Organizational Intelligence Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Intelligence Policy - Essay Example To remain competitive and afloat in such a business environment, computer and information technology organizations must embark on the search for revolutionary and forward-looking techniques not only for creating but also for collecting, storing, capturing, organizing, managing, and distributing data/knowledge through its structure. Importantly, these techniques should allow for the easy and effective retrieval of needed information at the convenient moments (Ali et al., 2007). Organizations must however appreciate the level and nature of skills and competence required to develop and apply such knowledge and data management practices and techniques. Besides the need for IT and computer system executives, managers, systems analysts to be skilled and possess the competitive edge to perform the above functions and realize their data-related objectives, it is important that effective and elaborate Intelligence Organization policies are developed to ensure processes related to data collect ion, database systems’ security measures, data storage, diverse knowledge availability, information update, data-based decision-making processes, and data management training are not only relevant but also effective and support the attainment of organizational and personal growth among employees (Ali et al., 2007). ... Organizational intelligence Policy Organizational Intelligence refers to the capacity and the ability of an organization to utilize various methodologies, concepts, techniques, and tools to achieve information or knowledge-related functions and processes, including data collection, database systems’ security measures, data storage, diverse knowledge availability, information update, data-based decision-making processes, and data management training (James, 1999). A sound Organizational Intelligence policy should, of most importance, outline the purposes for which the OI has been developed. First, an Organizational Intelligence policy should ensure that an organization comprehends and makes productive conclusions from all the knowledge/information relevant to its operations and objectives (James, 1999). Second, an IO should outline an organization’s abilities to use knowledge, data/information to create sense out of complex business situations, prompting employees and ma nagers to act appropriately, maximizing on the opportunities presented by immediate or past circumstances. Third, an OI policy should be helpful in highlighting an organization’s ability not only to interpret but also to act on relevant circumstances, signals, or events in its environment. Fourth, an Organization Intelligence policy should promote the development, sharing, and usage of all information and knowledge relevant to an organization’s purposes by the promotion of learning by experiences and exposures. Gathering Competition Intelligence As the IT and computer industry develops, it becomes necessary that organizations develop an OI policy that would ensure the above functions are developed towards the building of a stronger, more relevant, and equally competitive Organizational

Gender Identity In Friends Tv Show Film Studies Essay

Gender Identity In Friends Tv Show Film Studies Essay When we say that gender identity is socially constructed, what we do mean is that our identities are a fluid assemblage of the meanings and behaviours that we construct from the values, images and prescriptions we find in the world around us. Our gendered identities are both voluntary we choose who we are and coerced we are pressured, forced, sanctioned and often physically beaten into submission to some rules. We neither make up the rules as we go along, nor do we fit casually and without struggle into preassigned roles. (Carter and Steiner 2004) The influences that gender roles and our daily occupations have on our lives extend well beyond the workspace. In the popular television series, Friends, the show exhibits six main characters, consisting of three males and three females. During each episode, several portrayals of the intermingling of work and gender related issues arise. These issues interact with the personal and social lives of each of the main characters. Thus, each character finds that their careers define themselves, and that they are defined by their gender roles and their chosen job markets. Looking into how the role of each character affects their social relationship, one thing that I am interested in is that the successes, failures and experiences of their careers can also play upon the characters friendships. This essay aims to explore how each character attempts to represent their social class and their gender roles. Also, it will attempt to demonstrate whether their careers have a direct impact on their s ocial relationship. For this assignment, five episodes of Friends were chosen from the second season of the series, which aired September of 1995 into January of 1996. The answers to the three following questions were then sought from each episode. 1.) What careers do each of the characters have, and how do they attempt to represent themselves as employees of such? 2.) Do the careers have a direct impact on their personal identities, if so, how? 3.) Do the careers and gender roles of each character have an impact on their social relationship? 4.) Are there any other gender and work related issues portrayed? The following answers will come as a result of the inquired questions. Each of the male characters attempted to represent themselves with success in their career fields, although it may not have always happened. In their various fields of work, Joey and Ross feel the desire to depict profitable growth and flourishing careers. Joey, as an actor, spends time trying to coerce his way into various employment situations. In the episode, The One After the Super Bowl, he specifically wines and dines an assistant movie director in an attempt to obtain an acting role for a movie. In the end he succeeds, but prior to his victory he expresses distress about being outshined in show business by Ross pet monkey. In this context, I could consider about Joeys self identity. Giddens (1991) mentioned a persons identity is not to be found in behavior, nor important thought this is in the reactions of others, but in the capacity to keep a particular narrative going. Here Joey gives a good example that competition (with a monkey), whether real or imagined, impacts how one man feels he represents himself as successful or not in his chosen career. Joey felt surpassed in the acting business. While he performed as a television character, a monkey without acting skills had appeared in popular advertisements and a film. Understandably, Joey displays feelings of confusion and jealousy when an animal obtained more attention from Hollywood than himself. Joeys personal identity as a successful actor comes into question, which instigates him to pursue a role in a film as well. Joey succeeds, obtaining a supporting role. His self identity as a successful actor reappears when he feels that he has accomplished as much in the acting business as the monkey. On the other hand, the character Ross tries to represent himself as successful in his job by proving the scientific credibility of his research. In the episode, The One with Phoebes Husband, Phoebe reveals that she does not believe in the theory of evolution. Ross, as a palaeontologist, feels the inclination to convince her that evolution really exists. He spends considerable effort to explain to Phoebe the way humans have changed throughout time. When Phoebe finally persuades Ross to admit that other explanations seem plausible for humans existence besides evolution, Ross feels his incentive to work shattered. Overall, Ross represents himself as a realistic fact finder in his career, and makes attempts at success by researching and sharing the information he finds with others. Ross obviously feels his job success through the proven facts that he and his career endorse. When others question those very facts, he feels not only his career but also his personal identity challenged. Ross, unlike Joey, has no competition and does not need to achieve more to feel successful. Instead, his values, reasons, and passion for why he works in the field he has chosen come into question. Phoebe challenges Ross to examine his motives, and then determine whether he wishes to continue down his career path once he admits other explanations for human evolution could exist. Admitting to other possible theories of human life makes Ross wonder about the legitimacy and value if his own work. No conclusion to this dilemma appears in the episode, and viewers are left to wonder how Ross overcomes such a critical experience. An adequate example of Chandlers career did not appear in the chosen episodes for examination. However, each of the present examples given illustrate Mac an Ghaills observation on mens attitudes concerning their careers. Nothing is more important to a mans pride, self respect, status, and manhood than work. Nothing. Sexual impotence, like a sudden loss of ambulation or physical strength, may shatter his self -confidence. Butà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦pride is built on work and achievement, and the successes that accrue from their work(Mac an Ghaill 2007). On a similar context, Gauntlett(2007) also describes about mans pride and self-esteem in society; both of them are based on confidence in the integrity and value of the narrative of self-identity. Joeys situation supports former statement by the revelation of his damaged pride and self identity when his acting career falls into the shadow of a monkeys stardom. Ross exemplifies latter statement as his confidence diminishes when he questions the validity and worth of his work. The women of the series do not seem to feel as much pressure to express their success in the career world, but do instead feel the gender limitations that their chosen careers impose on them. Monica, as a chef, finds herself without a job and struggling to obtain a new one. During the episode, The One with the List, she desperately takes on an assignment with a food company awaiting an FDA approval on its product mock-o-late, a substitute for chocolate. Her task with the food product concerns making thanksgiving recipes with mock-o-late as the main ingredient. After all her hard work with this horrible product, the FDA refuses to approve the chocolate substitute. Therefore, all of her effort goes wasted. However, she still receives a check from the food company. This encourages her to return to them for employment when they make another attempt with fish-stacios. Due to her desire to work, Monica describes herself in her career field as, having no morals and in need of money. Monica, unfortunately has an advanced level of training as a chef and yet reduces herself to take whatever job avails itself. One might wonder if the Jane Arthurs opinion, women face persistent discrimination based on their gender; they are paid less, promoted less, and assigned to specific jobs despite their qualifications and motivations(Arthurs 2004), rings true in this situation for the despairing culinary artist. Unlike Monica, Rachel, a waitress at the local coffee shop, remains content with her career. Surprisingly, she reflects no concrete representation of herself as the other characters do. The same situation arises with the character Phoebe, who has a career as a masseuse. Both of these women in the episodes chosen have very few, if any, attitudes that they reveal towards their chosen careers. Although their careers lack emphasis in the series, they still play vital roles in the characters personal identities and friendships as will later be shown. Moving onto the impacts that the careers have on their social relationships, the most prominent example of such appears in the episode, The One with the List. During this particular show, Ross tries to decide whether or not to break up with his current girlfriend in order to go out with Rachel. While trying to make his decision, Joey and Chandler convince Ross to create a list of pros and cons about each woman. Ross lists Rachel as only a waitress while his current girlfriend shares his career of palaeontology. Ross still breaks up with his girlfriend and seeks to start a relationship with Rachel. However, Rachel finds the list and discovers Ross thinks of her as only a waitress. The differences perceived between Rachels career and Ross career establishes the foundation of a rift in their friendship as well as their potential relationship. The Ross measured the difference between Rachels career and his girlfriends career by level of success. Labelling Rachel as only a waitress depicts Ross disdain for average jobs, yet Rachel does not feel inadequacy with her career until Ross brings it up. Rachel, Phoebe and Monica do not seem to measure themselves by their careers like the men in the series. Instead they view their careers mainly as a way to pay their bills. This gender difference shows that women tend to stress work less in relation to their sense personal identities. Careers to the women appear as more of a means of survival, while men view it more as a self defining role. Another issue that revealed itself concerning work and genders impact on relationships happened in the episode, The One with Phoebes Husband. In this particular viewing, fans find out that Phoebe has a supposedly gay husband from Canada. They were married so that Phoebes husband could obtain a green card and join the American Ice-escapades. However, to Phoebes disappointment, her husband turns out to be straight and presently wants a divorce. Previously, the characters career as an ice skater led him to think that he might be homosexual. He drew this conclusion before many years, as a young man, since all his friends and fellow skaters were gay. Feeling pressured to fit in, Phoebes husband presumed and tried to convince himself and everyone around him that he shared a homosexual orientation. This extreme view of gender roles in the work place obviously had huge and lasting impacts on the relationship Phoebe had with this man. Interestingly, this characters career dilemma did not focus on success or personal motivations to work, it revolved around wanting to fit into the crowd. As a skater this man was already talented, and obviously his passion for skating motivated him to continue. The gender identity that people labelled male skaters in his career field with, as well as the established gender of his fellow friends and co-workers, presented him with the problems he encountered. Finally though, he broke through the social labels to assert himself as a heterosexual. Consequently, an important point to note considers the fact that Rachel and Ross careers alone do not cause the problem in their friendship. Nor did Phoebes husbands career cause their resulting conflict. The dilemmas actually arose from the combination of perceptions they held about each others careers and also the feelings attached to them. Rachel finds herself defined by her career in the One with the List episode, and not in a favourable light. Interestingly, Ross too had found his own career criticized by a friend as was mentioned previously. When Phoebe cast Ross work into doubt by questioning evolution, Ross sense of self esteem fell. A parallel of low self esteem occurred in both characters (Rachael and Ross), when their careers value came into question. Careers do seem to have an important impact on friendships, but could it also be said, as in Phoebe and her husbands case that friendships have a rebounding affect on careers? Overall, the six main characters in the series Friends do visibly define themselves in relation to their careers, and that those very careers touch their friendships in significant ways. Upon viewing all five episodes there also appeared other work and gender related issues that will be shortly summarized for observations sake. First, most of the secondary characters that were depicted in positions of employment on the series were male. Two janitors, a lawyer, a movie producer, a company and a zoo manager all were men. The only two women who appeared employed aside from our main characters were a makeup artist and an animal trainer. This bias of more males than females in the working world being presented may have been due to the random selection of the episodes. However, the jobs shown in the viewed episodes do reflect that males hold more prestigious jobs. One could wonder if that bias comes from the writers or whether Kimmels observation gathered from Rhodes work, Speaking of Sex, Different occupations are seen as more appropriate for one gender of the other, and thus women and men are guided, pushed, or occasionally shoved into specific positions (Kimmel, 2004) again applies to the situation. (Words 2,349)

The Ear And Hearing Loss Essay -- essays research papers

The Ear and Hearing Loss The ear is the organ of hearing and balance in vertebrates. The ear converts sound waves in the air, to nerve impulses which are sent to the brain, where the brain interprets them as sounds instead of vibrations. The innermost part of the ear maintains equilibrium or balance. The vestibular apparatus contains semicircular canals which in turn balance you. Any movement by the head, and this apparatus sends a signal to the brain so that your reflex action is to move your foot to balance you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ear in humans consist three parts: The outer, the middle, and the inner portions. The outer ear, or pinna, is the structure that we call the ear. It is the skin covered flap of elastic cartilage, that sticks out from the side of the head. It acts like a funnel catching sound and sending it to the middle portion of the ear. The middle portion contains the ear drum and the connection between the pharynx and the drum, the Eustachian tube. The inner ear contains the sensory receptors for hearing which are enclosed in a fluid filled chamber called the cochlea. The outer and middle ears purposes are only to receive and amplify sound. Those parts ofd the ear are only present in amphibians and mammals, but the inner ear is present in all vertebrates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ear can hear in several different ways. They are volume, pitch, and tone. Pitch is related to the frequency of the sound wave. The volume depends on the amplitude or intensity of the sound wave. The greater the frequency, the higher the pitch. Humans can hear about 30 and 20,000 waves or cycles per second. High pitch sounds produce more of a trebly sound, while low pitch sounds produce a rumbling bass sound.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a person loses these abilities to comprehend sound, it is referred to as deafness. It can be caused by disease, toxic drugs, trauma, or an inherited disorder. Those causes can be classified as conductive, sensorineural, or both. A conductive hearing loss results from damage to those parts of the ear which transmit sound vibrations in the air to the fluids of the inner ear. This type of damage is usually to the eardrum or small bones known as ossicles. Ossicles conduct sound from the eardrum to the cochlea. They cannot perform such an action if the eardrum is perforated, if the middle ear cavity is fill... ...lly there may be a school in a hospital.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hearing devices are also available. Hearing Aids operate on battery. They amplify the sound waves that the ear would normally receive. They range from $500 to $6000. INTERVIEW Question: How did you become about this disability? Answer: I was born with a hearing disability Q: When we talk, what exactly do you hear? A: The sound volume is lower but no distortion Q: Would you consider yourself hard on hearing? A: No, and I say no because I can hear when I pay attention but when I am not paying attention, it is like I am in my own world. Also, sometimes, I can see their lips moving which signals me to listen closely. Q: Did you ever go for any treatment? A: No, I didn't feel that it was necessary since it was just a matter of paying attention. Q: Do you wear any hearing devices? A: No, (same reason as last question) Q: Was it hard at all to communicate either as a child or as an adult? A: All the time I face the problem of someone talking to me and I don't even know it. Once someone mistakenly accused me of ignoring them. Q: Do you know what your overall score was on an audiometer? A: No, I was never tested

History of Fiber Optics

HISTORY OF FIBER OPTICS * In 1840, Daniel Colladon and Jacques Babinet demonstrated the principle of guiding light by refraction. * It was followed by a public demonstration by John Tyndal in 1852. In 1870, Tyndal wrote about the property of total internal reflection in his book about the nature of light. * In 1880, Alexander Graham Bell and Sumner Tainter invented the Photophone, a device capable of transmitting sound waves over beam of light.This is considered as mankind’s first attempt to to use light for carrying information. * In 1930, Clarence Hansel and John Logie Baird demonstrated independently image transmission using fiber. * In 1940’s, Heinrich Lamm successfully transmitted images through a single glass fiber used for internal medical examinations. * In 1951, Harold Hopkins and Narinder Singh Kapany experimented with light transmission through bundles of fiber.Their study led to the development of the flexible fiberscope, which is used in the medical field. It was also Kapany who coined the term fiber optics in 1956. * In 1953, Charles Townes and two of his graduate students developed the MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation), and in 1960, Theodore Maiman developed the first LASER ( Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). In 1967, Charles Kao and George Bockham of the Standard Telecommunications Laboratory proposed the cladded fiber cables. * In 1970, Robert Maurer, Donalk Keck and Kapron of Corning Glass developed the first fiber optics with losses less than 2dB/Km. * In 1980’s, losses in fiber optics were reduced to as low as 0. 16 dB/Km. This is due to the development of high-quality light sources and detectors. * In 1990’s, the photonic crystal fiber was developed that can carry high power than the conventional silica based fibers.

Beer Wars-Documentary Review Essay

Introduction Beer Wars was a very eye-opening documentary. It was interesting to see how the market share of the largest beer company, Anheiser-Busch, has grown throughout the years. In 1965, Anheiser-Busch had a meager market share of twelve percent. As marketing on television grew in popularity, Anheiser-Busch’s market share grew as well. By 1985, Anheiser-Busch’s market share had grew to thirty-seven percent. By 2005, Anheiser-Busch’s market share had grown to an enormous forty-nine percent. This was very shocking to me that one company could control almost one-half of the market share of a $97 billion industry. Also, in 1985, the other two largest beer makers, Miller and Coors, made up about twenty-six percent of the market share. Thus, in 2005, major beer companies made up seventy-five percent of the beer sales in the United States. Which tells us that craft breweries only had twenty-five percent of the market share. How the Large Got/Stay Large In the beginning, all beers were craft beers, until the big three companies wanted to grow, and grow they did. Unfortunately, as the three largest beer companies in the United States grew, the beer-drinking public that was buying their beer were actually the people who were suffering. The reason that I say this is because of the way the large beer manufacturers got to this point. The large beer manufacturers were not very concerned about the quality of their beers as much as they were about the number of sales that were created. The way that the large beer companies did this was through their advertising campaigns. The large beer companies were/are millions and millions of dollars during different sporting functions and on every day television. Beer Wars told us that, on average, there is about $1. 5 billion spent on advertising by the large beer companies every single year. That number is astounding to me, considering how popular their beers are. I think if they were to cut back their advertisements by about 50%, they would still maintain a stranglehold on the beer market in the United States. Another way that large beer companies tend to stay on top of the market is through shelf space at different locations. The large beer companies tend to make many different varieties of beers and thus are afforded more space on the shelves and local markets and liquor stores. This leaves a very small area for craft beers to be displayed, especially when it is very difficult to determine if a beer is a craft beer or made by one of the large beer companies. I will talk more about this later in the discussion. Why Light is King The large beer companies tend to market light lager beers, and for good reason. About eighty-five percent of the beer consumed in the United States is light lager. So, Miller Lite, Coors Light and Bud-Light are very good money makers for the large beer companies. I would not blame the companies for pushing and selling what the people want, or is this what people want? Craft Beer Facts Well, craft beers haven’t fully caught on in the beer markets. NPR. org tells us that craft beers only make up about five percent of the total beer market. According to NPR. org, there are currently over two thousand breweries in the United States. Of those two thousand, about 1,950 of those breweries are considered craft beer breweries. That’s another very interesting point. Ninety-five percent of the breweries in the United States are brewing about five percent of the beer that is sold in the United States. That really doesn’t seem right, but NPR. org goes on to tell us that in order to be a craft brewery, the breweries cannot brew more than 6 million barrels of beer every year. According to texaswatchdog. org, Anheiser-Busch alone brewed over one hundred million barrels of beer in 2011. That is an amazingly large amount of beer for one company to sell. This also tells us that the hope is not nearly lost for craft brewers. If all of the 1,950 craft brewers produced only ? million barrels of beer each year, they could easily cripple the large beer manufacturers with an influx of 975 million barrels of beer flooding the marketplace. But, the vast majority of craft brewers would never want to do that. The Craft Beer Way The craft brewers in the United States and around the world have a completely different take on what it means to brew beer. Dogfish Head craft beer was said to only have . 0002% of the market share of beer sales in the United States. According to brewersassociation. org, Dogfish Head craft beer ranked 12th in the nation in 2011, based upon the number of sales for a craft brewery. That is truly amazing, how a company ranked 12th in the whole country in craft beer sales still only has . 0002% of the total market share of the beer industry. However, the owner of the company said that he would never want to grow like the large beer companies have. He is more concerned about each and every bottle of beer being the best beer possible, rather than worrying too much about how many cases he is able to send out the door. As a whole, craft beer makers try to capture their piece of the market through differentiation of their products and not through advertising like the large beer companies. Craft beer makers still try to do new and interesting things with beer, but they do their best not to lose focus on the most important factor, a good quality brew. Spreading the News Beer Wars told us that one event that allows craft breweries to get their name out to the public is the great American beer festival. This is an event where brewers go to from all over the world for people to sample and try different beers that the craft brewers make. This is a great way for the small breweries to get their name out to the market. Unfortunately, Beer Wars told us that even the large beer companies are starting to attend this event. Large Feeling the Effects The large beer companies have now started feeling the effects of small craft beers in the marketplace. According to brewerassociation. org, craft brew beer sales have increased from about one percent to about six percent of market share in the past fifteen years. This is the only portion of the beer industry to have any sign growth in that timeframe. Once again, the large beer companies are using their financial advantage to combat this trend. Anheiser-Busch has gone out and purchased several small beer company names and have been selling them as craft beers, where in fact they are mass produced at one of many Anheiser-Busch’s factories. Another way that large beer companies are flexing their monetary muscles is through lawsuits. Beer Wars described how one craft brewer was being sued by Anheiser-Busch for using a name that the brewer had used for years. The problem with this is that Anheiser-Busch had not been using that name for very long. Another issue with this is that craft brewers do not have the financial means to be able to hold off many lawsuits from large beer manufacturers. The reason that this is difficult for craft beer makers is the fact that funding for craft breweries is very hard to come by. Usually investors either invest in very large ventures or very small ventures. Most of the time, craft beer makers are somewhere in the middle as far as their funding needs go. Because of this oddity, gaining funds for the production facilities for a craft brewery is very hard to obtain through normal financing. Political Issues Some of the other challenges for the craft beer manufacturers is found in Washington, D. C. Beer Wars tells us that beer lobbyists are one of the most powerful group of lobbyists in Washington. The main focus of these lobbyists is ensuring that the three-tier system of distribution is held intact. The three-tier distribution system basically splits up the beer manufacturers, the beer distributors and the beer retailers. This rule was put in after prohibition to make sure that beer sales would be fair across all persons involved. Basically, so the large beer makers couldn’t prevent others from getting their product onto store shelves. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening. Distributors tend to lend favor to the large beer companies, because they are paid by how much beer they deliver, and as we saw from Beer Wars, the large beer manufacturers still control that volume of beer sales. So, when the distributors are putting the beer on the shelves of the retailer, they will basically give the large beer companies whatever kind of shelving presence that they desire, basically because they are getting incentivized to do so. I definitely think that the three-tier system needs to be looked at and revamped to meet the needs of today’s marketplace. Conclusion Overall, this documentary was a very interesting look into the beer manufacturer marketplace. I never realized before how devious the large beer manufacturers are when it comes to protecting their market share. With both the lawsuits over naming rights and the basic control of beer distributors, it’s amazing that any craft beer makers even stand a chance of holding any portion of market share. I believe that the large beer manufacturers are scared of what could happen very quickly if they do not do something to respond to the expanding requirements for quality beer in the marketplace. This documentary definitely made me change my mind on how I thought about craft beers. I always figured it was just some fad that would eventually fade away. I see now that this is not the case at all. Craft brews are just being produced to give the marketplace a much higher quality, even if they have to pay a little more. I have a much greater respect for craft beer manufacturers. I would hope to someday be able to brew my own beer just to see how fulfilling it can be. I will definitely start drinking more craft beers because of this documentary. References (Other Than Beer Wars) 1. â€Å"BREWERS ASSOCIATION RELEASES TOP 50 BREWERIES IN 2011. † Brewers Association. Brewers Association, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. . 2. Chappell, Bill. â€Å"U. S. Craft Beer Brewers Thrive, Despite Small Share Of The Market. † NPR. org. NPR, 18 May 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. . 3. Lisheron, Mark. â€Å"Anheuser-Busch InBev Roars against Craft Breweries Bill in Texas Legislature. † Texas Watchdog | Investigating Government Waste, Fraud and.