trokosi in the modern day is has taken a slight which is depicted through the of story a nine-year old girl named Abla Kotor, whereby she is forced to go to southern Ghana in concurrence due to a crime that was committed by her father (Aird, 2012). Abla was born as a result of a crime committed by her father is raping his niece; thus, Abla was bound to pay for her father’s crime. In this case, she is forced to be a savant to Ewe priest in a way of appeasing the gods. Therefore, her parents decide to offer her as a slave, and she is subjected to a lot of tribulation such as physical and sexual abuse. Nevertheless, she decides to humiliate... Trokosi" As Modern-Day Slavery in Africa However, the girls are mistreated, and there are restricted to interact with others, thereby providing sex and labor to the priest. On the other hand, they are denied to access education, ample food and health services. In fact, they live in a harsh condition in a way that defines the slavery under the constitution of Ghana and slavery convention. Nevertheless, the paper will focus on exploring the issues associated to Trokosi as a modern form of slavery in Africa, whereby various issues associated with this form of slavery will be explored. The paper will also discuss effort made through reforms in order to alleviate the problem faced by these girls. Therefore, the paper will begin by discussing Trokosi practice based on the data gathered from different literatures in order to offer a basis of understanding the issue. The paper proceeds by offering relevant background information on the issue in order to facilitate the understanding the issues in a reliable way. In the next section, the paper will focus on exploring the reforms and challenges faced in the process of alleviating the problem. Moreover, the paper will focus on exploring the practice of trokosi in the Ghanaian context since it is one of the African countries severely been affected by this problem. Another form of opposition to the process eliminating trokosi practice emanates from people with the perception of the process being an attack to against their religious beliefs.

Business Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Business Research - Essay Example The commercial success of giant multinational companies such as Apple and Samsung creates significant spill over effects in the international economic system. These effects are created in the form of increased employability, augmented consumers utility, greater innovation and better standard of living (New Page Publishers, 2010). This business research primarily aims to analyze the most important factors determining the consumers purchasing intensions in the global electronics industry (Georgi and Mink, 2012). It should be noted that positive purchasing perceptions of the buyers within an industry is directly proportional to the efficiency of the marketing activities conducted by each company (Bray, 2010). It is highly rational to conduct this research because it aims to first implicitly analyze the marketing strategies and business performances of Apple and Samsung. The research work will also conduct an empirical survey analysis about the consumer’s perceptions regarding the products and services of the two companies. At the end by combining the two research results, the paper will enumerate certain recommendations through which the two companies would be able to enhance its business perforce in the long run. Long run growth of such giant multinational companies would imply progress of the global economy. Apple Inc. is a popular multinational company founded in 1976. The headquarters of the organization is located in Cupertino, California but it conducts business in almost all the prominent economies of the world (Apple Inc., 2012). Computer hardware, computer electronics, digital distribution and computer software are some popular products and services traded by Apple Inc. It is believed by the researchers that Apple Inc. has achieved multiplicative growth in business since its inception with the active contribution of its