Marketing Communication Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Communication Approach - Essay Example There are various communication channels that any organization may use for corresponding with the consumers, investors, suppliers, social activist groups and media groups. These channels range from advertising, trade promotions, consumer promotions, event marketing and sponsorship, personal selling and publicity & public relations. The news release publication is concerned with and falls under the publicity and public relations category of marketing communication strategy. The news releases are issued by an organization whenever it has a worth mentioning news, event, or offer to announce publically that catches or is likely to grasp media’s, investors’ or consumers’ attention. These press or news releases are often open for free access to general public and at times these are characterized by restricted access to particular groups because of sensitive details and to secure confidential information disclosure. At times interested parties are encouraged to pay for these news releases to acquire access to valuable information discovery about an organization, for instance; financial news releases. Microsoft’s Marketing Communication Approach Introduction to Microsoft: Microsoft is a multinational public organization, which was founded in 1974 by Bill Gates, and is headquartered in America. The company operates in IT industry and serves consumers globally. Microsoft’s marketing offers comprise of a wide range of products which falls under the categories of operating systems, hardware devices, software applications, business solutions, developers and IT pro products, and miscellaneous products that comes from diverse orientations. The company’s moves exhibits fierce competition focused vision and strategic agenda for its business activities. It started as an operating system developer for IT industry but now the company has diversified and extended its operations across so many product categories. Recently Microsoft has launc hed mobile operating system as windows phone and has entered into PC vending market to leverage its brand reputation and give tough time to the competition. Marketing Communication Approach: Microsoft’s marketing communication approach, as reflected by the news releases and ads archives at the organization’s official website, is characterized as being overwhelmingly product oriented. The company has published around 28 news releases during the month of July this year; dated from 2nd to 30th July. These news releases primarily feature novel and latest product updates or launches across the various Microsoft product portfolios. These press releases also feature news pertaining to Microsoft’s patents and special agreements with business partners; financial reports and quarterly results of company’s progress; investment and investor news; mergers and acquisitions, acknowledgement and announcement regarding opening of new Microsoft office; Microsoft’s a ccomplishments; and also shares other news concerning internal happenings and affairs at Microsoft. The product featured news releases are preoccupied by updates pertaining to almost all of the products of Microsoft including three news releases about cloud computing technology, one related to consumer products, one about

The Effects Of Speed Humps On Vehicles

The Effects Of Speed Humps On Vehicles Abstract This project will examine the effects of speed humps on vehicles within the United Kingdom. Intensive investigation and reviews will be carried out on traffic calming measures used in the UK and a number of different aspects within the topic such as those currently in use and how improvements can be made to reducing traffic. The report also takes a close look at how speed bumps have affected commuters and its impact on the environment as a whole and businesses around the country. As the number of vehicles on the roads increase faster than new roads that can be constructed, a serious problem has been created that is highly visible in urban and residential areas around the country. This problem is caused by fast driving motorist who do not take care on the road and it occurs on a daily basis. Conceding the fact that there are no single solutions to this problem and no quick fix, it is very important in assessing the success of the project. The understanding of why speed bumps were put in place on the road is a major factor in tackling the issue of speeding. To do this, time was invested in collecting data information from urban roads and residential roads in Islington and Hackney. This was very important as it helped me to provide an insight into how different motorist approach speed bumps and speed cameras, and what speed they approached the bumps and camera at different times of the day throughout the day. Three major problems were identified with speed humps, the first being effectiveness of speed bumps. On residential roads the speed limit is 20mph. Although many motorist were at constant speeds of approximately 20mph, many vehicles had to alter their speed limit whilst travelling over the speed bumps as they are unaware of which bumps are too high of the required speed limit. Drivers, who did not take the precaution of slowing down, would result in them scraping underneath their vehicles. Motorist are unable to identify weather a bump is too high or weather a constant velocity can be applied. The second problem was the damaged caused to vehicles when drivers make the wrong judgement of speed when approaching the speed bumps. Third being modern speed cameras on urban roads. Although they incorporate the latest in detection technology, the system were unable to provide efficient co-ordination of the direction of speeding vehicles. Vehicles speeding from the opposite side of the speed camera still get flashed, even though the motorist is aware that no potential speeding fines would occur as its the opposite side. The result of the review is a concept which imbeds intelligence into the current traffic signalling system. Introduction Speed Bumps (sometimes called a sleeping policeman) are a traffic calming tool designed to slow traffic. A Speed Bump is a bump on a roadway that may be circular, parabolic, or sinusoidal, and it may have gaps near the curb to allow drainage. Speed bumps are widely used across the United Kingdom, and are gradually increasing on the roads year by year. Speed Bump heights range from as little as 50 mm, to as much as 152 mm and they can vary in length from less than 300 mm to as much as 3x103mm. Speed Bumps longer than 3103 mm are usually called speed humps, and they are often used to slow traffic in residential neighbourhoods. Some drivers could say that they prefer to go over these types of traffic calming tool as it is easier on the car. Although Speed Bumps are very effective in keeping vehicle speed down, their use is sometimes controversial as they can cause noise and possibly vehicle damage. Poorly designed Speed Bumps are too tall, too sharp an angle for the expected speed and can be hard to negotiate in vehicles with low ground clearance, such as sports cars, even at very slow speeds. The driver can sometimes hear the Speed Bumps scrap the bottom of the car. Project Aims The aim of this project is to design an effective and efficient speed hump system that can be used in the United Kingdom. The design must be futuristic in its approach and incorporated a wide range of different technologies, both present and those in the development stage. These technologies must not only perform the role of slowing down vehicles but also reducing the effects on vehicles and to those who drive the vehicle. The speed hump design must be able to differentiate between high and low velocity and small and large vehicles i.e. (cars, buses, lorries). The dimensions of the hump must be within the UK regulations. People tend to approach speed-bumps in one of three ways. They remain at their current speed and drive straight through without a care or thought for the cars undercarriage or suspension. They slow down to an appropriate speed and glide over the top. Or they slow down so much they cause drivers behind them to break. A new design will change the way drivers approach speed humps in general. The design must allow drivers who are travelling at the right speed limit to pass over the hump without difficulty but will remind drivers travelling above the limit to slow down by creating the same feeling that they get when passing over a speed-bump but without the usual speed-bump impact. (Jude Garvey, The Bumpfree Dynamic Speedbump gives drivers a smooth ride,2010) The speed hump will be design to reward drivers who are travelling at the correct speed by offering an almost unnoticeable pass. Internal cells within the speed bump will contain non-Newtonian Thixotropic fluids which will instantly react with the speed at which a driver makes contact with the speed-bump immediately reminding them if they are going too fast. for the speed hump to be effective, A double-layer bladder protection will help to ensure a long product life and allow the speed bump to be used in various conditions. if this is not done, the speed hump will not be durable and would need to be replaced regularly. this is not cost effective. The design of the hump is expected to be most useful in environments where speed needs to be kept at a safe level, for example hospitals, school zones, or where vehicles are entering and exiting with precious cargo or people onboard. It can be placed against a piece of shaped bitumen or be in a bolt down form of plastic. Made mostly from recycled rubber, the design will be textured and suited for the environment in which they are placed. (. (Jude Garvey, The Bumpfree Dynamic Speedbump gives drivers a smooth ride,2010) Historical development Traffic humps have been in existence in the UK since the early 1970s, but following criticism of the speed deterrents, lead to a new way of alternatives being developed. There are currently around 50,000 traffic humps on British roads today, which can be said to be a lot. however, there are a lot of vehicles on the road and if they were not there as a deterrent, there would have been a lot more accidents on the road due to drivers who do not follow the rules of the road. The round-top hump can be said to be the most familiar in the hump family. The round-top was developed in the Netherlands and landed on British roads in the early seventies. Still the most common, the round-top hump is between 25mm and 100mm high and up to 3.7m long. (Dave Wilson, 2001 Inflatable rubber policeman gives drivers the hump) To pass over speed bumps without causing any damage to the vehicle or causing discomfort to the driver and passengers, the driver must slow down almost to a complete stop. Speed humps are 76-100 mm high and 3.5 to 6.5 m long, therefore to avoid driver discomfort, the driver slows to a speed of 15-20 mph. Unlike speed bumps, at excessive speeds, the effects of speed humps are increased sometimes to the point of acting like a bump and jolting both the driver and their cargo. This causes discomfort to some drivers and could even lead to the damage of the products which they may have in their vehicle. There is nothing that they can do about it unless they have insurance for the products on board. An example of a type of business that uses a vehicle all the time is removals. When having expensive and precious objects in the car, it is very important that time and care is taken over speed humps and speed bumps. Otherwise it could lead to damages which could affect the business and its reputation. Location The first speed hump in a series should be placed 15-60 meters from a small radius curve or stop signs assuring that vehicles are not approaching at high speeds. If installed on a street with a significant grade line, the first hump in a series should be placed at the top of the grade. Research has shown that speed humps, when designed and installed properly, reduce vehicle speeds to 15-20 mph when travelling over speed humps and 25-30 mph in between properly spaced speed humps. When travelling over a speed hump, the vehicle experiences a gentle rocking motion that increases with speed. This enables the speed humps to be self-enforced because the vehicle occupants will experience discomfort when passing over a hump at higher speeds and a jolting when passing over at excessive speeds. (Duane E. Smith, P.E. Karen L. Giese, 1997, effects of speed humps) Although speed humps have been proven to be effective at reducing speeds, they also come with their own drawbacks. Installed speed humps have actually been removed in response to resident complaints. The major complaints have been aesthetics of having speed humps and the increased noise level at each hump although the net noise change throughout the controlled strip is insignificant. Speed humps are not the best thing to have own ones road. Also if people are not happy, the council have to hear the complaints of the residents. It would not be nice to be living on a road where you can hear cars going over speed humps and scratching the humps as well as their car. It is not aesthetically pleasing when you leave your front door and see scratches on your road. Although they are the most important group, more than just the residents are affected by the installation of speed humps. Other groups such as emergency service providers, street maintenance providers, school districts, transit operators, refuse collection agencies will be affected and should, therefore, be informed and consulted concerning the installation of speed humps. Emergency providers may have casualties in their vehicles and going over the humps may affect the injuries which the casualties have. Especially if they are in life threatening situation, they may need to move as far as possible. CHAPTER 1 REVIEW OF TRAFFIC CALMING The design used in modern speed humps is not as advanced as it should be although it has been around for many years. With not a fair amount of improvement in terms of design a constant review of the system is always required. Speed hump plays it toll with traffic and congestion and the effects are mostly visible at peak time. Traffic congestion has many side-effects and does not just impact on motorist. The impact of growing congestion can be felt by businesses, local councils and mostly the environment. Huge efforts are being made to ease traffic congestion in the United Kingdom and where introducing congestion charges, building new roads and improving the public transport are all viable solutions. Recent studies have shown that the general public prefers to own their own form of transport i.e. car as current public transport systems are unreliable. Building new roads is very costly and is not an option in major cities, and although congestion charges have seen a decrease in the amount of motorist on the roads in central London, traffic jams is still a regular occurrence at peak times. Although forecasted figures shows the road traffic will rise in coming years. My project aims to comprehensively review the current speed humps system in the UK and to develop accordingly, a system that increases efficiency and maximise the flow of traffic as well as reducing impact. My project will also form a comprehensive review of congestion, looking at how traffic builds up at speed humps. Types of speed hump currently used. The flat-topped hump This squarer version became fashionable in 1990 when traffic humps became regulated by the Highways (Road Humps) Regulations Act. Between 25mm and 100mm high and a minimum length of 2.5 m the optimum angle of tapered sides is a gradient of 1 in 4. Thumps Thumps are hard, triangular, thermoplastic strips approximately 37mm high and 900mm wide. Speed cushions Speed cushions are rectangular humps which laid across roads in twos or threes. Cushions are wide enough to slow cars but not buses and emergency vehicles. Rumble strips Not really a traffic calming measure, more a warning to drivers of something ahead. Chicanes Is a single lane sections and road markings represent a more recent attempt to slow down speeding motorists and modify the original traffic hump into a more comfortable disruption. Congestion Traffic and congestion caused by speed hump is a problematic condition on road networks that restricts the flow of traffic to extremely slow speeds. The problem occurs as the volume of vehicles increase to within close proximity of maximum the road network capacity. Traffic condition can be characterise by a number of different factors, namely increase queuing, increase journey time and relatively slow speeds. This problem is a regular occurrence in modern urban cities, where the demand is at its highest. The demand in these areas is such that the interaction between vehicles causes the average speed of traffic to fall noticeably. Figure 1 (UK figures for road traffic)  [i]   Figure 1.2 (Graph showing the trend of car ownership in the UK)  [ii]   The level of traffic congestion in the United Kingdom is considered to be one of the worse in whole of Europe. More worrying is the fact that it continues to get worse year after year. The increase rate of new vehicles on the road is considered to be unsustainable, as the increase rate is faster than the rate of which new road infrastructure can be constructed. The issue is a long term one, the solution to which cannot be seen due to lack of feasible measures to combat or event control the problem. It has already been conceded that it is infeasible to match a roadwork infrastructure program to the unconstrained inclination of current and future traffic growth. Figure 1.3 (Central Forecast Figures Made By the Department Of Transport for the UK)  [iii]   Figure 1.4 (Graph Shows Trend of the Number Vehicles Licensed Each Year in the UK)  [iv]   causes of congestion A major issue in modern times is travel efficiency. Speed humps clearly make travel less efficient. A particular problem is traffic that has diverted to avoid a scheme of humps. Such diversions tend to exacerbate congestion on through routes where there are less likely to be humps. Apart from the rapid increase in the number of vehicles on the road, there are several other factors contributing to the problem. Some of which are can be solved with time, while some are control by financial constraint. Other solutions are not considered to be feasible in terms of the level resources needed as they involve relocating home owners and local businesses. More often than not traffic congestion due to speed bump but propagates from junction and roundabouts. environmental impact Humps cause wider variations in vehicle speeds, with many vehicles slowing to a crawl to negotiate each hump. A natural consequence of a wider variation in speed with more acceleration and more braking is that more fuel will be used. If more fuel is used then more pollution is created. If traffic speeds are reduced journey times will increase and a baseline level of pollution will be delivered for longer periods. The impact on health via polluted air the most common, as vehicles emissions contributes up to 40% of the total amount toxic gases emitted each year. Emitting a wide a variety harmful gases, such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and other bi-products of partial contribution. Humans as well as animals are directly affected by the immediate environment and being exposed to polluted air on a regular basis can lead to short and long term health related illnesses such as lung decease. economical impact Estate agents say there has been a decrease in property value due to speed humps, many potential buyers who notice many speed humps within the neighbourhood are less welling to purchases the property as they feel that speed hump make the neighbourhood unattractive. Different types of businesses are affected in different ways, business that relies on delivery of goods looses out as deliveries arrives late, causes delays in the time products can be process and put out shop floors. Late deliveries increase shift duration adding extra cost to employees wages. A BUS operator says the increasing number of speed humps in the town is costing the firm  £500 a month in repairs. Bosses at the Stagecoach Midland Red depot, say their vehicles are being repeatedly damaged by the humps. Fuel tanks have been knocked off buses, causing diesel to spill across the road, something which the company believes could leave them liable to bills running into thousands of pounds if it were to cause an accident. Engineering staff understand the speed reduction measures installed by Warwickshire County Council need to be taken but feel cameras would be more beneficial. Mick Merriman, engineering manager for the firm, said: The spate of damage from road humps is an on-going cost. Speed cameras would be preferable, certainly as far as our buses are concerned. The humps also cause discomfort to passengers and drivers, who would be pleased to see the end of them. Manager Bill Breen added: Weve written to the county council about this issue and our operations director is in talks with the council. Dec 18 2001 Coventry Evening Telegraph www.coventrytelegraph.net/new Experts have estimated the annual maintenance cost of speed humps to road to be in the region of 1.3 million pounds, the majority of which is related to repair cost and maintenance. There are also indirect costs of speed humps associated with the effectiveness of logistical operations at either ends of the transportation process. These additional costs are estimated to be very significant however they are considered to be intangible variables like additional scheduling costs and journey reliability are very difficult to quantify. Figure 1.5 is a photograph taken by myself, which illustrates a speed hump under different weather condition and vehicle weight. A large quantity of speed humps in the UK are damaged, where one of the major reasons is weather conditions; whenever rain falls on to speed humps creaks that have been created by frequent hard impact on the hump, then get filled with water, as temperature decreases this water then turn into ice, causing the hump become fatigue, ev entually the creak will spread and can cause the hump to completely separate in this case a huge portion of the hump has been worn away, as its internal properties has weaken due to separation vehicles have continuously driven over this weak area and has eventually got to this stage of completely deterioration on one side of the hump. C:UsersPublicPicturesSpeed bumpDSC01888.JPG Figure 1.5 (Picture Shows damaged speed hump due to weather change and vehicle impact.) measures to reduce congestion Tackling congestion is very difficult both in theory and in practice. Theoretical concepts are very difficult to implement as they can sometimes damage public relation which can lead to protests. These concepts sometimes derive from models and computer simulated data and analysis which does not always reflect the unpredictability of the real world situation. Since congestion is judged on cost, ample efforts have been concentrated on reducing the annual cost. Some efforts tackle the problem head on by addressing the main issues where as other aim at charging motorist to balance the annual cost. Congestion charge is one such method that aims to cut congestion by cutting the cost. The cost of which is worth approximately 6 billion pounds per year. A large proportion current and futuristic solution to ease traffic congestion, are aimed directly at reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. The focus of major campaigns has been on persuading motorist to utilise other forms of transport. The difficulty in this is that substitutes to the car are not considered to be feasible as public transport one of the main and only substitute is not very reliable. For this to be seen as a suitable substitute there must be an increase in arrival and departure times for both buses and trains. The service must also be reliable cost effective to customers and operators alike. Two areas that have seen reasonable levels of success and support are cycling for those making short journeys and transferring road freight to the rail. The combined effects of numerous supportive complementary solutions represent the best way forward in the short term and could slow the rise of road traffic y 25% 45%. CHAPTER 3 RESULTS AND FINDINGS Traffic Data Gathering Gathering real time data is vital in understanding the flow of vehicles passing over speed humps, on residential road and urban roads. The data will help to understanding and identifying the factors affecting speed humps in more details, such as time of the day and days of the week. Understanding how the speed bump deals with fluctuating weight and speed levels at peak and off-peak times also provide an insight into how efficient the design is. The main reason for conducting investigation in this form is mainly to identify flaws in operation if any. Hump profiles The dimensions of the profiles chosen for evaluation are shown in Table 1. The five hump profiles used in the trials included three profiles not commonly used: a 3.7m long sinusoidal profile, a 5m long round-top profile and an 8m long flat-top with sinusoidal ramps. Two standard profiles were included for comparison: a 3.7m long round-top profile and an 8m long flat-top hump with straight ramps. All the hump profiles were 75 mm high. Fig 2: Profile dimensions Vehicles tested A range of vehicles was used in the trials to assess discomfort, noise and ground borne vibrations. These included five different bicycle types, a small, medium and large car, five different buses, including a low floor bus, three different goods vehicles with steel or air suspension, a fire appliance and three different ambulances. Figure 2.1 Unladen cyclists Figure 2.2 Motorcycles combined results from small, medium and large motor cycles Figure 2.3 Minibus (Optare City Pacer all passengers sitting) Figure 2.4 large single-deck buses (Optare Low Rider Low floor bus) Figure 2.5 Double-deck buses (Optare Spectra) Discussion Analasys Of Resusts For cyclists, motor cyclists and all occupants of cars, buses, goods vehicles and emergency service vehicles, a subjective assessment of discomfort (DR) was made on a scale 0 to 6. A discomfort rating of0 means comfortable, and 6 very uncomfortable. Additionally, for all but cyclists and motor cyclists, an accelerometer was used. For each of the tests, this measured the vertical acceleration experienced by one occupant in every vehicle. Cyclists In promoting an increase in cycling it is important that, as far as possible, cyclists are offered a comfortable ride. Figure 1 shows the average discomfort ratings for unladen cyclists crossing the various hump profiles at 10 mph and 20 mph. similar results were found for laden cyclists (5kg load). It can be seen from Figure 1 that cyclists experienced the most discomfort when crossing the flat-top humps and that the 5m long round-top profile gave the least discomfort. This profile also gave the least discomfort to the car occupants but its use would be likely to result in higher car speeds than with the other hump profiles. For humps of a similar length (3.7m), the sinusoidal hump was more comfortable for the cyclists than the round-top profile. Motor cyclists Stability and comfort are important to motorcyclists, but where motorcyclists report discomfort crossing road humps; this may be due to inappropriate speeds. The tests were made using carefully controlled speeds, judged to be appropriate to the circumstances. Average discomfort ratings (DR) for motorcyclists are shown in Figure 2.2. For motor cyclists, there was less difference in the discomfort experienced between the hump profiles than for the cyclists. However, the 5m round-top hump was clearly the most comfortable and the flat-top humps were the most uncomfortable. Buses The average discomfort rating experienced by passengers sitting in a minibus, a low floor single deck bus and a double-deck bus is shown in Figures 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5. These illustrate how a small change in speed can lead to a large increase in discomfort, particularly in minibuses and double-deck buses. There was less variation in the discomfort experienced when crossing the different profiles in the double-deck bus than for other bus types. For all three bus types at speeds of 15 mph or less, passengers generally experienced less discomfort with the round-top and sinusoidal profiles than with the flat-top profiles. At speeds above 15 mph, general levels of discomfort were unacceptable for all the profiles tested. Low floor buses Low floor buses are of particular interest, as it has been claimed that these vehicles are more susceptible to grounding when passing over road humps. In fact, the clearance of low floor buses above the carriageway was found to be very similar to that for other buses. The main problem would seem to occur where there is a greater overhang at the front and/or rear of the vehicle. With the bus used (Optare low-rider) the track trials did not reveal any grounding problems with the 75mm height humps used, although the driver declined to cross the flat-top profiles at 25 mph because of concern about possible damage. As pointed out above, this speed would generally be considered unsuitable in terms of the discomfort likely to be experienced. Noise Light vehicles For the passenger cars tested, the differences in the maximum A-weighted noise levels generated alongside the different profiles were relatively small, and were not likely to be of practical significance. Noise levels when crossing humps generally increased as the speed increased, and tended to be slightly less than that measured on a level surface. For light vehicles, maximum noise levels would not be expected to increase as a result of installing any of the profiles tested. Double deck bus The double deck bus also showed a general increase in the maximum noise level with increasing speed. There were differences, with the sinusoidal profile giving lower noise levels than the non-sinusoidal profiles. The highest noise levels were measured alongside the flat-top (straight ramp) profile. All the profiles gave lower noise levels at typical crossing speeds than measurements taken next to the level surface, where speeds were higher. Large Goods vehicles At typical crossing speeds, the noise levels for goods vehicles tested were highest alongside the flat-top profiles. The noise levels for sinusoidal profiles were slightly lower than their non-sinusoidal equivalents. The 5m long round-top profile was similar to the3.7m round-top profile with respect to noise generation. Large goods vehicles may have either air or steel spring suspension. The maximum noise levels generated along the hump profiles by the 38t articulated tipper vehicle with steel spring suspension were higher than the equivalent vehicle with air suspension. For air suspension vehicles, the unladen state generated higher noise levels than the laden state, for all the profiles tested. For steel spring suspension vehicles, the difference between the laden and unladen states was less distinct: the sinusoidal profiles generated higher noise levels for the laden vehicle, and the 5m round-top profile and the flat-top profiles resulted in higher noise levels for the unladen vehicle Ground-borne vibration Levels of ground-borne vibration generated by light vehicles showed no distinct difference alongside the different profiles. For the double-deck bus, the highest vibration level obtained at typical crossing speeds was for them flat-top (straight ramp) profile. For heavy goods vehicles, the highest mean and maximum ground-borne vibration levels at typical crossing speeds were also at the flat-top (straight ramp) profile. The flat-top (sinusoidal ramps) was slightly less, and the round-top and sinusoidal profiles had significantly lower levels. Higher levels of vibration were noted for the heavy goods vehicles running unladen, than when loaded. C:UsersPublicPictureshumpsHPIM0971.JPG Discussion Analasys Of Resusts The charts bellow are constructed from data celected from speed humps on a residential road, the first of which looks at the link between number vehicles passig over speed hump at speccfic time intervals during the day. The second graph looks at the influence on traffic levels, which shows connection between the number of vehecles and the day of the week. Figure 3 (Pie-Chart, Showing Variation of vehicle passing over speed humps In Relation To Time of Day) From the pie-chart it is evident that there are two periods during the 12 hours traffic levels are high. This is to be expected as peak times in the United Kingdom are between 7 11am, and 3 7pm. These two periods highlight a high level of activity that can be attributed to morning an evening school runs as well as commuters travelling to and from work. Figure 3.1 (Pyramid Chart, Showing Variation Traffic Level In Relation To Day of the Week) From the tables of results and the chart is clear that traffic fluctuate for reasons already stated. There are several other factors affecting the flow of traffic; however these variables cannot equated for in the data collection. Variables such as accidents and special events like football matches can also affect these figures. Road works is another of those variables that cannot be accounted for and can affect the figures. It is unclear of the role played by the weather on the figures as the weather can affect traffic in two different ways. Bad weather causing difficult driving condition can reduce traffic as motorist can decide not to travel if the journey is compulsory. Conversely it can also increase queuing as the average speed falls there by affecting traffic. Commuters cycling to and from work can also be affected prompting the switch from bicycle to car. <

Essay on the Dark Side of the Mind Exposed in Cask of Amontillado

The Dark Side of the Mind Exposed in Cask of Amontillado "A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong." With that statement, Montresor begins his tale of revenge deciding that the act must be slow and sweet and that in order to fully enjoy it, his adversary must be aware of his intentions. Hidden within those same few lines, lies not only this horrid plan, but also the true interest of its' true author. In his Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allen Poe reveals his supreme interest in the dark side of the human mind and heart. Much of what a story means, much of its effect on the reader depends on the eyes through which it is seen and on the voice that tells it to us. In Cask of Amontillado, those eyes and voice belong to Montresor. The story is written in second-person perspective. In relaying the events of the day, Montresor refers to the reader as 'you' several times. This does not only act to pull the reader into the story, but it also provides a valuable insight into the mind of the author. By referring to the reader as 'you' a connection is established between Montresor and the reader. This connection suggests that the reader can sympathize with the actions of Montresor by relating them to some event in the readers' past or imagination. Poe suggests that we, as a body of readers, all want to commit acts such as that committed by Montresor and therefore can understand him and his dark actions. To fully understand the dark side of the human mind and heart, the mind of Montresor has to be examined. The question as to what fiendishly evil act Fortunato committed that was so seve... ...each step, Montresor pulls Fortunato in a little further by provoking him with threats of getting his archenemy Luchresi to test the wine. Without breaking from his calm shell, Montresor is able to lead Fortunato to his doom never once faltering or stumbling. In his Cask of Amontillado, Poe dives into a study of the darkness of the human mind and heart. He looks at the worst crime possibly committed by one human to another and ponders over the mind of the criminal. Montresor, calm, cool, and collected, is able to fulfill a plan that he had made long before. Fifty years later, he conveys the story to the world so that the dark side of all people may be matched against that of him. A man that truly lives by the motto of his family, "nemo me impune lacessit" [no one provokes me with impunity], Montresor becomes a study for Poe and a mirror to all mankind.

An Ideal Student Essay

An Ideal Student Children are the wealth of a nation. A Nation that produces a generation of talented and hardworking youth marches ahead on the path of progress. However creating quality citizens is no easy task and cannot be achieved overnight. The first step for that is to produce ideal students in our schools. These ideal students would go on to become ideal citizens. Who is an ideal student? There isn’t one definite answer to that because there are many qualities that together define an ideal student. The most important quality of an ideal student is that for him. The foremost duty of his school life is to study. He studies regularly and works hard to improve his performance in each exam. But his objective of studying is not to only score good marks or secure a high rank. Beyond that he has a thirst for knowledge, an interest to learn more about everything he observes. Apart from studies, an ideal student actively gets involves in other activities. He is good in arts and sports and regularly participates in intra and inter school events. He is an active member of various clubs in the school and helps in organizing events. But participating in competitions and winning events is not the only big thing in life, and an ideal student knows that very well. Virtues like kindness, compassion, respect, sincerity, honesty, politeness are equally important in today’s world, and these qualities are found in abundance in an ideal student. He treats his parents, teachers and elders with respect, and speaks politely to everybody. In times of crisis for his friends, he is the first person to stand by them. He never boasts of his achievements and never gets depressed by his failures. He is always cheerful and maintains a positive approach to life. He spreads hope and happiness wherever he goes. In short his conduct is admired by everyone. An ideal student is a voracious reader. He reads the newspaper regularly and is well aware about the events and happenings in various parts of the world. He also reads magazines, novels and short stories. He has an excellent grasp of the language and is very good at communicating things to others. Last but not the least, an ideal student loves his parents and family members very much and does as much as he can to help them and to keep them happy. He never wastes his parents’ hard-earned money and believes that knowledge is the biggest wealth he can acquire. An ideal students grows up to be an asset to his family, his society and the country. If only all our schools could produce more and more ideal students, our country could achieve tremendous progress and become the envy of the whole world.

Linguistic history on punjabi family Essay

My family’s linguistic history is a main role of one person from each family that represents to reflect others. My family’s linguistic history project is based on my mom’s history and how that reflects me. While my mom was growing up, she didn’t loose any language but only gained a language. She gained a language because of her movement, which reflected on me a lot. Most of my mom’s history while growing up did affect me and changed my life too. Her background information spoke the difficulty she had between different languages, which affected me in many ways. These following paragraphs are about my mom’s history and how it flows to reflect me. Starting of with my mom, her name is Manjeet Kaur and her side of the family is from India, Punjab- Amritsar. This country and place reflected on my life because if my mom’s side of the family did not come from India- Punjab, I wouldn’t know the wonderful culture that I represent right know. She was born in 1978, August 5, which did reflect me because if she weren’t born at that time, I wouldn’t be here at this time. She learned to read and write in India when she was 6-years old. Her first language was Punjabi with no problem speaking it but when she transferred to the United States of America, she learned speaking and writing English slowly by slowly. She had hard time speaking English when she transferred to the United States of America but still tried her best. This statement about my mom learning English actually reflected herself because when school had started for the first time, my brother and me more often speak English at home rather than Punjabi. She had learned English by just hearing me and my brother talk in English but she didn’t just stop their to learning English because she knew she was missing out a lot of the main information so she started asking many ELA related question for example, she would ask (How do we say our names in English or How do we greet others and more). While learning English, my mom didn’t really lose her Punjabi language but while teaching my mom English, I learned that for once I am teaching an adult something important which did reflected me. My mom feels strong and robust about her primary language because she is pretty sure that she is not going to forget her primary language. Also, she would not forget her Punjabi language she talks Punjabi with her relatives. My mom feels strong and robust about her primary language because she says â€Å"with her primary language, she has gotten this far to learning English†. My mom says that because I know her primary language well and she knows it too so we translate through that language to get my mom to know English much better. When she uses her primary language, it would most likely be with her relatives using her own language. In the future, she would not forget her primary language because she would be using it with my brother, my dad, and me and so forth with her relatives. In my conclusion, I state that my mom’s linguistic history affects me too in many ways. This also would affect me because I have a main role to conduct and support my mom that she could accomplish her goal to learn English and not to forget her primary language. These interviews really help me gather information on her history and answered all of my questions the way I asked. Language learned or lost both was answered and completed her feeling and thinking’s on the specific languages. The future of her language helps me conduct this essay in a good way too but the main part on how these question and answers reflected me.

My favorite place to go as a child Essay Example

My favorite place to go as a child Essay Example My favorite place to go as a child Paper My favorite place to go as a child Paper There is a hill to the North of the town where I lived before that I liked to go to as a child. While standing there I could not stop thinking about the enormous space in front of me. There was nothing there, but it was not empty. Everything was electric. Energy from the lights and the people below seemed to fill the gap. Ideas and emotions flied around each other before finding their way back down to their owners who have not had time to notice they have been absent. This was a really nice place to think. I remember that every time I went there it was like standing at the mouth of a cave made of cloud and earth that hides the city from the rest of the universe. From there, the river seemed nothing but a smudge at the bottom of the hill, and if you looked closely, you could almost see the water creeping along the bed like a snake trying to sneak away into darkness. I especially liked to come to that place after the rain, when the air smelled clean and crisp. During those moments everything felt fresh, and like it might try to rain again; maybe leave a small puddle or two on the pavement. I remember that every time I went to the hill I was accompanied by the wind, which was blowing through the valley with force and power, as if a Greek god was common us. The wind was blowing my hair over my eyes and to the side of my face. Like shotgun blast dirt attempts to penetrate my eye balls but I automatically shut them ensuring the safety of my pupils. I must admit that the wind was keeping the valley alive and restless and made me come to the hill again and again. When the wind was blowing like this I started to realize that nothing remains constant or the way it was before hand. I understood that I can watch the ordinary be rearranged and witness the rebirth of something that once was old. Nothing is attached in the valley, everything is just as unattached as gypsies who roam the country side liberated in their freedom.

Hells Kitchens Irish Mob essays

Hells Kitchens Irish Mob essays Hells Kitchen is a working class neighborhood on the west side of Midtown, Manhattan. At the turn of the century the area was largely an Irish and Germen enclave. Throughout the early years of the twentieth century, the most common activity for a young male was to be in some sort of gang. The most powerful of the early Hells Kitchen gangs was the Gophers, named so because they usually met in tenement basements. It was mostly made up of Irish toughs from the West Side. At their peak in 1907, there was believed to be around some 500 members. Their main specialties were burglarizing shops and pool halls, and raiding the docks and the Hudson River Rail Road. Occasionally they would rent themselves out as enforcers for various political candidates, but most of their time was spent fighting among themselves and other gangs in the area. There was no real boss of the Gophers, because they were so turbulent very few of their leaders held the distinction for more then a few months. By prohibit ion the Gophers gang was depleted, and what was left of the Gophers was resurrected by the infamous Owney the killer Madden. Owney the killer Madden was born in Liverpool, England, of Irish Parentage, and moved to Hells Kitchen at a young age. Owney the killer Madden was the first his kind in Hells Kitchen, he dressed in expensive suits and was well known in New Yorks high society. He controlled bootleg liquor, breweries, nightclubs, taxicabs, laundries, cloak and cigarette concessions. He also had a controlling interest in the very popular Cotton Club in Harlem and a piece of heavyweight boxing champion, Primo Carnera. Owney was force to share his bootlegging business with Dutch Schultz. In 1931 Madden was mad a representative of the Irish Mob in New York by Lucky Luciano. With such a lucrative base of income, it was only a matter of time before someone from Hells Kitchen would ch...

Systems of Equations on ACT Math Algebra Strategies and Practice Problems

Systems of Equations on ACT Math Algebra Strategies and Practice Problems SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’ve already tackled your single variable equations, then get ready for systems of equations. Multiple variables! Multiple equations! (Whoo!) Even better, systems of equations questions will always have multiple methods with which to solve them, depending on how you like to work best. So let us look not only at how systems of equations work, but all the various options you have available to solve them. This will be your complete guide to systems of equations questions- what they are, the many different ways for solving them, and how you’ll see them on the ACT. Before You Continue You will never see more than one systems of equations question per test, if indeed you see one at all. Remember that quantity of questions answered (as accurately as possible) is the most important aspect of scoring well on the ACT, because each question is worth the same amount of points. This means that you should prioritize understanding the more fundamental math topics on the ACT, like integers, triangles, and slopes. If you can answer two or three integer questions with the same effort as you can one question on systems of equations, it will be a better use of your time and energy. With that in mind, the same principles underlying how systems of equations work are the same for other algebra questions on the test, so it is still a good use of your time to understand how they work. Let's go tackle some systems questions, then! Whoo! What Are Systems of Equations? Systems of equations are a set of two (or more) equations that have two (or more) variables. The equations relate to one another, and each can be solved only with the information that the other provides. Most of the time, a systems of equations question on the ACT will involve two equations and two variables. It is by no means unheard of to have three or more equations and variables, but systems of equations are rare enough already and ones with more than two equations are even rarer than that. It is possible to solve systems of equations questions in a multitude of ways. As always with the ACT, how you chose to solve your problems mostly depends on how you like to work best as well as the time you have available to dedicate to the problem. The three methods to solve a system of equations problem are: #1: Graphing #2: Substitution #3: Subtraction Let us look at each method and see them in action by using the same system of equations as an example. For the sake of our example, let us say that our given system of equations is: $$3x + 2y = 44$$ $$6x - 6y = 18$$ Solving Method 1: Graphing In order to graph our equations, we must first put each equation into slope-intercept form. If you are familiar with your lines and slopes, you know that the slope-intercept form of a line looks like: $y = mx + b$ If a system of equations has one solution (and we will talk about systems that do not later in the guide), that one solution will be the intersection of the two lines. So let us put our two equations into slope-intercept form. $3x + 2y = 44$ $2y = -3x + 44$ $y = {-3/2}x + 22$ And $6x - 6y = 18$ $-6y = -6x + 18$ $y = x - 3$ Now let us graph each equation in order to find their point of intersection. Once we graphed our equation, we can see that the intersection is at (10, 7). So our final results are $x = 10$ and $y = 7$ Solving Method 2: Substitution Substitution is the second method for solving a system of equations question. In order to solve this way, we must isolate one variable in one of the equations and then use that found variable for the second equation in order to solve for the remaining variable. This may sound tricky, so let's look at it in action. For example, we have our same two equations from earlier, $$3x + 2y = 44$$ $$6x - 6y = 18$$ So let us select just one of the equations and then isolate one of the variables. In this case, let us chose the second equation and isolate our $y$ value. (Why that one? Why not!) $6x - 6y = 18$ $-6y = -6x + 18$ $y = x - 3$ Next, we must plug that found variable into the second equation. (In this case, because we used the second equation to isolate our $y$, we need to plug in that $y$ value into the first equation.) $3x + 2y = 44$ $3x + 2(x - 3) = 44$ $3x + 2x - 6 = 44$ $5x = 50$ $x = 10$ And finally, you can find the numerical value for your first variable ($y$) by plugging in the numerical value you found for your second variable ($x$) into either the first or the second equation. $3x + 2y = 44$ $3(10) + 2y = 44$ $30 + 2y = 44$ $2y = 14$ $y = 7$ Or $6x - 6y = 18$ $6(10) - 6y = 18$ $60 - 6y = 18$ $-6y = -42$ $y = 7$ Either way, you have found the value of both your $x$ and $y$. Again, $x = 10$ and $y = 7$ Solving Method 3: Subtraction Subtraction is the last method for solving our systems of equations questions. In order to use this method, you must subtract out one of the variables completely so that you can find the value of the second variable. Do take note that you can only do this if the variables in question are exactly the same. If the variables are NOT the same, then we can first multiply one of the equations- the entire equation- by the necessary amount in order to make the two variables the same. In the case of our two equations, none of our variables are equal. $$3x + 2y = 44$$ $$6x - 6y = 18$$ We can, however, make two of them equal. In this case, let us decide to subtract our $x$ values and cancel them out. This means that we must first make our $x$’s equal by multiplying our first equation by 2, so that both $x$ values match. So: $3x + 2y = 44$ $6x - 6y = 18$ Becomes: $2(3x + 2y = 44)$ = $6x + 4y = 88$ (The entire first equation is multiplied by 2.) And $6x - 6y = 18$ (The second equation remains unchanged.) Now we can cancel out our $y$ values by subtracting the entire second equation from the first. $6x + 4y = 88$ - $6x - 6y = 18$ $4y - -6y = 70$ $10y = 70$ $y = 7$ Now that we have isolated our $y$ value, we can plug it into either of our two equations to find our $x$ value. $3x + 2y = 44$ $3x + 2(7) = 44$ $3x + 14 = 44$ $3x = 30$ $x = 10$ Or $6x - 6y = 18$ $6x - 6(7) = 18$ $6x - 42 = 18$ $6x = 60$ $x = 10$ Our final results are, once again, $x = 10$ and $y = 7$. If this is all unfamiliar to you, don't worry about feeling overwhelmed! It may seem like a lot right now, but, with practice, you'll find the solution method that fits you best. No matter which method we use to solve our problems, a system of equations will either have one solution, no solution, or infinite solutions. In order for a system of equations to have one solution, the two (or more) lines must intersect at one point so that each variable has one numerical value. In order for a system of equations to have infinite solutions, each system will be identical. This means that they are the same line. And, in order for a system of equations to have no solution, the $x$ values will be equal when the $y$ values are each set to 1. This means that, for each equation, both the $x$ and $y$ values will be equal. The reason this results in a system with no solution is that it gives us two parallel lines. The lines will have the same slope and never intersect, which means there will be no solution. For instance, For which value of $a$ will there be no solution for the systems of equations? $2y - 6x = 28$ $4y - ax = 28$ -12 -6 3 6 12 We can, as always use multiple methods to solve our problem. For instance, let us first try subtraction. We must get the two $y$ variables to match so that we can eliminate them from the equation. This will mean we can isolate our $x$ variables to find the value of our $a$. So let us multiply our first equation by 2 so that our $y$ variables will match. $2(2y - 6x = 28)$ = $4y - 12x = 56$ Now, let us subtract our equations $4y - 12x = 56$ - $4y - ax = 28$ $-12x - -ax = 28$ We know that our $-12x$ and our $-ax$ must be equal, since they must have the same slope (and therefore negate to 0), so let us equate them. $-12x = -ax$ $a = 12$ $a$ must equal 12 for there to be no solution to the problem. Our final answer is E, 12. If it is frustrating or confusing to you to try to decide which of the three solving methods â€Å"best† fits the particular problem, don’t worry about it! You will almost always be able to solve your systems of equations problems no matter which method you choose. For instance, for the problem above, we could simply put each equation into slope-intercept form. We know that a system of equations question will have no solution when the two lines are parallel, which means that their slopes will be equal. Begin with our givens, $2y - 6x = 28$ $4y - ax = 28$ And let’s take them individually, $2y - 6x = 28$ $2y = 6x + 28$ $y = 3x + 14$ And $4y - ax = 28$ $4y = ax + 28$ $y = {a/4}x + 7$ We know that the two slopes must be equal, so we will find $a$ by equating the two terms. $3 = a/4$ $12 = a$ Our final answer is E, 12. As you can see, there is never any â€Å"best† method to solve a system of equations question, only the solving method that appeals to you the most. Some paths might make more sense to you, some might seem confusing or cumbersome. Either way, you will be able to solve your systems questions no matter what route you choose. Typical Systems of Equations Questions There are essentially two different types of system of equations questions you’ll see on the test. Let us look at each type. Equation Question As with our previous examples, many systems of equations questions will be presented to you as actual equations. The question will almost always ask you to find the value of a variable for one of three types of solutions- the one solution to your system, for no solution, or for infinite solutions. (We will work through how to solve this question later in the guide.) Word Problems You may also see a systems of equations question presented as a word problem. Often (though not always), these types of problems on the ACT will involve money in some way. In order to solve this type of equation, you must first define and write out your system so that you can solve it. For instance, A movie ticket is 4 dollars for children and 9 dollars for adults. Last Saturday, there were 680 movie-goers and the theater collected a total of 5,235 dollars. How many movie-goers were children on Saturday? 88 112 177 368 503 First, we know that there were a total of 680 movie-goers, made up of some combination of adults and children. So: $a + c = 680$ Next, we know that adult tickets cost 9 dollars, children’s tickets cost 4 dollars, and that the total amount spent was 5,235 dollars. So: $9a + 4c = 5,235$ Now, we can, as always, use multiple methods to solve our equations, but let us use just one for demonstration. In this case, let us use substitution so that we can find the number of children who attended the theater. If we isolate our $a$ value in the first equation, we can use it in the second equation to solve for the total number of children. $a + c = 680$ $a = 680 - c$ So let us plug this value into our second equation. $9a + 4c = 5,235$ $9(680 - c) + 4c = 5235$ $6120 - 9c + 4c = 5235$ $-5c = -885$ $c = 177$ 177 children attended the theater that day. Our final answer is C, 177. You know what to look for and how to use your solution methods, so let's talk strategy. Strategies for Solving Systems of Equations Questions All systems of equations questions can be solved through the same methods that we outlined above, but there are additional strategies you can use to solve your questions in the fastest and easiest ways possible. 1) To begin, isolate or eliminate the opposite variable that you are required to find Because the goal of most ACT systems of equations questions is to find the value of just one of your variables, you do not have to waste your time finding ALL the variable values. The easiest way to solve for the one variable you want is to either eliminate your unwanted variable using subtraction, like so: Let us say that we have a systems problem in which we are asked to find the value of $y$. $$4x + 2y = 20$$ $$8x + y = 28$$ If we are using subtraction, let us eliminate the opposite value that we are looking to find (namely, $x$.) $4x + 2y = 20$ $8x + y = 28$ First, we need to set our $x$ values equal, which means we need to multiply the entire first equation by 2. This gives us: $8x + 4y = 40$ - $8x + y = 28$ - $3y = 12$ $y = 4$ Alternatively, we can isolate the opposite variable using substitution, like so: $4x + 2y = 20$ $8x + y = 28$ So that we don't waste our time finding the value of $x$ in addition to $y$, we must isolate our $x$ value first and then plug that value into the second equation. $4x + 2y = 20$ $4x = 20 - 2y$ $x = 5 - {1/2}y$ Now, let us plug this value for $x$ into our second equation. $8x + y = 28$ $8(5 - {1/2}y) + y = 28$ $40 - 4y + y = 28$ $-3y = -12$ $y = 4$ As you can see, no matter the technique you choose to use, we always start by isolating or eliminating the opposite variable we want to find. 2) Practice all three solving methods to see which one is most comfortable to you You’ll discover the solving method that suits you the best when it comes to systems of equations once you practice on multiple problems. Though it is best to know how to solve any systems question in multiple ways, it is completely okay to pick one solving method and stick with it each time. When you test yourself on systems questions, try to solve each one using more than one method in order to see which one is most comfortable for you personally. 3) Look extra carefully at any ACT question that involves dollars and cents Many systems of equations word problem questions are easy to confuse with other types of problems, like single variable equations or equations that require you to find alternate expressions. A good rule of thumb, however, is that it is highly likely that your ACT math problem is a system of equations question if you are asked to find the value of one of your variables and/or if the question involves money in some way. Again, not all money questions are systems of equations and not all systems of equation word problem questions involve money, but the two have a high correlation on the ACT. When you see a dollar sign or a mention of currency, keep your eyes sharp. Ready to tackle your systems problems? Test Your Knowledge Now let us test your system of equation knowledge on more ACT math questions. 1. The sum of real numbers $a$ and $b$ is 20 and their difference is 6. What is the value of $ab$? A. 51B. 64C. 75D. 84E. 91 2. For what value of $a$ would the following system of equations have an infinite number of solutions? $$2x-y=8$$ $$6x-3y=4a$$ A. 2B. 6C. 8D. 24E. 32 3. What is the value of $x$ in the following systems of equations? $$3x - 2y - 7 = 18$$ $$-x + y = -8$$ A. -1B. 3C. 8D. 9E. 18 Answers: E, B, D Answer Explanations: 1. We are given two equations involving the relationship between $a$ and $b$, so let us write them out. $a + b = 20$ $a - b = 6$ (Note: we do not actually know which is larger- $a$ or $b$. But also notice that it doesn't actually matter. Because we are being asked to find the product of $a$ and $b$, it does not matter if $a$ is the larger of the two numbers or if $b$ is the larger of the two numbers; $a * b$ will be the same either way.) Now, we can use whichever method we want to solve our systems question, but for the sake of space and time we will only choose one. In this case, let us use substitution to find the value of one of our variables. Let us begin by isolating $a$ in the first equation. $a + b = 20$ $a = 20 - b$ Now let's replace this $a$ value in the second equation. $a - b = 6$ $(20 - b) - b = 6$ $-2b = -14$ $b = 7$ Now we can replace the value of $b$ back into either equation in order to find the numerical value for $a$. Let us do so in the first equation. $a + b = 20$ $a + 7 = 20$ $a = 13$ We have found the numerical values for both our unknown variables, so let us finish with the final step and multiply them together. $a = 13$ and $b = 7$ $(13)(7)$ $91$ Our final answer is E, 91. 2. We know that a system has infinite solutions only when the entire system is equal. Right now, our coefficients (the numbers in front of the variables) for $x$ and $y$ are not equal, but we can make them equal by multiplying the first equation by 3. That way, we can transform this pairing: $2x - y = 8$ $6x - 3y = 4a$ Into: $6x - 3y = 24$ $6x - 3y = 4a$ Now that we have made our $x$ and $y$ values equal, we can set our variables equal to one another as well. $24 = 4a$ $a = 6$ In order to have a system that has infinite solutions, our $a$ value must be 6. Our final answer is B, 6. 3. Before we decide on our solving method, let us combine all of our similar terms. So, $3x - 2x - 7 = 18$ = $3x - 2y = 25$ Now, we can again use any solving method we want to, but let us choose just one to save ourselves some time. In this case, let us use subtraction. So we have: $3x - 2y = 25$ $-x + y = -8$ Because we are being asked to find the value of $x$, let us subtract out our $y$ values. This means we must multiply the second equation by 2. $2(-x + y = -8)$ $-2x + 2y = -16$ Now, we have a $-2y$ in our first equation and a $+2y$ in our second, which means that we will actually be adding our two equations instead of subtracting them. (Remember: we are trying to eliminate our $y$ variable completely, so it must become 0.) $3x - 2y = 25$ + $-2x + 2y = -16$ - $x = 9$ We have successfully found the value for $x$. Our final answer is D, 9. Good job! The tiny turtle is proud of you. The Take-Aways As you can see, there is a veritable cornucopia of ways to solve your systems of equations problems, which means that you have the ability to be flexible with them more than many other types of problems. So take heart that your choices are many for how to proceed, and practice to learn the method that suits you the best. What’s Next? Ready to take on more math topics? Of course you are! Luckily, we've got your back, with math guides on all the different math topics you'll see on the ACT. From circles to polygons, angles to trigonometry, we've got guides for your needs. Bitten by the procrastination bug? Learn why you're tempted to procrastinate and how to beat the urge. Want to skip to the most important math guides? If you only have time to tackle a few articles, take a look at two of the most important math strategies for improving your math score- plugging in answers and plugging in numbers. Knowing these strategies will help you take on some of the more challenging questions on the ACT in no time. Looking to get a perfect score? Check out our guide to getting a 36 on the ACT math section, written by a perfect-scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Australiana Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Australiana Literature - Essay Example e again tends to generates a dedoublement, one that there is no mistaking this time, and one that, if only for the reason that Whites tributary insertion of Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov into his own text, is noticeably self-referring. Is its resolution of this crisis - if that is what it is - recognizable as well? To answer in terms of Whites theme of representation-at-the-margin a good number of his story White holds out an optimism of an Australian vernacular writing that will yet remain in touch with a parent European Writing (Wilke p 97). Finally, however, what has seemed a bearable, if problematic relationship between Arthur and Waldo - and we are talking constantly regarding possibilities of representation - proves to be non-viable. As a replacement for of making for a productive synthesis, the narratives in the novel are known as "Arthur" and "Waldo" is but the same crisis of potentially aggressive confusion seen from somewhat different viewpoints. except the fact that white sees a number of positive sacrificial meaning at this point only obvious conclusion in The Solid Mandala is collapse or regression into an undifferentiated condition, into the extremely confusion of Same as well as Other it has tried to reconcile: Waldo Brown, dead of spite, in addition to his non-identical twin Arthur, sent to a mental institution, and keeping just one of his four solid mandalas. The conflict never affected their relationship as Arthur said at one occasion Ill kill," Arthur continued to bellow, "the pair of you bloody buggers if you touch," he choked, "my brother."( White p45) this showed how one brother protected the other Bound together in conflict, Waldo and Arthur represent duality in totality. Separate yet whole, the brothers symbolize the two opposing halves of the self. White advocates the need for both parts as well as for balance between the two. For example, Arthur’s insight—his almost visionary capability—is too otherworldly for this

Nature and Role of Women in Victorian America Essay

Nature and Role of Women in Victorian America - Essay Example Moreover, as for the women living in the United States of America during the Victorian Age, it was a matter of struggle for the fair sex to establish their rights on the society and find out their ways of living. Despite countless restrains imposed on them by society at large, the Victorian women in America exhibited a degree of tenacity and strength of will that significantly redefining the socio-economic role of women for generations to come. It is both naive and unsound to divorce the condition of women in Victorian America from the condition of women in the Europe. The Victorian American women ventured their ways in the new found land with almost the same grace as they did in the European continent. However, the conditions in the US were all the more challenging for women. Home and a new world far away from the culture and society they knew - these were the immediate surroundings that they found themselves in. Their husbands were in search of prospect in the new land. Feeling of distanced from their roots was very disturbing. America was still largely rural, and daughters (much like sons till the turn of the 18th century) were still considered to be commodity possessions. The more farm hands a family had the more usage could they make from the available land. On the one hand, those women had to handle the household jobs and on the other they had to cope with the alien world outside their homes. Belonging mostly to middle class stature, the young ladies of the Victorian era were brought up within the strict boundaries of thankless domestic chores, spending their time in needle work and managing the kitchen (Plante, P.2) with no regard to their inherent potentials to emerge victorious in the man's world. In spite of that, the ladies nurtured and cherished within them the forlorn hope of personal achievement and never quivered to come out of their domestic holds in times of need. The Northern part of the American continent, in particular, presented a tough challenge for the women living there. This was a place which was known for the harsh weather and other social adversities. European women were completely new to such a world. Their husbands and other members of their families were hardly by their sides when they fought against all the problems occurring in that region. Women also had to protect their religious beliefs in this completely new land. They not only handled all the household jobs but also stood by their husbands who were prospecting in different dangerous places. The experience was not a matter of joke. None of them were rich and could not afford anything they wanted. This was why women living in those parts of the country had go through a huge number of compromises. In the face of such adversity, Victorian women in America started to formulate their own ideas about living a healthy life. They created new theories regarding how to look after the household jobs and perform well as mothers, too. Denied of a place in the 'outside' world, the kitchen became the space where the Victorian American women had to explore forming newer ideas. They did not get everything they used as raw materials in the European countries. America was a new place and new ingredients crept into the kitchens resulting in cooking of new dishes. Invention of these new typically American cuisines was something for which we should give the whole credit to the housewives during this

Knowledge, Truth, Belief Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Knowledge, Truth, Belief - Assignment Example We know that when someone dies, they are gone forever. We don’t see the people who have died. They’re put in the ground, and we know that there is no possibility of ever seeing them alive again. Death is the ultimate reality that gives life meaning—because we know that once we’re dead, there may be some astral traveling to various yugas, but that life is the ultimate experience with realia. 2. One of the more contentious points in Descartes argument centers around the claim that God must necessarily exist because he is a perfect being, and a perfect being would not lack the attribute of existence. When this argument was first posed by St. Anselm in 1078, (almost 560 years earlier) a contemporary of Anselms, a monk named Gaulino, parodied this argument by suggesting that if someone could conceive of a "perfect island" then this perfect island must exist somewhere, since the idea of a non-existent perfect island (much like a non-existent but perfect God) would represent an inconsistency in ones thinking. Is Gaulino correct when he suggests that this kind of argument seems to open the door for the (somewhat sudden) existence of all kinds of entities so long as we conceive of them as being perfect? Explain. Descartes’s assertion that all entities exist because they are perfect produces a troubling difficulty that cannot be immediately remedied. As Descartes said himself, even he had doubts about certain issues. â€Å"All that I have, up to this moment, accepted as possessed of the highest truth and certainty, I received either from or through the senses. I observed, however, that these sometimes misled us†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 1 He is admitting, then, that the senses can deceive one when conceptualizing philosophical ideas. This doesn’t make him an expert, then, when he says that everything that truly exists has to be perfect—because we all know that there are many things in the world that do indeed

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management Assignment - 4

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management - Assignment Example The business planning process consists in following some step by step processes which needs to be documented for an organization to have a clear insight and direction for work. Critical appraisal of the business planning process The business planning process has a lot of loopholes and most traditional business plans are criticized to be overtly formal and rigid. Here we will critically appraise a business planning process. Idea generation The first step of a business plan is the visualization of a new product or service which the enterprise desires to provide. In fact it outlines the key to future growth prospects. However, before taking a decision as to which product or service should be started, a thorough market research including customer’s preferences should be conducted. Most organizations rely on the traditional methods in order to research on the idea generation and come to a decision. The traditional techniques are usually based on the inputs provided by customers and these may be extremely biased. These techniques identify a target market for the product or service and randomly conduct a customer focused survey to come to a conclusion (Lilien et al. 2002). Another key barrier to the idea generation process is that firms may hurriedly decide and document a product or a service idea. In this case thorough research may not have been conducted probably due to lack of skill and knowledge and faulty processes (Flint 2000). Hence; most business ideas may never be implemented. Other constraints faced by firms may be with reference to garnering sufficient funds to start a business. If the firm is not able to procure funds then the business idea is scrapped and the top management has to again come out with a new business idea. Strategic objectives The next step in the business planning process consists in setting short term and long term goals and strategies. It is very necessary to set up goals so that a pre determined path can be chalked out to attain strategic objectives. However, most planners may come up with highly unrealistic and unattainable objectives. This is one of the principal reasons for the failure of the business planning process. This may occur due to the fact that the top management team has a divided opinion or is not wholly involved in the planning process (Mintzberg 1994). Also the planners have to work under uncertain market conditions and hence they need to monitor the goals from time to time. Most firms do not bother to discuss and make changes to the pre determined goals and this may lead to failure of the business plan. Market analysis and research The organization needs to thoroughly research the customer market by conducting a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is a thorough research conducted with reference to identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threat of the product market and the customer market. The main problem encountered in a market research is that the data collected may be outda ted or irrelevant for the purpose. In this case, the results generated on the basis of the research may be biased or flawed. Another problem organizations encounter is with the location

Teamwork in companies and corporate change Research Paper

Teamwork in companies and corporate change - Research Paper Example In short, individuals will get more freedom and flexibility in their works in organizations where team work prevails. â€Å"The main characteristic feature of the team is synergy through which team members act together and achieve better results than if they perform alone or in other organizational forms†(Petrov, 2010, p.91). While working in a team, individuals get more support from his team members and therefore his jobs stress will be considerably reduced. Reduced job stress will increases his performances and productivity. Another major advantage of team work is the â€Å"creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, because synergy pools individual talents and efforts to create extraordinary results† (Judeh, 2011, p.203). 1+1 = 2 is correct in Mathematics; but in business 1+1>2 because of the possibility of extraordinary results teamwork can generate in an organization. While working as part of a team, the members may deliver more than 100% of their efficiency. Sheng & Tinag (2010) have pointed out that â€Å"employees would have more loyalty and ties to those in groups working with them as a team because they could have immediate feedback from these people† (Sheng & Tinag, 2010, p.1297). Man is a social animal and he dislikes individual work. Nobody wants to work in a lonely atmosphere in which no communication occurs or no support received. While working in groups or teams, he gets enough opportunities for communication and therefore his capabilities will come out automatically. In this article, Bob Frisch point out some of the major drawbacks of teamwork along with the benefits of teamwork. In his opinion, even though the employees in a team will get more freedom and flexibility in their works, the chances of increased blaming of the individual employees cannot be ruled out. Team work also helps to have assertive conversations, give and receive feedback, and

Health and Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Health and Safety - Essay Example release of harmful substances or petroleum products into structures on the site, the ground, underground water or surface water in the property (Hughes & Ferrett, 2008). ISA encompasses the following aspects: analyzing relevant and existing documents and maps explaining local geological and hydrogeological conditions. It also evaluates existing aerial photographs of the site in order to determine prior activities and developments that will give a hint of the potential existence of harmful substances. ISA will also focus on the terrain of the site in order to determine if the project to be established will not pose a health or safety risk if constructed on the site. The topography is also critical in projects that will require the pumping of water or waste which is in liquid form as it will require pressure. Examples include water and sewerage projects. Access and exit routes to the site will also be addressed by the initial assessment report. These two factors are important in that it will determine efficiency of entry into the site. Such considerations are also important in cases of accidents and emergencies as knowledge of exit routes will ensure fast evacuation of the site (Hughes & Ferrett, 2008). The boundaries of the site are also important in the initial site assessment because if the project will entail the emission of hazardous waste, it is important that the boundaries are clearly defined to avoid contamination of adjacent surrounding areas. Such acts can result in healthy concerns for the nearing environs and costly law suits. Site controls are important in ensuring that health and safety concerns are addressed before the actual project is started. Planning is critical in ensuring that health and safety is integrated into the project from the initial stages of the project to avoid future complications that may arise in installing safety measures in the site. Some of the considerations that must be factored in include installation of fire exits,

Teamwork in companies and corporate change Research Paper

Teamwork in companies and corporate change - Research Paper Example In short, individuals will get more freedom and flexibility in their works in organizations where team work prevails. â€Å"The main characteristic feature of the team is synergy through which team members act together and achieve better results than if they perform alone or in other organizational forms†(Petrov, 2010, p.91). While working in a team, individuals get more support from his team members and therefore his jobs stress will be considerably reduced. Reduced job stress will increases his performances and productivity. Another major advantage of team work is the â€Å"creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, because synergy pools individual talents and efforts to create extraordinary results† (Judeh, 2011, p.203). 1+1 = 2 is correct in Mathematics; but in business 1+1>2 because of the possibility of extraordinary results teamwork can generate in an organization. While working as part of a team, the members may deliver more than 100% of their efficiency. Sheng & Tinag (2010) have pointed out that â€Å"employees would have more loyalty and ties to those in groups working with them as a team because they could have immediate feedback from these people† (Sheng & Tinag, 2010, p.1297). Man is a social animal and he dislikes individual work. Nobody wants to work in a lonely atmosphere in which no communication occurs or no support received. While working in groups or teams, he gets enough opportunities for communication and therefore his capabilities will come out automatically. In this article, Bob Frisch point out some of the major drawbacks of teamwork along with the benefits of teamwork. In his opinion, even though the employees in a team will get more freedom and flexibility in their works, the chances of increased blaming of the individual employees cannot be ruled out. Team work also helps to have assertive conversations, give and receive feedback, and

Finance - Rivington Hospital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Finance - Rivington Hospital - Essay Example ..6 Heating and Power Costs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 Introduction The performance of any department can be evaluated in a number of ways, among which the fulfilment of budgets is considered vital. This report focuses on evaluating the performance of the laundry department based on revised budget estimates. The report begins by examining the effects of the existin g budget on the behaviour of the laundry supervisor. After this, it outlines the different criteria for the investigation of variances, including a redrafting of the memo and revision of the existing budget, before reaching conclusions. a) Effects on the Behaviour of the Laundry Supervisor There may be various effects on the behaviour of the laundry supervisor because of the imposition of the budget. The existing budget has several negative elements that could lead to the laundry supervisor reacting and behaving in an irrational manner. ... The second negative effect on the supervisor’s productivity is that the budget was prepared as if to pressurise her, rather than to motivate her, because despite the increasing volume and turnover of the hospital the budget was set in a rigid manner using the old budgeted activity levels. It is also important to note that the quality of the laundry department’s performance may be hampered from now on, as the supervisor might try to achieve the budget targets irrespective of whether quality is assured or not. Misrepresentation could also become a problem, as if her only objective is to meet the targets set out in the budget, she may attempt to fulfil them by adopting negative tactics. There are costs involved that will definitely increase because of growth in the activity level, which means the laundry supervisor will not have any control over them. Therefore, this could ultimately lead her to deploy negative tactics in the form of misrepresentation, falsification and po or quality control measures. b) Criteria for Investigation of Variances The criteria for evaluating whether variances ought to be investigated or not should be based upon the nature of the costs incurred by the different departments. The basic criterion is to divide them into controllable and uncontrollable costs. The controllable costs should be aligned with the actual activity level of the department, as they change according to variation in the activity level; therefore, they should be investigated if there is a significant amount of variation. In this way, Rivington Hospital has the choice of whether to use the absolute or relative method to investigate the negative variances. The other types of costs are uncontrollable costs, and are incurred

A Hostel Management System

A Hostel Management System Introduction INTI International University (IIU) is a private university located in Putra Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It was previously known as INTI University College. INTI has grown monumentally over the years until 31 May 2010 when the Higher Education Ministry announced it has became the university status. (Wikipedia, 2010) In 1986, INTI opened its first college at Bangunan Sim Lim brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. It starts with only 37 students on it first enrollment. In 1989 the College was re-located to Jalan Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur. As the number of students continued rising, the INTI established a permanent campus in Subang jaya (INTI College Subang Jaya) and more campuses began built in Kuching, Sarawak, Kota Kinabalu and then Sabah. The main campus (INTI UNIVESITY COLLEGE) was completed 1998 in Putra Nilai. INTI has a total 9 campuses in Malaysia. INTI became part of Laureate International Universities (LIU) network in 2008 becoming the first Malaysian University to be chosen by the Laureate International Education Group. (New INTI, 2009) Nowadays, with the emergence of global economy and transformation of industrial economies, the information system and information technology become important within the business sector as the world keep changing with fast developed technology. Information technology and internet-based information systems are playing vital and expanding roles in business. IS can help all kinds of businesses improve the efficiency and effectively of their daily work and workplace collaboration. Information system and information technology are quite a necessary ingredient for business success in todays dynamic global environment. Besides, information system and information technology also applied by the education industry to conduct more of their work electronically. There is a need for the education institutions to apply the information system and information technology in their daily work to improve the workflows and reduce workloads. So, we would like to conduct a research of INTI International University Literature Review Hostel Management System As the topic mentions above Hostel Management System is software that is developed to help in managing various activities in the hostel. As is well-known, the education institutions are rapidly increasing for the past few years. Therefore, it leads to mushrooming of hostels for the accommodation of the students study in these institutions. And hence there is the appearance of Hostel Management System which helps with dealing the problem of managing hostel and avoid the problem when do it manually. (Muhammed Shaheer .K.A, Muhammed Shiras.A, Vinod Raj. R, Prasobh.G.V, April, 2009) Hostel management by manual way is tedious process, since it involves work load and time consumption. In this system, we can easily manage the hostel details, room details, student records, mess expenditure, mess bill calculation, easy way of room allocation and hostel attendance. Thus, there are a lot of repetition can be easily evaded which has reduced the data redundancy. (M. Deepika, A. Chitra, 2010) Reports in regard to the Room Availability, Room Allocation, Student Transfer and Evacuation are provided too. Functional Feature: Creation of Building and Block information. Provision of various room types (Single / Twin/Single with Air-con Room/Twin with Air-con Room). Room allotment to the student. Student checks in and check out. Monitoring Visitors and Guest register. Transfer of rooms. Room evacuation. (Hostel Management System, 2006) The Administrator can: 1. Allot different students to the different hostels. 2. Vacate the students for the hostels. 3. Control the status of the fee payment. 4. Edit the details of the students modify the student records. 1) Allotment of the hostels The officer must checks the certified application forms of the students obtained and verify it with the student database. If the students are found eligible then they are allotted to the hostel. 2) Vacating the room As the students course is over they will vacate their rooms. So it is required for the administrator to remove their records from the database tables. This part includes the option for the room vacation and the deletion of the particular record from the database. 3) Control status of fee payment As the students every semester need to make rent payment. So, the officer needs to process it and print out the invoice for students to pay rental in finance office. 4) Edit the details of students and modify the student records As the new student moves into hostel, the officer need edit the details of students and modifies the student records to make sure the data is updated. (Muhammed Shaheer .K.A, Muhammed Shiras.A, Vinod Raj. R, Prasobh.G.V, April, 2009) We can improve the efficiency of the system, thus overcome the drawbacks of Less human error Strength and strain of manual labor can be reduced Reduce data redundancy High security Data consistency Easy to handle Easy data updating Easy record keeping Backup data can be easily generated Figure 1: General functions of the Hostel Management System (HMS) (Hostel Management System, 2009) Library Management System Library Management System is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed. A library Management System has a relational database, software to support the database, and two graphical user interfaces. The system separate software functions into discrete programs which call modules. Example like: Acquisitions ordering, receiving, and invoicing material Cataloging classifying and indexing material Circulation lending materials to patrons and receiving them back Serials tracking magazine and newspaper holding OPAC public interface for users (Wikipedia,2010) Library Management System is small footprint software suitable for personal or individual libraries. It provides many functions to the users the control the flow of the library. Such as : Control the movement of books and other material and avoid loosing the same. Search if you have a specific book in your collection based on the title, author etc. Print the spine labels for the book. Find what a specific person has borrowed from you (Azhar Hussain, 2009) By development of the Library Management System help the librarians to manage the library well. It record clearly the transactions of the books daily of the library. These make the insurance of the book become higher. It is not easier to happen lost of books in the library anymore. E-library is also a part of the Library Management System. E-library system is a type of service which allows the users without stepping into the library, to read the books and conduct research at home, in the office, or at school, using the Internet. Service which enables users to effectively employ electronic data by using an in-library network .This is a new library service that applies rapidly advancing data processing technology and networking technology, and it is expected to become a highly convenient, epoch-making mode of service. (National Diet Library, 2010) E-library performs well. It features such as: Member features Search system which allows the users to search the book by typing the key words or author of the book. Book features Category management which allows librarians to add, modify, and remove categories form library resources database. Book borrow Return Check in features Booking management which allows the users to reserve library resources item. Report features Book borrow / return Analysis Report which view information about the real time analysis report. Miscellaneous Site Information which provide a simple site map and let people easy to access. (E-library system,2008) By the development of the E-library system, it provides both convenience between users and librarians. Users can check the book online by not stepping into the library. Users can also booking the book online. These save the time for the users. For librarians, it is easy to manage the category of the book and control the movement of the books. It brings the librarians an easy work. Figures 2 General function of the Library Management System (Library Management System, 2009) Analysis of the Company INTI International University Accommodation Office System: Hostel Management System (HMS) University background, history nature of business INTI International University (IIU) is an education institution that has been rapidly improving for the past few years. As the fast increasing student numbers, therefore, to accommodate part of the students studying in the institution, the INTI International University has had to build up more hostels in the campus. INTI International University, Nilai campus got 16 Halls of Residence named after great men who have contributed to the well-being of mankind. All these hostels at present are manage by the accommodation office. Internet connection, Wi-Fi, Resident Fellow, security, facilities and convenient stores are some of the facilities provided for the convenient of the students. Coin-operated washing machines and dryers are also available is every hall of residents. The INTI hostels have provided many kinds of room such as Single, Twin-sharing, Single with air-con and Twin with air-con. (New INTI, 2009) As is well known, the education institutions are rapidly increasing for the past few years. Therefore, it leads to mushrooming of hostels for the residence of the students who study in these institutions. As the world keep changing with the fast developed information system and information technology, there is a need for the education institutions to apply the information system and information technology in their daily work to improve the workflows and reduce workloads. Hence, there is system appears in managing hostels to avoid the problem when do it manually. System Development The Accommodation Office currently uses the system which is called Hostel Management System (HMS). This system is software that is being developed to help officers who work in accommodation office in managing various kinds of activities in the hostels. Hostel Management System (HMS) is one of the modules of the Total Campus Management System (TCMS). Unlike the Integrated Library Management Utility (ILMU), HMS is only a module. ILMU is a unique system that management the whole library which is same as the TCMS. TCMS is comprehensive workflow management systems that integrate and manage all key function of work progress. It increases the productivity with real time communication between the front office, administrators, and management. It consist reporting, accounting, financing, examination grade, etc. Hostel Module Hostel management module has features of efficiently and effectively managing the entire residential facility in the institute. It has reducing the staff paper works and improved workflows. This hostel module will keep the updated records of students, lodging, transfer room and other facilities. Hostel Management System (HMS) is a system which helps in managing various activities in the hostel. According to Miss Azlinda Binti Alias (Officer Accommodation Office), the previous system used in INTI is called Room Master. The older systems (Room Master) only perform three single functions for the hostel. That is check-out, check-in and booking. It didnt help the staff very much in the hostel. Many works that also need to do manually by the staff. It required more strength and strain of manual labor needed. For example, the staffs need to go to the finance office to get the list of students who enroll for the semester in order to do the check-in for them. It is because of lacking of data-sharing and availability between finance office and accommodation office. In the previous system, staffs in accommodation office need to record all kind of transactions and processes manually which involves more man power. There are many paper works and duplicate task in data entry. It is difficu lt to handle and store the data. Besides, there is also difficult to update the data while there is always got students move in and move out every semester. With the help of computerized information system, it can reduce the human errors. With the new system, it brings many conveniences to the staff. Thus, it has improving their efficiency and productivity in works. As the mention in above, Hostel Management System (HMS) is a sub module of the Total Campus Management System (TCMS). TCMS has improved communication and data-sharing between the departments in a collaborative environment. There is a link between HMS and TCMS which enable the staff in Accommodation office can access the information needed from the finance office. Yet, TCMS also control the access to data and information based on user roles which means that there is a control over information each user can view or edit. Staffs do not need like before do their work manually. Hostel Management System has helped the accommodation office in saving the human resource as compared to the previous system (Room Master). All the edited information or updated information will show in the HMS immediately. HMS has provides the best service to the accommodation office in managing daily workflows. Through the implementation of Hostel Management System, it has replacing manual system where it able the staff to complete the work more efficient and effectively. The system has helped in managing any problem occurring within the hostel accommodation and avoiding any problem when keying in the detail manually. Therefore, through the usage of this system, they can easily manage the room details, student records, room vacancy details, mess bill calculation, mess expenditure, allocation of room and hostel attendances. Besides, repetition can be easily avoided. It also has reduced that data redundancy and any inconsistency of data. The accommodation office uses Hostel Management System to key in all the details of the students who are staying in the hostels. This system is mainly used to do room bookings, check in and check out of the students and also the payment for the accommodation. Reports in regard to the room allocation, room availability, student transfer and evacuation are provided too. System Functions: Hostel Management System (HMS) has several functions which enable the staffs from accommodation office such as allocate students to the different hostels, reserve the room for the students, control status of rental payment and edit the details of the students modify the student records. Allocating students to the hostels The officers must check the details in an application form of the students and verify it from database to match the application of students. Therefore, when the students are eligible then they are allocated to the hostel. The officers will also allocate the room according the requirements of the students as there are different types of rooms are available. Vacating the room As the students have completed their course In INTI, they will be graduated and vacant their rooms. When the students vacant their room, the officer needs to check whether the room facilities have missing or broken down. If all facilities are completed, accommodation office will return the deposits to the students. Thus, the officers in accommodation office will have to remove the particular student details and records from the student database. This is to ensure there will not be the problem exists when the existing residents records coincide with previous residents. Control status of rental payment Every student who stays in the hostel has to make a rental payment every semester. The rental payment varies by the types of room available. As the students who need to book the rooms every semester, they need to pass up a form and get the invoice from the accommodation office. The officers need to key in details of the students as well as type of room that the student want, the system will eventually know how much the students has to pay for that particular semester for their chosen room. Lastly, the officer needs to process it and print out the invoice for the students to make their payments at the Finance Office. There is a link between the system of Finance Office and Hostel Management System. Besides, officers are also able to check any outstanding payments which have not been made by the students through the processing of the system. Editing the details of the student and modifying the students records As there are new students move into the hostels, they need to register themselves as a residents of the hostels. The officers need to key in the details of the new students who want to move in into the database. Therefore, the officers have to edit the details of the students and modify the student records to ensure the data is updated. Besides, this system also enable staffs of accommodation office to check whether the student have done their room booking or rental payments, it can also check whether if the students are staying in the hostels or not, and it can retrieve records of where the students have stayed before. Maintenance Maintenance of the Hostel Management System (HMS) will only do when the system facing the problem. The systems no need to have a check annually or quarterly. According to the officer of the Accommodation Office Azlinda Binti Alias, she says the system is not facing any serious problem until now. Regardless to the update, the system will have update when the Hostel Management System (HMS) doesnt meet the requirement of the Total Campus Management System (TCMS). In this point, Information System Office (INSO) Information Technology Centre (INTC) which is from the INTI International University departments will handle this update. The staff of the Accommodation Office only is the end user of the system. They dun know about the technical problem of the system. The entire problem will pass to INSO INTC to handle. Problem that Hostel Management System(HMS) having Future Plan There is a problem that Hostel Management System (HMS) is having. From the interview, we know that when the Total Campus Management System (TCMS) is giving a huge amount of staff is using, HMS will be affected. Example like, when the TCMS is jamming because of many people is using its, HMS cant send or received the information from the TCMS. The staffs have to wait the TCMS recover only they can do their works. Future plan of the Accommodation Office is to create an E-service for the residents of the hostel. The E-services will provide residents an on-line booking room functions. Residents do not need like before do their room booking manually. But due to some problem they are considering, the panning is still waiting to approve. The problem they are considering have many, one of them is they are considering that now a day residents computer skill is very good. They finding a good security for the E-services to provide the system will be hack by the residents. INTI International University Library System: Integrated Management System Utility (ILMU) University background, history nature of business Tan Sri Abdul Majid Library was established in April 1998 with the opening of the INTI International University, Nilai campus. It has grown and developed over the years and now is located at the universitys new wing known as the Learning Resource Center. The Library serves a growing academic community, at present some of 6,000 members, who are mainly staff and students of INTI International University. The Library currently has a collection of approximately 90,000 items comprising of materials in various formats such as monographs, serials and multimedia. The INTI International University Library, standing as the heart of the campus, will continue to develop into a dynamic resource center by providing the intellectual needs for its academic community. (TSAM Library, 2009) Libraries have traditionally played a role of physical store or housing print materials. The accessibility of the web has seen shift the position of library. Records describing local print materials now sit side by side with records providing links to external web resources. Nowadays, the world keep changing with fast developed technologies, people are more easily to access information online. The scope of what a library system describes has broadened in a way with exceeding the expectations of its digitally-literate end-users. Libraries are constrained in the amount of investment they can make on new systems. The role and function of the library are changing and developing, especially in relation to the provision for collection and circulation, resource discovery, ownership and control, and access to resources. Enhancing usability and accessibility for an increasingly diverse user community is important for library. It demonstrates clearly that how the growth of system developments to deal with the changes of electronic information and its impact on information. System Development The INTI library currently uses the system that is calling Integrated Library Management Utility (ILMU). This system helps library in managing daily operation that has reduced librarians daily workloads. Before applying ILMU, all works and processes were done by manually which is wasting times and resources. According to Puan Hafsah Zainuddin( Chief Library), during that time, INTI is small institution, the capital is no enough, people who work in library had to record purchasing, collection, borrowing, returning matter by manually and key into system which is wasting time and inconveniently. It causes the problem of when managing data which is massive as u can image with thousands collection which need to be done manually. There is also causing the existence of human error which we cannot avoid but we also cannot say that with the use of system this problem can be solved. There is why library investing in Integrated Library Management System Utility (ILMU) which has helped in reducing workflow and improve efficiency and providing convenience to both librarians and users of it. It record clearly the transactions of the books daily of the library. The Integrated Library Management Utility (ILMU) is a kind of Library Management System with the characteristic of having a relational database, software to support the database, and two graphical user interfaces. Its key value to library is its ability to offer a catalogue and to manage workflows. It is also seen as the most cost effective way to handle infrastructure tasks such as acquisitions, cataloguing and circulation. ILMU have developed in association to technical advances and user requirements, mainly in developing electronic interfaces, refining standards and access protocols, purchasing and acquisition processes and cataloguing systems. System Functions The system separate software functions into discrete programs which call modules like Circulation Module, Cataloguing Module, Acquisitions Module, Serials Module and Reporting Module. Circulation The Circulation Module enables the library in controlling inventory, managing patron information, payments, and circulation transactions (borrowing and returning). The module has a feature that user-friendly structure that includes customizable menus and mnemonic keys for quick access to frequently used functions. Cataloguing The Cataloguing Module has a feature that a graphical text editor, classifying and indexing material, bibliographic file management en powerful tools to handle bibliographic descriptions. In the modules data dictionary, the library can also define other formats in order to provide access to multiple databases. Acquisitions The Acquisitions Module enables the library to fully manage the ordering process with completely integrated with the other V-smart modules. The Acquisitions Module has a characteristic of broad fund management and control functionalities, flexible print options, multiple order types, receiving and invoicing materials. Serials The Serials Module is linked directly to the Acquisitions Module for the library to manage all financial aspects of serials orders and subscriptions (journals, newspapers, bulletin and magazine). The Serials Module is use to monitor monthly transactions- the flow of journals, payments and record. Yet, there is a little of serials in library because of the availability of journals online that can help INTI library to save the cost of buying it. Reporting The Reporting Module can generate the standard reports and flexible output options. The library can directly obtain system information such as collection details and financial data. The reports such like number of hold placed, number of hold filled, bibliographic records with holds, items-level holds, missing items, the volume of material in a given library at any point in time, based on new acquisitions, items on the shelf, and items out in circulation, with the ability to break down volume in categories. E-Services Support Systems E-Services Support Systems provides users check and access information about the collection themselves easily and conveniently with electronic information environment .via the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) also available in the library for users to search for any library items on the shelves which has reduced the work of librarians that have to deal with the inquiries of books by students. Renewal and reservation can be made online through OPAC/Web OPAC and at the circulation counter. Diagram shows that the module of the Integrated Library Utility System (ILMU) . INTI University Library follows the Library of Congress system of Classification. The classification is as follows: Class Letter Main Class A General Works B Philosophy, Religion, Psychology C Auxiliary Sciences of History D History (General) and History of Europe EF History: America G Geography, Anthropology, Recreation H Social Sciences J Political Sciences K Law L Education M Music and Books on Music N Fine Arts P Language and Literature Q Science R Medicine S Agriculture T Technology U Military Science V Naval science Z Bibliography, Library Science, Information Resources (General) Maintainence of The System The maintainence of the library system will do every quartery a year. The maintanence of the system can devided to three stages : 1st stages- Under this stages, the librarians will fixed the system theirselves. They will check the system performance and solve the problem when it happen system error. 2nd stages- At this stages, the problems cant solve by the librarians. They will contact to the company, and the staff of the company will give instuctions to the librarians to solve the problems. 3rd stages- In this stages, the may have a serious problems occur by the system. The staff of the company will come to INTI library and solve the problems. Besides that, the library system also need to updated. The company will help the INTI library update the system. All updated data are free in charge. With the system updated, the company also provide a traning program to the librarians in order to learn how to use the updated system. They will anually send a schedule to the INTI library to inform they when to go for the training. Beside update, the company will also introduce some new module to INTI library. Then the chief of the library will make a decission wheter to buy the module or not. During the interview, the chief have mention that she trying to adopt a new module to the library. The new module functions self-service borrow book. Student can borrow the book through the system without go to the counter. The destination is to reduce the staff worker in the library to reduce the cost. E-library E-library system is the most current system that INTI library is using. The system is only allows in the campus. If the student use this system in their home or outside this campus, they will not able to sign in this pages. The aim is to prevent the public hack into the system. There are no securities in this system. Anyone from outside who get the account of the INTI student would able to log in to the system and borrow the book.The system provide many function which it is all link to the Integrated Library Management Utility system ( ILMU). The development of e-library system bring convience to both the student and librarians. The function of the system is to allow student to check the information of the book that they want. The system link through to the ILMU and will tell them the status of the book that student want to borrow. Student no need waste the time go to the library. It saves a lot of time. Student can also reserve the book that they want to borrow. When student reserve the book. The ILMU system will record the student account and the book that student want to borrow. This will help the e-library to renew the status of the book in the library. Librarians can also post the note on the e-library to inform student that some new books are coming out. Student can through the system to know what new book that they are interest in. Besides that, the librarian will also use the e-mail services to send the list of new book to the students who are seldom check the e-mail. These let the student always updated with the book of the library. However in order to use this system, student has to sign up an account. The sign up fees is RM100. If student forget the password, student can send the e-mail to the e-library system. The librarians who control the system will reset the password of the account and send new password to the student through e-mail or sms.