Conspectus and Collection Mapping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conspectus and Collection Mapping - Essay Example There are a lot of individuals who are using the libraries and among them are children who are going to schools or professional individuals that are in need to be guided by a certain library system that would make their library experience a bit easier and would further guide them as they surf through different services that the aforementioned library renders. A library system is a must in order to cater the needs of the users in a manner that is not stressful to them considering the fact the library should meet the demands of its users to be effective in meeting the needs of the people who are using it. In the case of the aforementioned library, the conventional method should have at least been altered in partial in order for the people and the administrator to utilize the library to the fullest. In this case library materials should be recorded subject by subject in order fro the users and the administrators not to be lost in utilizing the materials in the library. The collection of the library should develop a certain program in order to guide the people who are utilizing the library. Upon analyzing these things, Conspectus Method came into picture. Library, University of Auckland (2006) described that "According to the conspectus, library resources are divided into 24 broad subject divisions, and within these divisions each subject is further divided according to the Dewey classification system used by most of the libraries on campus. Each subject area is graded by using a code from 0 (out of scope) to 5 (comprehensive). Language coverage is defined by further codes. These codes are described on the following pages." - This means that library resources should be divided into divisions and classifies them accordingly with the use of Dewey classification system in order to group the materials accordingly. In the case of the aforementioned library where it caters approximately 650 students excluding those professional people and by-standers who are also utilizing the library, this method is really a necessity in this library considering the amount of people who are using this library. If we are to analyze, classifying the materials in the library is a big help in order for the people to be guided. Conspectus and Collection Mapping 3 For instance in the history classification of this library where it houses a little over a hundred of history books, classifying these books into a smaller fragments of classification is beneficial for the users considering the fact that a certain subject and classification has their differences from volume, the essence of their uses and the likes so it is important to have these classification in order for the users to be guided. For instance in the classification History, it was subdivided into smaller classification such as World History, American History and the likes, in the same thing, these books are also divided into volumes, years, and editions in order to locate them without hassle. If we are to look into

The relationship of man and his environment Assignment

The relationship of man and his environment - Assignment Example As a result of the deforestation and destruction to natural habitats, conservation biology emerged as a key field of study in and around the 1980. As such, a new movement within conservation biology emerged which can only be described as environmental ethics (David/Sakhar 2012). These environmental ethicists worked to claim that biodiversity had an â€Å"intrinsic value† on how we as human integrate with and understand the biological spectrum of life on planet earth. As such, this article goes in depth to discuss the different hierarchical taxonomic and categorization of a host of different species that are all dependent upon human actions and interests. A point of view similar to the one put forward by this article demands that a transformation take place with the level of understanding and value that humans place. In effect, the focus on biodiversity and placing a renewed emphasis on caring for, respecting, and restoring the environment has led to a new wave of ecotourism wh ich has helped to raise the overall awareness of the problem among key shareholders the world over. The European campaign on working together for risk has been organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and focuses on the twin concepts of management leadership and worker participation in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). In UK the title translates more accurately as working together on risk management. Judith Hackitt,Chair of HSE, introduces the Healthy Workplaces (Goldstein 2012). â€Å"Following on from.

Understanding Customer Relationships Essay Example for Free

Understanding Customer Relationships Essay I further confirm that I have not shared my work with other candidates. Table of Contents Cover page1 Table of Contents2 Task 1: Keeping stakeholders informed 3 6 Task 2: Collecting stakeholder information 7 9 Task 3: CSR – Gaining an Internal Perspective 10 12 Task 4 REPORT To:Marketing Manager From:Marketing Assistant Date:25th November, 2011 Subject:Keeping stakeholders informed INTRODUCTION: Communication is defined as the process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs or behavior (www. erriamwebster. com/dictionary). It is a two-way process and plays a central role for effective relationships within an organization (CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing Study Workbook, pg 135). For communication to be effective, the receiver must understand the message in the manner the sender intended for it to be received. As with majority of organizations, stakeholders are an integral part of any organization and must be well informed of necessary decisions and activities of the said organization. With reference to the recent oil spillage crisis, it is important that BP communicates to the following stakeholder groups – a. FOUR STAKEHOLDER GROUPS THAT BP NEEDED TO COMMUNICATE WITH AND THEIR SCOPE OF INTEREST ARE: Governments and regulators: Government alongside the regulatory agencies established by the government to dominate the industry, are responsible for formulating policies which govern offshore drilling processes and also ensure that the interest of the public is protected from the activities of the oil companies. Both bodies need to be informed of the spillage to allow for monitoring of the situation and deployment of resources and assessment teams to establish shoreline protection and clean up priorities. (http://www. env. gov. bc. ca/eemp/resources/strategies/oilstrat. htm) The information would further assist the government investigate the cause of the spillage in order to take necessary legal actions and also help with legislation of regulatory laws which governs oil exploration by the oil companies. . Stakeholders and analysts: The stakeholders include shareholders and investors who have financial interests and commitments in BP. They should be informed of the spill and every progress made by BP, so that they are kept abreast of the financial implications and expenditure that would arise from the spillage, cleanup process and compensation cost which might result in a loss in revenue for BP and ultimately their financial interests. c. Local communities: Local communities are usually members of the community within which an oil project is situated and in this case, the community where the oil spill has occurred. They would also include the local media, medical organizations, nongovernmental organizations active within the area, local security forces etc. Organizations must establish themselves as reputable members of a community. (www. ou. edu/deptcomm/literature review. htm) By establishing a reservoir of goodwill in the community it is often easier to gain community support during a crisis (Sellnow, 1993). As such, affected residents of the local community around where the spillage occurred should be communicated to and assessed for physical and behavioral health effects the spillage might cause especially if the residents depend on oil, fishing or other affected industries in the locality of the spill. BP should also inform the local communities on steps it has taken or would take to combat the effect of the spillage on the environment and possible compensations to the communities. d. Customers: These vary from domestic fuel users to agricultural and aviation users of bulk LPG. All BP customers should be contacted and informed of the spillage as this might affect the supply of various products as supplied by BP. The multiplier effect of shortage of products by BP would not only mean a loss in revenue for the customer whose livelihood depend s on sale of products but also on the end user as might be in the case of retail fuel consumer and inadvertently more loss to BP. 2. ADAPTATION OF MESSAGES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF EACH OF THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP For a communication to be effective, the message passed must be well understood by the party for whom the message is intended (decoder) for and must be able to communicate back to the sender. BP must ensure that it communicates information about the spillage to the above mentioned stakeholders in respect to their functions and adaptabilities. o For the government, a series of meetings should be arranged where discussions regarding assessments, clean up exercises and monitoring policies are discussed and reported back to the government the progress of the situation. Stakeholders are to be informed via mails or financial reports the cost analysis of the clean up exercise as well as financial implications of the spill incurred by the company. o BP should seek to invite non-governmental organizations who focus on environmental policies and issues to assist with implementation of programs designed to help residents within affected communities. o Customers can be reached more effectively a nd interpersonally through in depth interviews, viral online communications, web based interactive programs and feedback channels on BP’s website. . TWO COMMUNICATION TOOLS THAT COULD BE USED TO ENHANCED THE MESSAGE The purpose of communication is to get a message across clearly using methods or tools that would effectively target the intended receiver. These tools could either be verbal or non-verbal tools of communication. To communicate its intent, BP must use the following communication tools to enhance the credibility of its message:- ? PR: Public Relations is defined as a planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics (IPR). In enhancing the credibility of its message, BP would use PR to not only ensure that its intended target receives its message, but would also help reshape and boost the consumer perception of the BP image in light of the spill crisis thereby, warding off unfavorable rumors. ? Direct Marketing: This is the most targeted method of communication as it seeks to target individual customers with personalized messages and build relationships with them as they respond to direct communications (UCR online syllabus; session 7, pg 8). Direct marketing is defined as the planned recording, analysis and tracking of customer behavior to develop relational marketing strategies (Institute of Direct Marketing, UK) Using direct marketing, a well thought out and planned message is made available by BP to target each stakeholder group and solicit positive responses from each group to help manage the spill crisis. 4. EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNICATION TOOLS OUTLINED ABOVE †¢ Direct Marketing: One of the benefits of direct marketing is that it allows for direct interaction with the consumers and hence immediate responses are obtained from the consumers. This in turns also ensures that BP’s personalized messages are well targeted and monitored such that the aim of public relations in helping to enhance consumer perception of BP’s image is also attained. BRIEFING PAPER From:Marketing Assistant To:Marketing Manager Date:17. 12. 2011 Subject:Collecting Stakeholder information Information is defined as the data formatted or structured to support decision making or define the relationship between two facts (Zikmund/Babin: Essentials of marketing research; 3rd edition). It is a marketing asset which impacts on performance of an organization (CIM Study Workbook, pg 108) 2. INFORMATION TO BE COLLECTED BY BP IN RELATION TO ITS STAKEHOLDERS o Local Communities: BP would seek to collect information about the local communities which would include population count, availability of amenities such as hospitals, roads, schools, water, electricity, income levels, gender, age etc. It would also seek to identify the general occupation of residents in the community (e. g if farming or fishing is the main stay of the residents and the effects of the spill) and income/lifestyle of residents. It would also seek to understand the culture and ethnicity of the people so as not to strain relationship with its communities. BP should also seek to collect information about its communities to help assess the social and environmental impacts of its project within such communities. o Government and regulators: As these two bodies promulgate policies which govern the exploration of oil wells, CSR and offshore activities, it is important that BP is up to date with its information on all offshore and environmental laws so as to protect itself from abjurations. It would also collect information to understand its tax liabilities and entrepreneurial activities in collaboration with both bodies. . 2USEFULNESS OF INFORMATION COLLECTED TO BP †¢ For Budgetary control:- Greater control and more informed decision making are possible when all costs of all operations are available †¢ For Planning: Information helps BP make adequate plans for its operations within its communities, or act in accordance to governing policies and also inform actions to address/prevent health effects in affected communities during a spill crisis †¢ For decision making: Adequate data collected would be used for making strategic decisions for its sector and management plans. . 3USEFUL INFORMATION TO BE COLLECTED BY SCREENPLAY MARKETING MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS LTD. To ensure our relevance and maintain our market share over the next six months, we must seek to collect the following information about our varying clients in order to effectively meet their needs and surpass their expectations: ? Clients’ activities: we must seek to collect information about each client’s various activities within the next 6 months and plan media campaigns around those activities to meet intended consumers. Customer attitudes: We would need to interview and collect information on target segments of consumers to assess how well they match our ideas and fit into clients’ marketing plan ? Competitors’ activities: Over the next 6 months, we would need to identify who our competitors are through secondar y research and collect information about their activities in order to help us plan our strategies ? Markets: it is important that we carve our niche market and gather necessary information on them. We would need information as to who are clients are, their products, existing/potential market for the product all necessary for us to have an idea on how best to position our client’s product for an increase in market share. 2. 4ONE METHOD OF COLLECTING INFORMATION In order to collect the necessary information, I would recommend the Secondary method of data collection. Secondary data is data that has not been specifically created for the purpose at hand but can be used and analysed to provide marketing information where primary data is not yet available or not sufficient(CIM Study Workbook, pg 110). This is a preferred choice of data collection because it – o Helps to make primary data collection more specific since with the help of secondary data, we are able to make out what are the gaps and deficiencies and what additional information needs to be collected. o Is less expensive and economical to conduct seeing that the information is readily available and does not require the process of collecting new data o Saves time o It provides a basis for comparison for the data that is collected by the researcher (www. managementguide. com) DISCUSSION PAPER Prepared for: Marketing Manager Prepared by: Marketing Assistant Subject:CSR – An Internal perspective Date: 17. 12. 2011 INTRODUCTION: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about how businesses align their values and behaviour with the expectations and needs of stakeholders not just customers and investors, but also employees, suppliers, communities, regulators, special interest groups and society as a whole. CSR describes a companys commitment to be accountable to its stakeholders. CSR demands that businesses manage the economic, social and environmental impacts of their operations to maximise the benefits and minimise the downsides (www. srnetwork. com) 3. 1 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT The purpose of this project is to seek to form a committee to propose and identify a CSR activity for ScreenPlay Marketing and Media Communications Ltd to embark on as its efforts in giving back to the society in which its business operates and increase our awareness of environmental consciousness. 3. 2BENEFITS OF CSR TO THE ORGANISATION Consumers increasin gly do not accept unethical business practices or organizations who act irresponsibly (www. simplycsr. co. uk). The benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility cannot be overemphasized and a carefully planned CSR would help our organization to †¢ Develop and enhance relationships with customers and society thereby retaining customers whilst attracting new ones †¢ Enhance brand image so customers’ perception about the brand is positive †¢ Attract, retain and motivate employees A key potential benefit from  CSR  initiatives involves establishing the conditions that can contribute to increasing the commitment and motivation of employees to become more innovative and productive. www. ic. gc. ca/site/csr-rse. nsf/eng/h_rs00100html) †¢ Sharpen decision making and help reduce risk 3. 3. IMPORTANCE OF INTERNAL COOPERATION AND PARTICIPATION It is important that a good working relationship exists between all departments of our organization on this project so as to ensure completion of tasks and fulfillment of our set objectives. It is envisaged that with team work and co ntribution of ideas from all each department involved in this project would yield productivity and also ensure the success of our CSR project. 3. IDEA ON IMPROVING OUR ORGANISTION’S ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY One idea I would like to suggest to increasing our environmental responsibility is the adoption of a child from the eye department of the children’s ward at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital. There are at present about 300 cases of children with cancer of the eye been treated at the hospital. It is my proposition that we render our CSR to the kids in this ward by sponsoring a child every quarter to the Suraksha Children’s Hospital India – a top hospital in India noted for treatment of eye tumors in children. The relative low costs of surgery and living expenditure has influenced the choice of Suraksha Children’s Hospital and the intervals at which each child would undergo a treatment would not be cumbersome for the organization to bear. We would work in conjunction with a team of doctors at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital to assist in compiling names of beneficiaries of the treatment through a series of preliminary requirements for each beneficiary. This would include age, severity of case, and income level of parents – as this would be aimed at children whose parents cannot afford the treatment cost in the state. This project would be tagged ‘The ScreenPlay Media Communications â€Å"Light a world† project. 3. 5COST IMPLICATION FOR PROPOSED CSR PROJECT The cost for this project is outlined below: †¢ Hospital fees: This would cover cost for accommodation in the hospital for the number of days from the date of admittance to the discharge date and would also cover administrative and drug fees. †¢ Surgery fees: includes surgery fees, anesthetic fees, blood transfusion (if necessary) and surgeon’s fee. Accommodation fees: this take care of accommodation and feeding costs for the accompanying ward/parent of the child †¢ Travel/logistics fees: covers flight fares for child and accompanying ward along with visa application fees. It would also cover for transportation for the beneficiaries upon arrival in India. This cost is estimated at a total of N750, 000 (? 3,000) per quarter and totaling N2, 250,000 (? 9,000) per annum for 3 kids. RESEARCH Prepared for:Mark eting Manager Prepared by:Marketing Assistant Subject:Maintaining the work/life balance Date:30. 11. 2011 EMAIL To:[emailprotected] com (marketing manager) Cc: [emailprotected] com, [emailprotected] com, [emailprotected] com Subject: Committee set up on Proposed CSR Project Dear Elliot, Trust you are fine. As per your memo dated 16th November 2011on setting up a committee for the proposed CSR activity, kindly see below the list of intended participants from the various departments:- a. Ore Odusanya (HR department): Having worked with Ore in the past few years, his analytical and interpersonal skills in relating with people would be very useful in this project . Trish Banner: (Accounts department): Trish’s skill in handling financial transactions as well as contacts within the travel agency would suffice in this project and assisting with obtaining relatively low fare prices for each beneficiary. c. Gladys Knight (Creative department): her artistic talents would help create the right messages for advertisement purposes which would position the brand as foremost in connecting with its s ociety. Her wits and acute sense of judgment would also aid in ensuring that the right candidates are chosen for the project. . Ken Rice (logistics department): an ardent and hardworking colleague, though in the HR department but with an ability to drive and ensure prompt delivery of projects would ensure that logistics such as visas, hotel booking and transportation of each beneficiary is handled promptly at designated timelines. I would also like to suggest that the committee is convened soon so as to enable us conclude the plans within the shortest time frame possible and liaise with the team of doctors in Nigeria and India for the commencement of the project. It would also afford us time to put together a media campaign to boost publicity. Best regards Lolah Adebambo Project Leader REFERENCES Book Sources Vincent. K CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing Study Workbook, 2009/2011 (BPP Learning Media, London) Internet sources www. ic. gc. ca/site/csr-rse. nsf/eng/h_rs00100html (accessed in December 2011) (www. merriamwebster. com/dictionary). (accessed in November 2011) (www. csrnetwork. com) (accessed in December 2011) [pic]

Tensile Properties of Polypropylene

Tensile Properties of Polypropylene Introduction If an engineer wanted to design a bridge to span a river, it would be absurd to consider building it out of papier-mà ¢chà © or rubber. We know this because we know something about the demands that will be put on the bridge and we know that these materials do not satisfy the requirements. After considering other materials, perhaps titanium or high tech aluminium alloys, we may discount them on the grounds of cost even if they do have suitable mechanical properties to make a good bridge. Eventually we may decide on steel; but which one? There are thousands to choose from. Which has the best properties at an affordable price? The cost effectiveness of any material is a matter not to be dealt with here but we must ask which steel has the most appropriate physical properties. In order to answer this question, we must conduct tests on different steels and compare the results when samples of the steel are tested to destruction. Polypropylene has the ability to crystallise which was a very exciting prospect as it is also an economical material so the popularity of it grew and production began all across most of Europe its use. Lots of different types of polypropylene have been under production since the early 1950s mainly because of its insulating properties. it is used in many different fields, bumpers and some of the interior in a car is developed using polypropylene its also widely used in electrical components because of its great electrical resistance at high temperatures. It has similar properties to polyethylene. Because of its use in many different fields its necessary to test the material in a variety of ways. In this test the tensile properties will be examined at different testing speeds. This test is done because The test process involves placing the test specimen in the testing machine and slowly extending it until it fractures. During this process, the elongation of the gauge section is recorded against the applied force. The data is manipulated so that it is not specific to the geometry of the test sample. Theory Polypropylene, like other plastics, typically starts with the distillation of hydrocarbon fuels into lighter groups called fractions some of which are combined with other catalysts to produce plastics (typically via polymerisation or poly-condensation) For example, the polymerisation of propylene, which is identical to ethylene except that one hydrogen substituent has been replaced by a methyl (CH3) group, yields polypropylene. This material has a higher melting point (160-170 oC), higher tensile strength, and greater rigidity than polyethylene. Figure 1- Propylene monomers polymerisation to polypropylene Depending on how they are linked or joined (chemical bonds or intermolecular forces) and on the arrangement of the different chains that forms the polymer, the resulting polymeric materials can be classified as: Thermoplastics Elastomers Thermosets Depending on the chemical composition, polymers can be inorganic such as glass, or they can be organic, such as adhesives of epoxy resin. Organic polymers can be also divided into natural polymers such as proteins and synthetic polymers as thermosets materials. Description of apparatus The apparatus used the most for the testing part of the experiment was the zwick tensile testing machine this is a highly accurate piece of equipment as it has high resolution angle measurement which allows excellent repeat accuracy. This type of machine has two crossheads; one is adjusted for the length of the specimen and the other is driven to apply tension to the test specimen he machine must be able to generate enough force to fracture the specimen. The machine must be able to apply the force quickly or slowly enough to properly mimic the actual application. Finally, the machine must be able to accurately and precisely measure the gauge length and forces applied Figure 2- Tensile testing machine (diagrammatic sketch form) Test procedure The test will be carried out using the Zwick tensile testing machine, with 3 different specimens each of them will be extended at different speeds Specimen 1: Extension speed= 100 mm/min Specimen 2: Extension speed= 50 mm/min Specimen 3: Extension speed= 12.5 mm/min Before testing the specimens, they must be measured before and after the test to see what impact the test had on the specimens After the measurement, have been taken its required to make a table to compare the load to the extension this graph will be required to estimate relevant values that will be needed to complete the calculations. For all the specimens you are required to obtain a verity of tensile properties including: Nominal yield stress Youngs modulus Fracture stress (nominal and true) Tensile ductility Results Specimen (mm) Average (mm) Av.CSA = tw ( 1 T 2.13 2.18 2.20 2.17 10.20 W 4.68 4.73 4.70 4.70 2 T 2.13 2.15 2.16 2.14 10.10 W 4.68 4.72 4.71 4.70 3 T 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.15 10.11 W 4.70 4.72 4.69 4.70 Specimen 1 calculated results when extended at speed of 100 mm/min Gauge Length (mm) 33.00 Initial cross-sectional area () 10.21 Fracture length (mm) (55-33) 22.00 Thickness at fracture (mm) 0.91 Width at fracture (mm) 2.50 Cross-sectional area at Fracture () 2.28 Load at yield (N) 270.00 Load at fracture (N) 170.00 Nominal yield stress () 26.45 Extension at high yield (mm) 1.54 Young modulus () 566.79 Nominal fracture stress () 16.65 True fracture stress () 74.56 Tensile Ductility (mm) 0.66 Specimen 2 calculated results when extended at speed of 50 mm/min Gauge Length (mm) 33.00 Initial cross-sectional area () 10.10 Fracture length (mm) (123-33) 90.00 Thickness at fracture (mm) 0.93 Width at fracture (mm) 2.61 Cross-sectional area at Fracture () 2.43 Load at yield (N) 262.50 Load at fracture (N) 172.50 Nominal yield stress () 25.99 Extension at high yield (mm) 1.54 Young modulus () 556.93 Nominal fracture stress () 17.08 True fracture stress () 70.98 Tensile Ductility 2.72 Specimen 3 calculated results when extended at speed of 12.5 mm/min Gauge Length (mm) 33.00 Initial cross-sectional area () 10.11 Fracture length (mm) (242-33) 209.00 Thickness at fracture (mm) 0.88 Width at fracture (mm) 2.01 Cross-sectional area at Fracture () 1.77 Load at yield (N) 273.75 Load at fracture (N) 267.50 Nominal yield stress () 27.08 Extension at high yield (mm) 110.26 Young modulus () 8.08 Nominal fracture stress () 26.46 True fracture stress () 151.13 Tensile Ductility 6.33 Calculations of average cross sectional area specimen 1 Average cross sectional area = Average thickness x Average width Average cross sectional area = 2.17 mm x 4.70 mm = 10.20 Calculations of specimen 1 Nominal yield = Nominal yield = = 26.45 Youngs modulus= Youngs modulus= = 566.79 Nominal fracture stress = Nominal fracture stress = = 16.65 True fracture stress = True fracture stress = = 74.56 Tensile ductility = Tensile ductility = = 0.66 mm Graphs Figure 3- Graph of load vs extension for specimen 1- Figure 4- Graph of load vs extension for specimen2- Figure 5- Graph of load vs extension for specimen 3- Discussion Unsurprisingly when you inspect between the three graphs you can see a slight pattern occur which is that the faster you extend the Polypropylene the quicker it breaks. The graph readings are used to find how much it was extended when broken so that the tensile ductility can be worked out. There have been errors in the graphs because in the laboratory the measured extension of the break was 22mm whereas the zwick tensile testing machine made a graph that showed it to be a lot less around 8mm which is surprising to have such a varied result. Retrieving most of the results from the graph required a lot of estimation because specimens one and two had scales of 20 and specimen 3 had a scale of 50 these both arent precise enough to get an accurate reading of the graph so a lot of estimation was required. As it can be seen in the results the extension at high yield point was very different for specimen 3 compared to the other specimens, this at first glance could be considered as an anomaly even though this was expected because the less stress that is put on the specimen meant that the extension of the yield would be higher but such a big gap wasnt expected. However, looking at the results of the other groups in the lab it shows that the result is acceptable. The other result that differed in specimen 3 when compared to the other specimens was the load at fracture this is because specimen 3 extended for a much longer distance then the other two so there was much more load at fracture which meant that the fracture stress was much greater too as shown in the results. Also, glass transition temperature had to be controlled so that the polypropylene wasnt too brittle, as temperature is hard to get accurate most of the readings might have differed because of it. Conclusion It can be seen in this test how speed effects the tensile properties of polypropylene, as the results and graphs show that when tension is applied quicker as its done in the first specimen it can take a lot less stress to break the polypropylene compared to the 3rd specimen which took a lot more tension because it expanded much more than the other 2 specimens as seen in figure 6. The results of the test are reliable but improvements could have been made the graph could have a much smaller scale which would have made the readings off the graph much easier to obtain. Also, there were assumptions that were made while doing this for example when working out the youngs modulus we had to assume that the line between the origin and the high yield point is linear. Figure- 6 Photos of the 3 specimens before and after the test. References Information https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/all-about-polypropylene-pp-plastic http://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/polymers/pp.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensile_testing Images http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~edudev/Designer/session4.html

Essay --

Strategic Marketing – Adidas was born in Germany in 1949, and since then the brand has been synonymous with the sport world. Second only to the Nike, Adidas is a multinational company and it is spread worldwide across the whole planet. The company’s products range is very vast, from the running shoes to the watches, from football shirts and shin pads to bags and hats. The company is currently employing 46,000 people worldwide, operating on more than 46 countries. The Adidas brand is built all around passion for sports excellence and innovative design to help athletes improve their performance. As a market-oriented organisation, Adidas continuously updates and fulfils consumers’ needs in order to meet them with products and services. It is basically this focus on the audience, teamed with product and marketing innovation that plays a key role in the company’s success. Trying to keep up with endlessly changing market, I was thinking to try and launch a new product under this well-known brand name. As Adidas focuses on athletic performances, and other than clothes the firm developed only sport accessories for its customers, I was thinking that it could be a great opportunity for them to specialise in a personal Energy Drink. As the firm always had to chase the leading firm Nike, something should be done in order to gain an advantage over it. The Adidas organic Energy drink (AdiRush) may be a perfect example of something that the German organisation would have more than the American. Energy drinks normally contain large amounts of caffeine and legal ingredients such as Ginseng. Firstly developed in Asia and Europe, then introduced by Red Bull in America. Our idea was to develop an Energy drink made entirely with organic m... ... are very happy with the product we are selling. It has the nice freshness attribute that differentiates us from the rest, but still the performance is well helped by the consumption of the drink. People are also starting to drink our AdiRush also after lunch in order to keep focused and concentrated on what they have to do in the late afternoon. Some customers, mainly women, feel that a 16 Oz mini bottle is sometimes too much to finish , therefore we can start thinking of the next option of having also smaller bottles in order to meet female needs and have a choice of what volume bottle to buy. Still there are problems trying to change customer perception towards energy drinks, mainly because new results of side effects of drinking too much Red Bull are being published, therefore a sceptical feeling is affecting the market.

Jack: Almost the Hero of Lord of the Flies :: Lord of the Flies Essays

Jack: Almost the Hero of Lord of the Flies Jack Merridew is the devil-like figure in the story, Lord of the Flies. Jack is wicked in nature having no feelings for any living creature. His appearance and behavior intimidates the others from their first encounter. The leading savage, Jack leans more towards hunting and killing and is the main reason behind the splitting of the boys. It has been said that Jack represents the evilness of human nature; but in the end, Jack is almost a hero. With his totalitarian leadership, he was able to organize the group of boys into a useful and productive society From the beginning of the novel Jack intimidates the other boys with his flaming red hair, his long black cape, and the brutal way he shouts orders to his choir. Although he is not a good-looking boy, he is amazingly arrogant. He always has to look good in people's eyes. Not that he cares if people like him, but more that they respect him. The only way he knows how to gain people's admiration is by getting them to fear him. He spots Piggy as an easy target and immediately starts to humiliate him in front of the others: "You're talking too much," said Jack Merridew. "Shut up, Fatty."(21) He sizes up Piggy right from the beginning knowing that Piggy wouldn't stand up to him and by making fun of him he was letting the other boys know that he not one to be messed with. When he feels that people are about to think him to be weak or gutless, he uses his knife as if it were a symbol of his superiority: "Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked round challengingly"(33). His knife gives him power, a weapon that he would use against anyone who dares to mock him. He shows early on how he has no sympathy for anyone. For example, when Simon passed out from heat exhaustion on the beach Jack showed no compassion: "Let him alone.He's always throwing a faint."(20) Simon was not a stranger, he was a boy that Jack has spent a great deal of time with and yet he displays no feelings for him at all. He demonstrates a great deal of power over his choir. He orders them around as if they were puppets that he controls by working their strings and making them dance at will.

Using Cost Accounting Information to Enhance Firm’s Competitive Position and Performance

Cost Accounting in Theory The last two decades has seen a revolution in management accounting theory and practice due to the challenges of the competitive environment in the 1980s. Kaplan and Johnson (1987) identified the failings and obsolescence of existing cost and performance measurement systems, which led to the re-examination of traditional cost accounting and management control systems. Conventional financial and management accounting methods have developed primarily as a result of corporate legislation in the 1930s forcing companies to provide externally published financial accounts. Management accounting is primarily focused as a decision making tool for running a business, hence they require more flexibility. According to Kaplan, management accounts have become a subset of financial accounts and that they reflect more on the external rather than internal requirements of the company. Most of the managerial decision-making and control systems in use in the late 1980s were described by Johnson and Kaplan as stagnant. As a result, they went onto research in new accounting systems raising the profile of internal accounting systems by use of financial and non-financial measures. Although their work was at first seen as controversial, it is now considered of key importance for companies aiming to enhance their competitive position and performance. The purpose of cost accounting is to ascertain the costs of products and services. When properly implemented, the cost accounting function will provide necessary information for pricing decisions, identify the profitability of each product, service, or job, aid management in maximizing profits by detecting sources of wastages and excess capacity, and can influence management behaviour. In theory, cost accounting help managers make decisions to fulfill an organization’s goals. Cost Accounting in Practice However, according to a July 2003 study done by the Institute of Management Accountants and Ernst and Young, 98% of managers believe their cost data is distorted while almost 40% believe their cost data is significantly distorted. In practice, most companies still use the same cost accounting and management control systems that were developed decades ago in a competitive environment drastically different from today. In the many cases worked on throughout the semester in Accounting Planning & Control, for example Putz, Seligram Inc. and Zytec, there was an underlying problem of inaccurate costing information that failed management when making decisions. This was due to the traditional cost systems that these companies utilized despite the changing nature of their business environment. One of the main triggers that a company will need a new cost system is when changes occur in the organization and its environment. The article â€Å"You need a new cost system when†¦ † highlights the many signals in which a company needs to redesign or create a new cost system. This article proposes that a cost system must be up to date and functioning properly in order for the theory of cost accounting to be applied in practice. The problem with the state of the accounting profession is the skewed emphasis towards Financial Accounting, as identified by Kaplan. Financial Accounting is used to prepare financial statements for external users. These Financial Accounting reports are for outsiders to assess the business, but the reports focus on compliance with GAAP in broad totals and are not designed to support decision making. Despite this fact, 80% of organizations rely on the GAAP required Normal Costing method to provide management with reports (Sharman and Mackie 12). When management reports echo standard financial reports, management loses. These reports have no activity data and often require managers to prepare their own ad hoc reports when they require decision analysis. These financial reports are difficult to understand by non-accountants and do little to give managers the information they should have at their fingertips to run a company. The Management Accounting problem in this country does not seem to be as problematic in other countries. According to the Sharman and Vikas article in the December 2004 Strategic Finance German companies employ just as many Managerial Accountants as Financial Accountants; The U. S. employs one-tenth the number of practicing Management Accountants than the U. K. , Canada, and Germany. The weak emphasis on Management Accounting and providing information to managers to run a company is partly caused by the overwhelming requirements external parties place on corporations. Companies lose sight that the most important viewers of company feedback are people inside the company. State- of the Art Cost Accounting Information to Enhance Competitive Position Companies realizing the importance of internal reporting adopt state-of-the-art, or up to date cost accounting techniques, straying away from financial reporting and normal costing, in an attempt to accurately measure the costs of acquiring or using resources. This state-of-the- art cost accounting information enables management to add-value for the consumer, and to enhance their firm’s competitive position and performance. In order for a company to enhance their competitive position, they must have an effective competitive strategy. The competitive strategy describes how an organization will compete and the opportunities its managers should seek and pursue. There are two competitive strategies that companies can decide to implement: cost- leadership or product differentiation. When companies adopt the cost-leadership strategy, they decide to uphold a competitive advantage in the marketplace by providing the best value at the lowest price. When companies adopt the product differentiation strategy, they choose to uphold their competitive advantage by offering unique products or services at higher prices than their competitors. According to the confrontation strategy, competitive advantage is not sustainable. This is a realistic view of competition by recognizing that competitors will quickly bring out similar products and match price changes. The underlying argument of the confrontation strategy is that firms must compete in terms of the survival triplet. The survival triplet consists of three strategic dimensions that characterize a product: price/cost, quality, and functionality. These three dimensions are bounded by a minimum and maximum acceptable level which defines the survival zone. In order for firms to survive and remain competitive, firms must operate in their survival zone. With that being said, companies face continuous pressure to reduce the cost of the products or services they sell, or continuously improving the consumer’s perception of quality as related to their competitors. To successfully implement such strategies, managers must have state-of-the-art cost accounting information that will allow firms to adopt target costing to enhance their competitive position. Being that managers have little influence over pricing, (the central theme of economics states that prices are determined by supply and demand), management must monitor costs to receive desired profits. â€Å"Target costing is the allowable amount of cost that can be incurred on a product and still earn the required profit from that product† (Ansari, Bell, Klammer, Lawrence). The article â€Å"Target Costing† proposes that target costing is particularly important at the design stage, where â€Å"70-80 percent of the costs of a product are committed†. Hence, target costing is more than just a cost accounting technique; it is an integral part of the comprehensive management process that aids management in reducing the overall product’s life-cycle costs, helping an organization to survive in an increasingly competitive environment. Nonetheless, target costing is useful in pre-production as well as post production and has many advantages to allowing firms to uphold their competitive position. Target costing requires analysis on competitors’ products and the customer’s perception of their products, and uses this information to assess which particular customer segment of the market to target. This analysis done in target costing allows for companies to create products that adds value, in the eyes of the customer, while staying ahead of the competition by identifying areas of improvement based on the customers’ perceptions. Furthermore, target costing enhances a firm’s ability to uphold their competitive advantage. Target costing reinforces top-to-bottom commitment to process and product innovation and is aimed at identifying issues to be resolved, in order to sustain competitive advantage. Target costing helps to create a company’s competitive future with market-driven management for designing and manufacturing products to meet customer expectations and market price. Also, target costing identifies market opportunities that can be converted into real savings to achieve the best value rather than just simply the lowest cost. Target costing enhances competitive position in the ways aforementioned; however, without state-of-the-art cost accounting information, target costing is impossible to achieve. State-of-the-art Cost Accounting Information Enhancing Performance State-of-the-art cost accounting information can also enhance a firm’s performance in the marketplace. In measuring a firm’s performance, a state-of-the-art accounting technique was developed by Kaplan and Norton called the balanced scorecard. â€Å"The balanced scorecard translates an organization’s mission and strategy into a set of performance measures that provides the framework for implementing its strategy† (Hongren). The balanced scorecard uses financial and non-financial measures to evaluate short-run and long-run performance. Key strategic nonfinancial and operational indicators measure adjustments that a company is making for the long-run. For example, an improvement in quality, as measured by improvement in yields, signals a strong likelihood of higher sales and income in the future. By balancing the mix of financial and nonfinancial measures, the balanced scorecard brings management’s attention to short-run and long-run performance. In for profit companies, the main goal of the balanced scorecard is to improve a company’s financial performance. Non-financial measures simply serve as leading indicators for hard-to-measure long run financial goals. Kaplan and Norton developed four perspectives that firm’s should analyze to achieve performance levels that are necessary to meet customer needs, compete effectively, and achieve financial goal; the financial perspective, the customer perspective, the internal-business-process perspective, and the learning and growth perspective. The financial perspective focuses on increasing shareholder value. Measures of the financial perspective include ROI, ROCE, residual income, and EVA. By managing financial performance, managers are able to manage costs and unused capacity. This will enhance performance by increasing profitability of the firm. The customer perspective measures customer satisfaction and focuses on the importance of the customer on the business. This enhances performance by increasing the firm’s market share and overall customer satisfaction. This will enable firms to meet the future needs of customers and increase customer focus of sales on the organization. The internal-business process perspective focuses on the internal business processes that will meet the needs of customers. This area focuses on product design and innovation, improving efficiency and quality, and post-sales service. This perspective enhances performance by improving the customer-service process, identifying operational problems to improve quality, reducing delivery time, and improving manufacturing capabilities. The learning and growth perspective includes employee training, system capabilities, and employee motivation. Measures of learning and growth perspective include employee satisfaction, and employee training programs. This enhances performance by empowering the workforce, developing employee’s process skills, and enhancing system capabilities. By implementing an effective balanced scorecard, for-profit companies are able to motivate managers to take actions that result in improvements in financial performance. When financial and nonfinancial performance measures are properly linked, nonfinancial measures serve as indicators of lagging future financial performance. These indicators can aid management in improvements in future performance. Conclusion State-of-the-art cost accounting information allows for the implementation of modern cost accounting techniques. Such techniques include target costing and the balanced scorecard. Target costing enhances competitive position and uses state-of-the-art cost information to identify activities that do not add value to the customer. Without modern cost accounting information, there will not be a breakdown of activities and their respective costs to assist managers in analyzing non-value added activities. Target costing relies on state-of-the-art cost accounting information to identify these non-value added activities that managers will eliminate to reduce costs, and uphold their competitive position. The balanced scorecard uses state-of-the-art cost accounting information to motivate managerial behaviours and enhance performance. Managers’ rewards are based on the financial perspective, which metrics rely on cost accounting information. Analysis of operating income, a metric of the financial perspective, depends on modern cost account information that accurately separates material costs and conversion costs to identify spending variances and efficiency variances, which aid management in future financial performance. State-of-the-art cost accounting information enhances a firm’s competitive position as well as their performance in the future by allowing the implementation of modern techniques. Focusing on internal reporting, and not just financial reporting will allow companies to adopt continuous improvement in dynamic, highly competitive environments, through techniques such as target costing and the balanced scorecard. Works cited Sharman, Paul A. and Kurt Vikas. â€Å"Lessons from German Cost Accounting† Strategic Finance. 2004, December. 28-35. Cooper, Robin. You Need a New Cost System When†¦ † Harvard Business Review. 1989, January. 6 pages. Sharman, Paul and Brian Mackie â€Å"Grenzplankostenrechnung (GPK)† Notes from Institute of Management Accountants Annual Conference. www. imanet. org. 1-58. Ansari, Bell, Klammer, and Carol Lawrence. â€Å"Target Costing† Management Accounting, A Strategic Focus. McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. , 1997. Hongren, Datar, Foster, Rajan, and Christopher Ittner. Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis. Thirteenth edition. Pearson Education, Inc. New Jersey 2009. 462-485. Print