Asynchronous Transfer Mode Description and Development Essay

Asynchronous Transfer Mode Description and Development - Essay Example ATM was originally conceived as a solution for completely integrating the entire set of communication technologies, starting from the Local Area Network to the IP based systems and the broad band voice and data communication systems. ATM was proposed as the final and ultimate protocol to take care of all the requirements of all communication systems in the world. However, it was found that ATM could satisfy only some of these like ADSL could make full use of it. ATM was not used in its original form on the other devices. The best features and proposals of ATM were incorporated in a number of other standards that came about, typically, MPLS kind of systems. However, ATM has taken a rebirth in terms of the standards that are currently being developed IEC 62365 which provides for both audio and video over IP using ATM technologies. The aim of this paper is to present the asynchronous transfer mode as a standard protocol, its description and development over a period of time. The paper will also look at the places were this is being employed and to what extent these were successful in implementing the systems that are needed for the users. Asynchronous Transfer mode systems integrate Voice, Video and Data. Since it is connected oriented technology, one packet with the same source and destination will travel through the same route. This employs best effort delivery system which would enable performance and bandwidth on demand. Figure 1: Aimed at providing best service (IEC, 2005) ATM as per the standards defined would employ connection oriented, packet-like switching and multiplexing model. It starts by defining the fixed sized cell that comprises of 48 bytes of data and 5 bytes of header together making up the 53 bytes of cell information. ATM is fundamentally connection oriented. Therefore, it does multiplexing and reserves a route for a specific user on getting a request from the user. Multiplexing such lines over a network either from a user to a destination or from one switch to another would optimize the usage of the network to a great extent. This would save the cost of switching when requests are made one after the other and switch keeps changing the route. ATM also specifies a number of standards on how an user would get connected to an ATM network depending upon the speed of the network. ATM to User interface standards are governed by the ATM UNI standards. ATM has the following three layers: 1. The physical layer 2. ATM Layer 3. ATM adaptation layer The physical layer consists of various media that make up the transmission system, which would eventually transmit from kilobits per second to gigabits per second. The ATM layer defines the cells that make up the data transfer along with the other components; multiplexer that would switch the cell to the specific route that it should take, switches that would transmit data over a high speed switching hardware so that the transmission speed is achieved and finally have necessary software or hardware to take care of the issues that concern the traffic and do traffic management. In the ATM adaptation layer, four different types of data transfer is provided for the ATM system. AAL Type 1 Constant bit rate services AAL Type 2 Variable bit rate services AAL Type 3 / 4 Connectionless services and data protocols AAL Type 5 High Speed

Strategy Evaluation in the Transportation Services Sector Essay Example for Free

Strategy Evaluation in the Transportation Services Sector Essay Strengths Improvement in technology In the transportation service sector, the improvement in technology has increased the productivity within the industry by reducing order picking, and delivery times of good and services provided. Additionally, with the improvements in technology, such as bar coding, radio frequency identification tags (RFID), and route optimization software can allow for better tracking of trucks, shipped goods, and the transportation of people (University of Phoenix, 2014). Low employee turnover rates Overall, in the transportation services sector the employee turnover rate is low because of the industrys use of benefits packages and the fact that most employees belong to organized unions. However, in individual segments of the transportation industry, such as trucking and warehousing, turnover rates are higher than the rest of the transportation service sector. The reason is due to an aging workforce and recruiting practices (University of Phoenix, 2014). Industry is trending upwards The transportation service sector is trending upward and is rebounding. It is being led by the for-hire trucking industry, which include services provided through the use trucks, railroads, ships (both inland and ocean going), And airplanes. The transportation service sector has increased 27 percent over the last five years. Additionally, air cargo traffic is projected to double by 2033, and the expected international trade volume will rise 3.1 percent in 2014 and 4 percent in 2015 (University of Phoenix, 2014). People and goods are transported by this industry The transportation service sector includes companies that deliver rail, truck, water, and air transportation; transit and ground commuter,  postal delivery, courier, pipeline, messenger services, storage and warehousing facilities. The volume of passengers and goods that are transported are ever increasing providing a long-term viability and sustainability of the transportation industry. Long term relation with suppliers and customers Once, a provider within the transportation service sector has proven their ability and created and established a value to suppliers and customers; a long-term relationship is possible.A long term relationship is possible providing that the established capacity and value remain constant for both parties involved in a transaction. Weaknesses Capacity restraints Capacity restraints can reduce profitability. When providers from the transportation sector are unable to move people or goods because of capacity constraints the possibility of voided freight contracts, and bad customer service reviews exist. A company that does not look forward and see the capacity requirements of their particular division in the transportation industry can lead to loss of potential growth; thereby decreasing their profits (University of Phoenix, 2014). Extensive governmental regulation Transportation service sector businesses are subordinate to many laws and directives dealing with matters extending from safety and labor procedures to ecological policies and restrictions in trade. Such as, the governmental agencies that regulate the airline industry, which is administered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), among others governmental agencies. Combined industries such as deep sea shipping and railroads also draw concentrated examination concerning practices of pricing services and goods(University of Phoenix, 2014). Union influence of workers within the industry Unions have a substantial voice in labor issues, including wages and benefits levels, in many transportation service sector companies. Many of the segments within the transportation industry are labor- intensive.  However, weak union negotiations can lead to strikes by union employees that can harshly impact a company’s undertakings and cash flow (University of Phoenix, 2014). Opportunities Growth in local and regional markets The current growth in population has brought about an increase in city growth. The growth in the towns is opening the demand for more transportation needs for passengers and products in local and regional area that have been lacking transportation and warehousing services due to the lack of population. Growth in international markets The demand for transportation and warehousing is being driven by an increase in international trade as new markets are opening up such as China, Asia, South America and the Middle East. These new market currently do not have enough equipment or building space to handle the increase in international trade that provided for a substantial growth in companies in the transportation service sector internationally. Growth in specialize transportation As new international market begin to open, there is a growing need for more specialized transportation such as transit of a new workforce in other countries. Furthermore, jobs in the warehousing and transportation industry are opening up; hence the need for passenger transport and the need for more transportation of useful goods. Improved online technology As the technology is improved in other areas of the transportation sector, the innovation of online technology has also improved. Therefore, providing for more E- commerce growth in foreign countries than can improve the profitability of companies in the transportation industry. Threats Environmental constraints As the transportation service sector grows to provide for an increase in population, so do environmental constraints such as a rise in pollution created by the addition of more vehicles to the industry worldwide. Likewise, as environment concerns increase so do regulation. A  transportation company must be innovative in designing new equipment looking not only at a rise in alternative fuel vehicles but other green possibilities. Increased competition As new international market open the possibility of new transportation companies opening their doors to business increases. For companies in the transportation industry to be competitive and profitable; they must be open to change and attack these new markets with innovative ideas and an open mind to diversity. Increased security needs As international borders begin to open to trade; so the need to increase security of employee’s persona and company’s assets also is present. Additionally, as more business is crossing borders the needs for stricter guidelines are also required. However, with these more stringent guidelines come increase cost of transporting passengers and goods. As one can see from the SWOT analysis, the transportation service sector is full of potential growth possibilities. However, there are risks and threats that must be avoided when addressing the opportunities that exist in the industry. While the industry is trending upwardly and the strengths outweigh the weaknesses those companies in the industry must strive to be innovative in their approach to the opportunities at hand. One way a company in the transportation industry can address innovation is by embracing diversity. When a business includes diversity, it opens doors to creativity. Moreover, this creativity can lead to new ideas in transportation and warehousing. Being innovative has brought about many new advances in tracking services, goods, and software to promote productivity and profitability in the transportation service sector. Reference University of Phoenix. (2014). Transportation Services Sector. Retrieved from the University of Phoenix, PHL/320 website.

Man is a Social Animal Essay

Man is a Social Animal Essay Man is a social animal, said Aristotle years ago, human races proved and realized the importance of his statement by the passage of time. Individuals live in groups and can not separate themselves from being part of a group. Individuals have their own importance, their behaviours and performance can not be ignored as these influence the behaviours and production of groups they belong to. Groups exist every where, and we are a part of it whether we realize this or not. This does not mean that individuals do not give better results when performing alone, they do, but man is dependent on others to fulfil different kinds of need. Working in groups is beneficial for an individual as he gets more exposure and leaning takes place in many ways, and he also learns to survive in group which is the basic necessity for an individual. In order explain individuals behaviour in a group it is important to understand different types of groups, their norms and values and possible causes of the conflicts. There have been researches and experiments conducted by several scientists in order to explain unique behavioural pattern of each individual in working environment. Individual and Group: Groups are of vital importance in all fields of life whether its work situation, personal or social life, these are either formal or informal. Some people may prefer to work alone as they perform better and some might want to be a part of a group in various situations. I want to put myself as an example here, when this assignment was given I was worried to work individually on it and the reason behind this was that firstly I feel more comfortable to discuss ideas with people and second, as I write simple and straight I feel better working as a group where I can use other persons words to flourish and talk about my ideas more clearly. Critical Analysis with Examples: Formal groups are formed by organisations to achieve certain goals or tasks (Bowditch and Buono, 1994). In these groups goals, tasks, roles and norms are defined by the management (Brooks, 2009). Working in a formal group is of great benefit for an individual as this develops different skills and abilities in a person. One gets a chance to see how others behave and respond to different situations and learn to work in a group effectively. I worked as a teacher for 2 years in Pakistan and learnt many things working in a group of teachers. I feel working in a group influenced my attitude and behaviour as individual, I gained more confidence of doing tasks or projects I have never done before. It also helped in developing decision power and managing multi tasks in given array of time. Working in a competitive environment changed my attitude when I started getting positive feedback from management and parents. Children respond me very well as I worked hard on each child, tried to develop skills and work on their weaknesses. There I got chance to study behaviours of children and parents as well. I tried to bring positive changes in children showing them my own example, as I was a role model for them, so in this way got a chance to study and observe own behaviours and attitudes in detail.. People join informal groups to satisfy their social, psychological and personal needs. These groups fulfil the individuals needs of social interaction that lack working in formal groups. These groups not only exist out side work place but also at work places and people of same thinking and values become a part or make themselves a part of a particular group. When I joined University of Salford in January as an international postgraduate student, I was a part of a formal group that was defined by university comprising almost thirty five students. Later students split into informal groups in order to satisfy their social needs depending on culture, language, race, age and gender. According to Maslows Hierarchy of need theory, individual try to satisfy his basic needs which differ in importance. He identifies eight innate needs ranging from physiological and safety needs to self-actualization needs (Mullins, 2005). This theory answers one of the questions why informal groups are formed also why individuals are attracted towards each other to become part informal groups. According to Hunsaker and Cook (1986) informal groups have strong influence on an individual than formal. Individuals are open to join a group of homogeneous thoughts; this gives psychological satisfaction and helps them to perform better in formal groups. All groups have some norms as a proof of their existence or value. Norms are guidelines set by organisations or groups and are considered as code of conduct for its members. According to Kreitner, Kinicki Buelens (1999) norms are unwritten and are seldom discussed. It is an attitude, mind-set and feeling shared by people, which bounds them to follow these as to continue with their membership with the group. I would like to state an example here from the school where I was teaching, it was a norm for children to come to school in proper uniform and those who deviate from this norm were considered to be violating the rule. There were some discipline rules as well which all children had to follow as part of their training and personality development, like they were not allowed to talk loud or shout in the class, had to leave the room in queue if going some where together, ask for permission before they enter in class, raise hand before they speak in class. Such norms are advantageous for students in order to discipline and organise them. According to a research group norms have strong influences on new members and they adopt the same behaviour as a result of group pressure. It gives example of a boy who indulges in violent activities after joining a gang involved in such brutal activities (Yablonsky, cited in McKenna, 2000). Roles are behavioural aspects which are expected from a person or group in a particular position. According to a research, attitude change is driven by roles (Bowditch and Buono, 1994), and the performance of an individual is enhanced if the role he is into suits his personality (Belbin, cited in Davies and Kanaki, 2006). An individual performs many roles in a group, like a teacher plays many roles in order to satisfy management and own personal need or others social needs. For children she is a teacher and a mother, who cares for them gives them sense of protection and security, trims them to face realities of life; also achieves set targets utilizing her own potentials to satisfy management; fulfils colleagues social, psychological needs. She plays more roles in her personal life like, of a daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend with various expectations from her which are not communicated formally but understood. Boulden (1983) says this tradition of very high level of expectations in work situation was set in sixties, which has brought decline to the businesses as it is very difficult for a person to match that level of expectation. When individuals share same targets, thinking and work closely together with commitment to achieve certain tasks, shows a good level of cohesiveness in a group. Cohesiveness of small groups increases when they are less diverse and more interactive, where as larger groups are less cohesive when they are more diverse and have competition (Capon, 2004).Cohesive groups share same attitudes, likings, performance and better in dealing with deviants than less cohesive groups (Bowditch and Buono, 1994). Mullins (2005) states a cohesiveness in groups is beneficial for organisations, it also leaves the members with rewarding experiences. The best example of cohesiveness can be of military, where changes in level of coordination can change the situation in battle field. It is therefore necessary for them to co-ordinate well for achieving better results. I remember the time in school when we were preparing for annual function and a few programmes were included in schedule. Teachers had to prepare children for stage performances and there was an art exhibition on the same day. Annual sports day was following this event, due to which schedule was too tight for teachers as well as for children, who had to manage themselves for so many activities though at lower level and under teachers supervision. Such situations require high level of cohesiveness to achieve targets, which is not easy as outsiders are involved in observations who also critically evaluate the organisations performance. Such situations in work experience give its members to learn from observations like other individuals or groups behaviours, and dealing techniques with groups and individuals. Good cohesiveness in a group influences an individuals behaviour, also gives high level of job satisfaction. The member follows the norms of the group which have either positive or negative impact on his attitude and behaviour both. If the group norms are good and polish his creativities and skills, that helps developing his personality, but if the norms are negative like, to produce less than ability lefts negative impact on his behaviour. According to Hawthornes experiment of fourteen men working in a wiring room formed their own informal group and the norm which everyone strongly followed was to produce less then their ability. That is how norms can be disadvantageous, if they are negative in nature (Mullins, 2005). High level of cohesiveness is not necessarily always favourable as it stops creativity, thinking, decision power and problem solving skills in a group which results in Groupthink. According to a research previously it was thought that high cohesiveness is necessary for high performance, but it was Janis, who gave a concept that high group cohesiveness leads to group think an ultimate disaster fiasco for groups decision making ability (Eaton, 2001). I want to quote Vietnam War here which was a consequence of high cohesiveness that lead to group think and America attacked Vietnam without considering the after effects they had face. Bowditch and Buono (1994) quote Janiss work saying groupthink leads to overoptimism and high risk taking by group members; there is rationalisation of groups decisions so other members are not allowed to question the decisions made. Leadership is a necessity which cannot be avoided in order to manage activities, conflicts and decision making. According to Mullins (2005 p.282) Leadership is a relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people. It is the leadership which moulds the behaviour of ordinary group members to competitive group, which enhances the competency level of members of that group. Great man theory explains well the qualities of good leaders, according to which the leaders influence the behaviour of people by force of their personality (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2004). The best example of leadership I think is Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of my country, Pakistan. It was because of his strong leadership qualities that he united the Muslims of sub-continent on one plate form, as a nation. Different style of leadership have different affects on individuals personality, like, Autocratic leadership style suppresses the abilities of the group members. On the other hand if the leader tries to involve the member in making decisions, he wins their confidence, able to take better decisions, this also have very positive effects on the attitudes of members. I want to share my own experience of working with SLM Connexions, a call centre located in Manchester, UK. The company started business with a good deal of investment, and recruitment of talented staff. The autocratic style of leadership was adopted by the directors who use to tell the staff what they want them to do or sell. Sometimes suggestions were welcomed but no one was allowed to question their decisions, and as a result the company bear much loss in last few months for making many wrong decisions. Whenever individuals interact with each other, there is always a possibility of conflict between them depending on multidimensional thinking, perception and behaviour. Conflict my arise due to several reasons ranging from improperly defined roles to ambiguity in norms. Whatever reason of conflict is, it affects its member both positively and negatively. Role conflict mainly arises due to unethical behaviour of a member (Johns and Saks, 2005). Conflicts may also arise from cultural, demographic and value differences (Vodosek, 2007). I want to quote an example from my own experience in school where teachers were provided with pick and drop facility. These group of teachers were from different level, like some were from pre-school and some from primary and their finishing time was different from each other. Pre-school teachers finished an hour before the primary level teacher and had enough time to wind-up before going home, but primary teachers use to finish at 2oclock. Conflict arouse when pre-school teachers demanded van to leave school as they get free early without considering the teachers who finish at 2oclock. This conflict leads to many other conflicts in school regarding duty timings and some others. Then our academic co-ordinator decided to have consensus and time was fixed for the school van to leave after school. Conflict brings success to an organisation and groups in many ways. Conflicts are a sign of healthy mental approach; bring new ideas, innovations which individuals should learn to take positively as it is beneficial for them as well. On other hand conflict has adverse affects on personality behaviour of an individual that can result in stress and frustration. Conclusion: The subject discussed above reflects the positive and negative aspects of group behaviours on individual. Individuals and groups work parallel to each other in every sphere of life and study of an individuals behaviour in a group is as important as organizations. An individual interacts with other people in perspectives of behaviours and attitudes throughout life and learn to polish, enhance and develops his personality, through learning from different experiences. Management should take the responsibility to resolve the conflicts related to roles, status leadership, norms, and develops good cohesiveness so that individuals can get maximum benefit from it. Generally problems are taken as hurdles but these are there to teach us. We should take them as opportunity which gives a new horizon to perception of an individual.

Experiencing Pain Essay example -- Health, Philosophy, Personal Experi

Most would agree that pain is an emotion we want to avoid; however, experiencing pain has the potential for insight, knowledge, and a new understanding of life that may not have been in realization. Through experiencing or living with pain, a proper understanding of value can perhaps be brought to things that may not have been valued in a pain free life. Because of pain, the true meaning of life, what it is like to live, and the value of oneself and others is to be within one’s control. Pain is a destructive force, yet it can strengthen the mind and the spirit. As stated in Virginia Woolf’s essay on Being Ill, the true beauty of the people and the real beauty of the earth can be seen through the eyes of those who are in pain. Also according to Woolf, pain can lead to spiritual divinity. From my understanding, the power of prayer to some people is not in belief until pain has overtaken the body of oneself or of a loved one. Pain seems to open the eyes of those who have not correctly lived their lives. Small things in life are regularly overlooked due to the busy and determined career oriented lifestyles. The joys of life come through the detail of the small gestures given or received. The golden rule of â€Å"treat others the way you want to be treated,† is important for people who want to lead a happy life. Until he was deathly ill, Ivan Ilyich, the main character in The Death of Ivan Ilyich, never appreciated the small things in life. His focus was narrowed to one topic. â€Å"Ivan made work the center gravity of his life† (50). Before anything else, including his marriage, Ivan’s work and analyzing way of living was of first priority. Neither Ivan nor his friends valued one another. Ivan’s family and friends treated Ivan ... ...ckily, she survived and my passenger and I survived with minor injuries. Not a day goes by where I do not think about what happened, but I know it happened for a reason. Getting through this painful situation made me a stronger willed person. Taking things for granted is what I do not do. I truly value my life and my family’s lives. A life can be taken away at any second. Giving thanks for the joy and love in life is something that needs to be done daily. Material items are replaceable, but what is irreplaceable is a human being. Memories made will last a lifetime, but the physical presence of a loved one will be gone. The best advice is to live life to the fullest and value the sentimental belongings, especially family and friends. Pain is not an ease, but it helps ease the minds of those who are most important with respect and insight to value.

Speech against Animal Testing

Now ladies and gentlemen, I would like you guys to have a think about this, without animal research, how long would it take for us to have a breakthrough in order for us to survive through small pox, rabies, malaria or any other severe diseases that had occurred in the past. If it weren’t for animal testing, we wouldn’t be all sitting here, enjoying our lives. Thank you all for listening. 0 In the case of using primates in animal testing, the National Research and Medical Research Council has stated, ‘Some biomedical research is best undertaken on primates in order to allow the greatest relevance to understanding health and disease in humans. ’ A PHD student from the University of Sydney, Swetha Murali, is working in a neuropharmacology lab researching about the development of novel therapeutics for treating chronic pain. Murali also raised a number of concerns and argued, ‘The first three are not alternatives at all. These animal dealers must be lice nsed by the United States Department of Agriculture and must adhere to Animal Welfare Act standards of care. Both dealers and research facilities can obtain dogs and cats only from specified sources and must comply with detailed record-keeping and waiting-period requirements. In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture conduct surprising inspections of dealers and research facilities for agreement to help ensure research animals are not missing pets. ’ 6They don’t actually lead to the development of novel treatments, just a better understanding of the efficacy of existing ones. Meanwhile the last two are already commonly used in most labs, but prior to and in conjunction with work and animals. ’ Murali has also stated that ‘and as powerful as modern computers are, there’s still simply no comparison – the idea of successfully simulating the complexity present in organism- level biological systems is a pipe dream at present. â€⠄¢ 9 My third point would be that there is no suitable and reliable substitution to animal testing.It has been reported that there are situations, where there are no viable alternatives to animal testing in order to enlarge the research of treatments to assist human beings from suffering a wide range of diseases. This has been brought up by the National Health and Medical Research Council which stated, ‘Animal experimentation remains crucial to a proportion of the funded research design to find better ways of preventing, treating and curing human diseases, and there are many situations where no alternatives exist. 7 The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science stated that, ‘While some research requires that dogs and cats are used, the vast majority of laboratory animals are rodents specifically bred for research. Nearly half of the dogs and cats needed for research are also bred for that purpose. Since state laws and local policies prevent many animal pounds an d shelters from providing dogs and cats to research facilities, animal dealers are the primary source for the other half of the animals scientists require. ’ 5Good morning teachers and fellow classmates. Today I will be presenting my point of view towards the issue of animals being used in testing and research. Animals such as mice, rats and primates are used in the further research for the sake of us human beings, either health or cosmetic wise, and also tested on animals to make sure they have no life-threatening side effects. This act has being carried out for years, and to abolish it now would be a real shame and it’ll bring an end to the further advancement of human health. I assume that most of you guys think that animal testing will involve big needles injecting into those little cute, furry rodents. But I assure you, it’s not. It has been stated that the procedure throughout the whole testing will keep the animals’ distress to a minimal. Also the people who are involved in this project are all animal lovers, which mean that they aren’t doing this for enjoyment, but for the health of the greater well. As they say ‘Good science and good animal welfare go hand in hand’. In the UK, the experiments that were carried out have been classified as mild, moderate or substantial. In December 2001, licensed experiments that happened in the UK were: 39% mild, 55% moderate, 2% substantial and 4% that are unclassified. Judging from these statistics, it is shown that very few experiments have caused substantial suffering to the animals tested. This also leads to my second point. Many of these animals that were killed in animal testing were specifically bred for this purpose. 3These animals would not have been alive at all if they weren’t needed for animal testing. Also keep in mind that they were bred under humane conditions, which means, they had the right amount of nutrition to be healthy and also in an environm ent that were close to home for them. In certain parts of the world, purposely-bred animals were not available, and in these cases, animals that were used must be obtained through licensed and regulated dealers that meet standard criteria where it was suitable laboratory research. 4

Kudler Fine Foods †Marketing Research

Kudler Fine Foods – Marketing Research Free Online Research Papers Kathy Kudler founded Kudler Fine Foods (Kudler) as an upscale gourmet food market. Through her passion for cooking and frustrations in shopping Kathy created a gourmet food market offering an extensive selection of the freshest ingredients and finest products at reasonable prices with helpful and knowledgeable employees. Kathy became a success by combining convenience and affordability. She intends to further this mission by including a catering service in addition to the in-store events currently available. Kudler is continuing to expand their business to achieve goals of meeting the customer’s needs and also becoming more successful as an organization. Kudler has the ability to expand their services to include catering through the utilization of marketing resources and making appropriate business adjustments to expand and grow. The first step in achieving this result is building a solid foundation and identifying the marketing mix. Marketing research can be defined as the collection and analysis of information to assist in the decision making process. As identified on the Kudler website, further marketing research is needed to determine a defined action. The surveys were not able to provide an adequate result. Further surveys could produce a trend in results of consumer reaction to gain accurate input regarding customer satisfaction with the current services and products offered. Through the current surveys the results showed the customers were dissatisfied, but further detail is needed to choose the appropriate course of action. Kudler needs to define the marketing problem and the opportunity for increased customer satisfaction. At this time the problem seems to be related to gathering research and information to expand their current service offerings into areas such as catering or an organic food line. Kudler has missed a few steps in the process and this could be due to their immediate success. The company lacks an organized plan to determine the effectiveness of their decision, but they have created and followed strategic objectives. Kudler has and needs to continue to be more diligent in detailing the type of actions they plan to initiate and the expected outcomes for potential result. Consumers have become increasingly interested in the quality of their health, relating directly to the foods they purchase and consume. As people become aware of food alternatives such as organic options they begin making changes to their current diet affecting their purchasing habits. As these changes have occurred stores such as Kudler need to make these options available and educate their audience regarding the availability. The organic and gourmet food market in the United States is rising at an accelerating rate, providing these products conveniently at one store location would provide immediate sales opportunities. As these products continue to gain popularity the sales potential will continue increasing, being in stride with this trend is important to establishing a loyal customer base. An important factor for staying on top is being aware of the competition factor. Kudler has to not only establish their personal goals and business aspirations, but they have to know what is happening in the market place and find out who their competition is and what they are doing. At this time Kudler currently provides customers with educational experiences to create interest in products and as a great advertising tool for the stores. This current program coupled with a frequent shopper program would be beneficial for both the consumer and Kudler. The in-store events at Kudler provide an atmosphere for more than just sales opportunities, but also a place for research and feedback from the customers. Kudler is consistently focused on the expansion of their consumer base and this includes expansion of the offerings of services and products to meet and exceed customer’s needs. Through these activities Kudler would gain customer loyalty reaching their goal of customer satisfaction. Research has shown customer loyalty has a profound effect on business results. Customer satisfaction is only the first step in continued business success the next phase is gaining loyalty. The results from customer loyalty are repurchases on a more frequent basis and recommendations by current customers to potential customers. Utilizing their current inventory processes Kudler will need to determine popular food items and recipes for their catering services by tracking the items used for their on-site events and their top purchased items. Through this process they would be able to determine a food menu to entice customers. A list of attendees from the on-site events would be a good starting place for surveying and determining possible interest for moving forward in pursuing the new business endeavor. Many of the customers attending the events would be the most loyal and would potentially provide the best feedback based on their current engagement in food preparation. Kudler has maintained their success through loyal customers and convenience. The placement and marketing of the catering services will need to focus on the second portion of their mission, convenience. Positioning the service as convenience for those larger events requiring more than one cook or when timing is short. This could be a responsibility consumers of Kudler may not easily want to give-up, as their interests are in cooking and creating their own gourmet meals. By focusing on the convenience portion the costumer would feel less guilty about their lack of involvement in the preparation process. Kudler has continued to measure their inventory by a demand strategy they could also implement this into their catering services and provide customers with the opportunity to choice their own menu based on their needs. Kudler not only determines their inventory through the demand strategy, but they also use the demand pricing strategy. This has been a successful tool in the past, but special consideration will be needed while they are implementing new products and services into their currently line-up. With any specialty gourmet item the price will be slightly higher, as you are paying for the quality of your items and services. Due to the nature of the business Kudler will need to provide exemplarily services focusing on the anticipation of the customers needs and meeting special requests in conjunction with their top-notch food. In this industry many times potential business comes from referrals or attendees from past events, meaning Kudler will need to focus on each event as it may be their last one. Success from each current event is crucial to ensure future success. Establishing a perceived value is not only important to the pricing of the service, but also in the promotion of the catering service. Kudler will need to determine the potential needs for this service and focus on the value the customers will receive from the Kudler catering service differentiating them from the existing and potential competition. By starting the promotion at in-store functions they will have a quality customer base including people who already claim their loyalty to Kudler. Once Kudler has extinguished the potential from their on-site events continue the promotion within the store, but also begin utilizing the newspapers they advertise the store through for additional exposure of the new catering service. As mentioned previously Kudler should use their inventory monitoring system to calculate popular items and also for other suggested menu items they need to consult their popular on-site events for preferred food choices. To be competitive in the market Kudler must be aware of the competition and the items and prices of their products and services. One of Kudler’s successful strategies is the focus on customer needs, this needs to be continued by offering an open menu with possible adjustments based on customer requests. With no set menu Kudler will be competitive in the market because they will cater specifically to each customer’s needs and their willingness to alter their menu keeps customers happy and coming back for future services. As a part of Kudler’s advertising strategy they need to focus on the customer satisfaction aspect and the openness to meeting and exceeding the customer requests received. Once a catering service client is booked Kudler needs to a sk lots of questions to ensure they understand the needs of the client and their expectations. This may mean asking the same question, but in a differing manner to find out the exact requirements of each party involved. Each individual working in the Kudler catering department must be trained on working with clients and follow-up needs to be required after service is provided to gain feedback. This will make each client feel as if their opinion matters and give Kudler a chance to correct problems. Due the quality of gourmet product Kudler provides and the exemplarily service they will provide in their catering service they will potentially be higher priced than their competition. Touting the quality and services is very important to ensure the success of the catering department. The current loyal clients of Kudler will understand and expect the possible higher price, but will know the service will be worth the change. Even though the price will be high it still needs to be competitive with the market and yet affordable for clients. Typically in retail or hospitality location is very important to the success of your business due to ability to draw potential customers. A key for Kudler is to identify their potential clients and the needs they want to meet. Prior to setting up the location of the catering business Kudler will want to identify the keys to creating sales and profit for their business. Know the community, competition, and costs associated with start-up, employees, and preparation of meals. For the least expensive start-up Kudler should use their current store locations as the place to set-up their start-up business. This will provide many existing materials to be used in the creation of the new endeavor. Promotion decisions are very key to communicating messages to potential customers and clients. Due to the existing business Kudler is at an advantage for beginning a catering business. They have an existing clientele shopping in Kudler everyday and the cost associated with advertising to them would be very minimal, especially with the on-site events being held on a regular basis. Utilizing these resources to get the word out and experiment with the menu offerings are essential to the success of the business. Finding out the needs of potential customers and adding this key message to advertising will draw business. For specific forms of promotion Kudler should use newspapers, in-store fliers, direct mailers to current loyal customers, and advertising over the intercom at each store location. Kudler must continue to focus on customers as their main priority in their business. As profits increase focus on technology will be an additional benefit to increase efficiencies, cut costs, and labor. At this time Kudler barely utilizes technology in their work environment and yet they continue to profit. To further capitalize on their success technology must be implemented, but customer focus has to be maintained. This will become increasing important as the business grows and the clientele grows to an unmanageable amount. As Kudler begins to expand, operations will also need to expand to include employees who effectively manage individuals and who have the mission of the Kudler company at heart. Further promotion of the catering business can be done through the local contacts providing the organic produce. The quality of the organic produce will result in favorable responses of customers, as well as additional value. As the popularity continues to increase for locally produced and organic products there is an increase promotional value. The quality includes not only taste, but the nutrients and health value. As Kudler continues to grow along with a long-term strategic plan and goals an implementation of short-term goals must be put in place. Focus must continue to be on the satisfaction of the customer, but other function of the business must not go by the way side, such as the monitoring of processes and procedures. After the implementation phase review and a look back has to be completed to ensure results were achieved and were the processes the most beneficial for the company overall. This could relate to the additions of technology, less manual processes, more efficient tracking, increase measurements around customer satisfaction. Instead of continually adding additional stores and services, Kudler needs to also focus on the maintenance of internal factors. References: Advantages of Organic Foods. (2002-2007) Retrieved January 7, 2008, from organicfoodinfo.net/ Chase, R.B, Jacobs, F.R. Aquilano, N.J. (2006) Operations Management for Competitive Advantage. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-Text]. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MBA502 Web site. Gomez-Mejia, L.R. Balkin, D. B. (2002). Management. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-Text]. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved December 10, 2007, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MBA502 Web site. Kerin, R.A., Hartley, S.W., Berkowitz, E.N., Rudelius, W. (2006) Marketing. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-Text]. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved December 10, 2007, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MBA502 Web site. Kudler Intranet. (2005). Retrieved January 7, 2008, from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Business/Kudler/KudlerHome002.htm Research Papers on Kudler Fine Foods - Marketing ResearchAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Project Managment Office SystemIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalResearch Process Part OneOpen Architechture a white paperGenetic EngineeringDefinition of Export QuotasBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Logic gates Essays - Logic Families, Integrated Circuits

Logic gates Essays - Logic Families, Integrated Circuits Logic gates A logic gate performs a logical operation on one or more logic inputs and produces a single logic output. The logic is called Boolean logic and is most commonly found in digital circuits. Logic gates are primarily implemented electronically using diodes or transistors, but can also be constructed using electromagnetic relays (relay logic), fluidic logic, pneumatic logic, optics, molecules, or even mechanical elements. The simplest form of electronic logic is diode logic. This allows AND and OR gates to be built, but not inverters, and so is an incomplete form of logic. Further, without some kind of amplification it is not possible to have such basic logic operations cascaded as required for more complex logic functions. To build a functionally complete logic system, relays, valves (vacuum tubes), or transistors can be used. The simplest family of logic gates using bipolar transistors is called resistor-transistor logic (RTL). Unlike diode logic gates, RTL gates can be cascaded indefinitely to produce more complex logic functions. These gates were used in early integrated circuits. For higher speed, the resistors used in RTL were replaced by diodes, leading to diode-transistor logic (DTL). Transistor-transistor logic (TTL) then supplanted DTL with the observation that one transistor could do the job of two diodes even more quickly, using only half the space. In virtually every type of contemporary chip implementation of digital systems, the bipolar transistors have been replaced by complementary field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) to reduce size and power consumption still further, thereby resulting in complementary metal?oxide?semiconductor (CMOS) logic. For small-scale logic, designers now use prefabricated logic gates from families of devices such as the TTL 7400 series by Texas Instruments and the CMOS 4000 series by RCA, and their more recent descendants. Increasingly, these fixed-function logic gates are being replaced by programmable logic devices, which allow designers to pack a large number of mixed logic gates into a single integrated circuit. The field-programmable nature of programmable logic devices such as FPGAs has removed the 'hard' property of hardware; it is now possible to change the logic design of a hardware system by reprogramming some of its components, thus allowing the features or function of a hardware implementation of a logic system to be changed. Electronic logic gates differ significantly from their relay-and-switch equivalents. They are much faster, consume much less power, and are much smaller (all by a factor of a million or more in most cases). Also, there is a fundamental structural difference. The switch circuit creates a continuous metallic path for current to flow (in either direction) between its input and its output. The semiconductor logic gate, on the other hand, acts as a high-gain voltage amplifier, which sinks a tiny current at its input and produces a low-impedance voltage at its output. It is not possible for current to flow between the output and the input of a semiconductor logic gate. Another important advantage of standardised integrated circuit logic families, such as the 7400 and 4000 families, is that they can be cascaded. This means that the output of one gate can be wired to the inputs of one or several other gates, and so on. Systems with varying degrees of complexity can be built without great concern of the designer for the internal workings of the gates, provided the limitations of each integrated circuit are considered. The output of one gate can only drive a finite number of inputs to other gates, a number called the 'fanout limit'. Also, there is always a delay, called the 'propagation delay', from a change in input of a gate to the corresponding change in its output. When gates are cascaded, the total propagation delay is approximately the sum of the individual delays, an effect which can become a problem in high-speed circuits. Additional delay can be caused when a large number of inputs are connected to an output, due to the distributed capacitance of all the inputs and wiring and the finite amount of current that each output can provide.