Forensic 3D Laser Scanning of Footwear Impression Evidence Thesis Proposal

Forensic 3D Laser Scanning of Footwear Impression Evidence - Thesis Proposal Example However, getting a 3D physical cast of an impression on a crime scene can in the process destroy the evidence. The use of 3D imaging device is proving to be beneficial to crime scene investigators (CSI) as an additional toolkit since it can obtain details of such impression. Footwear impression recovery in crime scene is considered to have a critical role in the investigations to narrow down the number of suspects or refute or corroborate information (Gamage et al., 2013). Three dimension foot ware impressions casting is seen to be a long standing standard where, it results to the generation of three dimensional footprints. This is progressively being replaced by a three dimensional scanning that is a less invasive method. In the study proposed, an alternative method that entails a 3D laser scanning of footwear impression evidence with the use of a FARO "Freestyle" 3D Scanner will be present, and it will be based on the multi-view stereo where, an accurate three dimensional model can be generated. The results on the reconstructed three dimensional models will be evaluated and then compared with other results obtained by three dimensional scanning. Also, the drawbacks and the advantages of this method will be explored over other methods that exist. Freestyle hand held scanner was recently released by FARO, and this is considered as a step up in structured light technology because it includes two cameras infrared in nature which are used in creating a stereo pair of images Three dimensional foot ware impression casting is progressively being replaced by a three dimensional scanning that is less invasive method. In the study to be undertaken, an alternative method that entails a 3D laser scanning of footwear impression evidence with the use of FARO "Freestyle" 3D Scanner will be present and it will be based on the multi-view stereo. Footwear impression recovery in crime scene is considered to have a critical role in the

Skin cancer Essay Example for Free

Skin cancer Essay How many of you have every laid out in the sun on purpose just to get a tan?   Or better yet how many of you believe you look prettier or more handsome tan?   According to the American Cancer Society more than 1 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year and the numbers seem to be increasing day to day. And believe it or not skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.   Today I am going to inform you about skin cancer and how you can protect yourself from it. To begin, our skin is the largest organ of the body and it covers our internal organs and protects them from injury.   The skin also serves as a barrier between germs and our internal organs.   Our skin regulates body temperature and helps the body get rid of excess waste.   Certain cells in our skin also communicate with the brain and allow us the feel temperature, touch, and pain sensations. Some may ask, what exactly is skin cancer and why is it such a big deal now?   Well there are two basic types of skin cancer; Nonmelanoma (which is also called basal or squamous cell) skin cancer and then there is melanoma skin cancer. Most skin cancers are classified under nonmelanoma, meaning that the cells are located at the base of the outer, layer of the skin.   Basically, the skin that covers the surface of the body, not the deep tissues.   Nonmelanoma skin cancer usually develops on sun-exposed areas of the body, places like: the face, ears, necks, lips, and the backs of hands.   Depending on the type they can be fast or slow growing but rarely spreads to other parts of the body.   There is a cure for nonmelanoma skin cancer is detected and treated early. On the other hand, you have melanoma skin cancer.   Which is the more dangerous of the two; however it is also the least common.   Melanoma skin cancer tends to spread very quickly to other body parts.   However, it is almost always curable if it is detected in the early stages.   But the killer part is a lot of people do not realize that they may have melanoma skin cancer until the later stages, after it has already started affecting other organs.   Once it has reached that stage, it is virtually incurable.   People diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer that has already spread to other body parts are given on average a five year survival rate. So what puts you at risk for skin cancer?   Some high risk factors include:  · Unprotected and/or excessive exposure to Ultraviolet(uv) radiation  · Fair complexions( people with red hair, most likely)  · Occupational exposures (i.e. Construction workers, arsenic compounders, baseball players)  · Family history of skin cancer  · Multiple or atypical moles  · Severe sunburns as a child So how can you detect skin cancer? Some signs of skin cancer in the early stages may include but are not limited:  · any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth  · scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule  · the spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark  · a change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness, or pain in a mole

The Criminal Justice System Essay -- Criminal Justice

The criminal justice system is composed of three parts – Police, Courts and Corrections – and all three work together to protect an individual’s rights and the rights of society to live without fear of being a victim of crime. According to merriam-webster.com, crime is defined as â€Å"an act that is forbidden or omission of a duty that is commanded by public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law.† When all the three parts work together, it makes the criminal justice system function like a well tuned machine. In this paper, I propose to talk about how all the three parts of the criminal justice system works and also delve a little bit on the issue of racism in context of the criminal justice system as a lot of people believe that the system most of the times acts keeping the individual’s race in mind. When an individual enters the criminal justice system, it always begins with the police. So in order for police to be involved in any situation, there has to be a crime committed or violation of any law which has been put in place by the government. As the police act as the enforcement agents of these laws, they are the first ones to be involved. There are four steps that police follows when there is a crime – the crime itself, the report of the crime, the investigation of the crime, and the arrest to finish this process – these are the very basic avenues which police follows. We have already established that for the police to be involved, the crime has to be committed. Once the crime is committed, someone has to report about the crime being committed and when the report has been made, the police begin its job and starts investigating that report to determine if a crime have been committed. O... ... Simpson Trial is a real life example of how once the crime is determined, courts follow a fair trial system and then corrections follow. Again, I will take up this example and will try to explain how I think the justice prevailed in this case. Works Cited Schmalleger, F. (2009), Prentice Hall, Publication. Criminal Justice Today: An introductory Text for the 21st century Heather Mac Donald (2008), City Journal, Publication. Article on â€Å"Is criminal justice system racist† Alvarado, A (2008). American Sociological Association. The Industrial Organization of Police Work. Wilson, J.A & Davis, R.C. (2006). Criminology and Public Policy. Good Intentions meet Hard Realities: An Evaluation of Project Green light Reentry Program. Fairchild, H. & Cowan, G (1997). Journal of Social Issues. The O.J. Simpson Trial: Challenges to Science and Society.

Self Discovery Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Self Discovery â€Å"What are you going to do after you get your degree?†Whenever I announce my occupation, this trite, well-intentioned question never fails to follow. I am a student, a senior at Metro, studying Literature and History. Not only a student, I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and female. No, I don’t bring in a paycheck, but my life is fulfilling, gratifying, deserving and challenging. Will I teach, write, join the downtown business crew again, or become a clerk in the bookstore? Maybe I will. Whatever I do, I know I will strive to be a bit more patient, observing the tiniest of details, attempting to be more considerate and understanding of people, honoring their backgrounds and culture. While studying English and History, I have obtained a clearer sense of being. I have repeatedly professed that my family and faith prioritize my life, however, I often found that the chaos of establishing a career and pursuing the ‘American Dream’ clashed with those values. Caught in a whirlwind, life was centered around the present, focusing on the future, without the time or necessity to reflect on the past. The study of liberal arts has opened new windows to the past in my mind, allowing the wisdom and thoughts of many great people circulate and stimulate my efforts, giving credence to many of life’s blessings and insecurities. The struggles, discoveries, confessions, and pronouncements of those who are forged in history often apply to modern day life relationships. A fellow classmate, very intuitively, remarked that my writing always reflects back to my personal life. The impact of history and literature on my life, explains the gift I have found in my studies. Socrates (469-399 B.C.), a professional teach... ... and to idle, but I will try to keep an open mind! The study of literature requires critical reading, understanding the background of the author, being cognizant of the historical culture in which the author wrote to fully comprehend the statement being made. I believe when I finally nail the hole on the study wall when hanging my degree next to that of my husband and daughter, I will apply the skills learned in my Liberal Arts education to my every day life and acquaintances. WORKS CITED Hollister, C. Warren. Medieval Europe – A Short History. USA:The McGraw-Hill Co., 1998. Thoreau, Henry David. â€Å"Walden.† The Norton Anthology – American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. USA:W.W. Norton & Co. 1998. 1768-1820. Woolf, Virginia. â€Å"A Room of One’s Own.† The Longman Anthology – British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch. USA: Addison-Wesley Ed. Publ., 1999. 2465-2499.

Ibm Case Essay

History By the 1950’s, IBM became the dominant vendor in the computer industry with the release of the IBM 701 along with many other series of mainframes, which are large central processors. Then in the1960’s and 1970’s, the company had to diversify to get on the same level as smaller companies, such as Digital Equipment Corporation, who were introducing microprocessors. This threatened IBM’s position in the computer industry. Their response was coming put with a personal computer, software, and services. In 1981, IBM officially introduced the IBM PC with a compatible hardware platform. This was a large accomplishment for the company. A few years later, on May 1st, 2005, IBM sold its PC division to the Chinese company Lenovo for $655 million in cash and $600 million in Lenovo stock. Then on January 25, 2007, IBM sold their printing systems division for $725 million to Ricoh and created a new Ricoh subsidiary called InfoPrint Solutions Company. Ricoh will now own a 51% share and IBM will own a 49% share. Also in 2007, IBM’s yearly revenue was $98. 8 billion and they had a net income of $10. 8 billion dollars. IBM is run by about 427,000 employees. There are three main people who keep the business running smoothly. The most important one is Samuel J. Palmisano, who is the Chairman, President, and CEO. Another important associate at IBM is Mark Loughridge, who is the SVP and CFO. And lastly, Douglas Elix, who is another SVP, a Group Executive, and is in charge of Sales and Distribution. These three men are vital to the company’s success. Besides them, most of the employees at IBM are IT Specialists, Application Services Consultants, and Managing Consultants. Every company has to have competitors. Competition makes a healthy industry. Some of the top competitors IBM runs against are EDS (Electronic Data Systems Corporation), Hewlett Packerd, and their biggest competitor, Microsoft, whom they are ranked right behind in second place in their industry. IBM has many recent accomplishments within that last few years. One of the major ones was the development of the world’s tiniest nanophotonic switch, which is a device for routing light on a chip scale. Another project they have completed wasweb 2. security concerns with â€Å"SMash,† which is one of their development tools. Another very large project they completed was the design of the microprocessor for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii. All three of those were a good addition to the list of products they already design. This opened up their age range of consumers as well since a lot of children play these video systems. Besides recent accomplishments in their elec tronic field, IBM also had many of their employees win multiple awards for their achievements. They have had three of their employees win Nobel Prizes, which are achievements in either physics, chemistry, literature, peace, economics, medicine and physiology; four have received a Turing Awards, which are awards for technology; five have National Medals of Technology; and five more have received National Medals of Science. These are all very big accomplishments that IBM is very proud of. IBM is currently working on many projects. One of its big ones is Eclipse, which is a platform-independent, Java based software framework. Another is developerWorks, which is a website run by IBM for software developers and IT professionals. It contains large numbers of how-to articles and tutorials, software downloads, code samples, discussion forums, podcasts, blogs, wikis, and other resources. Then there is alphaWorks which is IBM’s source for emerging software technologies. They are also working on more semiconductor designs and manufacturing for them. Open client offering is another project they are working on. It is to run on Windows, Linux and Apples. Used for word processing, presentations, Lotus Notes, instant messaging, blogging, etc†¦ UC2: Unified Communications and Collaboration is an IBM and Cisco joint project. It will offer numerous Eclipse applications developers a unified platform for an easier work environment. Examples of this would be click-to-call and voice mailing. SWOT on Management IBM holds more patentsthan any other U. S. based technology company. IBM’s Project Management Center of Excellence, or PM COE, is first-rate. PM COE is considered IBM’s â€Å"Think Tank†. It is a program that has been set up to define the steps needed to strengthen IBM’s project management capabilities. PM COE combines external industry trends and directions with IBM business, organizational, geographic requirements and insight. Using PM COE, IBM has developed project management policy, practices, methods, and tools (Wikipedia, 2008). For someone to be considered for a management position, they must complete IBM certification or accreditation. To be accepted in to the certification or accreditation process an individual must have done the following. Successfully passed PMI exam (i. e. be a certified PMP). Verifiable documentation and approval for mastery/expertise in a well-defined set of PM skills. Several years of PM experience spanning at least 3 verifiable projects within the immediate 5 years (including specific role, team size, and budget requirements). Verifiable documentation and proof of at least one area of specialty. Demonstrated the use of IBM’s Worldwide Project Management Method (_WWPMM_). Completed extensive classroom and online education and testing. To become a Junior Project Manager, you must go through self assessment and get supervisors authorization to be accredited. Becoming a Senior Project Manager requires going through the rigorous IBM certification process, which involves Candidate preparing a detailed package with proof of above requirements. Package review, approval, and support by at least two levels of Senior Management. Package review and re-verification by PM COE expert. Personal interviews with the PM COE Certification board. Candidates whose experience, skills, knowledge and education are deemed valid, verifiable and accurate, are certified by the board as either Certified Senior Project Manager (CSPM) or Certified Executive Project Manager (CEPM). Senior Project managers must validate their skills and expertise against IBM’s worldwide standards. It is a deliberately long process with multiple checkpoints designed to ensure the integrity, fairness and legitimacy of the certification. This helps IBM maintain customer confidence in their products (Wikipedia, 2008). Since IBM is such a large, diversified, and established company they do not have many weaknesses. One weakness is they have a tendency to â€Å"strong arm† clients that are highly dependent on IBM products (Bradley, 2004). In the future this reputation could lead companies to be hesitant to rely on IBM’s merchandise. This reputation could also create bad enough relationships with current clients to make them transfer to a competitor’s product. IBM has also been known to â€Å"over promise† (Bradley, 2004). Since they are such a large corporation, with many capabilities, they tend to promise unrealistic deadlines to their customers. Businesses don’t like losing money, and opening later then planned is a good way to do that. These delays in their customers start-ups, could also lead to unfavorable relationships that could cause clients to move their business elsewhere. IBM is constantly looking for new opportunities to expand their share of the market, or start a new market. IBM is looking into revolutionizing the prevention of traditional and online fraud and Identity thefts. They are working on a comprehensive anti-fraud program that is going to help banks protect themselves and their customers, while continuing to offer their products and services (IBM, 2006). IBM is also conducting case studies for the automotive industry. The case studies are going to help them change the industry, and become more innovative (Lunani, 2006). Hopefully, the innovations will alleviate some of the stress the industry is under. Management Practices ; Theories SWOT analysis is a very important part of finding out a lot of information pertaining to current management functions within the company. However, it is what the management does after they find their strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats that are the most relevant part of determining a company’s success. The theories and practices the company uses to take advantage of their strengths, try to combat their weaknesses, use opportunities to their best interest, and to defend themselves from threats are the key determinant on what the company’s future looks like. IBM as one of the top companies in the world clearly knows what they are doing. They have taken into careful consideration their SWOT analysis and their management theories and practices are derived from their analysis. Being involved in competitive global competition, the company’s workforce is an essential part to IBM’s success. In knowing of this, IBM has created a list of seven key core workforce capabilities. These capabilities include: Understanding the demographics and capabilities of the workforce, predicting future labor supply and demand, utilizing social networks to increase the visibility and application of knowledge across the organization, enabling individuals to perform work regardless of location, facilitating collaboration across traditional organizational boundaries, driving the rapid development of skills and capabilities to meet changing business conditions, and evaluating employee performance and providing appropriate feedback. IBM has implemented these guidelines so their workforces can constantly adapt to the ever changing global business environment. In addition, workers are paid incentives for their input to keep the employees with a sense of involvement which is important to keeping them excited about IBM. At IBM, the managers believe and in a workforce that is diversified. According to Ron Glover, VP for Global Workforce Diversity at IBM, focuses on what it means to retain a true culture of diversity is IBM’s greatest competitive advantage. From all the way back to World War I, IBM has romoted workforce diversity when they hired disabled veterans to work for the company. Even when no one was using diversity IBM was. Way back in 1953, CEO at the time Thomas Watson sent out a very controversial stating that IBM needs to hire the best people, regardless of their race, ethnic origin, sex. In addition, the company added sexual orientation in 1984. He knew that this would give IBM a competitive advan tage because IBM would then be able to hire talented people the it’s competitors would turn down. (hrmreport. com, 2008) Another way IBM tries to get the best workers is using their program called Extreme Blue. This is an internship program for graduate and undergraduate students. This internationally known program is great for getting students prepared to work for IBM. IBM believes this will give students interested in working for a IBM a realistic perspective on what it would be like to work for them. IBM runs this diverse workforce under a classical management perspective. Money is assumed to be the primary motive and have a traditional compensation plan. The main forms of pay to employees are base pay and valuable other forms of benefits such as retirement plans and insurances. According to the company’s website, â€Å"cash compensation opportunities include base pay, commissions, performance bonuses, awards and other forms of earnings. † In addition to these forms of pay, IBM also offers generous paid vacation and holidays. There are also some benefits to relieve stress and just get away from the company for a little while. These benefits include reduced-prices, cooking lessons, and fitness centers. This management style has worked for them and we think they should stick with the classical approach to management and not move to a behavioral perspective. IBM uses an analyzer strategy which most large companies use. An analyzer strategy is a strategy in which the firm attempts to maintain its current businesses and to be somewhat innovative in new businesses. They use this strategy because they want to produce some new product opportunities while protecting their base of operations. (Griffen, 2007) Management Structure â€Å"The management structure that IBM maintains is an effective internal control structure. This structure has clearly defined lines of responsibility, as well as comprehensive systems and control procedures. This structure is beneficial because it assures customers that their transactions are put through correctly and efficiently. â€Å"(http://sec. edgar-online. com) An important part of IBM’s management structure is a good internal audit program. IBM takes a good amount of time to train its workers correctly. Each employee receives written policies and procedures to ensure that each employee knows exactly what to do under any circumstance or problem that may arise. By doing this everyone is on the same page and everything is done the way they want it done. IBM is now thinking about cutting 13,000 jobs most of which should be mostly in Europe and other headquarters around the world. Ethics With all of the diversity that exists within the company it would be hard for IBM to conduct any work without ethics on their minds. As in any large company there is some sort of unethical behavior going on, however these behaviors have not been detrimental to the company thus far. So far it is obvious that IBM won’t make any large scale unethical decisions such as the like of Enron. The ethics are very important in the business process and will be discussed more in an interview with a former employee. Interview With a Former Employee Flat or tall management structure? â€Å"The structure tends to be taller than most companies, especially within the consulting group. † Management Style? â€Å"The managers take a very classical by the book style to their decisions. Everything that had happened before was documented and later considered protocol, if there was success. † What ethics does IBM use in decision making? â€Å"IBM has well defined guidelines on many ethical issues, and it is required that all new employees review these guidelines. Employees are also required to take an annual review test to comply with IBM corporate policy. In my experience IBM relies on individual managers to make judgment calls on grey areas, and the managers I worked with all took ethic approaches to handling the issue. † What are the area’s for improvement? â€Å"IBM has had difficulties integrating its consulting division, since the acquisition of Price Waterhouse Coopers consulting in 2002. Much effort has been focused on getting full value from this acquisition, and at least initially the purchase was viewed as a misstep. With changes over the last few years, the consulting division has become the bulk of IBM revenue, but there are still opportunities to better leverage the consulting division in light of other IBM business units. IBM has also been severally criticized for its outsourcing practices, and has taken very proactive measures to combat this public criticism. † Any alliances? â€Å"IBM has numerous alliances with companies, all the way from suppliers to working with competitors. The number of alliances in likely in the thousands. † What makes IBM so successful? The ability to solve large scale business problems, especially in the IT sector, by combining various internal specialties and partnerships to create and implement end to end solutions. † Have you witnessed any unethical behavior throughout the company? â€Å"I have not personally witnessed any unethical behavior, but have spoken to a former VP who was put in a position to take an unethical action by someone who wa s very senior in the organization. † Hiring procedures? Promotions procedures? â€Å"Hiring is done at the group level, based upon target numbers that are established at the top of the organization. Final hiring decisions are made at the senior manager level. Promotion decisions occur annually with promotions and compensation based upon the outcome of the decision. Promotion is granted if the employee can show sufficient evidence that he/she is operating at the intended promotion level, and that the results are sustainable (ie. , results must be shown for a relatively long time and consistent time period, in various situations) . The implementation of the corresponding compensation typically occurs six months after promotion decisions are made. The timing of promotions and compensation increases are an area which many employees feel needs to be corrected, and IBM has stated it intends to reduce the total time of the process. † Relationship between managers and subordinates? â€Å"Varies greatly based upon individual relationships. IBM offers many channels to discuss issues, but the design of the promotion/compensation/staffing structure makes it imperative to have a successful working relationship with direct and next level management. † Is there a lot of management restructuring? Yes, at the lower levels, especially in consulting, management roles are very fluid and change frequently in comparison with other companies. Some of this is based on market changes, some on promotions/exits, and some on business results. † What kind of fringe benefits do workers receive? â€Å"Discounts with partner companies, cell and broadband reimbursement, 401k contribution, pension (eliminated in 2006), corporate educatio n, annual bonus (consulting division), extensive health care coverage at low rates. † Is there a lot of communication between the different headquarters? Conclusion It is obvious that IBM is successful because their values and the way they conduct business. This is a direct reflection upon their management structure, style, and practices. They will surely stay on the same track of success for many years to come. As they push forward in their business they are becoming one of the most well known businesses whether it be for technology or consulting around the world. No matter what kind of work a person is in one thing is for certain, everyone can learn from the way IBM conducts their business.

Free Essays on Lost City Of Atlantis

Lost city of Atlantis The Ocean is filled with untold stories that are waiting to be discov-ered. Who knows what may lie under the deep blue Ocean. Atlantis is one of those untold stories that are awaiting an explanation. Atlantis today has no solid explanation of how old it is, where it is located, or if it really existed at all. There are numerous theories on how Atlantis was destroyed or if it was a physical place. Some people believe they have found the lost city of Atlantis. Atlantis is believed to have existed over 2500 years ago and had such things as running hot and cold water, streets of gold, and all the nicest things on Earth (EarthQuest, pg. 1). Having such things as these Atlantis must have been a splendid place to live. What more would anyone want if with a wonderful place as Atlantis. Atlantis has a brief history because most of it has not yet been discovered. The Greek Word Atlantis means the Island of Atlas, just as the word Atlantic means the Ocean of Atlas (Laketech, pg.1). Atlantis was the domain of the Greek Poseidon, god of the sea. He is the one that was said to have made and destroyed Atlantis. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the Island. Surrounding the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect her (The Active Mind, pg.1). Soon After Poseidon, god of the sea, sired five pairs of male twins with the mortal woman â€Å"Cleito†. When the children grew up Poseidon appointed the eldest of these sons, At-las the titan, ruler of his beautiful Island domain (Laketech, pg 1). The Island of Atlantis was the center for trade and commerce. Atlan-tis was governed in peace, was rich in commerce, was advanced in knowledge, and held domain over the surrounding islands and contents. Portions of the city were devoted to commerce and industry. This was be-cause the Atlanteans used the discoveries of their scient... Free Essays on Lost City Of Atlantis Free Essays on Lost City Of Atlantis Lost city of Atlantis The Ocean is filled with untold stories that are waiting to be discov-ered. Who knows what may lie under the deep blue Ocean. Atlantis is one of those untold stories that are awaiting an explanation. Atlantis today has no solid explanation of how old it is, where it is located, or if it really existed at all. There are numerous theories on how Atlantis was destroyed or if it was a physical place. Some people believe they have found the lost city of Atlantis. Atlantis is believed to have existed over 2500 years ago and had such things as running hot and cold water, streets of gold, and all the nicest things on Earth (EarthQuest, pg. 1). Having such things as these Atlantis must have been a splendid place to live. What more would anyone want if with a wonderful place as Atlantis. Atlantis has a brief history because most of it has not yet been discovered. The Greek Word Atlantis means the Island of Atlas, just as the word Atlantic means the Ocean of Atlas (Laketech, pg.1). Atlantis was the domain of the Greek Poseidon, god of the sea. He is the one that was said to have made and destroyed Atlantis. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the Island. Surrounding the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect her (The Active Mind, pg.1). Soon After Poseidon, god of the sea, sired five pairs of male twins with the mortal woman â€Å"Cleito†. When the children grew up Poseidon appointed the eldest of these sons, At-las the titan, ruler of his beautiful Island domain (Laketech, pg 1). The Island of Atlantis was the center for trade and commerce. Atlan-tis was governed in peace, was rich in commerce, was advanced in knowledge, and held domain over the surrounding islands and contents. Portions of the city were devoted to commerce and industry. This was be-cause the Atlanteans used the discoveries of their scient...

How To Make Violet or Purple Fire

How To Make Violet or Purple Fire Violet flames are very easy to make. All you do is sprinkle salt substitute on your fire. Salt substitute contains potassium chloride and potassium bitartrate. If you are familiar with the emission spectra from flame tests, youll recognize that potassium salts burn violet or purple. The color seems more of a blue-violet, but you can get a more reddish purple if you mix a little strontium from the red fire tutorial in with the salt substitute. Keep in mind that violet is not one of the colors your eyes see really well. The subtle glow of these flames can be completely overwhelmed by the colors from trace impurities. This means two things: Use as pure a fuel as you can. I used Heet fuel treatment, which is methanol. If you sprinkle the salt substitute on your wood-burning campfire, the flames will change color, but the color wont necessarily be violet.Use salt substitute and not lite salt. Lite salt is a mixture of normal table salt (sodium chloride) with potassium salts. The yellow from the sodium will overpower the violet from the potassium. Watch a video of this project.

A Complete List of Oprahs Book Club Selections

A Complete List of Oprah's Book Club Selections Oprahs Book Club is a cultural force. Books that might otherwise be overlooked by the general public catapult onto the bestseller lists after being selected. The so-called Oprah Effect is estimated to have sold more than 60 million copies of the Book Clubs selections, and its made several authors into household names. It goes without saying that authors would cheerfully kill to have their books make the list, but dont bother submitting one for consideration. Oprah Winfrey is personally and solely in charge of selecting her Book Clubs books, and her decisions are reportedly based on what she likes and what has moved her. Her producers nonetheless receive literally hundreds upon hundreds of books and manuscripts every week as writers beg for consideration. Its said that she doesnt comb through them looking for one that strikes her fancy. Rather, she reads something and thinks, This is great and includes the work.   Oprahs Book Club has been credited with reviving a culture of literary discussion,  and it represents one of the most lasting legacies from the original Oprah Winfrey Show. The original book club took a hiatus for a period of time when The Oprah Winfrey Show went off the air, then it was revived as Oprahs Book Club 2.0 in 2012 and is now based on Winfreys OWN network. Oprahs Book Club Novels by Year of Selection 1996 The Book of Ruth by Jane HamiltonSong of Solomon by Toni MorrisonThe Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard 1997 The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill CosbyThe Treasure Hunt by Bill CosbyThe Best Way to Play by Bill CosbyEllen Foster by Kaye GibbonsA Virtuous Woman by Kaye GibbonsA Lesson Before Dying by Ernest GainesSongs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry MorrisThe Heart of a Woman by Maya AngelouThe Rapture of Canaan by Sheri ReynoldsStones from the River by Ursula HegiShes Come Undone by Wally Lamb 1998 Where the Heart Is by Billie LettsMidwives by Chris BohjalianWhat Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl CleageI Know This Much is True by Wally LambBreath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge DanticatBlack and Blue by Anna QuindlenHere on Earth by Alice HoffmanParadise by Toni Morrison 1999 A Map of the World by Jane HamiltonVinegar Hill by A. Manette AnsayRiver, Cross My Heart by Breena ClarkeTara Road by Maeve BinchyMother of Pearl by Melinda HaynesWhite Oleander by Janet FitchThe Pilots Wife by Anita ShreveThe Reader by Bernhard SchlinkJewel by Bret Lott 2000 House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus IIIDrowning Ruth by Christina SchwarzOpen House by Elizabeth BergThe Poisonwood Bible by Barbara KingsolverWhile I Was Gone by Sue MillerThe Bluest Eyes by Toni MorrisonBack Roads by Tawni ODellDaughter of Fortune by Isabelle AllendeGap Creek by Robert Morgan 2001 A Fine Balance by Rohinton MistryThe Corrections by Jonathan FranzenCane River by Lalita TademyStolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika OufkirIcy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman RubioWe Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates 2002 Sula by Toni MorrisonFall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald 2003 East of Eden by John SteinbeckCry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton 2004 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcà ­a MrquezThe Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullersAnna Karenina by Leo TolstoyThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck 2005 A Million Little Pieces by James FreyAs I Lay Dying by William FaulknerThe Sound and the Fury by William FaulknerA Light in August by William Faulkner 2006 Night by Elie Wiesel 2007 The Measure of a Man by Sidney PoitierThe Road by Cormac McCarthyMiddlesex by Jeffrey EugenidesLove in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcà ­a MrquezThe Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett 2008 A New Earth by Eckhart TolleThe Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski 2009 Say Youre One of Them by Uwem Akpan 2010 Freedom by Jonathan FranzenA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensGreat Expectations by Charles Dickens 2012 (Oprahs Book Club 2.0) Wild by Cheryl StrayedThe Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis 2014 The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (this selection was actually announced in 2013, but the book was not published until 2014). 2015 Ruby by Cynthia Bond 2016 The Underground Railroad by Colson WhiteheadLove Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton   2017 Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue 2018 An American Marriage by Tayari JonesThe Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray HintonBecoming by Michelle Obama

Marketing Case Problem Solving Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Problem Solving - Case Study Example The target market for aggressive campaigning should be the garage owners or dealers who are not mechanics; initially they should be educated about the product, since they are not aware about the use of the product. d. The competitors of Duncan industries were using combination of wholesalers and company salesperson. They also used price strategy to boost their sales. Duncan industries can also work on those lines and develop a good strategy so that its price is also very competitive and also try to use a combination of wholesalers and sales personnel to increase its sales. The industry can carry out a SWOT analysis and hence get solutions to its different current problems. The SWOT analysis will provide a solid base as a springboard to categorize succeeding actions in the marketing plan. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2006), product position or distribution as a "set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product available for use or consumption by consumers". Place strategy has to make use of efficient distribution of products within the marketing channels like the wholesalers or retailers. The industry can look for expanding its business in the European markets. But to carry out this it has to look for a joint venture of a good company which has a brand name and is famous too.

Reflections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Reflections - Essay Example I do not own a car. I neither turn off my computer nor do I have any energy saving features. My diet is usually assorted meat, grains and vegetables that make me an Omnivore. I mostly obtain food from supermarkets. I occasionally select organic food. I usually have two large meals a day. These facts it leaves my food footprint at 100.7 global acres and the country average at 65.74 ga. I own a 4-bedroom house, which is built from concrete. Inside the house, I own a little furniture made from sustainably produced materials. I sometimes use cleaning products that are non-toxic. I often buy new furniture every one year. If everyone on the planet lived the way I do, we would need 6.02 Earths. This result is quite surprising and exaggerated. It clearly shows that I have a high consumption of global resources. This is not quite a good indication since I am using up the resources that I do not own and do not have. I believe the footprint of an individual in a less developed country has a smaller ecological count than mine. This calls for measures to be taken immediately since if this goes on I will be wasting resources that could have been shared by others. During the past week, I have had to cut down on food consumption to one large meal per day. I have developed a habit of switching off lights that are unused. In addition, I have learned to switch off electronic that are not in use. This has decreased the number of Earths required to 3.4. Ecological footprint analysis is an environmental accounting tool that estimates resource consumption. It also involves waste assimilation requirements of any population in terms of the corresponding productive land and water area. The following are waste materials I have thrown in the thrash can for the past one week: It is surprising how much garbage can accumulate with time. We do not realize it in day-to-day life. When my sister was an infant, we had to decide whether to

Operations Management Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Operations Management Assignment - Essay Example The range of technologies used in the modern retail industries have been from softwares to hardwares. The new technologies require that they become fully integrated into the retail operations of the business for their benefits to be maximized. According to McGrane (2007, p. 50-53), some of the key technologies or technological areas within the range are as follows (McGrane 2007, p. 50-53; EPoS 2007; and Prater et al. 2005): Bar-coding/scanning technology/labelling. Bar-coding, scanning, and labelling technologies have been invented years ago but not all of the retail business operations are using them. Nevertheless, the technologies are expected to be available to business operators in the coming years and there are widespread expectations that the technologies will be improved further and will become in more popular use as we go through current decade (McGrane 2007, p. 52). â€Å"Scanners are getting smarter† and â€Å"self-scanning will continue to grow† (McGrane 2007 , p. 52). The new technologies include a touch screen display, barcode scanner, weighing scales, credit card reader, cash reader and deposit unit. Wireless technologies are even being developed for bar-coding and scanning, making possible for inventory and sales monitoring and sales transaction remotely from the goods that are the subject of a transaction. Epos software & hardware. EPoS systems or Electronic Point of Sale Systems provide a way of dealing with customers that is fast and efficient because they can do calculations or total, issue receipts, keep track of inventories, and monitor sales as the sales transaction is being completed (EPoS 2010). Further, the EPoS systems can also keep track of customer information thereby enhancing the seller’s capabilities to execute customer relation management (EPoS 2010). Moreover, the EPoS systems can also directly interface with the credit card system thereby accessing more information on customers and enhancing the ability of t he firm to conduct follow-up sales and strengthen its relationship with customers (EPoS 2010). Simultaneously, the EPoS system can also identify which products are not doing well in the market (EPoS 2010) thereby enhancing a business firm’s ability to make crucial business decisions on what products lines and brands to carry. EPoS systems can make transactions faster and they can be customized to a specific business environment (EPoS 2010). Changing prices, data, quantity and other variables are easy (EPoS 2010). EPoS systems can be operated through keyboards or PDAs or personal digital assistant (EPoS 2010). The systems were designed to be powerful and yet very simple for the business staff to learn and use (EPoS 2010). On the other hand, the EPoS system requires maintenance and backups (EPoS 2010). Data can be backed up off site using another party or service company (EPoS 2010). The backup system must cover â€Å"historical backups† in that one can go back to an old er backup if the most recent backup is corrupted (EPoS 2010). Periodic updates are necessary and businesses using the latest retail technologies may want to have in-house capabilities to do backups. This also implies that somebody in business must focus himself or herself in data security. Wireless hardwares,

Customer Satisfaction in Baskin Robbins Research Paper

Customer Satisfaction in Baskin Robbins - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, customer satisfaction was defined as a post-choice judgment made by the customer after making a particular purchase of the product on offer. After the preliminary research and some interview with the employees, it was clear that the three strategies are vital in determining customer satisfaction. This hypothesis was tested through conducting interviews and questionnaires, and from the results, the hypothesis was accepted. Therefore, there is a correlation between customer satisfaction and the three strategies. Baskin-Robbins is situated in Canton, Massachusetts, and it is rated globally as the biggest franchise that sells ice creams. This company is well known as a home of diverse and delicious cakes, shakes, pies, various drinks, frozen yogurt, sherbet, cones and much more ice cream flavors. This company was formed by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins back in the year 1945. However, these two individuals had the passion for venturing into ice creams bus iness. During the 35th annual franchise ranking, Baskin-Robbins was named by the United States as the leading ice cream and frozen dessert merchandise. The company has more than 1,000 different flavors of ice cream and all are being served in more than 50 countries globally. Their retail outlets are approximately more than 7,300 worldwide. Baskin-Robbins is trying its level best to provide a store environment that is conducive to both the customers and the general public; however, this was part of their long-term plans in their previous budget. Moreover, quite a good number of people have been employed, and they have a favorable service performance hence the relationship with the customers would be good. Lastly, things are being put in place to improve the accessibility of the store or the shops so that each and every customer is attended to.

The difference between the firm's operating cycle and its cash Essay

The difference between the firm's operating cycle and its cash conversion cycle - Essay Example It would only include time for the initial payment of cash by the company and the receipt of cash from the customers. Operating cycles are either short or long and both of these have serious implications for the company. An operating cycle which is short would mean that the company`s return on investment is rapid. A longer operating cycle, on the other hand, means that the company is not getting a quick return on investment and this probably affect the company in the long run. Operating cycles also differ according to the nature of the economy. If there is an economic downturn, then the operating cycle of a company would probably last longer than the one during a period of an economic growth. The operating cycle of a company is also helps in the estimation of the amount of the working capital required by the company to maintain its growth. There are a number of factors influencing the duration or the time period of the operating cycle and these include the payment terms extended to t he company by its suppliers. Also, a higher order fulfillment policy would increase the duration of the operating cycle. The credit terms and payment policies of the company also affect the time period of the operating cycle. Therefore, operating cycles of a company are often affected the policies and decisions of a company as well as the policies of other companies towards the said company. The cash conversion cycle of a company is the time period required for a company to convert its resources cash flows. This cycle shows the time, in days, which a company takes to sell inventory, collect its receivables as well as pay all its bills. This process of cash conversion shows the financial position of the company during a certain period of time. The cash conversion ratio is calculated through the collection of three ratios which are related to the inventory turnover which is the accounts receivable. This cycle shows how long an investment is in the production stage before being turned into cash. This cash conversion cycle is also known as the net operating cycle of a company. A company`s cash conversion cycle lengthens when it takes a longer time in collecting its accrued payments. For small businesses especially, longer cash conversion cycles show the difference between its profits and bankruptcy as these companies highly rely on cash from such sales of inventories. One of the major differences between an operating and a cash conversion cycle is the difference in the calculation of both of these. In order to calculate the operating cycle, the duration of each component of the operating cycle needs to be determined and this includes raw materials, finished goods, work in progress etc. the operating cycle is found out by summing these individual components. The requirement for working capital would be higher if the operating cycle is longer. On the other hand, cash conversion cycle is calculated using the days payable outstanding ratio as well as those elements us ed in the operating cycle calculation. The days payable outstanding is the average time taken by a company to pay its suppliers. The formula for cash conversion is days inventory outstanding + days sales outstanding – days payable outstanding. All of these activity ratios are expressed in days and show the cash conversion cycle of the company. Both operating cycles and cash conversion cycles are really important for an owner as well as the company as the whole. The cash conversion cycle is extremely important for the financial analysis being done by the owner. This is because it shows the factors related to cash which is really important

Customer Satisfaction in Baskin Robbins Research Paper

Customer Satisfaction in Baskin Robbins - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, customer satisfaction was defined as a post-choice judgment made by the customer after making a particular purchase of the product on offer. After the preliminary research and some interview with the employees, it was clear that the three strategies are vital in determining customer satisfaction. This hypothesis was tested through conducting interviews and questionnaires, and from the results, the hypothesis was accepted. Therefore, there is a correlation between customer satisfaction and the three strategies. Baskin-Robbins is situated in Canton, Massachusetts, and it is rated globally as the biggest franchise that sells ice creams. This company is well known as a home of diverse and delicious cakes, shakes, pies, various drinks, frozen yogurt, sherbet, cones and much more ice cream flavors. This company was formed by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins back in the year 1945. However, these two individuals had the passion for venturing into ice creams bus iness. During the 35th annual franchise ranking, Baskin-Robbins was named by the United States as the leading ice cream and frozen dessert merchandise. The company has more than 1,000 different flavors of ice cream and all are being served in more than 50 countries globally. Their retail outlets are approximately more than 7,300 worldwide. Baskin-Robbins is trying its level best to provide a store environment that is conducive to both the customers and the general public; however, this was part of their long-term plans in their previous budget. Moreover, quite a good number of people have been employed, and they have a favorable service performance hence the relationship with the customers would be good. Lastly, things are being put in place to improve the accessibility of the store or the shops so that each and every customer is attended to.

Comparison between Country Lovers and The Proposal Essay

Comparison between Country Lovers and The Proposal - Essay Example Then we will analyze the similarities and differences between a short story and play. Whether a literary piece is a short story or play, as long as they are categorized in the same theme there will always be similarities, with that being said regardless of similarities when comparing two literary works differences can always be found as well. The short story, Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer, is story about two children from different ethnicities who formed a relationship that later turned sexual. This story takes place on a South African farm, where ethnicity had a major influence on how people were classified. Being a person with white skin, one automatically had superiority over a person with black skin. The boy, Paulus Eysendyck, was fond of Thebedi, the daughter of the help. For years, Paulus went back and forth to school and every time he was home, he engaged in secret activities with Thebedi. As they grew older, their relationship turned sexual and eventually a child was crea ted. Paulus was unaware of the child until after birth. Thebedi had married Njabulo, even though Njabulo knew that the child was not his. When Paulus returned for the holidays from veterinary school, he was surprised to hear Thebedi had a child and rushed to her home to see the child. The next day he returned and poisoned the child. Paulus was charged with murder and a trial began. Thebedi appeared at the court date with a new child in hand by her husband Njabulo, only to find out that he was a free man. The evidence was circumstantial to the courts and another white man gets away with murder. The objective of this story was to express the issues racial relationships faced in the South Africa from 1949-1994 (Driver, 1994). The Proposal by Anton Chekhov is a play that displayed how one word or sentence can send an ordinary conversation down a path of no return. The play is a one act comic farce set during Chekhov’s Russia, a time when marriage was seen as a way of gaining econ omic wealth for a majority of the people. In this play, the marriage concept is satirized to show the real purpose of marriage, which is for materialistic gain as opposed to true love. Ivan VassilevitchLomov was the neighbor of Stephan StepanovitchChubukov, and his daughter Natalya Stephanovna. Ivan came to Stephan’s home one day to ask for Natalya’s hand in marriage. Stephan was overjoyed and agreed to the marriage. Stephan went and got Natalya so Ivan and her can talk. Before Ivan could ask the question they began to argue about a small area of land and who it belonged to. That went on for a little while, until Ivan left. Once Stephan found out Ivan left, he told Natalya why Ivan came. Natalya begged her father to return Ivan. Once he returned the father brought up marriage, Ivan and Natalya agreed and then they kissed. The content of both stories is similar but different. They both involve a male and female engaged in some sort of relationship. In the Country Lovers , the two grew up together and gradually built a relationship. Whereas in The Proposal, Ivan and Natalya were long time neighbors and Ivan felt he was getting old so he asked a woman who he knew for a long time hand in marriage. Paulus and Thebedi’s relationship was forbidden because of race, but Ivan and Natalya’

Psychiatric Nursing Essay Example for Free

Psychiatric Nursing Essay Psychiatric treatment or psychological welfare treatment refers to the field of treatment that is concerned with individuals of each and every age with psychological sickness or psychological suffering, like; bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, despair, dementia or neurosis. However, professionals in this field are given extra teaching in mental treatment, establishing a beneficial coalition that is based on challenging conduct, and the management of psychiatric treatment. The following are some issues facing BC psychiatric nursing; the issue of prisoners, chronic illness, gender, old age and child trauma. Others include; healing choice creation and treatment involvement; medicinal healing and treatment responsibility; nurse and customer verdict creation and crisis resolving; verdict approaches; position clash and position uncertainty. Prisoners Correctional psychological welfare program mainly focuses on suicide avoidance, recognition and healing of the psychologically sick, and continuity of psychiatric healing. The psychiatric professional takes part in an essential function in every one of these plan. The psychiatric professional’s responsibility in a correctional situation is exclusive. This is because the nurse might operate like a staff nurse on an inpatient element giving psychiatric treatment care to prisoners on a given unit or proceed as an outpatient nurse, giving assessments, therapy, or disaster involvement to prisoners in the universal inhabitants. Programs differ in size and range of services in quantity to the inhabitants of the region prison, financial support, and court go-ahead. For instance, a big region prison could give inpatient healing on an inpatient element inside the prison or through an agreement by a psychiatric hospital. Smaller region locks up classically agreement their sensitive services with a local psychiatric hospital. Outpatient-rank services are more often than not given twenty four hours every day in a bigger confinement, whereas minor prisons could give services merely on the day transfer. A minor prison can hire psychological welfare nurses on a part-time basis or none. Countries time and again choose particular jails inside their jail arrangements to give sensitive psychiatric concern or employ sanatorium surroundings inside every jail to become constant and take care of intensely psychologically unwell prisoners. A particular inpatient element in a prison could be a set of cells particularly selected to reside psychiatric patients. Depending on the condition, the region psychological health sector of psychological health services may select or certify the elements for sensitive concern. The elements can be simply confined or empirical accommodation for psychological health patients getting services, apart from an inpatient rank of concern (Achenbach Edelbrock, 1981, p. 281). Chronic illness Treatment dwellings: since individuals who are psychologically unwell at times require lasting therapeutic concern, at times when a treatment residence may be essential. Nevertheless, several treatment dwellings are not set to effectively tackle psychological health concern matters. However, while choosing a treatment dwelling for a cherished individual, make sure that it concentrates on attending to those with persistent psychological sickness. Housing Care services: majority of individuals with persistent psychological sickness obtain the correct rank of concern in inhabited care services. Normally, they give twenty hour recruitment, space and panel, and support with prescription and preparing psychological welfare care arrangements. Grown-up Care services: the services are additionally household oriented than housing care services. However; usually give similar level of concern. They are additionally suitable for individuals whose circumstances are constant. Grown-up care services are not locked, as well as a number them do not give twenty hour employment. However, household Care dwellings: location is more of a distinctive house in that it provides to a larger extent lesser amount of inhabitants and is not normally organized twenty four hours a day. Unluckily, lots of funding for those with persistent psychological sickness will cover this rank of attention, yet people might require the services of a grown-up attention. Supported existing elements: A supported dwelling element, as its name entails, is most suitable for those individuals who are high performing and constant. With supported livelihood, there is less staff control and inhabitants normally exist in apartments are be given services like food, laundry, and medicinal management. Supported livelihood can also be a link to autonomous dwelling, in that if an individual fruitfully contributes in supported existence yearly, one can be capable of changing to a customary residence. Psychiatric elements: they are either supported in or united with sickbays. A single category of psychiatric element focuses in temporary sensitive concern, nearly when an individual is a threat to him or herself, or others. The aim of this circumstance is to stabilize the person and relocate herself or himself to an additional type of competence. Another form of psychiatric component is the one that is united with a state sickbay, and is frequently a protected capacity for those who need long lasting attention. Sexual characteristics. The stand for deed pressurizes that women are allowed to enjoy the uppermost achievable set of bodily and psychological fitness. Creating a relationship between womens individual existence and welfare and their responsibilities in the society, the stand affirms that the pleasure of this right is very important to their existence and welfare and their capacity to take part in every area of communal and personal living. The global meeting on residents and progress accepted that reproductive privileges hold confident individual civil liberties that are already familiar in state rules, global individual human rights credentials and other agreement credentials. omprise of general announcement of individual human rights and its 2 original executive agreements, the global agreement on financial, communal and civilized privileges , which refers to the right of everybody to the pleasure of the uppermost possible set of material and psychological fitness, and the global agreement on public and Political civil liberties , which consists of an amount of welfare related individual civil liberties, such like the freedom of existence, the right to freedom and safety of the individual and the freedom to solitude (Ahmann, 1994, p. 4). However, constructing on the global talks on people and growth and its Program of deed, the policy for an act affirms that the individual privileges of women consist of their freedom to be in charge and come to a decision without restraint and sensibly on issues linked to their sexuality, as well as sexual and reproductive wellbeing, liberated of intimidation, favoritism and hostility. Hard work has improved to regard physical condition in the support of individual civil rights. When physical situation is measured as an individual right, and not simply a societal excellent, civil liberties and tasks require to be explained consequently. The connection between womens individual civil liberties and welfare has been initiated through the joint hard work of womens welfare and womens privileges supporters. In concentration and overlook of womens welfare matters, especially reproductive fitness, in the lawmaking and modifying frameworks of nations, have been accepted as an element of an organized favoritism besides women. Old age Psychiatric ill health is a severe physical condition trouble in old people. Mental ill health is linked to poorer health result in addition to enlarged expenses intended for aged patients with recurring medical situation that are very much common in old age, for instance hip cracks, cancer and heart attack. In older people, the interaction of synchronized medical conditions and psychiatric and results to overwhelming disability and transience, creating exceptional therapies that have largely been neglected by the health care system. The largest part destructive essentials of unfairness in America include; the stigmatization of the very aged and the mentally ill. These prejudiced burdens are apparent in a lack of investigate, and insufficient access to suitable services and healing. Psychological fitness facilities based in the community level mostly lack appropriate services for the aged and personnel qualified to tackle medical needs. Investigation has verified that adults are more probable to be given suitable psychological wellbeing attention, and to contain improved medical results, whilst psychological fitness services are incorporated with universal health check care in the chief care background. Several schedules with numerous suppliers in numerous surroundings add up to an intolerable weight to individuals for whom persistent sickness and bodily disability are severe restraints. In addition, fewer stigmas related to getting psychiatric attention when they are a fundamental element of universal medicinal concern. Mental health in practice ought to have life-altering outcome. For example, sign of pain and despair can be treated even in older age, even in the presence of severe disease and disability, and also for those who stay in the nursing homes. However our health system has done little to convert this systematic information into clinical practice. The persistent approach among clinicians, patients and the society in general believes that being old implies living with pain and despair. For this reason the older people don’t receive the treatment they deserve. Further than the failure to recognize, diagnose, and initiate treatment, recent the next generation of troubles facing older people with mental ill health is unfortunate quality of care follow up. In most studies elderly nursing home people who receive antidepressant medication care, just about half of them continue to have sign, yet they don’t need treatment changes to make sure that they get well. Infant trauma Expert qualified in the nursing and medical treatment of child sexual oppression are often the first specialists taking care of the child and assess needs and can also bare witnesses in court trials. The prime intention of any medical involvement for the child is carryout a physical assessment, a psychological estimate and legal proof for potential proceedings. Children who have sexually been subjugated get to the interest of nurses and physicians in a multiplicity of ways. The child may be attended to by a private doctor or a nurse practitioner in the urgent situation department of a hospital. Big town repeatedly have selected hospitals that attend to child victims of sexual harassments and abuse with qualified, skilled doctors, social workers and nurses. Family may be asked to take a trip some far distance so as to have their child observed and evaluated at one of the dedicated healthcare facilities. A child may also be attended to in the healthcare system through the community or public health, school nurse and outpatient services. Alleged cases of child sexual abuse may moreover be seen first by law enforcement officer who will after that refers the child to the suitable healthcare for assessment. On arrival at the healthcare clinic, the child’s parents will be asked to present their complains. The health evaluation of the sexually assaulted child has a number of steps which include taking of history, Interviewing the child, physical test, and psychological assessment. History taking is the initial step in the health evaluation. The information about the growth and development of the child is provided by the parents (Ahia, 1997, p. 36). The researcher will generally commence with questions that examines the child’s Knowledge about family members, familiar events, and personal data. For example, the interviewer may want to establish that the child knows his or her name, date of birth, and grade in school. From these responses, the researcher will decide the finest way for the child to talk about the assault. The realistic Interviewing practice is the third step where the interviewer remains objective and neutral in inquiring the child. The questioning should not be threatening to the child or the parents. Researcher should stay as unbiased and goal as probable in enquiring the child is the second step which varies depending on the age of the child and the level of development. The interviewer will evaluate the child’s verbal communication skills and mental and poignant development. The research will usually commence with inquiries that examine the child’s knowledge about family members, familiar events, and personal data. For example, the interviewer may want to establish that the child knows his or her name, date of birth, and grade in school. From these responses, the researcher will decide the finest way for the child to talk about the assault. Certain people should not be allowed in the research area. For instance, asking a child questions in front of the alleged offender or interviewing a child in a room full of adult strangers is stressful and will limit dialogue with the child. A parent or guardian in the room may be reassuring for the child and, after the child becomes comfortable with the interviewer, the parent is often able to exit quietly. A suitable tone should be situated in the research from the beginning. A proper introduction of everyone present is necessary, as is a coherent, understandable explanation of why the interview is taking place. The researcher should request for, not take for granted, teamwork, and assure the child that the interview will be as comfortable as possible. The young person must be given authorization to inquire queries concerning everything that is not understood. A victorious research is one in which the young person is provided with some measure of control, even if it simply means a choice of a toy. Many children who have been sexually harassed have lost an intelligence of power and control over their own bodies and behavior and have learned to be overly compliant and passive. The researcher should set up a universal relationship with the young person before trying to obtain specific information about the victimization. It is over and over again is important to begin by playing with dolls or requesting the child to draw a picture. It is through this early stage that it is most suitable to ask the child’s full name. The researcher may require the young person to write it down on the drawing paper. The young person should not be forced to open up right away; instead the interviewer should try to determine what is preventing the child from talking about the abuse. For instance, a parent may be angry and confused because a child is making allegations about a boyfriend. That parent may have intimidated the child prior to the interview or may have threatened the child with removal from the home. It may be essential for the parent to depart the area organized for the interviewer to obtain certain information. Conclusion Psychiatric nursing face cultural and contextual issues in dealing with psychological sicknesses which may include infant disturbances, gender, issues with the inmates, sexual characteristics, chronic illness and old age . The researcher should set up a universal relationship with the different groups so as to come up with proper results as they assist the clients.

Study into Reward Systems and Their Effect on Employee Motivation

Study into Reward Systems and Their Effect on Employee Motivation Reward systems are one of the basic components of a performance management system and a reward system is a broad term and it encompasses to include all organizational components linked to rewards including people, processes, rules, regulations, procedures and decision making processes that are involved in allocating the benefits and compensation among employees in return for the contribution that have made to the organization in terms of the work achieved (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). Employee motivation is defined as the willingness or effort exerted by the employee in order to achieve goals of the organization and this phenomenon of motivation is universal and results because of certain unsatisfied desires of the employee. The basic motivation process has four steps; an individual has certain preferences and likes and dislikes that he/she wants to fulfill. When these wants and desires are not satisfied, a drive or motivation is created in that person to achieve that goal (Gunkel, 2006). Keeping these two important factors in mind, this study is aimed at determining the significance and importance of the impact that reward systems have on employee motivation. A study conducted to determine the impact of reward on motivation found that there is a direct relationship between the level of rewards and intrinsic motivation, the higher the reward, the more will be the extrinsic motivation (Ryan and Deci, 1985). Another study was also conducted that endeavored to inspect the relationship between rewards and employee motivation and revealed that there is a statistically significant impact of payment, promotion, recognition, benefits on employee motivation (Khan, Farooq and Imran Ullah, 2010). Roberts (2005) also supports this and his findings reveal that better the reward and recognition systems lead to higher levels of motivation and satisfaction among employees and therefore may lead to higher levels of performance and productivity. These facts revealed by various previous studies emphasize the importance of determining the relationship between reward systems and employee motivation and motivation affects the productivity of the employees and therefore has serious implications for the company. The purpose of this research study is to explore the relationship in a company specific setting using ASDA and determine how the total reward structure affects the employee motivation level in that company. Problem Statement The problem being discussed is current as well as relevant for any organization as employees are the main resource for any organization and these rewards directly have an impact on them. Motivation is an intangible and subjective term and is related to human behavior while reward systems are objective and clearly well defined and attempting to relate one subjective concept to an objective one is a daunting task. The relationship between motivation and rewards can also be viewed from the perspective of human behavior and this problem existed and is likely to continue into the future as human behavior remains the same and employees bring their behaviors to the work place as well. Therefore the results generated by this study will have practical applications in rationalizing future reward systems. Human behavior is reinforced or abandoned depending on the consequences that action has generated. When the person experiences anything good or satisfying related to an action then it results in positive reinforcement and the person will try to repeat the behavior in future. On the other hand, negative reinforcement occurs if an action results in criticism. These principles are equally applicable to the employees in a workplace and rewards can be considered as factors that help in reinforcing a desirable behavior like good performance (Wilson, 2003). Therefore the purpose of reward system is to reinfo rce positive behaviors so that employees repeat these behaviors. The problem therefore to be addressed by this research study is to investigate what motivates employees and what rewards are being offered to them. In case the reward is something that does not have any significance for the employee then it may not be enough to motivate the employee. Similarly, another problem to be addressed is that how the reward systems are developed and implemented so that these appear as positive consequences for showing the desired behavior which in this case is good performance and reinforcing this consequence which leads to motivation among employees. The general purpose of this study is to investigate what are the factors that motivate employees to work and how these factors can be incorporated into a reward system and what is the impact of these rewards on employee motivation. In order to investigate these factors the sample of employees to be studied belongs to a company called Associated Dairies Farm Stores Limited (ASDA). The basic overview of the research is that ASDA employees will be asked to fill out questionnaires through which their motivation will be judged in relation to the total reward system they are being offered. Introduction to the Company Associated Dairies Farm Stores Limited (ASDA) was established in 1949 in Britain and over the years it has grown into a supermarket chain. Initially its product line was limited to grocery and general merchandise but over the years the product markets have been diversified and ASDA also operated a financial services segment as well. It is a very successful business and owing to its success, Wal-Mart decided to acquire ASDA and operate it as its subsidiary in the year 1999. It has been an innovative company that has introduced distinctive store formats in Britain like one stop shopping superstores during the 1970à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s, introduction of supermarket owned brand and then finally moved into financial services business as well. This portfolio requires a large number of employees who specialize in their own areas of expertise and the company at present employs 170,000 colleagues in 400 stores  [1]  . ASDA is one of the largest retailing chains in UK along with a few other notable names such as Tesco and Sainsbury. ASDA has more than 1000 employees managing and running its stores throughout the country. The total reward system of ASDA includes components include Bonuses, Colleague Discounts, Private Medical Cover, Share Plans and share save Plans, STAR Points, Colleague Share Ownership Plan, Pension, Voluntary Benefits, ASDA Stars, Long Service and employee recognition  [2]  . Reports have shown that ASDA has expansion plans on the horizon and the company is expected to acquire Netto stores in the UK which will help ASDA increase its number of stores and employees  [3]  . Developing a reward system at ASDA and that keeps all or most of the employees motivated are a difficult task. There is a dire need to study how the total reward system of ASDA is viewed by the employees and what are the pitfalls of the system. Being such a large supermarket chain operating throughout the country with a large number of employees and plans of further expansion makes ASDA an ideal candidate to be studied for this study. Aims of the Study Developing and administering reward systems is one of the most important responsibilities of the human resource management department. Rewards are given to the employees in return for the work they contribute and are also a form of recognition for the employees. Rewards can be both monetary and non monetary. When one thinks about rewards, monetary rewards are the most obvious ones that come to mind however these may not necessarily be the most effective and include factors such as basic salary, bonuses, commission etc. On the other hand non-monetary rewards can be termed as career incentives or intrinsic rewards and include factors such as promotions, holiday trips and so on (Christiansen, 2000). The aims of this study therefore include: Explore the significance of reward systems in determining motivation level of employees Exploring the major components of the total reward system Exploring they types and components of motivation Objectives of the Study The main components of any reward systems include policies, practices, structures, schemes and procedures (Armstrong, 2002) and the purpose of this study is to study these processes is ASDA and study how job evaluation and performance management, practices are being used for motivating employees through the use of reward systems. The objectives of the study include: What type of reward systems are in place? How have these reward systems been developed and how are these systems kept current and up to date? Do the employees fully understand and appreciate these reward systems? Do the employees view these reward systems as being effective and in line with their needs and requirements? What is the level of job satisfaction and motivation in ASDA employees? Do employees view the appraisal process as just, equitable and fair? Does the reward systems discriminate employees on some basis such as age and gender etc? Do the rewards systems address factors that motivate or de motivate the employee? What are the missing links between what the employees want and what the reward system is offering? Results Expected The results expected from this study are to be able to generate a list of factors that serves as motivators and de motivators for the employees and what they are expecting form the reward system. The most important factors affecting employee motivation can be identified through this process. The study is also expected to help dissect the reward system of ASDA and compare whether this reward system addresses the employeeà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s expectations and what are factors that are lacking in the system. Finally, the comparison will reveal what elements need to be incorporated into the rewards systems o make it more effective in motivating employees. Conceptual Framework The research study will be based on primary data collection that will be carried out through questionnaires to be filled in by the employees of the company. The questionnaire has been designed to study the main components of the reward system of ASDA, whether this system has been developed keeping the employee and organizational needs in mind and how it does relate to the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation among the employees. A brief description of these three themes is discussed in the next few paragraphs. .The main components of any reward system include policies, practices, structures, schemes and procedures (Armstrong, 2002). Processes are developed so that the worth of the job and the contribution of the employee can be measured and may include job evaluation and performance management, practices are for motivating employees through the use of reward systems, structures are developed to link the value of the position to the level of benefits offered, schemes are for providing incentives based on the performance and procedures refer to the ways in which the system is maintained so that it operates efficiently. In the same way, the total reward system of ASDA will be studied to determine how effective it is in gauging employees. Even though a reward system is developed keeping in mind its intended audience which are the employees but it also needs to consider the needs and requirements of the organization. According to Griffin and Moorehead (2009), rewards carry both symbolic as well as surface value for the employees. The surface value refers to the objective value that the rewards offers to the employee and can be measured like for example a 20% pay raise. On the other hand rewards also have a symbolic or subjective meaning that carries some personal worth for the employee for example rewards that help an employee realize that his worth is more than the other employees. This study will explore how effective the reward system in ASDA is in dealing with the aspirations of the employees. There are two aspects of motivation, extrinsic intrinsic, which shows that motivation is subjective and has different meanings for different people. Extrinsic Motivation is defined as the desire to perform a certain behavior or task because of the contingent results or the positive consequences that action produces while Intrinsic Motivation is a desire to do something based on the enjoyment and interest in that task (Ryan and Deci, 2004). Intrinsic motivation includes factors such as job satisfaction, achievement of personal goals, compliance to standards, fairness, team spirit and ethical standards etc (Frey and Osterloh, 2002). The study will attempt to uncover whether the total reward system in ASDA deals with both extrinsic and intrinsic factors or not. Outline of Subsequent Chapters The introductory chapter will be followed by a review of the literature to build a foundation for this research study in the light of the studies carried out previously and will deal with the major theoretical themes relevant to this study. The next chapter will provide a detailed description of the methodology that will be undertaken for designing and filling the questionnaires to collect data for the research. The next chapter will them move to more specific issues and describe the current reward system being offered in ASDA while the section following this one will take on a critical approach and analyze and evaluate the system. After the analysis, data analysis and findings will be presented in a separate chapter and the final chapter of the study will summarize and conclude the entire research study.

Fraternity Hazing Essay -- Fraternities Greek Life College Essays

Fraternity Hazing When most people hear the term "hazing" it brings up images of fraternities, or they just don’t know what it is. In even though hazing occurs in many places including fraternities and sororities, the military, athletic teams and student organizations (marching bands) at both the high school and collegiate levels. Many believe that hazing in fraternities and in general are nothing more than silly tricks and harmless pranks like those from the 1980s hit comedy Animal House. The realities of hazing are severely different than the witty images many people associate with them. Hazing is an abuse of power that can have weakening and life-threatening consequences. According to the research presented by Hank Nuwer (1990), journalist and author of several books related to hazing, hazing has been associated with more than fifty deaths in college fraternities and countless more physical injuries including paralysis, not to mention the devastating emotional effects that can result for so many young men and women. The most commonly asked questions about hazing in fraternities are, why do young men and women participate in such horrific and life-threatening activities just to belong to a group? This seems like a reasonable question--but it reveal the lack of understanding about the dynamics of the hazing process. Many states have passed legislation to forbid hazing; having noticed that the power of peer pressure prevents hazing victims from giving true permission to participate in the activities. Also, many potential members don't realize and are not informed of what the pledging process and hazing will involve because this information is covered in secrecy by the brotherhood. This combined with the increasing har... ...ited States in all forms of groups, and at colleges that have hazing now as a part of a ritual to get in a fraternity. There should be a â€Å"class† that teaches about hazing and have students come in and speak that have hazed and the consequences that they were faced with, and students that have received the hazing activities. CQ Researcher Hansen, B. (2004, January 9). Hazing. The CQ Researcher Online, 14, 1-24. Retrieved February 18, 2004, from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher. How do we stop hazing? February 15, 2004 http://www.alfred.edu/news/stop_hazing/stop_hazing.html How do we stop hazing? February 15, 2004 http://www.alfred.edu/news/stop_hazing/stop_hazing.html â€Å"Woman touts anti-hazing law as late son's legacy.† Jefferson City News Tribune 16 February 2004 http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2004/02/16/news_state/0216040025.txt

SNC Lavalin Reaction Paper

The investigation found senior SYNC executives guilty of breaching the firms' code of ethics and charged them with bribery, money laundering and fraud amounting to over $56 million. More specifically, Mr.. Pierre Daytime, Zinc's president, and Mr.. Riyadh Ben Sass, a former executive vice president, were accused of secretly funneling company money to Labia's Gadding family in order to secure projects in Libya and subsequently strengthen Zinc's presence in North Africa. Ethical Model: The primary ethical question that is to be addressed is: â€Å"Is it acceptable forCanadian companies to engage in facilitation payments to gain business in developing nations? † The active agents are Zinc's senior management, who knowingly participated in blatant acts of bribery and fraud, as well as the Libyan facilitation agents. I will analyze SYNC Lapin's actions using the utilitarianism model. The theory of Utilitarianism states that people should act in a manner that maximizes the total, co llective utility of their actions. Zinc's senior management would argue that they had to maximize shareholder value in order to maximize the total collective utility. Sing this OIC, the senior management felt it was important that they sourced work in all possible regions, in order to beef up their portfolio of projects. The senior management then expected this to directly translate into improved profits and higher share prices that would make shareholders and the board of directors happy. However, the senior management was also aware that certain nations, such as Libya, demanded facilitation payments for awarding projects in their countries. The management also knew that these payments were considered to be bribes and that they are deemed illegal in Scandal.While these measures resulted in an 87% appreciation in share price in the short run, (share price grew from $31. 92/share in April 2009 to $59. 8/share in January 201 1) Zinc's stock then proceeded to nose dive to a low of $35 once news of the bribery broke out [1]. This dramatic fall in share price was almost completely attributable to the negative emotion towards and loss Of reputation suffered by SYNC Laving as a direct result of their decision to engage in bribery. These executives did not account for the significance of upholding their firms' reputation before providing facilitation payments.Moreover, as a result of their fraudulent behavior, SYNC is now also prohibited from undertaking projects funded by the World Bank for 10 years Consequently, contrary to senior managements' intentions, SYNC suffered a reduction in share price combined with a loss in reputation. The above facts prove that Zinc's management did not maximize the collective utility of their shareholders but rather proceeded to ruin their reputation by partaking in actions of bribery. The above analysis clearly shows that SYNC failed to do good by its shareholders by engaging in facilitation payments.It is also important to consider a nd evaluate Syncs alternatives to bribery in this case. Bribes tend to have different definitions depending on the part of the world you are dealing with. While these bribes (aka facilitation payments) are considered a part of doing business in developing nations, such as Libya, they are illegal in Canada. An interesting perspective was raised in class defending Zinc's actions. What if Syncs facilitation payments were being used to build basic infrastructure and provide basic amenities such as schools and hospitals in the developing nation?This now raises the question as to whether facilitation payments are acceptable based on the activities being funded by these bribes. A number of valuable points were raised in class both defending and abhorring SYNC Lapin's actions. I am of the perspective that companies must always adhere to the stricter of their country or the country where they are doing business' rules as a guide for making ethical decisions. Consequently, I believe that firm s should not elect to work in regions where they are forced to bribe local officials to gain projects.Moreover, having irked as a project engineer at a competing engineering and construction firm, know that my company refused to do business in countries, such as Libya, where bribery was a requirement to gain projects. Our senior management and C-level executives were sticklers for winning and executing projects based on a fair and competitive bidding process that ensured the best candidate was awarded the contract.. While this approach to decision making might cause companies to lose out on certain projects, It will ensure that the firm's reputation is never tarnished.In the long run, company reputation, while being a â€Å"soft† measure, is one of the key factors in ensuring sustainability. Many world renowned companies have refused to pay bribes in foreign countries and have still managed to attain burgeoning profits while maintain a sterling reputation. For example, Shell refused to pay Venezuelan officials $35 million to maintain their license over a nickel mine It is interesting to note that Shell still owns and operates this mine in Venezuela and have never been threatened with any such facilitation payments since.

Telecom Application Map (Etom, Release 3.1)

These process elements can then be positioned within a model to show organizational, functional and other relationships, and can be combined within process flows that trace activity paths through the business. The eTOM can serve as the blueprint for standardizing and categorizing business activities (or process elements) that will help set direction and the starting point for development and integration of Business and Operations Support Systems (BSS and OSS respectively). An important additional application for eTOM is that it helps to support and guide work by TM Forum members and others to develop NGOSS solutions. For service providers, it provides a Telco industry-standard reference point, when considering internal process reengineering needs, partnerships, alliances, and general working agreements with other providers.For suppliers, the eTOM framework outlines potential boundaries of process solutions, and the required functions, inputs, and outputs that must be supported by pro cess solutions. This document consists of: An introduction to the role of the eTOM Business Process Framework. An overview of the eTOM Business Process Framework, from both Intra-Enterprise and Inter-Enterprise viewpoints, that sets out the main structural elements and approach. The implications and impact of ebusiness for service providers and their business relationships, and how eTOM supports them.  A description of extensions to eTOM for Business to Business Interactions. Several Annexes and Appendices, including terminology and glossary. An Addendum (Addendum D) describing the Service Provider nterprise processes and sub-processes in a form that is top down, customer-centric, and end-to-end focused. Process decompositions are provided for all processes from the highest conceptual view of the framework to the working level of the eTOM, and many selected lower level decompositions in the framework are also included. An Addendum (Addendum F) describing selected process flows at several levels of view and detail that provides end-to-end insight into the application of eTOM. A separate Application Note (GB921L) that shows how eTOM can be used to model the ITIL processes. ?TeleManagement Forum 2002 GB921v3. 5 Draft 4 Page 2 eTOM Business Process FrameworkAnother Application Note (GB921B, currently under development) outlining implications and impact of ebusiness for service providers and their business relationships, and how eTOM supports them, including a description of handling of Business to Business Interactions by eTOM. Note: Annexes and Appendices both allow material to be removed from the â€Å"in-line† flow of the document main body, so that the reader does not become embedded in too much detail as they read. However, they have a different status within a document. Annexes contain normative material, i. e. they have equivalent status to the material within the main body of the document, while Appendices are non-normative, i. e. they contain mat erial included for information or general guidance but which does not represent formal agreement and requirements for users of the document.Addenda have a similar status to Annexes, but are presented as a separate document that is an adjunct to the main document. This is typically because otherwise a single document would become cumbersome due to its size. Thus, a document body, together with its Annexes and Addenda (and their Annexes, if any), represents the normative material presented, while any Appendices in the main document or its Addenda represent non-normative material, included for information only. Application Notes are a specific document type, used to provide insight into how a specification or other agreed artifact is used in a particular context or area of application. They are non-normative as they provide information and guidance only within the area concerned.The basic operations framework continues to be stable even as the Information and Communications Services in dustry continues to change, largely because, like the TM Forum’s previous Telecom Operations Map (TOM), the eTOM Business Process Framework: Uses a high level and generic approach Reflects a broad range of operations and enterprise process model views Reflects the way service providers run and are architecting their businesses eTOM is already being widely used eTOM is accepted as the Telco industry standard by Service Providers, Vendors, Integrators and Consultants. The eTOM significantly enhances the TOM, the previous ‘de facto’ standard for Service Provider operations processes for the industry. eTOM has become the enterprise process, ebusiness enabled, ‘de facto’ standard for the Information and Communications Services industry processes. For those familiar with the TOM, it may be helpful to refer to the prior release of this document (GB921 v3. 0) that includes appendices covering TOM to eTOM Chapter Comparison, and TOM To eTOM Process Name Chang es. GB921v3. 6 ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 3 Relationship to Standardization ActivitiesMuch of the management infrastructures upon which systems will be built are expected to be based on standard interfaces. Relating business needs to available, or necessary, standards is a primary goal of the TM Forum in promoting a standardsbased approach to information and communications services management. Where applicable, the TM Forum uses industry standards in its work to promote the acceptance of standards and to minimize redundant work. People active in management standardization (in the broadest sense) will find the eTOM useful in setting a top down, enterprise-level, customer-centric context of how management specifications need to work together.TM Forum uses existing standards as much as possible. As a result of implementation experience through Catalyst projects, TM Forum provides feedback to appropriate standards bodies. NGOSS and eTOM NGOSS is the TM Forum’s New Generation Operations Systems and Software program, which delivers a toolkit to guide the definition, development, procurement and deployment of OSS/BSS solutions while also defining a strategic direction for a more standardized OSS marketplace. NGOSS uses a common business process map, systems descriptions, and information models and couples them with pre-defined integration interfaces, architectural principles and compliance criteria.NGOSS’s end-to-end approach enables service providers to redesign their key business processes in line with industry best practices while allowing suppliers to cost-effectively develop OSS software that can easily fit into a service provider’s IT environment. ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 4 eTOM Business Process Framework S S A y A n ysstte na em m a D ly D e lyssiis ss essi s & ig n & g n NGOSS Supporting Tools s es ap s in s M Bu ces M) O o Pr (eT Co nt ra Ne c ut Tec t In ra h te l A no rf rc log ac hi y e & te ct ur e In S f h Da orm are ta at d i (S Mo on ID de & ) l So An Souu An l l t to ii aa n De lyys on De l sis is& ssg iig & nnPr B Pr u oo Bus cc sin ee ssss ine e & & A sss De An s De naa ssg lyy iig l ss nn iss i Co m p Te lia st nce s ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 Figure P. 1: TM Forum NGOSS Framework Figure P. 1 shows the NGOSS Framework, and the vital role of eTOM within this. eTOM provides the Business Process Map for NGOSS. Moving around the NGOSS â€Å"wheel†, eTOM feeds requirements to the Information Model and thence to the Integration Framework and Compliance Criteria. More information on NGOSS is available through the TM Forum website www. tmforum. org GB921v3. 6 C S Coo Soollu n nff o uttiio o Te orrm n m n Te ssttii aanc n n ngg cee eTOM Business Process Framework Page 5Chapter 1- eTOM Business Process Framework Introduction Purpose of the Business Process Framework Traditionally in the telecommunications industry, service providers delivered end-toend services to their customers. As such, the entire value chain was controlled by a single enterprise, if necessary via interconnection arrangements with other service providers. However in a liberalized marketplace, service providers are having to respond both to the customer’s increased demands for superior customer service and to stiffer competition. They have therefore been expanding their markets beyond their self-contained boundaries and broadening their business relationships.Service Providers face very different regulatory environments and their business strategies and approaches to competition are quite distinct, nevertheless they share several common characteristics: Heavily dependent upon effective management of information and communications networks to stay competitive Adopting a service management approach to the way they run their business and their networks Moving to more of an end-to-end Process Management approach developed from the customer’s point of v iew Automating their Customer Care, Service and Network Management Processes Need to integrate new OSSs with legacy systems Focusing on data services offerings and Focusing on total service performance, including customer satisfaction Integrating with current technology (e. g. SDH/SONET and ATM) and new technologies (e. g. , IP, DWDM) Emphasizing more of a â€Å"buy† rather than â€Å"build† approach that integrates systems from multiple suppliers Some Service Providers choose to operate their own network and/or information technology infrastructure, while others choose to outsource this segment of their business.The effective exploitation of this information technology and network infrastructure, whether directly operated or outsourced, is an integral part of the service delivery chain and directly influences the service quality and cost perceived by the end customer. Service Providers will need to become skilled at assessing outsourcing opportunities whether in infor mation technology and/or network infrastructure areas or other areas and then, be skilled at integrating and managing any outsourcing arrangements. ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 6 eTOM Business Process Framework To meet both existing and new demands, Service providers still urgently require wellautomated operations processes whether they are incumbent providers or new entrants, and whether communications service providers, application service providers, Internet service providers, etc. Some service roviders are struggling with high growth from a start-up phase, others with the commoditization of key cash-cow services, and yet others with the move from a manual-intensive, inconsistent, inflexible environment to one that provides significant improvement in customer focus, service quality, unit cost, and time to market. Service providers have to pervasively do business electronically with trading partners, suppliers and wholesale and retail customers. For the growing Mobil e/Wireless and IP Services markets, these service providers are focused on quickly provisioning new customers and supporting service quality issues, while continually reducing development and operating costs.. For all service providers, there is an intense drive to introduce both new value-added services and dramatic improvements in customer support.There is also an increasing need for Service Providers to manage the integration required in mergers and acquisitions activity due to the consolidation trend the industry is now experiencing. For the full range of service providers and network operators, the leading focus of the TM Forum’s mission is to enable end-to-end process automation of the business and operations processes that deliver information and communications services. The eTOM is the business process framework for accomplishing this mission. The purpose of the eTOM is to continue to set a vision for the industry to compete successfully through the implementation of business process driven approaches to managing the enterprise.This includes ensuring integration among all vital enterprise support systems concerned with service delivery and support. The focus of the eTOM document is on the business processes used by service providers, the linkages between these processes, the identification of interfaces, and the use of Customer, Service, Resource, Supplier/Partner and other information by multiple processes. Exploitation of information from every corner of the business will be essential to success in the future. In an ebusiness environment, automation to gain productivity enhancement, increased revenue and better customer relationships is vital. Perhaps at no other time has process automation been so critical to success in the marketplace.The over-arching objectives of the eTOM Business Process Framework are to continue to build on TM Forum’s success in establishing: An ‘industry standard’ business process framework. Common d efinitions to describe process elements of a service provider. Agreement on the basic information required to perform each process element within a business activity, and use of this within the overall NGOSS program for business requirements and information model development that can guide industry agreement on contract interfaces, shared data model elements, and supporting system infrastructure and products. A process framework for identifying which processes and interfaces are in most need of integration and automation, and most dependent on industry agreement.This document, the eTOM Business Process Framework and its associated business process modeling, describes for an enterprise the process elements and their relationship that are involved in information and communications services and technologies management. Additionally, the points of interconnection that make up the end-to-end, customer operations process flows for Fulfillment, Assurance, Billing within Operations, and for Strategy, Infrastructure & Product are addressed. GB921v3. 6 ? TeleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 7 Note that, although eTOM has been focused on information and communications services and technologies management, this work is also proving to be of interest in other business areas.Service providers need this common framework of processes to enable them to do business efficiently and effectively with other entities and to enable the development and use of third-party software without the need for major customization. In an ebusiness environment, this common understanding of process is critical to managing the more complex business relationships of today’s information and communications services marketplace. eBusiness integration among enterprises seems to be most successful through strong process integration. Recent industry fallout, particularly in relation to dotcoms, does not reduce the pressure for ebusiness automation – it strengthens t he need to capitalize on ebusiness opportunities to be successful.However, the eTOM is not just an ecommerce or ebusiness process framework, it supports traditional business processes with the integration of ebusiness. Define Common Terminology The eTOM document also provides the definition of common terms concerning enterprise processes, sub-processes and the activities performed within each. Common terminology makes it easier for service providers to negotiate with customers, third party suppliers, and other service providers. See Annex B for the definition of eTOM acronyms and terminology. Consensus Tool The TM Forum produced the TOM initially as a consensus tool for discussion and agreement among service providers and network operators.Its broad consensus of support, which has been built on and extended with the eTOM, enables: Focused work to be carried out in TM Forum teams to define detailed business requirements, information agreements, business application contracts and shar ed data model specifications (exchanges between applications or systems) and to review these outputs for consistency Relating business needs to available or required standards A common process view for equipment suppliers, applications builders and integrators to build management systems by combining third party and in-house developments The anticipated result is that the products purchased by service providers and network operators for business and operational management of their networks, information technologies and services will integrate better into their environment, enabling the cost benefits of end-to-end automation. Furthermore, a common industry view on processes and information facilitates operator-to-operator and operator-to-supplier process interconnection, which is essential for rapid service provisioning and problem handling in a competitive global environment.This process interconnection is the key to ebusiness supply chain management in particular. ?TeleManagement F orum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 8 eTOM Business Process Framework What is the eTOM? The eTOM is a business process framework, i. e. a reference framework or model for categorizing all the business activities that a service provider will use. It is NOT a service provider business model. In other words, it does not address the strategic issues or questions of who a service provider’s target customers should be, what market segments should the service provider serve, what are a service provider’s vision, mission, etc. A business process framework is one part of the strategic business model and plan for a service provider.The eTOM can be regarded as a Business Process Framework, rather than a Business Process Model, since its aim is to categorize the process elements business activities so that these can then be combined in many different ways, to implement end-to-end business processes (e. g. fulfillment, assurance, billing) which deliver value for the customer and the service provider. eTOM Release 3. 0 provided a member-approved eTOM Business Process Framework with global agreement from its highest conceptual level to its first working level. This eTOM Release 3. 5 builds on this to take account of real-world experience in applying this work, and to incorporate new detail in process decompositions, flows and business to business interaction.However, eTOM is still developing in areas such as further lower-level process decompositions and flows, and ongoing feedback together with its linkage with the wider NGOSS program, will be used to guide future development priorities. Note that the development of a total process framework is a significant undertaking with process work that will be phased over time based on member process priorities and member resource availability. This is visible in eTOM’s own history, from the original Telecom Operations Map (TOM) that was carried forward into the eTOM and broadened to a total enterprise framework, through s everal generations of detail and refinement, to the current Release. More information on TOM and its links with eTOM are provided in the previous release of this document (GB921 v3. 0).A great many service providers, as well as system integrators, ASPs and vendors, are working already with eTOM. They need an industry standard framework for procuring software and equipment, as well as to interface with other service providers in an increasingly complex network of business relationships. Many service providers have contributed their own process models because they recognize the need to have a broader industry framework that doesn’t just address operations or traditional business processes. GB921v3. 6 ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 9 Customer Strategy, Infrastructure & Product Operations Customer Market, Product & Customer Market, Product and Customer Service ServiceResource Resource (Application, Computing and Network) (Application, Computing an d Network) Supplier/Partner Supplier/Partner Supplier/Partner Suppliers/Partners Enterprise Management Shareholders  ©TeleManagement Forum October, 2001 Employees Other Stakeholders Figure 1. 1: eTOM Business Process Framework—Level 0 Processes Figure 1. 1 shows the highest conceptual view of the eTOM Business Process Framework. This view provides an overall context that differentiates strategy and lifecycle processes from the operations processes in two large groupings, seen as two boxes. It also differentiates the key functional areas in five horizontal layers. In addition, Figure 1. also shows the internal and external entities that interact with the enterprise (as ovals). Figure 1. 2 shows the Level 0 view of Level 1 processes in the eTOM Framework. This view is an overall view of the eTOM processes, but in practice it is the next level – the Level 1 view of Level 2 processes – at which users tend to work, as this detail is needed in analyzing their busine sses. This view is presented later in the document in a series of diagrams examining each area of the eTOM framework. Figure 1. 2 below shows seven vertical process groupings. These are the end-to-end processes that are required to support customers and to manage the business.The focal point of the eTOM (as it was for the TOM) is on the core customer operations processes of Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing (FAB). Operations Support & Readiness is now differentiated from FAB real-time processes to increase the focus on enabling support and automation in FAB, i. e.. on line and immediate support of customers. The Strategy & Commit vertical, as well as the two Lifecycle Management verticals, are also now differentiated because, unlike Operations, they do not directly support the customer, are intrinsically different from the Operations processes and work on different business time cycles. The horizontal process groupings in Figure 1. 2 distinguish functional operations processes and other types of business functional processes, e. g. Marketing versus Selling, Service Development versus Service Configuration, etc. The functional processes on the left (within the Strategy & Commit, Infrastructure Lifecycle Management and Product Lifecycle Management vertical process groupings) enable, support and direct the work in the Operations verticals. ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 10 Customer Strategy, Infrastructure and Product Operations eTOM Business Process Framework Strategy & Commit Infrastructure Lifecycle Mgmt Product Lifecycle Mgmt Operations Support & Readiness Fulfillment Assurance Billing Marketing and Offer Management Customer Relationship Management Service Development & ManagementService Management & Operations Resource Development & Management Resource Management & Operations Supply Chain Development & Management Supplier/Partner Relationship Management Enterprise Management Strategic & Enterprise Planning Brand Management, Market Research & Adv ertising Enterprise Quality Mgmt, Process & IT Planning & Architecture Human Resource s Management Research & Development Acquisistion & Technology Financial & Asset Management  © TeleManagement Forum October, 2001 Stakeholder & External Relations Management Disaster Recovery , Security & Fraud Management Figure 1. 2: eTOM Business Process Framework—Level 1 Processes As can be seen in Figure 1. , eTOM makes the following improvements to the high level TOM Framework: Expands the scope to all enterprise processes. Distinctly identifies Marketing processes due to heightened importance in an ebusiness world. Distinctly identifies Enterprise Management processes, so that everyone in the enterprise is able to identify their critical processes, thereby enabling process framework acceptance across the enterprise. Brings Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing (FAB) onto the high-level framework view to emphasize the customer priority processes as the focus of the enterprise. Defines an Operations Support & Readiness vertical process grouping, applicable for all functional layers, except Enterprise Management. To ntegrate ebusiness and make customer selfmanagement a reality, the enterprise has to understand the processes it needs to enable for direct, and more and more, online customer operations support and customer self-management. Recognizes three enterprise process groupings that are distinctly different from operations processes by identifying the SIP processes, i. e. , Strategy & Commit, Infrastructure Lifecycle Management and Product Lifecycle Management. Recognizes the different cycle times of the strategy and lifecycle management processes and the need to separate these processes from the customer priority operations processes where automation is most critical. This is done by decoupling the Strategy & Commit and the two Lifecycle Management processes from the day-to-day, minute-to-minute cycle times of the customer operations processes. GB921v3. 6 ?TeleMa nagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 11 Moves from a customer care or service orientation to a customer relationship management orientation that emphasizes customer selfmanagement and control, increasing the value customers contribute to the enterprise and the use of information to customize and personalize to the individual customer. It adds more elements to this customer operations functional layer to represent better the selling processes and to integrate marketing fulfillment within Customer Relationship Management. Note that eTOM Customer Relationship Management is very broadly defined and larger in scope than some definitions of CRM.Acknowledges the need to manage resources across technologies, (i. e. , application, computing and network), by integrating the Network and Systems Management functional process into Resource Management & Operations. It also moves the management of IT into this functional layer as opposed to having a separate process grouping. e TOM is More Than One Document It is intended that the eTOM Business Process Framework will become a collection of documents and models. The current view is as follows: This document – the eTOM: The Business Process Framework – is structured as a core document that explains the overall framework approach and all its elements.In addition, two Addenda are associated with the core document: Addendum D provides process descriptions for the eTOM at Level 0, Level 1, Level 2 and selected Level 3 processes Addendum F provides examples of process flows that use the eTOM Business Process Framework and its component process elements to address high-priority business scenarios The eTOM Overview/Executive Summary is a â€Å"single sheet† document that provides an overall view of the eTOM business process framework and highlights key concepts. The eTOM Business Process Framework Model provides a version of the eTOM framework, processes and flows intended for automated process ing by modeling tools, etc.This is intended to be available in several formats: Tool-based (e. g. XML for import into a process analysis environment) Browsable (e. g. HTML) †¢ †¢ Using This Document A service provider’s specific process architecture and organization structure are highly specific and critical aspects of a provider’s competitiveness. The eTOM provides a common view of service provider enterprise process elements or business activities that can easily translate to an individual provider’s internal approaches. The document is not intended to be prescriptive about how the tasks are carried out, how a provider ? TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 12 eTOM Business Process Framework r operator is organized, or how the tasks are identified in any one organization. It is also not prescriptive about the sequence of Process Elements that are combined to implement end-to-end business processes. The eTOM provides a starting point for detailed work coordinated through TM Forum that leads to an integrated set of specifications that will provide real benefit to both suppliers and procurers in enhancing industry service provider enterprise management capability. This document is not a specification, in the sense that vendors or operators must comply directly. However, it does represent a standard way of naming, describing and categorizing process elements.It will enable unambiguous communication and facilitate the development of standard solutions and reuse of business processes. It is not intended to incorporate all the detail of eventual process implementation, but is more a guiding reference for the industry. One of the strengths of the eTOM is that it can be adopted at a variety of levels, in whole or in part, depending upon a service provider’s needs. The eTOM can also act as a translator by allowing a service provider to map their distinct processes to the industry framework. As the process examples are develop ed, service providers can use and adapt these examples to their business environment.The eTOM Business Process Framework can be used as a tool for analyzing an organization’s existing processes and for developing new processes. Different processes delivering the same business functionality can be identified, duplication eliminated, gaps revealed, new process design speeded up, and variance reduced. Using eTOM, it is possible to assess the value, cost and performance of individual processes within an organization. Relationships with suppliers and partners can also be facilitated by identifying and categorizing the processes used in interactions with them. In a similar manner, it is possible to identify the all-important customer relationship processes and evaluate whether they are functioning as required to meet customers’ expectations. Intended AudienceThe eTOM aims at a wide audience of professionals in the Information and Communications Services Industry. For experie nced Telecommunications professionals, the eTOM has proven itself to be intuitive; and a strong, common framework of service provider enterprise processes. Through TM Forum Catalyst projects and other work, it has been verified that the eTOM framework has strong application in many applications and throughout many companies. More information on use of eTOM within the industry is available at the TM Forum website www. tmforum. org The eTOM is aimed at service provider and network operator decision makers who need to know and input to he common business process framework used to enable enterprise automation in a cost efficient way. It is also an important framework for specialists across the industry working on business and operations automation. The document or framework supports, and is consistent with, many efforts under way in the industry supporting the need to accelerate business and operations automation in the information and communications services marketplace. GB921v3. 6 ? T eleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 13 The eTOM will continue to give providers and suppliers a common framework for discussing complex business needs in a complex industry with complex technologies.For both service providers and network operators additional complexities arise from: Moving away from developing their own business and operations systems software, to a more procurement and systems integration approach. New business relationships between service providers and network operators The creation of new business relationships and the move away from developing internally are a reaction to market forces. These market forces require service providers and network operators to increase the range of services they offer, reduce time to market for new services, increase speed of service, as well as to drive down systems and operational costs.The eTOM is also aimed at service provider and network operator employees involved in business process re-engineering, operations, procurement and other activities for: Understanding the common business process framework being used to drive integration and automation Getting involved in providing processes, inputs, priorities and requirements The eTOM Business Process Framework is also aimed at designers and integrators of business and operational management systems software and equipment suppliers. They can benefit from understanding how management processes and applications need to work together to deliver business benefit to service providers and network operators.An equally important and related audience is suppliers of management applications, management systems, and networking equipment, who need to understand the deployment environment for their products and solutions. The eTOM Business Process Framework provides a common framework useful in supporting the significant amount of merger and acquisition activity. Common process understanding and a common process framework can greatly improve int egration performance for mergers and acquisitions. eTOM is applicable for an established service provider or a new entrant, ‘green field’ provider. It is important to note that not all areas defined in the eTOM are necessarily used by all providers.As mentioned earlier, the framework is flexible, so that the process elements the specific service providers require can be selected on a modular basis and at the appropriate level of detail for their needs. Benefits of Using eTOM eTOM makes available a standard structure, terminology and classification scheme for describing business processes and their constituent building blocks eTOM supplies a foundation for applying enterprise-wide discipline to the development of business processes eTOM provides a basis for understanding and managing portfolios of IT applications in terms of business process requirements ? TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 14 eTOM Business Process FrameworkUse of the eTOM enables consistent and h igh-quality end-to-end process flows to be created, with opportunities for cost and performance improvement, and for re-use of existing processes and systems Use of the eTOM across the industry will increase the likelihood that off-the-shelf applications will be readily integrated into the enterprise, at a lower cost than custom-built applications GB921v3. 6 ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 15 Chapter 2 – eTOM Business Process Enterprise Framework The main purpose of this Chapter is to provide a formal description of the eTOM Business Process Framework, with two distinct viewpoints: The Internal Viewpoint, which considers the processes that characterize the â€Å"internal behavior† of a Service Provider; The External Viewpoint, which considers the processes necessary for a Service Provider to handle external interactions (e. g. xecute electronic transactions) with Customers, Suppliers and Partners in a Value Chain. In the following sectio ns both of these viewpoints are presented. The Internal Viewpoint follows the structure of former releases of GB921, the External Viewpoint is new material and a general overview is provided. Internal viewpoint The eTOM Business Process Element Enterprise Framework considers the Service Provider’s (SP’s) enterprise, and positions this within its overall business context: i. e. the business interactions and relationships, which allow the SP to carry on its business with other organizations. These wider aspects, together with the implications for an eBusiness and eCommerce world are introduced in Chapter 3.This section introduces the eTOM Business Framework and explains its structure and the significance of each of the process areas within it. It also shows how the eTOM structure is decomposed to lower-level process elements. This explanation is useful for those who decide where and how an Enterprise will use eTOM, and those who may be modifying it for use in their Enter prise. To assist the reader in locating the process area concerned within eTOM, a graphical icon of eTOM, alongside the text, is provided to draw attention to the relevant eTOM area. This is highlighted in red to indicate the focus of the following text or discussion. eTOM Conceptual View The eTOM Business Process Element Enterprise Framework represents the whole of a service provider’s enterprise environment.At the overall conceptual level, eTOM can be viewed as having three major areas of process, as shown in Figure 2. 1. Strategy, Infrastructure & Product – covering planning and lifecycle management Operations – covering the core of operational management Enterprise Management – covering corporate or business support management ? TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 16 eTOM Business Process Framework Customer Strategy, Infrastructure & Product Operations Market, Product and Customer Service Resource (Application, Computing and Network) Supplier/Pa rtner Suppliers/Partners Enterprise Management Shareholders Employees Other Stakeholders  © TeleManagement ForumOctober, 2001 Figure 2. : eTOM Business Process Framework Conceptual Structure The Conceptual Structure view provides an overall context that differentiates strategy and lifecycle processes from operations processes in two large process areas, seen as the two large boxes towards the top of the diagram, together with a third area beneath which is concerned with enterprise management. It also differentiates the key functional areas in four horizontal groupings across the two upper process areas. In addition, Figure 2. 1 shows the internal and external entities (as ovals) that interact with the enterprise. eTOM is a structured catalogue (a taxonomy) of process elements, which can be viewed in more and more detail.When viewed in terms of the Horizontal Functional groupings, it follows a strict hierarchy where every element is only associated with or parented to a single elem ent at the next higher hierarchical level. In a taxonomy, any activity must be unique, i. e. it must be listed only once. Figure 2. 1 shows the top level (Level â€Å"0†) Groupings that eTOM is decomposed into. Because the purpose of the eTOM framework is to help SPs to manage their end-toend Business processes, the eTOM enhances the TOM practice of showing how process elements have a strong association with one (or several) end-to-end business processes (e. g. Fulfillment, Assurance, Billing, Product Development etc. which are introduced later in this Chapter). These Vertical End-To-End groupings are essentially overlays onto the hierarchical top-level horizontal groupings, because in a hierarchical taxonomy an element cannot be associated with or parented to more than one element at the next higher level. Because eTOM was developed to help build and implement the process elements for a Service Provider, it was decided from the start that the primary top-level hierarchy of p rocess elements would be the functional (horizontal) groupings, rather than the endto-end process (vertical) groupings. GB921v3. 6 ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 17To understand the eTOM Business Process Framework, each process area is analyzed and decomposed into further groupings and processes. For each level of analysis or decomposition, the process area, grouping or process element itself is presented with a brief, summary-level description. At this highest level, the three basic process areas are outlined below. The Operations Process Area is the heart of eTOM. It includes all operations processes that support the customer operations and management, as well as those that enable direct customer operations with the customer. These processes include both day-to-day and operations support and readiness processes.The eTOM view of Operations also includes sales management and supplier/partner relationship management. The Strategy, Infrastructure & Pro duct Process Area includes processes that develop strategies and commitment to them within the enterprise, that plan, develop and manage infrastructures and products, and that develop and manage the Supply Chain. In the eTOM, infrastructure refers to more than just the IT and resource infrastructure that supports products and services. It includes the infrastructure required to support functional processes, e. g. , Customer Relationship Management (CRM). These processes direct and enable the Operations processes.The Enterprise Management Process Area includes those basic business processes that are required to run any large business. These generic processes focus on both the setting and achieving of strategic corporate goals and objectives, as well as providing those support services that are required throughout an Enterprise. These processes are sometimes considered to be the corporate functions and/or processes. e. g. , Financial Management, Human Resources Management processes, e tc†¦ Since Enterprise Management processes are aimed at general support within the Enterprise, they may interface as needed with almost every other process in the Enterprise, be they operational, strategy, infrastructure or product processes.The conceptual view of the eTOM Business Process Framework addresses both the major process areas as above and, just as importantly, the supporting functional process groupings, depicted as horizontal groupings. The functional groupings reflect the major expertise and focus required to pursue the business. The four functional groupings are described below: The Market, Product and Customer processes include those dealing with sales and channel management, marketing management, and product and offer management, as well as Customer Relationship Management and ordering, problem handling, SLA Management and billing. The Service processes include those dealing with service development and configuration, service problem management, quality analysi s, and rating. The Resource processes include those dealing with development nd management of the enterprise's infrastructure, whether related to products and services, or to supporting the enterprise itself. The Supplier/Partner processes include those dealing with the enterprise’s interaction with its suppliers and partners. This involves both processes that manage the Supply Chain that underpins product and infrastructure, as well as those that support the Operations interface with its suppliers and partners. ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 18 eTOM Business Process Framework Additionally, in the diagram (Figure 2. 1), the major entities with which the enterprise interacts are shown. These are: Customers, to whom service is provided by means of the products sold by the enterprise: the focus of the business!Suppliers, who provides products or resources, bought and used by the enterprise directly or indirectly to support its business Partners, with whom the enterpr ise co-operates in a shared area of business Employees, who work for the enterprise to pursue its business goals Shareholders, who have invested in the enterprise and thus own stock Stakeholders, who have a commitment to the enterprise other than through stock ownership. eTOM CEO Level View Below the conceptual level, the eTOM Business Process Framework is decomposed into a set of process element groupings, which provide a first level of detail at which the entire enterprise can be viewed. These process groupings are considered the CEO level view, in that the performance of these processes determines the success of the enterprise. The eTOM Business Process Framework is defined as generically as possible, so that it is independent of organization, technology and service. The eTOM is basically intuitive, business driven and customer focused. To reflect the way usinesses look at their processes, the eTOM supports two different perspectives on the grouping of the detailed process elemen ts: Horizontal process groupings, which represent a view of functionallyrelated processes within the business, such as those involved in managing contact with the customer or in managing the supply chain. This structuring by functional groupings is useful to those who are responsible for creating the capability that enables the processes. The IT teams will look at groups of IT functions which tend to be implemented together e. g. the front-of-house applications in the Customer Grouping, back-of-house applications which focus on managing information about the services sold to customers, the network management applications which focus on the technology which delivers the services.For processes delivered by people there is a similar separation of workgroups – the front-of-house workgroups in the Customer Grouping, back-of-house workgroups which focus on managing information about the services sold to customers, the network management workgroups which focus on the technology whic h delivers the services. Vertical process groupings, which represent a view of end-to-end processes within the business, such as those involved in the overall billing flows to customers. This end-to-end view is important to those people who are responsible for changing, operating and managing the end-to-end processes. These people are more interested in the outcomes of the process and how they support customer need rather than worrying about the IT or the workgroups that need to work together to deliver the result. GB921v3. 6 ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 19 The overlay of the Functional (horizontal) groupings of process elements and the endto-end process (vertical) groupings forms the inherent matrix structure of eTOM. This matrix structure is the core of one of the innovations and fundamental benefits of eTOM – it offers for the first time a standard language and structure for the process elements that are understood and used by both the pe ople specifying and operating the end-to-end business, as well as those people who are responsible for creating the capability that enables the processes (whether automated by IT or implemented manually by workgroups).The integration of all these processes provides the enterprise-level process framework for the information and communications service provider. This is the ‘Level 0’ view of the enterprise and shows the vertical and horizontal process groupings that are the decompositions of the process areas introduced above. These groupings are ‘Level 1’ process groupings in the parlance of the eTOM business process model, e. g. Customer Relationship Management, Fulfillment. The Level 0 view, which reveals the Level 1 process detail, is shown in Figure 2. 2. As process decomposition proceeds, each level is decomposed into a set of constituent process elements at the level below.Thus, Level 0 is decomposed into Level 1 processes, Level 1 into Level 2,and so o n. The Enterprise Level 0 view decomposes into seven Vertical (or â€Å"end-to-end†) Level 1 process groupings as well as eight Horizontal (or â€Å"functional†) Level 1 process groupings in four layers. These Vertical and Horizontal process groupings represent alternative views relevant to different concerns on the way that processes should be associated. Note that we will see that these alternatives have been selected to yield a single, common view of the Level 2 processes defined at the next level of decomposition, and hence do not represent a divergence in the modeling.In addition, there are eight additional enabling and support Level 1 process groupings within Enterprise Management. This full view of the Level 1 processes is shown in Figure 2. 2. Customer Strategy, Infrastructure and Product Operations Strategy ; Commit Infrastructure Lifecycle Mgmt Product Lifecycle Mgmt Operations Support ; Readiness Fulfillment Assurance Billing Marketing and Offer Management C ustomer Relationship Management Service Development ; Management Service Management ; Operations Resource Development ; Management Resource Management ; Operations Supply Chain Development ; Management Supplier/Partner Relationship Management Enterprise Management Strategic ; Enterprise PlanningBrand Management, Market Research ; Advertising Enterprise Quality Mgmt, Process R esea rch ; D evelo p m en t ; IT Planning ; Architecture ; T ech n o lo g y A cq u isistio n Human Resources Management Disaster Recovery, Security ; Fraud Management Financial ; Asset Management  © TeleManagement Forum October, 2001 Stakeholder ; External Relations Management Figure 2. 2: eTOM Level 0 View of Level 1 Process Groupings ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 20 eTOM Business Process Framework eTOM Operations Processes To be useful to a Service Provider, the eTOM Process Element Framework must help the SP to develop and operate their business processes.This sections shows how the matrix str ucture of eTOM offers for the first time a standard language and structure for the process elements that are understood and used by both the people specifying and operating the end-to-end business, as well as those people who are responsible for creating the capability that enables the processes (whether automated by IT or implemented manually by workgroups). â€Å"OPS† Vertical Process Groupings The Operations (OPS) process area contains the direct operations vertical process groupings of Fulfillment, Assurance ; Billing, together with the Operations Support ; Readiness process grouping (see Figure 2. 3). The â€Å"FAB† processes are sometimes referred to as Customer Operations processes. Customer Operations Operations Support and Readiness Fulfillment Assurance Billing Figure 2. : eTOM OPS Vertical Process Groupings The TOM was focused only on the direct customer processes represented by FAB. However, FAB processes were not on the TOM framework map, they were rather an overlay. In an ebusiness world, the focus of the enterprise must be enabling and supporting these processes as the highest priority. Therefore, in the eTOM, Fulfillment, Assurance ; Billing are an integrated part of the overall framework. Fulfillment: this process grouping is responsible for providing customers with their requested products in a timely and correct manner. It translates the customer's business or personal need into a solution, which can be delivered using the specific products in the enterprise’s portfolio.This process informs the customers of the status of their purchase order, ensures completion on time, as well as a delighted customer. Assurance: this process grouping is responsible for the execution of proactive and reactive maintenance activities to ensure that services provided to customers are continuously available and to SLA or QoS performance levels. It performs continuous resource status and performance monitoring to proactively detect possible f ailures. It collects performance data and analyzes them to identify potential problems and resolve them without impact to the customer. This process manages the SLAs and reports service performance to the customer.It receives trouble reports from the customer, informs the customer of the trouble status, and ensures restoration and repair, as well as a delighted customer. GB921v3. 6 ? TeleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 21 Billing: this process grouping is responsible for the production of timely and accurate bills, for providing pre-bill use information and billing to customers, for processing their payments, and performing payment collections. In addition, it handles customer inquiries about bills, provides billing inquiry status and is responsible for resolving billing problems to the customer's satisfaction in a timely manner. This process grouping also supports prepayment for services.For a high-level view of how the eTOM Process Elements can be used t o create Fulfillment, Assurance ; Billing process flows, please see document GB921 v3. 5 Addendum â€Å"f†, Process Flow Examples. In addition to these FAB process groupings, the OPS process area of the eTOM Framework contains a new, fourth vertical process grouping: Operations Support ; Readiness (see Figure 2. 3). Operations Support ; Readiness: this process grouping is responsible for support to the â€Å"FAB† processes, and for ensuring operational readiness in the fulfillment, assurance and billing areas. In general, the processes are concerned with activities that are less â€Å"real-time† than those in FAB, and which are typically concerned less with individual customers and services and more with groups of these.They reflect a need in some enterprises to divide their processes between the immediate customer-facing and real-time operations of FAB and other Operations processes which act as a â€Å"second-line† in carrying out the operational suppor t tasks. Not all enterprises will choose to employ this split, or to position the division in exactly the same place, so it is recognized that in applying the eTOM Business Framework in particular scenarios, the processes in Operations Support ; Readiness and in FAB may be merged for day-today operation. Nevertheless, it is felt important to acknowledge this separation to reflect a real-world division that is present or emerging in many enterprises.The separation, definition and execution of the Operations Support ; Readiness processes can be critical in taking advantage of ebusiness opportunities, and is particularly important for successful implementation of Customer Self Management. â€Å"OPS† Horizontal Process Groupings In the OPS process area of the eTOM Framework, there are four OPS functional process groupings that support the operations processes discussed above, and also the management of operations to support customer, service, resource and supplier/partner interac tions (see Figure 2. 4). The original TOM Process Framework used the ITU-T TMN Logical Business, Service, and Network Layers to organize the core business processes. This facilitated mapping of the Management Functions defined in TMN, to the TOM processes.As the eTOM Business Process Framework is an evolution of the TOM Process Framework and because the TMN layering approach is still relevant, the TMN Logical Layers continue to be loosely coupled to the functional process groupings. The TM Forum is working with ITU-T to harmonize the eTOM and TMN models. See reference 3 for further information on ITU-T TMN. ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 GB921v3. 6 Page 22 eTOM Business Process Framework Cu stome r Oper ati ons C usto mer R el ation ship Manag emen t Serv ice Man ag ement ; Op eration s R eso urce Man ag em ent ; Op erat ion s (Applicati on, C om puting a nd N etwor k) Sup plier/Partn er R elat ionsh ip Man ag em en t Figure 2. : eTOM OPS Functional Process Groupings Customer Relationsh ip Management (CRM): this process grouping considers the fundamental knowledge of customers needs and includes all functionalities necessary for the acquisition, enhancement and retention of a relationship with a customer. It is about customer service and support, whether storefront, telephone, web or field service. It is also about retention management, cross-selling, up-selling and direct marketing for the purpose of selling to customers. CRM also includes the collection of customer information and its application to personalize, customize and integrate delivery of service to a customer, as well as to identify opportunities for increasing the value of the customer to the enterprise.CRM applies to both conventional retail customer interactions, as well as to wholesale interactions, such as when an enterprise is selling to another enterprise that is acting as the ‘retailer’. The introduction of CRM is a key feature of eTOM over TOM. At the highest, most general level, t he TOM Business Process Framework included two process groupings to manage relations with customers, â€Å"Customer Interface Management† and â€Å"Customer Care†. In the TOM, it is explicitly mentioned that Customer Interface Management may effectively be a distinct process within Customer Care or may be performed as part of the lower level Customer Care processes. However, eTOM advances the TOM in several key ways: It expands Customer Care to Customer Relationship Management (CRM), which is management approach to supporting and interacting with customers, that enables enterprises to identify, attract and increase retention of profitable customers. CRM focuses on collection and application of customer data and managing relationships with customers to improve customer retention and customer value contribution to the enterprise. CRM is more than Customer Care or Customer Interface Management, it is the integration of customer acquisition, enhancement and retention throu gh managing the customer relationship over time. For eTOM, CRM also represents the integration of Sales and Service processes and ensuring a consistent customer interface across all CRM functional processes. GB921v3. 6 ?TeleManagement Forum 2003 eTOM Business Process Framework Page 23 eTOM integrates Customer Interface Management for Fulfillment, Assurance ; Billing across all the CRM functional processes and with customer processes. Customer Interface Management represents any type of contact, e. g. , phone, email, face-to-face, etc. It expects an integration and coordination across these different interface types, to provide a consistent interface and highlights the requirement for customer process control and customer self management. eTOM also encourages the design of solutions so that systems interfaces used within the enterprise are the same as those used by customers.TOM CRM processes include an expansion of TOM Customer Care processes to: †¢ Focus on customer retention †¢ †¢ †¢ Improve enterprise process exception customer response Integrate marketing fulfillment execution Better represent the billing function at the customer level and the need to assure revenue. Service Management ; Operations (SM;O): this process grouping focuses on the knowledge of services (Access, Connectivity, Content, etc. ) and includes all functionalities necessary for the management and operations of communications and information services required by or proposed to customers. The focus is on service delivery and management as opposed to the management of the underlying network and information technology. Some of the