The Short Term Memory Loss - 1585 Words

Amina Diini Donavon Davidson English Composition 11/22/16 The Short-term Memory Loss Memento is a great, unforgettable movie. Events throughout the film unfold in a confusing and complicated way. The movie starts from the end of the beginning, in a nonlinear narrative. At times, the story seems backward: after the main character, Leonard, loses his memory, he can only remember up to his wife s brutal murder; he can t create new memories. Based on the revolving perspective of the main character, who has to trust pictures, notes, and tattoos, the viewer learns not to trust anyone in the film. This information is the foundation of Leonard s short-term memory. The story is told in a lurching backward motion, each scene jumps back in time, and ends where the previous one started; then, the next one begins. Memento is a unique crime thriller that makes the viewer think deeply about the endlessness of revenge, by using the cinematic techniques of a nonlinear narrative (1), repetition (2), and the use of mirrors (3). We are hooked from the beginning of Memento because it opens with murder, which seems like it would be the end; Leonard s narrative is nonlinear or disjointed throughout the film. He is regularly taking Polaroid pictures of places he goes or people he meets has to write down notes on pictures, take pictures and get tattoos to remember things like who met recently. The last thing LeonardShow MoreRelatedThe Short Term Memory Loss Essay957 Words   |  4 PagesShort Term Memory Loss. Ironically most of us don’t even think about memory that often, much less Short Term Memory. Because of that, this psychological disorder often tends to get overlooked for a small problem that no one wants to take serious. Most people would recognize this disorder from the popular movie, Finding Nemo. In which one of the main characters suffers from short term memory loss. In the film it’s taken as a lovable flaw, instead of the serious disorder that it is. But Short TermRead MoreShort-Term a nd Long-Term Memory Loss1129 Words   |  5 PagesForgetting in Short-Term and Long-Term Memory: The memory of human beings is similar to that of computers because it allows individuals to store information for later or future use. However, the storage of information in humans involves three major processes i.e. encoding, storage, and retrieval. The encoding process basically involves transforming data into meaningful form like association with an existing image, memory, or sound. This is followed by holding on to the information through a physiologicalRead MoreShort-Term Memory Loss in Finding Nemos Dori625 Words   |  3 Pagesof the movie. One of the main characters, Dory, has a specific disability that she must learn to adapt to in order to complete her journey: short-term memory loss. Dory is perhaps the most beloved character in Finding Nemo because she has such a big heart and radiates optimism despite (and possibly because of) her struggles with short-term memory loss. When we first meet Dory, she clumsily swims into a frantic Marlin, who is searching for his recently lost son. Dory agrees to help him lookRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep Loss And Short Term Recognition Memory847 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Allen. J, Elkin and D.J. Murray prove in â€Å"The Effects of Sleep Loss and Short-term Recognition Memory† that sleep deprived individuals become less aware or conscious of the material presented to them. This evaluation will show that though the author makes some good use of statistical findings, he doesn t cover all aspects in this article. Summary Allen. J, Elkin and D.J. Murray systematically lists the studies and opinions of others who agree with them and does not discuss opposingRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Dory In Finding Dory And Short Term Memory Loss1422 Words   |  6 Pagescan’t seem to remember things very well. She suffers from short term memory loss, and is unable to retain her memories. According to Dory’s bio on Disney.com, â€Å"Dory is the friendliest fish in the ocean. Although she suffers from short term memory loss, to Dory, the glass is always half full.† In the previous movie Finding Nemo, Dory offers to help Marlin on his journey to find his missing son, Nemo. When she starts traveling with Marlin, her memory can be seen to start improving, as she is able to repeatRead MoreMemory Processses Essay examples1268 Words   |  6 PagesMemory Processes The human capacity for memory is unknown, and the process for remembering is an invisible, and therefore, an unsubstantiated concept. A discussion regarding the concepts of short-term, working, and long-term memory precedes an explanation of the encoding and retrieval in the memory processes. An evaluation of the variables associated with encoding and retrieval provides an understanding of the results from an online self-administered memory test. Although online memory assessmentsRead MoreHow Short and Long Term Memory Work Essay894 Words   |  4 Pages Short and Long Term Memory Your brain collects and forgets thousands, if not millions of memories every day. Every time you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell something, it comes into your mind and becomes a memory. A mental note is literally taken and shipped to your â€Å"short-term memory† file in your brain. Whether or not it gets pushed to â€Å"long-term memory† depends on how often you pull the sense from your brain, because if it is used often, your brain will automatically instruct itself not toRead Morememory loss informative789 Words   |  4 Pages Attention Getter- Your memory is a monster; you forget- it doesn’t. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from you and summons them to your recall with a will of its own. You think you have a memory but it has you! (John Irving) B. Purpose – After hearing my speech the audience will be able to define and explain memory loss or dementia in adults. Why? : This is important because we all have a memory that could be affected by memory loss. C. Preview (PowerPoint) Read MoreMemory and Human Survival1544 Words   |  7 Pagesparticular with his memory. Memory refers to the mental capacity to retain information and convert it into a form that can be stored and retrieved at a later time. Storing and retrieving memories involves passing information from one stage to the next and then retrieving that information from long-term memory. (Burton, Westen Kowalski, 2012, p.261) Memory is an integral part of human survival and without it, learning new skills, such as the ones required by Tom to regain his loss of function, couldRead MoreThe Need for More Medications for Dementia967 Words   |  4 Pagesinvestigate the agents that can prevent progression of memory loss or improve the existing capacity of learning and memory. Thus present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of Ayurveda drug formulations, Tinospora cordifolia (Tc) Phyllanthus emblica (Pe) with and without Ocimum sanctum (Os) on learning performance a nd memory of mice. We also tried to investigate the possible mechanisms of these plant drugs for their effects on learning and memory using Scopolamine, Diazepam and Cyclosporine as

Consumer Research Stats Case Analysis - 1493 Words

Consumer Research, Inc. is investigating whether there is any correlation between specific characteristics of credit card users and the amount these users charge on credit cards. Their objective is to determine if these characteristics can accurately predict the annual dollar amount charged by credit card users. Data was collected from a sample of 50 credit card consumers presenting information on the annual income (referred as Income), size of household (referred as Household), and the annual credit card charges (referred as Charges) for these consumers. A statistical analysis; including a descriptive, simple regression, and multiple regression tests, of this data was performed and the findings are presented below. Due to the†¦show more content†¦The model indicates that for each additional person added to the household, Charges are expected to increase by $404.13, when the Annual Income is held constant. This model produces the following statistical evidence: Model Summary of using Household to predict Charges R R ² Adjusted R ² Std Error of Estimate .753 .567 0.558 620.793 Paying particular attention to the R ² values (Table 2), this prediction equation can account for about 55.8% of the variations present within the data. This equation appears to have a stronger fit for predicting credit card charges then using Income. To construct a better prediction equation that produces a stronger linear relationship with the least amount of unexplained variance, a multiple regression analysis was conducted. Results of this analysis clearly indicate that using both Income and Household together to predict credit card charges is a better fit then just one of these characteristics. A multiple regression analysis produces a model prediction equation of Annual Charges = 33.13(Income) + 356.30(Household) + 1304.91. To determine how well this equation model fits, a multiple linear regression model containing the two characteristics variables was fitted to the data. The model assumptions were checked using a full residual analysis. The residual plots are shown in Exhibit 2. The two plots indicate clear relationships between the Amount ChargedShow MoreRelatedPanera Braed Case Analysis1223 Words   |  5 Pagesand environment. In 2004, the customers ranked Panera Bread highest among quick-service restaurants in the Mid-west and Northeast regions of the United Stats in all catergories which included environment, meal, service and cost. Panera Bread’s Strategies Its strategies were to make great bread broadly available to consumers across the United Stats by expanding 155 new company-owned and franchised bakery-cafe in 2006 and plan to open another 170 to 180 cafe location in 2007 and to have nearly 2,000Read MoreInquiring Minds Want to Know--Now! Question Seven Eight Essay820 Words   |  4 PagesCase Study Assignment Four: Inquiring Minds Want to Know--Now! Question Seven: Assume you are compiling your research report. How would you present the statistical information within this case to the Industry Week decision maker, the manager who must decide whether or not to continue to publish reader service cards? In the provided case study, Penton Media has performed a research study to determine consumer and industry interest in reader service cards, included in Penton publications (CooperRead MoreRegression Analysis For A Dependence Method753 Words   |  4 PagesRegarding the testing of the hypotheses of this research, regression analysis or structural equation modelling techniques is best suited for a dependence method (Hair et al., 2014). We employed regression analysis to specify the extent to which the independent variables predicted the dependent variable. The analysis conducted in this study was therefore intended to test the hypotheses of the study. The regression output provided some measures which allow assessment of the hypotheses. Following fromRead MoreMens Fairness Cream1413 Words   |  6 PagesAre Indian Consumer Ready For Family Pack Size Product Authored By Guided By Clifton Pereira Dr.Hanif Kanjer Reuban Rebello INTRODUCITION In today’s consumer world the concept of family pack size product is growing day by dayRead MoreMutual Fund Case Study1731 Words   |  7 PagesMutual Fund Analysis Case Study Investor Summary John and Jane Mooney Working for an investment firm I was recently asked by my boss to help advise two of firms best clients. The clients names were John and Jane Mooney. Both John and Jane are in their early 40s and have no children. John is a fireman for the local fire department while Jane is a professor at the local community college. The Mooneys annual income is roughly $115,000. The Mooneys own their home and are virtually debt freeRead MoreRetail Marketing Project: Splash Fashion vs. Max Retailer1138 Words   |  5 Pages|  Established in 1993 |Winner of the Retail ME Awards 2005 for Business Excellence of the Year | |Largest fashion retailer in the GCC |Featured in the Top 40 Arab Brands list in a Middle East research conducted by | | |Forbes Arabia in October 2006 | |Total retail floor space over 1.3 million sq.ft. |Gold awarded in the ‘Fashion Art’Read MoreViolent Video Games Cause Violence : Cause Of Violence And Video Games1377 Words   |  6 Pagesviolent video games have a desensitizing impact on young, impressionable minds.† (Violent Video Games - ProCon.org). As a result, the video game industry created the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). This new rating system would notify consumers of anything that could be labeled as violent or mature on the label of the game when going to buy it. Though many actions have been taken against violent video games, as time passes video games both violent and nonviolent have still seen an increaseRead MoreWaiting Line Management7475 Words   |  30 PagesNathalie Demoulin IESEG School of Management, Catholic University of Lille, Lille, France Abstract Purpose – Delay is an important issue for service providers. Indeed, previous studies have widely shown the negative effect of waiting time on consumer service satisfaction. However, being satisfied with the service seems to be insufficient for customers to remain loyal. Creating customer loyalty is even more crucial than just satisfying them. The paper aims to investigate how customers weighRead MoreApple Inc. Elasticity of Demand Cross Elasticity939 Words   |  4 Pagesdrive, and color graphics. Apple Computer s Macintosh line of PC s had brought numerous software and hardware components within reach of the average home consumer, often in a stylish case and with an emphasis on usability. The restructured company, now called simply Apple, designs, markets, and sells not only personal computers but also consumer electronics in the form of portable media players and smart phones. Apple also sells intangible goods in the form of software, music, and video. The AppleRead MoreMeasurement Scales Paper892 Words   |  4 PagesMeasurement Scales Paper Measurement in Analysis can take on many forms, but in this case, these come in the form of questionnaires. A questionnaire when not done correctly may not be able to obtain the information in which the corporation may be seeking. There are in general four categories that these fall into. Categorically, these include Nominal, Ordinal, Interval and Ratio Numbers. The essential goal of this author is to explain to the utmost of authority of how these fit into questionnaires

The Necessity Of Computer Security Free Essays

When the first electronic computers emerged from university and military laboratories in the late 1940s and early 1950s, visionaries proclaimed them the harbingers of a second industrial revolution that would transform business, government and industry. But few laymen, even if they were aware of the machines, could see the connection. Experts too, were sceptical. We will write a custom essay sample on The Necessity Of Computer Security or any similar topic only for you Order Now Not only were computers huge, expensive, one-of-a-kind devices designed for performing abstruse scientific and military calculations, such as cracking codes and calculations missile trajectories, they were also extremely difficult to handle. Now, it is clear that computers are not only here to stay, but they have a profound effect on society as well. As John McCarthy, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, speculated in 1966: â€Å"The computer gives signs of becoming the contemporary counterpart of the steam engine that brought on the industrial revolution – one that is still gathering momentum and whose true nature had yet to be seen. † Today’s applications of computers are vast. They are used to run ordinary household appliances such as televisions and microwaves, to being tools in the workplaces through word processing, spreadsheets, and graphics software, to unning monumental tasks such as being the heart and soul of the nations tax processing department, and managing the project timetables of the Space Shuttle. It is obvious that the computer is now and always will be inexorably linked to our lives, and we have no choice but to accept this technology and learn how to harness its total potential. With any progressing technology, an unauthorized application can almost be found for it. A computer could and has been used for theft and fraud – for example, as a database and manager of illegal activities such as drug trafficking and pornography. However, we must not just consider the harmful applications of the computer, but also take into account the good that they have caused. When society embraced the computer technology, we have to treat this as an extension of what we already have at hand. This means that some problems that we had before the computer era may also arise now, in the form where computers are an accessory to a crime. One of the problems that society has faced ever since the dawn of civilization is privacy. The issue of privacy on the Internet has risen many arguments for and against having it. The issue of privacy has gotten to the oint where the government of the United States has placed a bill promoting a single chip to encrypt all private material on the Internet. Why is privacy so important? Hiding confidential material from intruders does not necessarily mean that what we keep secret it illegal. Since ancient times, people have trusted couriers to carry their messages. We seal out messages in a envelope when sending mail through the postal service. Using computer and encrypting programs to transfer electronic messages securely is not different from sending a letter the old-fashioned way. This paper will examine he modern methods of encrypting messages and analyse why Phil Zimmerman created an extremely powerful civilian encipherment program, called the PGP, for â€Å"Pretty Good Privacy. In particular, by focusing on cryptography, which was originally intended for military use, this paper will examine just how easy it is to conclude why giving civilians a military-grade encrypting program such as the PGP may be dangerous to national security. Therefore, with any type of new technology, this paper will argue that the application of cryptography for civilian purposes is not just a right, but is also a necessity. Increasingly in today’s era of computer technology, not only banks but also businesses and government agencies are turning to encryption. Computer security experts consider it best and most practical way to protect computer data from unauthorized disclosure when transmitted and even when stored on a disk, tape, of the magnetic strip of a credit card. Two encryption systems have led the way in the modern era. One is the single-key system, in which data is both encrypted and decrypted with the same key, a sequence of eight numbers, each between 0 and 127. The other is a 2-key ystem; in this approach to cryptography, a pair of mathematically complementary keys, each containing as many as 200 digits, are used for encryptions and decryption. In contrast with ciphers of earlier generations, where security depended in part on concealing the algorithm, confidentiality of a computer encrypted message hinges solely on the secrecy of the keys. Each system is thought to encrypt a message so inscrutably that the step-by-step mathematical algorithms can be made public without compromising security. The single key system, named the Data Encryption Standard – DES for short — as designed in 1977 as the official method for protecting unclassified computer data in agencies of the American Federal government. Its evolution began in 1973 when the US National Bureau of Standards, responding to public concern about the confidentiality of computerized information outside military and diplomatic channels, invited the submission of data-encryption techniques as the first step towards an encryption scheme intended for public use. The method selected by the bureau as the DES was developed by IBM researchers. During encryption, the DES algorithm divides a message into blocks f eight characters, then enciphers them one after another. Under control of the key, the letters and numbers of each block are scrambled no fewer than 16 times, resulting in eight characters of ciphertext. As good as the DES is, obsolescence will almost certainly overtake it. The life span of encryption systems tends to be short; the older and more widely used a cipher is, the higher the potential payoff if it is cracked, and the greater the likelihood that someone has succeeded. An entirely different approach to encryption, called the 2-key or public- key system, simplifies the problem of key distribution and management. The approach to cryptography eliminates the need for subscribers to share keys that must be kept confidential. In a public-key system, each subscriber has a pair of keys. One of them is the so-called public key, which is freely available to anyone who wishes to communicate with its owner. The other is a secret key, known only to its owner. Though either key can be used to encipher or to decipher data encrypted with its mate, in most instances, the public key is employed for encoding, and the private key for decoding. Thus, anyone can send a secret message to anyone else by using the addressee’s public key to encrypt ts contents. But only the recipient of the message can make sense of it, since only that person has the private key. A public key cryptosystem is called the PGP, for Pretty Good Privacy. Designed by Phil Zimmerman, this program is freely distributed for the purpose of giving the public the knowledge that whatever communications they pass, they can be sure that it is practically unbreakable. PGP generates a public and private key for the user using the RSA technique. The data is then encrypted and decrypted with the IDEA algorithm – which is similar to the DES, but the work factor to decode the encrypted message by brute orce is much higher than what the DES could provide. The reason why the RSA is used only when generating the keys is that the RSA takes a very long time to encrypt an entire document, where using the RSA on the keys takes a mere fraction of the time. At this time, Zimmerman is bing charged by the US government for his effort in developing the PGP. The government considers encryption as a weapon, and they have established regulations controlling or prohibiting the export of munitions. Since the PGP is a powerful encryption program, it is considered and can be used as a powerful weapon and may be a threat to national security. On the Internet, it is clear that many people all over the world are against the US government’s effort on limiting the PGP’s encryption capabilities, and their reason is that the ban infringes on the people’s right to privacy. The PGP must not be treated only as a weapon, for it contains analogies that are not used in wartime. One of them is authentication. The two-key cryptosystem is designed with authentication in mind: Using someone’s public key to encrypt enables only the owner of the private key to decrypt the same message. In the real world, we use our own signature to prove out identity in signing heques or contracts. There exists retina scanners that check the blood vessels in out eyes, as well as fingerprint analysis devices. These use our physical characteristics to prove our identity. A digital signature generated by a public key cryptosystem is much harder to counterfeit because of the mathematics of factoring – which is an advantage over conventional methods of tests for out identity. Another analogy the PGP has with the real world is the need for security. Banks and corporations employ a trusted courier – in the form of an armoured truck or a guard – to transfer sensitive documents or valuables. However, this is expensive for civilian purposes, and the PGP provides the same or better security when securing civilian information. While many argue that limiting the PGP’s abilities are against the people’s right to privacy, the PGP must also be seen as a necessity as we enter the Information Age. There is currently little or no practical and inexpensive way to secure digital information for civilians, and the PGP is an answer to this problem. Computer privacy must not be treated differently than any other method to make private any documents. Rather, we must consider the computer as a tool and se it as an extension of society’s evolution. Clearly the techniques we employ for computer privacy such as encryption, secure transfers and authentication closely mirrors past efforts at privacy and non-criminal efforts. The government is putting more pressure against the distribution of PGP outside of the United States. One of their main reasons was that since it is freely distributed and thus can be modified in such a way that even the vast computational resources of the US government cannot break the PGP’s secured message. The government could now reason that the PGP can provide criminal rganizations a means of secure communications and storage of their activities, and thus make the law enforcement’s job much harder in tracking criminals down and proving them guilty. Also, we must never forget one of out basic human rights – one that many laid their lives for, is freedom. We have the freedom to do anything we wish that is within the law. The government is now attempting to pass a bill promoting a single algorithm to encrypt and decrypt all data that belongs to its citizens. A multitude of people around the world are opposed to this concept, arguing that it is against their freedom and their privacy. How to cite The Necessity Of Computer Security, Essay examples

United Nations Essays - International Relations, Global Politics

United Nations During the First World War several world leaders such as President of the United States(U.S.) Woodrow Wilson and South African Prime Minster Jan Smuts, advocated the need for an international organization that preserved peace and settled disputes by arbitration. When peace negotiations began in October 1918,United States president Woodrow Wilson insisted that his Fourteen Points serve as a basis for the signing of the Armistice . The Armistice included the formation of the League of Nations (here after refereed to as the League). And as the years went by the League grew to be a formidable organization. It's goals and objectives were precise, they were to attain and maintain world peace. By 1935 the League had declined severely. And In 1945 the League ended and the United Nations (referred to as the UN) took its place. There were a lot of similarities between the two organizations, however the differences were apparent as well. Scholars have tried to ascertain why the League failed to achieve its goals. What were declining factors? Moreover, is the UN a direct result of those factors with a few modifications to satisfy the demands of the world today. The object of this paper to analyze Whether the UN is a direct extension of the League and if so why or why not and under what circumstance? By 1919 the idea of international co-operation was not new. There had been a few earlier attempts, for example: The International Red Cross in Geneva 1964; International Telegraph Union in 1865; The International; Meteorological Organization in 1878 and the International Court, The Hague in 1899. However, these were all unsuccessful attempts. So, by April 1919 the constitution of the League was adopted in the Paris Peace Conference . The Aims of the organization were to a) to keep peace and b) to improve living conditions of men and women worldwide. The League's Council consisted of the great powers (Britain, France, Italy and Japan) of 1920 who sat on the council permanently. There were three sanctions against a nation that the League took when any nation broke peace. The sanctions they took were i) Moral sanction which was a polite warning; ii) Economic sanction that was when the League stopped trading with the offender and iii); Military sanction As a last resort the League would impose its will by force. No sanction could be used if a nation used its veto. The idea was that collective action would produce collective security, and thereby peace. These sanctions mentioned were ineffective in cases such as Italy's action in Ethiopia (1935), Japan's attack on China (1937) and Russia invasion of Finland (1939). The League's headquarters was located in Geneva and its first Secretary General was Sir Eric Drummond. As a result of the decision by the US Congress not to ratify the Versailles Treaty , the United States never joined the League of Nations. Others nations such as Brazil, Japan, Germany, The former Soviet Union and Italy joined the League but later left the organization . The League declined rapidly from the mid 1930s to about 1945. After the Second World War, the responsibilities of the League were handed over to the UN. Despite the many difficulties encountered since the end of the Second World War, the League's Council has played a significant role in the resolution of a number of international disputes. Between its establishment in 1920 and 1 January 1935, the League's Council examined a total of 76 questions on a verity of subjects ranging from border disputes to the status of war refugees and from reparations payments to disarmament. Of these questions, over 50 were eventually settled to the satisfaction of all parties as the result of the League's Council action. A summary of the League's successes in handling international disputes is too long to list, but the most salient cases included A 1920 settlement between Sweden and Finland over the Aaland (?land) Islands, A complicated Treaty of Versailles-related border dispute between newly created Poland and Lithuania lasting from 1920-1923, The 1922 establishment of a joint administration between Germany and Poland over the status of the territory and peoples of the resource-rich region of Upper Silesia A 1930 plan assuring the rights of ethnic Hungarians in

Role of Knowledge Management in Improving Performance of Operations Departments

Role of Knowledge Management in Improving Performance of Operations Departments Introduction Knowledge is arguably the most important asset an organization has. Its good management is crucial if the organization is to succeed in a competitive environment. In the past, many organizations did not recognize this and few resources were dedicated to managing the knowledge that the organizations had.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Role of Knowledge Management in Improving Performance of Operations Departments specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, this has changed in the course of the last decade and knowledge management (KM) has emerged as an important field that provides the rationale for managing knowledge in order to achieve the increased productivity of the organization. Baskerville and Alina (2006) note that knowledge management has become such an important concept that many executives today characterize their most important task as leveraging organizational knowledge (p.83). It has been recognized the KM plays a crucial role in the accomplishment of organizational goals and KM has therefore become one of the necessary tools for modern organizations. Against this background, this paper will set out to discuss the role that knowledge management plays in improving the performance of operations departments of an organization. The paper will demonstrate how KM strategies can help an organization to improve its performance and therefore remain competitive. Overview of Knowledge Management Knowledge is a justified personal belief and it is a mix of framed experiences, values, contextual information, and expert insights. It provides the framework through which new information or experience is evaluated or incorporated. Knowledge is a very important and strategic resource for an organization. However, it can only be utilized properly if an organization makes an effort to discovery patterns and rules where knowledge works. This can only be achieved through the proper m anagement of the knowledge; a task that is essential for a business to improve its efficiency and effectiveness in delivering of services and goods to its clients. Knowledge management is defined by King (2009, p.4) as the planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling of people, processes and systems in the organization to ensure that its knowledge-related assets are improved and effectively employed. KM aims to increase competition between organizations and increase the level of effective decision making. Management of the knowledge base is a very important issue and King (2009) proposes that for KM to be optimal, a large number of employees should be relied upon to contribute their knowledge. Relying on specialists to enter and manage the knowledge base greatly limits the effectiveness of KM Systems. Role of KM in Performance Improvement KM helps the organization to identify the factors which lead to superior performance and capitalize or make further improvements on these asp ects. Baskerville and Alina (2006) state that for many organizations, these factors include: organizational creativity, high quality of products and services offered by the organization, and enhanced effectiveness of operations.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The operations department can use KM to identify these factors and once this has been done, the department is able to make improvements on them and hence increase its productivity. KM plays a very important role in enabling the department to make the best use of organizational knowledge. This kind of knowledge is very beneficial since most of it is laboriously developed over a long duration of time through the trial and error method. Baskerville and Alina (2006) state that most organizations fail to make good use of this knowledge because they lack KM systems and therefore, the organization does not know what it knows. Decision making is one of the most important roles of management in any organization. The quality of decisions made often determines the future success of a business and with this consideration, many organization invest resources in measures to assist in the decision making process. KM plays a very major role in the decision making process of operations departments (King 2009). Normally, knowledge has a more critical function in decision making process than resource and data. KM helps to sort the knowledge and define it as accurate and non-accurate knowledge. The managers are then able to make the best decision since they can identify the contexts where the knowledge works by using KM. Increased productivity is a core goal for all organizations and for this to be achieved; the performance of each employee has to be optimal. KM assists in increasing employee performance since it increases the interaction between co-workers. There is therefore a higher level of kno wledge sharing among employees and this increases the chances of organizational goals being met. Employees are able to keep track of projects in progress and easily obtain the assistance of their peers though KM. As has been noted, the productivity of the operations department depends on the ability of the individuals who make up the departmental team. Therefore, the productivity of the department is dependent on the skills possessed by the employees. When some employees lack proper skills, the total output of the entire department is reduced. KM assists in ensuring that all employees possess the desired level of skills. This is achieved since KM assists in the sharing of knowledge between employees and at the same time the prevention of non-educated employees (Baskerville Alina 2006).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Role of Knowledge Management in Improving Performance of Operations Departments specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In an increasingly competitive market, innovation and creativity have become the defining characteristics of successful organizations. Big profitable organizations such as Microsoft and Wal-Mart are continuously looking for new ideas and innovations in order to stay ahead of their competition. Innovation has today become paramount to the growth of a company and in most cases it comes from individuals in the company. This innovation can then be utilized to advance the goals and objectives of an organization. Skinner (2007) asserts that the presence of innovation alone is not good enough; innovations must be disseminated and reach’ target users for uptake and utilization to be possible (p.53). KM assists in the innovation process of the department in a number of ways. To begin with, it increases knowledge sharing among employees which results in the generation of new ideas and innovations by the employees. KM also captures the reasons behind the adoption of disseminated innovation and the practitioners are therefore made aware of new innovations and the relative advantages that they offer. Skinner (2007) reveals that previous experiences as articulated in the KM system will inform users current practices. In addition to this, they will integrate their existing knowledge as they adopt and implement new innovations. Many organizations are faced with the need to improve their organizational performance so that they can acquire greater benefits and better cope with the changes they constantly face. A chief consideration in KM is that the best outcomes can be achieved if the organization is engaged in a continuous learning process. This means that the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations department can only be guaranteed if the members of the department are willing to learn before, during and after activities. Chen and An-Pin (2006) suggests that KM enhances the learning process of the individual through the provision of the ne cessary information. It then focuses on knowledge flows and the process of creation, organization, and retrieval of knowledge. The capability of workers is enhanced since their core competencies are supported by KM. By using staff knowledge, the department is able to improve its processes and therefore operate in the most efficient and effective way. Businesses are constantly seeking ways to decrease their operational costs and therefore increase their profit margins. KM offers a good way of achieving this by helping to get rid of some of the activities that previously cost the organization. Some KM systems automate tasks previously performed manually such as the training of new staff members therefore decreasing the costs associated with such actions (Chen An-Pin 2006).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In a company that has a high number of new employees either due to high rate of employee turnover or business growth that necessitates hiring new employees, such a KM assists greatly in keeping training costs manageable. The KM also makes sure that knowledge transfer takes place in a seamless manner and the new employees are able to gain the necessary knowledge to work efficiently in the shortest time possible. Profitable growth strategies can only be achieved by understanding the needs of the customers and responding appropriately to them. Many organizations therefore invest significant resources in an attempt to increase the knowledge of their managers on the key drivers of customer satisfaction. Chen and An-Pin (2006) highlights that when business leaders have an expanded knowledge of the key drivers of customer satisfaction and business process excellence, the can engage in strategies that expand their consumer base and hence increase the companys profitability. The relationship that the organization has with its customer base is also important and organizations seek ways to improve these relations. KM helps to achieve these goals by assisting in the development of customer relationships and therefore increasing shareholder equity. A common reality for most organization is that key staff can leave at any time. The loss of such key personnel is normally accompanied by a loss of knowledge which is of critical use to the organization. Shaw and Baker (2003) states that this knowledge erosion which is caused by people leaving the organization or even changing jobs within it can be damaging to the organization since knowledge plays a crucial role in decision making and running the organization. KM can help deal with this by enabling a department to have a memory that goes beyond the people in it. This knowledge is archived and remains with the specific department even if the key staff is lost. Discussion While many organizations acknowledge the importance of KM, many of them do not know how to go about implementing it. Razi and Abdul-Karim (2010) reveal that contemporary organizations have spent billions of dollars in the implementation of KM and from this, only marginal improvements have been attained with failure rates at the implementation stage ranging up to 70%. The risks of failure during KM implementations are therefore high and if an organization is to reap the benefits of KM, ways of mitigating these risks need to be looked at. Research indicates that there is a relationship between workers and successful KM implementation and as such, organizations need to determine the individual members responsible for KM implementation. These members are responsible for the creation, promotion and identification of knowledge in the organization and their role in KM is crucial. Having a KM system in place is a good move but it is not enough; there also needs to be a metric for measuring the relative success of KM strategies. Chen (2008) suggest s that performance evaluation should be an integral part of the KM plan of any company. Such performance evaluation will help the department to better understand its KM level and offer a basis to improve its KM. Conclusion Knowledge management has emerged as a potent way of increasing the efficiency of an organization. It helps organizations to accomplish their objectives and remain profitable in an increasingly competitive market. This paper set out to discuss the role that knowledge management plays in improving the performance of operations departments in an organization. The paper began by describing what KM is and its relative significance in organizational growth. The paper has demonstrated how a lack of KM can seriously hinder operational departments. It has revealed that for knowledge to be of optimal use, it has to be shared among various parties in the organization. The development of skills and professional qualification in the companys staff can also be assisted by KM. W hile some organizations may have questions as to whether it is worthwhile to invest in KM, this paper has demonstrated that here are numerous benefits that the operations department can get from KM implementation. References Baskerville, R Alina, D 2006, â€Å"The theoretical foundations of knowledge management†, Knowledge Management Research Practice, 4(1): 83–105. Chen, M An-Pin, C 2006, â€Å"Knowledge management performance evaluation: a decade review from 1995 to 2004†, Journal of Information Science, 32 (1): 17–38. King, WR 2009, Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning, Springer, Boston. Chen, R 2008, An Evaluation Method for Enterprise Knowledge Management Performance Based on Linguistic Variable, International Seminar on Business and Information Management, Shandong, China Razi, M Abdul-Karim, N 2010, An Instrument to Assess Organizational Readiness to Implement Knowledge Management Process, Proceedings Knowledge Management 5th Intern ational Conference, Georgia. Shaw, D Baker, B 2003, â€Å"Achieving closure through knowledge management strategy. Electronic Journal on Knowledge Management, 1(2): 197-204. Skinner, K 2007, â€Å"Developing a tool to measure knowledge exchange outcomes†, The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 22(1): 49–73.

Learn About the Sirenians

Learn About the Sirenians Sirenians (Sirenia), also known as sea cows, are a group of mammals that includes dugongs and manatees. There are four species of sirenians alive today, three species of manatees and one species of dugong. A fifth species of sirenian, the Stellars sea cow, became extinct in the 18th century due to over-hunting by humans. The Stellars sea cow was the largest member of the sirenians and was once abundant throughout the North Pacific. Identifying a Sirenian Sirenians are large, slow-moving, aquatic mammals that live in shallow marine and freshwater habitats in tropical and subtropical regions. Their preferred habitats include swamps, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal waters. Sirenians are well-adapted for an aquatic lifestyle, with an elongated, torpedo-shaped body, two paddle-like front flippers, and a broad, flat tail. In manatees, the tail is spoon-shaped and in the dugong, the tail is V-shaped. Sirenians have, over the course of their evolution, all but lost their hind limbs. Their hind limbs are vestigial and are tiny bones embedded in their body wall. Their skin is gray-brown. Adult sirenians grow to lengths of between 2.8 and 3.5 meters and weights of between 400 and 1,500 kg. All sirenians are herbivores. Their diet varies from species to species but includes a variety of aquatic vegetation such as seagrass, algae, mangrove leaves, and palm fruit that falls into the water. Manatees have evolved a unique tooth arrangement due to their diet (which involves the grinding of a lot of coarse vegetation). They only have molars that are replaced continuously. New teeth grown in at the back of the jaw and older teeth move forward until they reach the front of the jaw where they fall out. Dugongs have a slightly different arrangement of teeth in the jaw but like manatees, teeth are continuously replaced throughout their life. Male dugongs develop tusks when they reach maturity. The first sirenians evolved about 50 million years ago, during the Middle Eocene Epoch. Ancient sirenians are thought to have originated in the New World. As many as 50 species of fossil sirenians have been identified. The closest living relative to sirenians are the elephants. The primary predators of sirenians are humans. Hunting has played a major role in the decline of many populations (and in the extinction of the Stellars sea cow). But human activity such as fishing, and habitat destruction can also indirectly threaten sirenian populations. Other predators of sirenians include crocodiles, tiger sharks, killer whales, and jaguars. Key Characteristics The key characteristics of sirenians include: large aquatic herbivoresstreamlined body, no dorsal fintwo front flippers and no hind legsflat, paddle-shaped tailcontinuous tooth growth and replacement of molars Classification Sirenians are classified within the following taxonomic hierarchy: Animals Chordates Vertebrates Tetrapods Amniotes Mammals Sirenians Sirenians are divided into the following taxonomic groups: Dugongs (Dugongidae) - There is one species of dugong alive today. The dugong (Dugong dugong) inhabits coastal marine waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. The dugong has a V-shaped (fluked) tail and males grow tusks.Manatees (Trichechidae) - There are three species of manatees alive today. Members of this group are usually solitary animals (except for mothers with their young). Manatees prefer freshwater aquatic habitats and coastal saltwater marshes. Their distribution includes the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon Basin, and parts of West Africa such as the Senegal River, Kwanza River, and Niger River.

Tackling substance misuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Tackling substance misuse - Essay Example Background One of the more pressing issues in health care intervention is the issuance, administration or prescription of drugs for patients. There has always been a continuing challenge about dispensation, dosage, supervision, as well as effect on patient so that medical practitioners, pharmacists, and their team have to be wary of several considerations prior to any action that relies administration to the patient or his / her immediate carer, or even in controlled setting. Reaction to drug or substance misuse vary leading to ideologically driven approaches in medicalization, treatment, decriminalisation, and even use of the criminal justice for quasi treatment. Other propositions such as harm minimisation and harm reduction were also considered with the understanding that use of substance is inevitable (Bevan, 2009). People with severe mental illness, group of individuals with complex needs and a varied range of problems are usually the concern for ‘dual diagnosis’ an d co-morbidity related to substance misuse or abuse. It was suggested that many problems related to substance misuse are linked to ill-prepared services that deal with these conditions. Bevan (2003) observed that Public Health treatment for substance misuse should understand that those who receive treatment are of chronic and frequently relapsing condition. Perception of treatment should move away from an individualistic approach to an understanding of the many and varied relationships as part of treatment rationale. Focus should also be given on minimising the harm associated with drug use. Prescribing policies for opiate replacement should also be considered instead of abstinence as prescribed doses of methadone have demonstrated positive results. â€Å"The reduction in drug related deaths, as a result of the reduced frequency of accidental overdoses, and the wider population health gains when treatment and interventions are flexibly delivered is further evidence that the health of populations can be improved with public health based strategies for substance misuse,† (Bevan, 2003), P 19). People should not be seen as failures when relapse occur for substance misuse. Various conditions influence substance misuse and these should be taken as a whole and not in part to fully understand the patient as well as provide a more effective and holistic intervention approach. Likewise, Bevan (2009) noted that curing should not be the focus as an over emphasis on moving people on, through and out of treatment usually results in the revolving door phenomena. Substitute prescribing has been offered a possible solution to address issue on substance misuse. Engaging the individual as member of a wider society and members of dynamic social groups with families, friends and acquaintances should be a public health consideration in addressing this issue (Bevan, 2009). Substance Misuse and Problematic Drug Use Problematic drug use and misuse occurs when individuals experi ence a range of unwanted and negative consequences as a result of their drug use (Brown, 2007). Problems may be social, psychological, physical or legal resulting from regular or excessive consumption, intoxication and/or dependence on any substance. The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (2002) observed that these individuals often attempts to achieve stability or abstinence but relapse is usually a problem.