Development of an internet based housing demand database system for Dissertation

Development of an internet based housing demand database system for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements - Dissertation Example The paper tells that the use of information systems across all business enterprises, governance structures and institutions has become an accepted reality. A number of researchers and academicians have focused on the potential benefits, applications and challenges faced in the incorporation of these systems. The implementation of such systems in e-governance bodies have helped immensely in streamlining work processes and improving the overall efficiency of departments in delivering the desired outcomes. A study on developing a land information system for the local government in Naga City Philippines by Rizalino Cruz highlights the significance of intelligent systems in aligning departmental responsibilities, strengthening collaborative efforts, and streamlining the flow of information across various units and stakeholders. The focus of the study was on analysing the key requirements of the local government body involved in land use planning and designing an effective information syst em that helps in achieving departmental goals and long term vision of the local governing bodies. A recent study by PriceWaterHouseCoopers on the role and efficacy of information systems in Department of Housing and Urban Planning observes that an internet based system can help the urban planning and housing department realize their goals and objectives. The primary benefit of such a system lies in its ability to integrate and streamline the flow of vital information within departments, provide its stakeholders with immediate access to relevant details. , and enable managers to take prompt decisions based on the readily accessible data and facts. A legislative audit report on information systems for housing by the State of Montana (2004) highlights the role of such systems in determining the accuracy and reliability of such systems. The information processing capabilities offered by an effective information system cannot be undermined in the face of rapidly advancing technology tool s and applications. The use of internet and communication technologies has greatly enhanced the potentials to receive and process information at the click of a button. Similar studies and implementation of such systems across different countries illustrate the benefits and challenges associated with its effective performance and outcomes. The housing and urban planning department in Thailand benefited immensely from the implementation of

Teaching statement for assistant professor position application Essay

Teaching statement for assistant professor position application - Essay Example I also direct undergraduate research that involves protein purification and single molecule experiments. The students are working on a single molecule study of metalloregulator-DNA interactions for transcriptional regulation. As their professor for this project, I make sure that students stay on task and that they are producing the results necessary for the project. Prior to my work at Cornell University, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Free University in Berlin, Germany. I supervised students, taught theory and monitored an advanced laboratory courses on Methods of Biophysics. I was responsible for all aspects of this course including grading lab reports and monitoring student progress. I learned a great deal about how students approach scientific experiments and their role in supporting and developing experiments. My goal in teaching is to help students learn at both the physical and visceral levels. I want them to learn that science is always changing, no matter what project one is working or how the experiment is running. Sometimes students are afraid that if they do not receive the results they think they should receive, that the experiment is not working. I teach them that science is always challenging and as an experiment moves along, there are times when visceral knowledge is more important than what they are exactly seeing. I have taught physic courses as a lecturer at Katmandu University in Nepal. This opportunity helped me to find ways to mentor students and to make coursework interesting. Many students have said that I am a very approachable professor in my teaching style and I make science interesting. In addition to my teaching experience, I am also an active research scientist. I have presented at many conferences, and I have published extensively on various scientific topics as shown in my resume. As an example, my research in Applied Science (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) is particularly suited to this position. My PhD dissertation and

Ballast Tank Repair Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ballast Tank Repair - Assignment Example Mild steel by nature offers poor resistance to corrosion because of its inherent heterogeneous impurities, which facilitate emergence of anodic and cathodic nodes on the surface of the steel. Oxygen and water react with these nodes vigorously causing the metal to lose its electrons to form metallic ions, represented by the anodic reaction: 4 Fe ? 4 Fe++ + 8 e? Iron Ferrous Electrons Atom Ion The above electrochemical corrosion process is feasible only if there is a suitable electron acceptor to combine with the electrons released by the iron atom. Seawater containing dissolved atmospheric oxygen readily serves this purpose. The oxygen is electrochemically reduced to hydroxyl ions in the following cathodic reaction: 2 O2 + 4 H2O + 8 e? ? 8 OH? Oxygen Water Electrons Hydroxyl Ions The heterogeneous character of steel allows for some of its sites to favour the anodic reaction and for others to the cathodic reaction. The ferrous ions and hydroxyl ions formed combine together to produce f errous hydroxide: 4 Fe++ + 8 OH? ? 4Fe (OH) 2 Ferrous Hydroxide The ferrous hydroxide formed reacts with more oxygen to form hydrated ferric oxide, the familiar reddish brown rust – the telltale symptom of corrosion. ... oxygen concentration, water temperature, pH and the presence of metals in the form of dissolved salts such as oxides, chlorides, carbonates, sulphates and sulphites in the mineral state of their stable oxidised condition. In view of the large amount of energy expended for the extraction of a metal by the reduction process, there is a sustained pressure on the metal to revert back to its stable low energy oxidised state in the given environmental conditions. The driving force for corrosion is the energy differential between the pure metal and its oxidised forms in the scenario of ever varying ambient conditions. Pitting Corrosion Penetrative localized attack resulting in formation of deep crevices causing thinning of the parent steel material and revealed by rust is characteristic of Pitting Corrosion. It takes place more often in submerged bottoms, inaccessible edges and corners, and at high temperature locations like in the hull of ships where diffusion is easy. The locations most s usceptible to corrosion in water ballast tanks are: upper surface of face plate of bottom longitudinals, bottom girders and bottom transverses; upper surface of shell and bulkhead longitudinals; Cut edges of slots and lightening holes in horizontal girders; upper surface of horizontal stiffeners and brackets; deck longitudinals; upper part of deck transverses; and, upper part of longitudinal and transverse bulkheads. If left unattended, rust can grow at the rate of 0.22 mm/year, though the assessed average rate is 0.005 mm/year. ASTM D 610 Standard, supported by ISO 4628: 2003 Standard provides further insight into the mechanics and assessment of the degree of rusting. Corrosion Prevention The popular prevention techniques in modern use have been logically derived from the manifestations of

The influence of media (such as video games, violent television, etc.) Term Paper

The influence of media (such as video games, violent television, etc.) on children - Term Paper Example Our children are being raised in an increasingly media dependent world. From the day they are born we use the silencing melodies from the radio to hush them to sleep. As toddlers and preschoolers we rely on television to help us teach them their basic counting and reading skills. Once they hit grade school, television is one way by which we hope to keep them occupied long enough for us to get other work done around the house before helping them with their studies and assignments. We get them on the internet in order to do research that is necessary for the completion of their homework. They stay in touch with their group study and class project team mates via twitter and Facebook. Obviously mass media has become a very important tool in the mental and social development of our children. The question is, how much of this influence that we allow them to be exposed to is positive? And when does it cross the line towards the negative? We have to admit that media is something that we can no longer do without in our lives. It is the greatest mover, shaker, and shaper of our cultural values and social identities. The impact of media over our lifestyle can easily be seen in the way our attitudes and beliefs change over time. This is also a change that is reflected in the way our children are growing up. (Oak, â€Å"Positive Effects of Media†). Experts have coined the term â€Å"Viewtrition† in order to describe the method by which parents should oversee the quality of the television that their children are watching ( Durrani, â€Å"TV Is Positive Influence On Child Development†). When questioned as to whether television delivered any positive impact on their childs lives, parents responded that: â€Å"Despite the negativity often associated with children watching TV, eight out of 10 parents questioned believed it has a positive effect on their childs development, including

Critical Analysis of CIPD Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Analysis of CIPD Survey - Essay Example The effectiveness of business research, as also of the research related to other sectors, is depended on certain criteria. The validity of data employed is critical in order to decide whether a business research project is credible or not.. In addition the methods used for data analysis need to be reviewed and evaluated. In any case, the ability of a research project to meet the targets set by the researchers has to be checked. In current paper reference is made to a particular research project: the ‘Annual Survey Report 2012 - Resourcing and Talent Planning’ of CIPD. Particular emphasis is given on two specific aspects of the above research project: a) its statistical analysis and sampling and b) its ability to explain clearly the impact of social/ economic change on resourcing and talent management. In terms of the first of the above issues, the particular project can be characterized as successful; still, certain improvements would be possible so that the level of qua lity of the project is further increased. As of its scope, the project has managed to respond to the vision of its designers, showing clearly the interaction between the social/ economic change and the talent management/ resourcing. Literature related to the specific subject has been used for critically exploring the issues highlighted above. Part 1 – Analysis case, sampling Before explaining the appropriateness of statistical analysis and sampling methods used in the particular research project it would be necessary to present the key characteristics of this project, as of the above two elements. The survey has been based on the responses of 522 organizations operating in different sectors across UK (case study, p.34). In fact, organizations in ‘the private, public and voluntary sectors in UK’ (case study, p.34) have been asked to state their view in regard to the 42 questions included in the survey’s questionnaire (case study, p.34). Particular emphasis has been also based on the size of companies involved. As explained in the case study, 6 different categories of firms have been addressed in the context of the particular survey. These categories are presented in Table 1 below. Table 1 – Types of firms used in the survey based on the number of their employees (Source: case study, p.36) The above table indicates an important characteristic of the particular research project, as differentiated from the organization’s similar research project of 2011. For its survey of 2012 CIPD has focused on medium size firms and not on small firms, as in 2011. Indeed, in the organization’s survey for 2012 emphasis has been given on firms with 1,000-4,999 employees instead of firms with 10-49 and 50-249 employees. The above differentiation is expected to influence, even slightly, the findings of the research at the level that employees in medium size firms have to face different organizational conditions. Also, the needs and HRM practices of medium firms have to be different, at least at certain points, from those of the small firms. More specifically, the operation of small firms is based on families, meaning that each small firm is usually administered by a single family so that the control over the firm is secured. Another characteristic of the firm’s sampling method is the choice of organizations operating in different areas of UK (Table 2 below). Efforts have been also made so that organizations from different industrial sectors are employed in the study, as indicated in the Table presented in page 35 of the case study. These practices show the efforts of the researchers to guarantee the credibility of findings, as indicators of the resourcing and talent management practices held across UK. The quality and the effectiveness of sampling in the particular research project are analyzed below using appropriate literature. Table 2 –

Nationalization of Oil Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nationalization of Oil Industry - Essay Example Argentinean President Cristina Fernà ¡ndez de Kirchner in April 2012 has announced that Argentina would take control of Repsol YPF, the country’s biggest crude oil producer, by nationalizing 51 percent of the company’s shares (Gaudà ­n, 2012). Until 1999 YPF was the largest oil company in Argentina and was owned by the government. However, lack of efficient management and expertise was pulling down profits in the oil industry. As a result, the government started encouraging foreign investment in the market so as to invigorate oil production. Between the years 1993 and 1999, Madrid based Repsol had acquired 100 percent of the company’s shares (Weinstein, 2012) and its name was changed from YPF to Repsol YPF. Spain is the largest foreign investor in Argentina with the European market being the largest export market for the country (Hernandez, 2012). However, the current dispute is over a slump in investment by the Spanish owner of YPF, which is leading to a drop in energy output in Argentina.In the home country, Buenos Aires based YPF is considered an emblem of state pride (Economist, 2012a). Nationalization of the $18 billion worth company in 2012 would bring huge revenue to the cash-strapped government, which is a significantly beneficial aspect of the President’s decision. Hence nationalization of the country’s biggest oil company is apparently a populist move by the President. Energy officials from Brazil and the President of Uruguay have praised this action (Economist, 2012a).... Justifications Cited for Nationalization of Oil In the home country, Buenos Aires based YPF, is considered an emblem of state pride (Economist, 2012a). Nationalization of the $18 billion worth company in 2012 would bring huge revenue to the cash-strapped government, which is a significantly beneficial aspect of the President’s decision. Hence nationalization of the country’s biggest oil company is apparently a populist move by the President. Energy officials from Brazil and the President of Uruguay have praised this action (Economist, 2012a). Ms. Fernandez has accused Repsol in terms of its failure to make enough investment in exploiting the resources of the country. YPF has declared that it has discovered an oil shale site whose estimated potential yield would be 23 billion barrels approximately (Forero, 2012). In the context of soaring cost of oil, which is damaging the country’s economy, the lack of potential investment in Argentinean gas and oil reserves is a primary show cause behind the seizure of Repsol YPf’s shares. The President said that Repsol was not producing enough oil and was therefore failing to meet the country’s total energy requirements. Argentina is currently facing a serious shortage in its total production of energy. This situation is being fixed by importing energy at a higher price from other countries (Economist, 2012a). Ms. Fernandez has said that if this continues Argentina would become an unviable state for investment (Macalister, 2012). Pressure exerted by the government on YPF was increasing since the past two months before the decision of nationalization was taken. It is evident that the current situation has been created as a turn from the 2004

Sacking a contractor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sacking a contractor - Essay Example This essay is aimed at discussing comprehensively the stipulated procedures for undertaking dismissal of a contractor or a supplier under the following conditions, in the event that the contractor’s work is defective, where the contractors work is causing delay and in incidences where the contractor is working in a dangerous manner. Guidelines presented in this discussions will be based on the New Engineering Contract (NEC) provisions of the United Kingdom. The termination table under the NEC contract provisions details the procedure for the termination of a contract by the employer. The table provides that the employer may dismiss a contract given that the contractor has substantially failed to comply with the written obligations of the contract. Thus, defective working by the contractor could be categorized under this clause. However, NEC provides a framework for prior correction of defective processes and activities as a measure of mitigation to prevent termination of the contract. Under the clause for tests and inspections, it is expected that upon provisions of materials and samples by both the employer and the contractor for inspection, that the supervisor and the contractor notify each other of the inspection result. The contractor should correct any occurrence of defective work and the inspection should be repeated after correction of the defects. The test and inspection clause stipulates that the contractor should correct the identified defects within the defect correction period. Subsequently, the supervisor should issue a defect certificate latest on the defects date and towards the end of defect correction period. These provisions should prevent the onset of contract termination process due to substandard work by the contractor. If the contractor’s work is still defective, the employer may dismiss the contractor. However, the