Chinese Popular Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Chinese Popular Culture - Term Paper Example Chinese great political icons like Mao have changed the social, political and cultural outlook of the country. Today China has surpassed major nations in economic development, education and technological advancement. Once a poor nation, China now has a population indulge in modern cars, technological gadgets, meat – based diet and luxury clothing. Moreover, the Chinese media has evolved in to dynamism that has transformed the day to day life of people of the nation. â€Å"The embrace of a market economy, with all its attendant risks, has forced the development of new governmental and social policies to stabilize China’s social structure through the conceptual category of the ‘middle class†. Today, China has become a world competitor and the super powers of world are looking up to China to understand their excellence in hard work, political strategy and social reform. Chinese Popular Culture The Chinese popular culture had been anchored due to the open door policy implement by the country in the 21st century. As per (Latham 20)â€Å" Since the open door policy and economic reform in mainland China in the 1980s tension between the two Chinese territories have gradually esed†.Westernization is the key aspect behind Chinese popular culture as new generation is imitating West in their daily life. China has a lasting cultural heritage and the emerging China is more on a conflict on adopting whether to adopt western or Chinese culture. According to (Wu 2)â€Å" With their different positions and experiences in the world, China and the west cannot establish the same culture tradition†. The Chinese popular culture has transformed its population into diverse and intensely sophisticated class. Chinese people are influenced more by popular culture rather than politics of their country. They have shifted their interest to fashion, luxury, comfort and globalization. For example, one of the examples of Chinese popular culture is hero w orship where in sports icon and other celebrities are admired overly. They worship domestic celebrities, whether it is sports, movie, music or art related. As per (Ren) â€Å"In the business realm, Chinese heroes have also arisen to carry the torch of China’s aspirations. People like Li Yan Hong and Robin Li, founders of Baidu.com, or famed entrepreneur Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba group, which owns the most popular e-commerce sites, or Pan Shiyi and wife Zhang Xin, the Donald Trumps of China†. Another example of it is the upsurge of fast food outlets in big cities of China. People have started to adapt to international fast food chains like KFC , Mc Donalds and Pizza hut in their attempt to align with western culture. Chinese Media and Popular Culture In Chinese media legacy, the Chinese writing, paper money, printing process and lithography has a prominent role to play. Preceding mass media, hand writing and printing were the main source of communication in China and as technology progressed, electrical, technical and mechanical devices replaced it. As far as Chinese history is considered, two forms of media that has shaped Chinese people’s lives are radio and computer. Radio has been the media which has influenced Socialist China greatly. In socialist China, wired radio, loud speakers and radio

Summer Reading Response Essay Example for Free

Summer Reading Response Essay 1. â€Å"His manner The quiet air around. When he turned the light on in the small, callous washroom that night, Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father’s eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver, melting Liesel, upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth a lot.† The significance of this passage is the description of Hans Hubermann’s eyes as the color represents his worth and personality. It contributes to the characterization of Hans Hubermann. His eyes are described as â€Å"made of kindness and silver†. Silver represents riches and valuables and as seen later in the story, Hans Hubermann is someone that is very valuable and close to Liesel’s heart. He also demonstrates a quiet kindness as he agrees to take in Max regardless of the dangers that lie within harboring a Jew in those times. 2. â€Å"She remained on the steps, waiting for Papa, watching the stray ash and the corpse of collected books. Everything was sad. Orange and red embers looked like rejected candy, and most of the crowd had vanished. She’d seen Frau Diller leave (very satisfied) and Pfiffikus (white hair, a Nazi uniform, the same dilapidated shoes, and a triumphant whistle). Now there was nothing but cleaning up, and soon, no one would even imagine it had happened.† The colors in this passage, orange, red, and white, signify the destruction and death that was happening all around them at the moment even though the destruction was to a pile of books. It represents the turmoil in Liesel’s life and more to come. The â€Å"corpse of collected books† seems like a sort of foreshadowing as in the end, piles of corpses from Himmel Street. Then how everyone was completely ignorant to the burning of precious books, they are ignorant to the mistreatment of the Jews. The author’s use of similes joined together with heavy diction such as rejected, corpse, sad, and dilapidated leaves behind a mood of morose sadness. 3. â€Å"After a few seconds, he manages to scratch his head (the rustle of kindling) and he looked at her. His movements were fragmented, and now that they were open, his eyes were swampy and brown. Thick and heavy.† The author decides to focus on Max’s eyes and uses the adjectives swampy, brown, thick, and heavy. It gives the feeling of a person who has gone through much in his life. Also shown later in the book, brown represents a kind person who is close to the earth. Max always has Leisel give him the weather report as he cannot leave his hiding place to see outside. He is always kind to Liesel and even writes her a book for her birthday. His swampy, heavy eyes describe him as a person who has gone through sadness and suffering for the sole reason that he is a Jew. 4. â€Å"They keep triggering inside me. They harass my memory. I see them tall in their heaps, all mounted on top of each other. There is air like plastic, a horizon like setting glue. There are skies manufactured by people, punctured and leaking, and there are soft, coal-colored clouds, beating like black hearts. And then. There is death.† This passage is especially powerful in the way the author creates the mood and tone through the diction and description. The simile that describes the clouds as beating black hearts gives the feeling of death and evil. Black as a color represents death and evil. â€Å"There is air like plastic† gives the picture of the air suffocating the people that dwell within it. 5. â€Å"As he stood, Max looked first at the girl and then stared directly into the sky who was wide and blue and magnificent. There were heavy beams-planks of sun-falling randomly, wonderfully to the road. Clouds arched their backs to look behind as they started again to move on. â€Å"It’s such a beautiful day,† he said, and his voice in many pieces. A great day to die. A great day to die, like this.† The sky was described as blue and magnificent although the situation juxtaposes with the brightly described day. The author successfully adds in a piece of irony through the contrast of making the day beautiful while Max is think about what a great day it is to die. The cloud described as looking back gives the feeling of something of immense importance that is about to happen. The colors give off the mood of happiness and the imagery going with the sun create an image completely wrong for the situation.

Salmonella enterica typhi Essay -- Medical Health Biology Essays

Salmonella enterica typhi Introduction: Worldwide, typhoid fever affects roughly 17 million people annually, causing nearly 600,000 deaths. The causative agent, Salmonella enterica typhi (referred to as Salmonella typhi from now on), is an obligate parasite that has no known natural reservoir outside of humans. Little is known about the historical emergence of human S. typhi infections, however it is thought to have caused the deaths of many famous figures such as British author and poet Rudyard Kipling, the inventor of the airplane, Wilbur Wright, and the Greek Empire’s Alexander the Great. The earliest recorded epidemic occurred in Jamestown, VA where it is thought that 6,000 people died of typhoid fever in the early 17th Century. This disease is rare in the United States and developed nations, but always poses the risk of emergence. History: Originally isolated in 1880 by Karl J. Erberth, S. typhi is a multi-organ pathogen that inhabits the lympathic tissues of the small intestine, liver, spleen, and bloodstream of infected humans. It is not known to infect animals and is most common in developing countries with poor sanitary systems and lack of antibiotics, putting travelers to Asia, Latin America, and Africa in a high risk group. Of the 266 people infected in the United States in 2002, approximately 70% had traveled internationally within 6 weeks of the onset of disease. Microbiological Characteristics: This gram-negative enteric bacillus belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. It is a motile, facultative anaerobe that is susceptible to various antibiotics. Currently, 107 strains of this organism have been isolated, many containing varying metabolic characteristics, levels of virulence, and multi-drug r... ...asters have compromised sanitation. Although the incidence in the United States is very low, outbreaks and substantial epidemics still remain possible due to worldwide travel and unknowing carriers of the disease. The development of antibiotic treatments and several vaccines have presented the possibility of worldwide eradication. Until this is achieved, however, S. typhi and its characteristic typhoid fever will remain a threat for future epidemics. References Cited: Dennis Kunkel Microscopy, Inc. Health Canada: MSDS of Infectious Substances World Health Organization: Typhoid Fever Fact Sheet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Typhoid Fever Disease Information University of Florida Medical Micribiology and Infectious Diseases Department: Salmonella typhi Info Wikipedia.org: Typhoid Fever U. of Maryland Medical news: Typhoid Fever

Ethical Impacts of the Internet on Children and Teenagers Essay

As the use of internet dominates every activity in the global market, its use in homes and schools has exponentially grown raising concern on its ethical effect on children and teenagers. The nature of the youngsters’ use of internet has generated heat and anxiety among the general public as the society calls for ethical and moral guidelines that would protect children and teenagers from negative effect of the internet. This paper proposes a research that will identify the effect of internet use among the young people as the academic and policy importance concerning the opportunities and dangers of internet use continue to be raised. The paper identifies these opportunities and dangers as it proposes the methodology and limitations for the research paper. 2. 0 Introduction 2. 1 Background Internet which slowly started as a network for military officers in the cold war eventually became an important tool in the academic corridors and today the former â€Å"Arpanet† has greatly grown to become the primary platform for communication and interaction for different communities around the world. As the Internet traffic hit millions of users each day the communication technology continue to grow to allow for infinite information access and instant interaction by users, a fact that has brought about a social paradigm shift in the way societies used to live in the earlier days. This technology has particularly been embraced by children and teenagers as a way of learning, socializing and leisure. In the developed countries and many other regions around the word, internet access has ceased to being a trademark for the privileged members of the society as its use in the workplace, education institutions and leisure places continue to grow exponentially. As the use of computers and internet become more and more entrenched in our day to day routine practices, it has become a basic feature not only in the offices but also at our homes. The presence of internet at our homes has opened up a â€Å"super highway† to children and teenagers who are being referred to as the â€Å"digital generation† that incidentally predisposes them to overwhelming information and social sites that may contribute heavily in shaping their behavioural patterns. Whereas internet offers a perfect educational platform for the young people, it is also seen largely as a risk factor that could expose them to adult sites, make them more addicted and dependant on the internet and eventually instil anti-social behaviour in some of them. While this issue demands a critical stance given the consequences it has on the future generation, very little independent researches has been conducted to inform the policy makers and end the growing public anxiety. In most of the researches conducted in the recent past only a few have focused on the social consequences of the internet among the children and teenagers. The households with children or/and teenagers that have access to the internet is however more common than those without (Wigley and Clacke, 2000). 2. 2 Research Objectives The main objective of the proposed research project is to explore the impact of the internet on children and teenagers based on the expected social, cognitive and behavioural patterns in the society. The research project will aim at identifying issues that deviate from the laid down expectations both at school, home and in the society which find their root from the internet. 2. 3 Research Question The proposed paper will focus on answering the following primary question; †¢ What are the ethical impact on the use of internet among the children and teenagers? To effectively explore the primary research question the following secondary questions will be analyzed? †¢ What are the children/teenagers perceptions towards internet? †¢ What are the perceptions of the parents whose children are using internet at home or/and school? †¢ What are the important contrasts in internet activities from what is expected to what is actually practised? †¢ What are the possible impacts of these struggles between the theoretical and practical internet activities on children/teenagers’ social development? 2. 4 Research Significance A study conducted in the UK by Wigley and Clacke (2000), revealed that among the young people aged between 7 and 16 years, 75% of them have used the internet as compared to only 38% from the adult population. This explains that in the contemporary society the young are actually the pioneers of the internet culture. For a long time children and teenagers have also been regarded as a special homogenous object in other studies a fact that has made this category of population marginalised and often left out in researches on the internet. Even in the midst of growing researches on e-commerce and e-democracy very little efforts are focusing on the expanding online market driven by the young people. For these reasons children and teenagers are often left out in technological advancement as the market analysis is evaluated. As the social effects of internet on the young people become obvious in most societies it is becoming more difficult to ignore the subject and therefore many empirical projects on children and teenagers use of the internet are coming up. This makes it appropriate moment in which the research agenda on this category of population must be given priority. 3. 0 Literature Review 3. 1 Nature of Internet Usage Recent surveys reveal that children and teenagers attach high value to the usage of internet to gather information, entertainment leisure and as a medium of communication. According to Valkenburg and Soeters (2001), 73% of the children and teenagers use internet as an education tool, 59% use it for E-mails, 38% to play games, 32% for chatting with friends and 31% use internet as a hobby and an area of interest. The internet has already revolutionized the social patterns of our younger population drastically changing the earlier forms of communication and interaction among the peers. A research conducted by Valkenburg and Soeters (2001), indicates that among most households internet has continued to elicit mixed reaction between the parents and their young ones as it is considered to easily lead the young toward the wrong direction if mismanaged or taken for granted. While the parents praise the internet for its role in availing most of the information that their children would need in pursuit of their education, the children consider the opportunity more as a source of entertainment that gives them a break from the other â€Å"old fashioned† entertainment sources. The tug of war between the parents and children demonstrates an obvious digital generation gap in which children and teenagers who normally acquire and understand new internet skills faster than their parents get transformed into â€Å"family tutors†. The expertise in computer and internet skills among the children gives them a symbolic advantage over their parents that can easily be mis-used in pushing their interests that could not necessarily be approved by their parents. The current researches on the social context in which internet is focusing more in identifying ways and means in which children and teenagers are changing their homes into centres for content production, entertainment and leisure. This fact has in essence brought about new approaches in children’s activities as questions linger on whether learning has become more fun, playing is turning more and more educational and whether online chatting is part of civic participation or a way of withdrawal from the general society. This kind of researches therefore calls for the need to analyse the online content that is most preferred by children and teenagers. This raises a challenge given the large volume of online contents from which one can choose from and the fact that the hypertext content can be actualized by the user. This has in effect discouraged most of the researchers carrying out studies on the impact of internet on children and teenagers. Most of the researches today are however guided by the policy issues that are endeavouring in trying to balance the benefits that the internet offers to the young population against the harm that may be associated with some of the sites. Therefore the key agenda is on how the society in general should ethically conceptualize and balance the benefits and the dangers of the internet on the children and teenagers within there spheres of influence.

Effective Leadership Traits in Correcting Organizational Deficiencies

Effective Leadership Traits in Correcting Organizational Deficiencies Timothy B. Ashby Devry University Leadership and Organizational Behavior GM 591 Professor Faggione January 26, 2011 Introduction Effective Leadership Traits in Correcting Organizational Deficiencies Lexington Country Place is a rehabilitation and long-term care facility that is owned and operated by Five Star Incorporated. Five Star is a relatively new corporation that has made great strides in promoting excellence in the care and rehabilitation of those in need of nursing care that extends beyond acute hospitalization. LCP has had a long-standing reputation of excellence in the Lexington, Kentucky community. Over a period of the past two years that reputation declined as a result of several factors but primarily because of ineffective leadership. My role at LCP is the evening shift RN House Supervisor. Some of my responsibilities include effectively handling any problems that may arise during the 3-11 shift. These problems may include making adjustments in staffing, assisting with admissions, public relation concerns, and using effective nursing assessment skills and making decisions that insure the safety and care of the residents at LCP. The current Director of Nursing, Angela Staiano, RN, BSN, has a proven track record of being an effective leader with a history of improving the quality of long-term care facilities. She was offered and accepted the position of DON at LCP several months ago following a state inspection in which LCP was noted as having several deficiencies. Since inspections are a matter of public record and customers are able to make comparisons with competitors, LCP had a decrease in its census. Problem Identification The problem being addressed in this paper is how ineffective leadership resulted in a decrease in the resident population, a complacent staff who were not committed to providing high standards of care, and as a result, a decreased profit for the organization. The lack of profitability affects not only the corporate center, but also affects the organization’s ability to make improvements to the facility, provide adequate resources to the residents, and to pay wages comparable with competitors in order to retain good employees. Shermerhorn (2010) writes that â€Å"organizations depend for their success on day-to-day decisions made by (leaders). The quality of these decisions influences both the long-term performance of an organization and its day-to-day character—in the eyes of employees, customers, and society at large. The problems at LCP directly resulted from poor decisions that were made of ineffective leaders. Literature Review An search on EBSChost for the phrase â€Å"effective leaderhip† resulted in 6373 results. The term â€Å"leadership traits† resulted in 718 results. A combination of the previous terms â€Å"effective leadership traits† provided too narrow a parameter with only nine research articles. A search for â€Å"types of leaders† generated 787 articles. â€Å"Leadership paths† located 151 results. A search for â€Å"organizational leadership behaviors† generated 23 results which defined a reasonable search parameter with adequate research articles to support this paper.

Smith Consulting Software Essay Example

Smith Consulting Software Essay Example Smith Consulting Software Essay Smith Consulting Software Essay System Analysis of Smith Consulting System Documentation BSA/385 Contents Abstract3 System Analysis of Smith Consulting System Documentation4 Introduction4 Customer Engagement Approach4 Software Development Processes and Procedures4 Quality Assurance Processes and Procedures6 Testing Procedures7 Developer Testing8 Reliability9 Accuracy9 Developer Performance Testing10 Developer Fault Testing10 User Acceptance Reliability11 User Acceptance Accuracy11 User Acceptance Fault Tolerance11 Test System Infrastructure15 Hardware/Software Capabilities15 Formal Program Specifications Format15 Conclusion16 Attachments18 Abstract The LTA (Learning Team A) group has been asked to define, develop, and propose standards for a software testing environment at Smith Consulting. The LTA group will review several aspects of the system documentation currently being used by Smith Consulting and provide proposed solutions for each of the areas defined in this document. System Analysis of Smith Consulting System Documentation Introduction Smith Consulting (Smith) has tasked LTA (Learning Team A) with developing standardized project approach and testing procedures so that prospective clients are confident that Smith is performing their contractual obligations efficiently. These procedures will be generalized so that they can be applied to any project that Smith takes on and have sufficient documentation so that the procedures are correctly applied to each project. This ensures that Smith has repeatable processes in place and can put more resources towards completing the project rather than developing the procedures to complete the project. Customer Engagement Approach Smith is dedicated to the long-term success of the project. Smith does not approach the projects as a system to be designed and left with the client to manage. Smith offers flexible management terms from support to full-time maintenance of any application Smith designs, ensuring that our dedication to service extends through the life of the product. Smith also strives to help every end-user, helping them to fully understand and embrace the new technology. Smith understands the challenges end-users face when moving to new technology, and we want every employee to be comfortable using the system. Software Development Processes and Procedures Smith realizes that there may not be one clear-cut solution for all software development projects and seeks to use a process that takes into account as many variables as possible when developing new software. This means that Smith will first need to determine the needs for the company. The first step in this process is to identify the stakeholders and develop a project timeline and budget. These factors will help drive the project toward the estimated completion date. The stakeholders will include members of Smith so that the project is kept manageable and realistic as far as time of completion and resources needed. The next step is creating an analysis team to work with the various stakeholders to understand what the company needs the new system to do. As the analysis is completed a more formalized design will be presented to the same stakeholders in the form of a data flow diagram to ensure that all the needs are being met. At this time the stakeholders will have the ability to present changes as part of the change ontrol process described as part of the Smith quality assurance processes. Smith will also implement additional design methods as required by the specific needs of a project. These methods include the use of new models, tools, and techniques in order to fully understand the system requirements. It may be necessary to bring in third-party vendors to provide and use the tools that these methods require. These vendors will be subject to a procurement process as indicated in the contract for the project and are subject to a determination of need by the stakeholders. The next step is for a finalized data flow diagram to be presented to a design team who will then analyze and determine the best approach for implementing the design. This will include determination of a tool, and the solicitation of vendors to provide the tool as needed. The stakeholders will again be consulted before any final determinations are made. Once a tool or vendor is determined the design team will work on implementing the design. The design will be implemented as part of the project plan timeline and Smith will provide developer testing in addition to end-user acceptance testing. This ensures that the final product matches the goals of the system as laid out in the project plan. Once acceptance testing is completed the system will be implemented and the system will enter its training phase as indicated in the project plan. After full implementation, the system will enter the maintenance phase. Depending on the term of the contract, Smith will be involved in the maintenance phase of the system through its live cycle. All contracts include phone support for as-designed elements of the system. Quality Assurance Processes and Procedures Smith is dedicated to providing quality of the highest level in all its services to its clients. This quality is ensured through the use of tools put in place at the beginning of the project. The most important tool in use is the project manager. All of Smith’s project managers are qualified, experienced managers who take a hands-on approach to ensuring that a project stays on the timeline and within the budget. This includes weekly updates to shareholders as well as daily stand up meetings to ensure that everyone is on track and there are no concerns to delay the project. Any concerns are immediately made known and the manager will do his or her best to provide more resources to address the problem with minimal effects to the project plan. To ensure that the project is kept within scope, a strict change control process will be used to determine what parts of the project will be able to be changed and when. This can be different for every project; Smith approaches each project plan in a similar fashion, including setting priority, and secondary goals. The stakeholders have the ability to define these goals during the analysis phase as well as a say in the change control process. Primary goals are strictly followed and changes are made to these goals only when the outcome of the project is in jeopardy. Secondary goals are more flexible and their change control process is not as severe; however the process is strictly adhered to. This adherence to the change control process ensures that the project is a success and not dependent on the success or failure of individual parts. Testing Procedures For each level of testing that takes place, Smith will develop charts detailing the testing step to be performed, an example of the chart is shown in example 1. This chart includes sections to identify what is being tested (Actor), what is being done (Action) and a description of the testing task. In addition, a secondary chart will be provided that details each step to be performed to complete the test case in question. Actor| Action| Description| Customer/Employee/Etc. | Click Button 1| Button 1 starts the applications and takes the user to the login, etc. | Customer/Employee/Etc. | Click Button 2| Button 2 logs the current user into the system| Continue†¦| | | Step| Step Expected Result| 1. Launch Application/Etc. Application window should open and prompt user for credentials, etc. | 2. Login/Etc. | User should be logged into application and appropriate menu items should be shown based on user’s security level, etc. | Continue†¦| | Figure 1 – Sample Software Capability Testing Diagrams An additional process flow that will be followed by Smith engineers is to chart the process flow for all testing for easy review by clients and engineering staff. The format of the process flow is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 – Sample Testing Data Flow Diagram Developer Testing Smith requires its developers to perform testing on each piece of a project that they are responsible for working on. Each of these tests ensures that the software is ready for the next step in the process, whether that is integration with other pieces or implementation. The developers are required to ensure that the testing covers reliability, accuracy, fault tolerance and performance as required by the architecture design documentation for the project. Reliability Reliability testing is important to ensure that the system is capable of handling input and output in all situations it is likely to encounter during use. This includes programming for proper error handling should a user input unexpected data, as well as for handling exceptions on the data output. Developers use the architecture document to control the input and output and use exception handling to notify the user that something has gone wrong without passing the bad data along to the next process. In order to test reliability developers will purposefully input bad data and the system is required to handle it correctly. The developers are required to check not only that the errors are thrown properly, but that they are informative and the bad data are not output. Accuracy Accuracy testing is important because the input must be received, stored, transformed and output correctly. Any failure in any of these steps will affect the accuracy of the system. Developers must develop algorithms to transform the data properly so that the output is as expected. Since system algorithms can be achieved in multiple ways that achieve the same results, it is important that the accuracy is tested as often as possible. Developers are required to develop and input use cases to ensure the data are being output as required. If the output is not what is expected the developers can roubleshoot and track down the problem and run the use cases again. The system architecture document will detail the results needs, but developers often must use creativity to develop a solution to match the requirements. Accuracy testing at the developer stage is a key step for accuracy in the implemented system. Developer Performance Testing Performance testing must be performed during the development phase to ensure that the system does not have any resource or application issues prior to deliver to the customer and conforms to the stated needs of the customer. At Smith performance testing is performed during unit testing and during integration testing. With unit performance testing the developer is able to identify issues easier than during integration testing. During the integration testing phase any module interaction that was not able to be identified during unit testing will be tested. Performance testing includes the development of test cases that test each module within the client application, if resources are required such as network connectivity or file I/O then these systems will also be tested. The expected results of performance testing will be defined during the system analysis phase and will be approved by the client as acceptable criteria. Developer Fault Testing Developer fault testing is a technique used by Smith to inject errors into the software/hardware project to test the capability of the system to handle the errors in expected ways. This method of testing aids developers in the identification of the inability of the application to respond to system conditions that are expected during the normal use of the product. By using fault testing the developers can include processes that respond to these error conditions in a meaningful way. User Acceptance Reliability Like developer reliability testing, user acceptance testing for reliability is important to ensure that the system will reliably handle inputs and outputs. In UAT, test cases will be provided to selected users from the customer’s side. These test cases will allow users to test inputting information into the system so the software can demonstrate that it is capable of handling various types of input by executing on it properly. The UAT will allow the customer to provide feedback to Smith on the test cases and anything that did not perform as expected so that Smith can make any modifications to the system. In the event that Smith has to make any changes, UAT will begin again after the system has been adjusted. User Acceptance Accuracy User acceptance testing for accuracy will provide users with tests to ensure that the system is capable of handling inputs, loading, processing, storage, and outputs accurately. These tests should be consistent with the original testing that took place in the development of the algorithms to ensure that the expected results are produced by the system to the degree of accuracy that is required by the application. All calculations that the system needs to be able to perform should be tested in the UAT to demonstrate to the customer that the system is capable of handling the calculations correctly. This is the chance for the customer to fully test the system and provide any feedback to Smith. The user tests will be developed to demonstrate the full capabilities of the system. User Acceptance Fault Tolerance Once the software has been designed and implemented, the end-user’s who will utilize the software will be able to test the software’s performance (User Acceptance Testing, 2010). Allowing the end-user’s to test the software will allow IT personnel to make any changes and fix bugs that may cause future errors. All though much software may not be productive due to errors, Smith depends on test results and test reports to ensure errors are fixed and errors in the system are debugged. Below are a few tools that are used for user acceptance testing and fault tolerance: * Test Results and Error Reports User Acceptance Sign-off (Figure 3) * Production Systems * Final Installation Procedures and Instructions * Final Documentation and Training Materials * Project Plan * Methodology Compliance Form (User Acceptance Testing, 2010) (Figure 4). Smith will use these tools to ensure the User-Interface is accurate and ready for deployment. Figures 3 and 4 are sample templates fo r some of the tools used. Figure 3 – User Acceptance Sign-Off Sheet Figure 4 Methodology Compliance Form Test System Infrastructure Hardware/Software Capabilities Smith uses QuickTest Professional 10. (QuickTest) software to perform testing on all of its software projects. The software is an automated testing environment that uses testing scripts to regression test all parts of a new software product. These testing scripts are created by a developer and ensure that as new items are added, the previously tested items maintain their same functionality. Since the testing scripts are setup in a GUI environment that uses capture technology to generate them directly from the software environment that is being tested, the time required to create them is minimal and the expected results are easy to predict (HP, 2007). This ease of use helps control the testing timeline so that the projects stay on track. In addition, QuickTest provides customizable reports about errors that can include screenshots and other information to make it easier for developer to recreate the errors so they can be resolved (HP, 2007). Smith maintains separate testing hardware to handle its testing needs. This environment utilizes quad-core Intel processors running Windows Vista and equipped with maximum memory capabilities so that the testing can run as quickly as possible. The separate environment ensures that the testing can run simultaneous to the development whenever possible so that the timeline set up for any project can be strictly adhered to. Formal Program Specifications Format The format of the specifications that will be used by the software engineers at Smith will is detailed in the attachment named: System Requirements Specification. This specification includes a complete description of the requirements of the system to be built. Detailed instructions are included to aid developers in the definition of the requirements and what will be one to satisfy that requirement. Conclusion Smith Consulting takes pride in providing professional development of systems for our clients. Having the processes and requirements in place as outlined in this document such as our quality assurance processes and our developer and user acceptance testing ensures that the systems that Smith Consulting builds remain in scope with the project plan and within budget. Our processes also help to ensure that the client and key stakeholders are engaged throughout the development lifecycle. References Everett, G. D. amp; McLeod, Jr. , R. (2007). Software Testing. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from University of Phoenix eCampus, Entire eBook. BSA385 – Introduction to Software Engineering. Frenzel, C. W. , amp; Frenel, J. C. (2004). Management of Information Technology, 4E. Retrieved February 14, 2010, from University of Phoenix eCampus, Entire eBook. BSA385 – Introduction to Software Engineering. Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L. P. (2007). HP QuickTest Professional software Data sheet. Retrieved March 5, 2010, from https://h10078. www1. p. com/cda/hpdc/navigation. do? action=downloadPDFamp;caid=3885amp;cp=54_4000_100amp;zn=btoamp;filename=4AA1-2116ENW. pdf Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L. P. (2010). HP QuickTest Professional software System Requirements. Retrieved March 5, 2010 from https://h10078. www1. hp. com/cda/hpms/display/main/hpms_content. jsp? zn=btoamp;cp=1-11-127-24^9674_4000_100__ Attachments Purpose: The System Requirements Specification (SRS ) is a complete description of the requirements of the system to be built. It is derived from Customer Requirements. It covers all the business functions, inputs, outputs, and system interfaces of the proposed project, and answers these questions: * What is the system or software supposed to do (from the customer’s point of view)? * What users, system hardware, other hardware, and other software does the system interact with? * What are the performance requirements, such as speed, recovery, and capacity? * What are any constraints on design? Scope: The System Requirements Specification must be completed for any systems development project. Instructions: Identify instructions for using the template. 1. Prior to releasing remove this template cover page. This is part of the template not part of the finished document. 2. Angle brackets (lt; gt;) indicate information to be input for specific project. Remove angle brackets (lt; gt;) when information is entered. 3. Template sections which do not apply to the system can be labeled as â€Å"Do not Apply† or removed from the document as long as the base requirement of information listed above has been recorded. 4. Template instructions are italicized and should be removed from the document. 5. Open the header/footer and update the appropriate information to the header. No information needs to be updated in the footer – this will occur automatically each time the file is closed. * lt;Project Namegt; System Requirements Specification Rev lt;1. 0, 1. x, 2. 0,gt; Revision # of document. Use 0. 1 thru 0. 9 for pre-approval drafts. Use 1. 0 thru 9. 9 for approved copies. lt;Dategt; Date of revision Prepared by: lt;Authorgt; * Approvers lt;Include a place for, and acquire approval by all critical project stakeholders, as required by the Software Development Guidelines. More approvals may be included as deemed appropriate. gt; The following â€Å"Approvers† are responsible for reviewing this System Requirements Specification and agree with the project’s requirements. The approvers understand and will support the responsibilities described herein for their organization. Note: Approver signatures are captured electronically in the Electronic Qualification Document Management System (EQDMS). lt;Namegt;| | Project Lead| | lt;Namegt;| | | | lt;Namegt;| | lt;other reviewergt;| | lt;Namegt;| | lt;Key Stakeholder #1gt;lt;lt;Titlegt;gt;| | lt;Namegt;| | lt;Key Stakeholder #2gt;lt;lt;Titlegt;gt;| | | | | Document History Date Revised| Version No. | Author| Reason for changes| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Introduction7 Purpose7 Scope7 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations7 References7 Overview7 Overall Description7 System Perspective7 System Requirements7 System Interfaces8 User Interfaces8 Hardware Interfaces8 Software Interfaces8 Communications Interfaces8 Memory Constraints8 Operations8 Site Adaptation Requirements8 System Functions9 User Characteristics9 Constraints9 Assumptions and Dependencies9 Apportioning of Requirements9 Functional Requirements9 Performance Requirements9 Logical Database Requirements10 Design Constraints10 Standard Compliance10 Software System Attributes10 Supporting Information10 Introduction Purpose The SRS identifies all of the system requirements. The system requirements are derived from customer requirements as well as perceived customer needs and specific local and regulatory requirements. The SRS identifies all the system requirements sufficient for the developers to develop a system which meets customer expectations. In addition, the SRS provides sufficient detail for complete system validation. The audience is the entire project team and customer/sponsor representatives. Scope lt;Identify the software product(s) to be produced by name, explain what the software product will and will not do, include relevant benefits, objectives, and goals of the softwaregt; Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations lt;Define all terms, acronyms, and abbreviationsgt; References lt;Provide a complete list of all documents referenced elsewhere in this document, identify each document by title, date, and publishing organization, specify the sources from which the reference to an appendix or another documentgt; Overview lt;Describe what the SRS contains and explain how the SRS is organizedgt; Overall Description System Perspective lt;Describe whether the system is totally self-contained or has interactions with other systems within or outside of its environment, a block diagram can be added here to show interconnections with other systems and requirements related to overall systemsgt; System Requ irements lt;The purpose of this section is to describe all of the software requirements to a level of detail sufficient to enable designers to design a system to satisfy those requirements and QA testers to test that the system satisfies those requirements. As a minimum, every requirement should include a description of every input/stimulus into the system and every output/response from the system, and all functions performed by the system in response to an input or in support of an output. gt; lt;The following sub-sections 3. 1 – 3. 15 identify different requirements categories. It is unlikely that every project will have requirements in each category. It is not necessary to identify requirements in each category, they are provided only as guidance to insure that each type of requirement is considered. All requirements should be listed in section 3 and each requirement should be uniquely numbered. gt; System Interfaces lt;List each system interface and identify the functionality of the software to accomplish the system requirement and the interface description to match the systemgt; * User Interfaces lt;Specify the logical interface between the software product and its users, including configuration characteristics such as required screen formats, page or window layouts, content of reports or menus, or availability of programmable function keys necessary to accomplish the software requirements. Specify the aspects of optimizing the interface with the person(s) who must use the system, an example would be constructing a list of do’s and don’ts on how the system will appear to the usergt;. * Hardware Interfaces lt;Specify the logical characteristics of each interface between the software product and the hardware components of the system. This includes configuration characteristics, supported devices/how they will be supported (full-screen vs. line-by-line support for a terminal for example), and protocolsgt;. * Software Interfaces lt;Describe the use of other required software products and interfaces with other application systems. Describe the purpose of the interfacing software, and the definition of interface in terms of message content and format. Reference the documents(s) defining the interface(s). Include name, mnemonic, specification number, version number, and source for each required software productgt;. * Communications Interfaces lt;Specify the vario us interfaces to communications such as local network protocols, etc. gt; Memory Constraints lt;Specify any applicable characteristics and limits on primary and secondary memory. gt; Operations lt;List the following if not already listed in the User Interface section above: the various modes of operations in the user organization (user initiated operation), periods of interactive operations and periods of unattended operations, data processing support functions, and backup and recovery operations. gt; Site Adaptation Requirements lt;Define the requirements for any data or initialization sequences that are specific to a given site, mission, or operational mode (grid values, safety limits, etc. , and the site or mission-related features that should be modified to adapt the software to a particular installation. System Functions lt;Provide a summary of the major functions that the software will perform. The functions should be organized in a way that makes the list of functions understandable to the customer or to anyone else reading the document for the first time. Graphics can be used to show the different functions and their relationships, and the logical relationships among variables. gt; User Characteristics lt;Describe the most general characteristics of the intended users of the product including educational level, experience, and technical expertise. gt; Constraints lt;Describe any items that will limit the developer’s options such as regulatory policies, hardware limitations, interfaces to other applications, parallel operation, audit functions, control functions, higher is the availability of an operating system on a specific hardware environment that is designated for the software product. gt; Apportioning of Requirements lt;Identify requirements that may be delayed until f uture versions of the system. gt; Functional Requirements lt;Describe the fundamental actions that must take place in the software in accepting and processing the inputs and in processing and generating the outputs. Examples are validity checks on the inputs, exact sequence of operations, responses to abnormal situations, effect of parameters, and relationship of outputs to inputs, including input/output sequences and formulas for input to output conversion. Partition the functional requirements into sub functions as necessary. gt; Performance Requirements lt;List requirements in measurable terms related to the following: * -Static numerical requirements: such as the number of terminals to be supported, the number of simultaneous users to be supported, and amount and type of information to be handled, and * -Dynamic numerical requirements: such as the number of transactions and tasks and the amount of data to be processed within certain time periods for both normal and peak workload conditions. gt; Logical Database Requirements lt;Specify the logical requirements for any information that is to be placed into a database such as types of information used by various functions, frequency of use, accessing capabilities, data entities and their relationships, integrity constraints, and data retention requirements. gt; Design Constraints lt;Specify design constraints that can be imposed by other standards, hardware limitations, etc. gt; Standar d Compliance lt;Specify requirements derived from existing standards or regulationsgt; Software System Attributes lt;Describe other software attributes that can serve as requirements such as factors required to establish reliability, availability, security,

Customized Supply Management System Problem

Customized Supply Management System Problem Introduction Disruption and variation in quality of commodities supplied disrupts production by adding resultant costs and losing revenue opportunities. In highly specialized manufacturing, the cost of constant modification of supplies presents inhibitive financial and technical barriers. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Customized Supply Management System Problem specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More TESCO Company is currently faced with this situation though the intention of tailoring their products was meant to boost financial returns. Therefore, modification of supply management system has serious affected the company’s creativity in a bid to tailor service delivery that meet demands of each customer. Supply management system problem Supply management system coordinates functions purchasing. This mechanism identifies the need for commodities, appropriate suppliers, quantity and quality of the commodities. It al so evaluates effectiveness of supply practices already in place (Park, Shin, Chang, and Park, 2010). Expansion of capacity and mechanization of production demands that the supply system matches production efficiency while assuring quality of supplied goods. Information technology delivers on both efficiency and quality. With computer software to automate supply chain management, decisions can be made reliably and in timely manner (Park, Shin, Chang, and Park, 2010). Input from the production section is processed to chart a supplier’s trend in adherence to quality, quantity, and timeliness of deliveries. Communication of the quality guidelines minimizes the risks of product rejection/return. In absence of a guide, variance is more probable. In such a case, the delay before replacement may slow or halt production; consequently, potential revenue from processed products is missed. Solution to supply management problem Therefore, I would recommend automated supply software that will group similar customer demands together. To realize the benefit of automated supply, both buying and supplying enterprises are to have an integration of their local processes so that data is funneled to a common framework. Then, the two systems are interconnected so that exchange of information is directly linked through website portal and email options. Sharing supply sub-system facilitates direct transactions and generation of reports that rate a supplier’s performance. Due to its dynamic reporting, anomalies in supply quality are communicated instantaneously to the supplier to initiate corrective action (Burnett, 2004). Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More With a supplier audit, non-conformance to specifications in supplied commodities and modes of supply are identified. A report of the audit is then discussed with the supplier to implement corrective remedy. As a balanced assessment of a supplier’s performance, the scorecard is thus an objective tool to guide quality in supply. Reasons for the recommendations An improved approach to supply management through automation in TESCO Company will establish a broader partnership with its customers. The buyer will make an effort to learn the supplier’s values, vision, challenges, and operating environment. A spirit of collaboration established will offer positive contribution to the partnering businesses (Burnett, 2004). Such cooperation will turn supply into a competitive advantage instead of sole cost. This should be backed by a legal contract. It further provides for explicit conditions in executing the contractual partnership. Due to their explicit nature and legal enforcement, a contract assures quality of supply to the agreed specification. Supply management system plays a critical role in business process. A modern approach to its management proposes building stron ger relationship with a customer to minimize variance on quality. Important tools in safeguarding quality are the supply management system, supplier manual, supplier’s scorecard, and supply contract. However, breach of contract may occur that requires legal solution. The process is cumbersome before an award for claimed damages are granted and mistrust between these parties is often irreversible (Hill, Eckerd, Wilson and Greer, 2009). References Burnett, K. (2004). Business briefing: Global purchasing Supply chain Strategies. New York: Wiley. Hill, J., Stephanie, E., Darryl, W., and Bertie, G. (2009). The effect of unethical behavior on trust in a buyer–supplier relationship: The mediating role of psychological contract violation. Journal of Operations Management, 27, 281-293.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Customized Supply Management System Problem specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Park, J., Kitae S., Tai-Woo C., Jinwoo P. (2010). An integrative framework for supplier relationship management. Industrial Management Data Systems, 110(4), 495-515.