Management of technology Essay

Explain the term â€Å"Technofact. † How can it be used to define Technology, and Management of Technology? Explain the value and advantage of the term Technofact, compared to other definitions and common agreement about technology. Explain the weaknesses, missing elements, and contradictions in this term. Technofact is a reproducible object created by humans. By reproducible I refer to any product (tangible or virtual) of which the intention of its human creator was to make more of exactly the same, using the same methodology. Once we’ve defined technofact, we are able to focus the term technology around this entity, and to define it as the capability of creating technofacts (or the human capability of creating reproducible objects). Technology is not the technical object itself but rather the capability of creating it over on over again. Other fields of science concentrate on understanding and gathering knowledge around the entity that is in the center of the science in question while the technology â€Å"science† is a capability, which is more than merely an understanding. On top of the knowledge gathered, the term encapsulates the creation itself, the know-how. The different aspects of the means to establish that capability ought to be coordinated and managed, thus, management of technology can only be defined if we separate the term technology from the objects, the technofacts, as one can not manage objects. Most of the traditional definitions of the term technology are either inaccurate or too broad. Inaccurate when the definition refer to objects (tools, products) as the technology itself. Too broad when the definition refer to any human activity (van Wyk), which might include forms of art that can not be considered as a technology. Another broad approach can be found in definitions that consider any nature manipulation as a technology (is navigation by stars a technology? ). There are three cases in which I find difficulty with the term technofact as the central entity that technology deals with: 1. When the product has an inherited random element: Consider a computer program that creates random melodies (or drawings) pleasant to the human ear (or eye), based on some mathematical rules. The program itself is obviously a virtual technofact, but are the new melodies or drawings created by it can also be considered technofacts? Obviously, they are being created over and over again using the same technology, but each time the program produces something different. 2. When the product is a natural object or resource: For example in agriculture. Carrots cannot be considered technofacts, but there is obviously a technology to grow carrots. The tools which are used in the process (a plow or a combine) are technofacts, which farmers use to produce the crop itself, but they are not the reproducible product the technology deals with. Another examples can be mining technologies. The end product is the extracted material, which can not be considered a technofact. 3. When the product is an action: For example, the capability to lift heavy weights. A crane is a technofact, but it is not the reproducible object this specific technology enable to reproduce. The reproducible object in this case is not an object but rather an action. What is a â€Å"Technology-Based Organization†? Give an example for a TBO and non-TBO. Can a company be a TBO for a limited time? Explain and give an example. A technology based organization is an organization that uses technology to create economic value or to create a competitive business advantage over other competing organizations. The organization can be continuously pursuing technological improvements, manufacturing technofacts or both. This kind of an organization will be perpetually considered a TBO. On the other hand a non-TBO organization can become one for a limited time, if it incorporates a new technology to improve its processes, thus creating an advantage over its competitors. During the process of assimilating the technology and the time that takes other players to use the same technology, a non-TBO organization can be considered a TBO, as it creates economic value using technology. Consider an imaginary traditional dairy that used to produce milk in the old milking fashion, using the farmer’s hands and a big nice bucket. At some point the farmer decided to acquire a milking machine from his engineer friend that had recently established a milking equipment factory using his own inventions. The farmer installed the machine in his farm and taught his kid how to use it, so he can peacefully retire. During the next couple of years, the farmer’s kid gained an advantage over his neighbor farmers, bought more cows, made a small fortune and established a new dairy company (which he called after his dad). Few years later, after all the other farmers had done the same, the farmer’s kid decided to install digital thermometers in the dairy (acquired from the very same milking equipment factory), and became the leading milk provider to the entire region, with the reputation of having the freshest milk around. Again, achieving an economic advantage using new technology. This dairy had become a TBO for short periods of time during its existence, while the milking equipment factory that had invented and manufactured the machinery was a TBO throughout the years. Explain the term â€Å"White Spaces† in the context of technological innovation. How could this term be used in an organization to help planning and decision making about innovation? White spaces are the two optional gaps between technologies and applications. The first gap exists when there is a need in the market but no solution to match it. The second gap takes place when there is a technology out there that has the capability to produce a technofact that no one knows what to do with. A technofact that did not yet find the â€Å"ultimate product† it enables (where there’s a way but there is no â€Å"will†). Innovative organization can either fill up the first gap by pursuing new technologies to match the unanswered market needs, or they can focus their efforts around understanding the potential of existing technologies and to use them to develop new groundbreaking applications. Outlines the dangers and risks associated with rapid technological development to society and individuals. Are you pessimistic or optimistic about it? What can and should we do as a society and as individuals to benefit from technology and avoid the risks. The dangers and risks that rapid emerging technologies incorporate can come in many ways, shapes and forms according to the technology domain. From the lose of privacy through health jeopardizing, moral issues and mass destruction weapons, they all have one thing in common – the rate of the technology adoption and development has become faster than the rate of the ability to comprehensively understanding its implications. Successful technologies are spreading swiftly, acquiring life of their own and â€Å"forcing† people to use them in order to survive in the modern society. Even if a certain individual decides to rebel and not to use a specific technology directly, it still might change the environment this person lives in, to affect and endanger im just the same (e. g. cellular phones). The lose of freedom inflicted by some technologies is a big price of its own that society and individuals have to pay. History tells us that panic from new technologies had always existed, and we are probably experiencing the same unjustified fear of the unknown that the car inflicted on society a hundred years ago. But the problem with history is that it can only explain the past, while the present is unlike anything humanity imagined before. I don’t believe that governmental regulations aiming to restrain technology can work in the long run, but in order to control at least some of the risks, governments should cooperate globally on some issues to regulate technologies similar to the way new medicines and drugs are treated. As individuals, we must take responsibility for our health and moral values, to deal with it at all times among ourselves, to be aware of the risks we are taking and not to become blind addicts for anything new. Still, I’m pessimistic as for the capability of mankind to do that and overcome its basic selfish nature.

Optimizing Pilot Planning and Training for Continental Airlines

Optimizing Pilot Planning and Training for Continental Airlines Summary Continental Airlines is the fifth largest airline based on passenger volume in United States. It provides over 1,100 daily flight services to five continents. Effective manpower planning is a key component for the success of Continental Airlines. It is essential for Airline Company to adjust its need for pilots constantly in different position in response to new market opportunities, changing passenger demand, acquisition and retirement of aircraft and training resources and evolving economic conditions.Therefore, the company collected information from several separate database systems and built the training plans by using spreadsheet. However, this development method was time consuming and complicated and the database used was not capable for training plan as it was used for more 10 years. In order for solving the complicated, large-scale pilot planning and training program and increasing the competitive advanta ge in air transportation market, Continental Airlines replaced the old database system and spreadsheets by the Crew Resource-Solver integrated decision-support system.It includes four main modules to handle staffing, vacation, planning and training. The staff-administration module and vacation-administration module maintain crew records including all current and past assignments, absences and training while the planning-optimization module and training optimization module provides information of pilot-planning and training functions (Yu, Pachon, Thengvall, Chandler and Wilson 2004). Generally, Continental Airlines uses system bid award to determine the needs of staff changing to different positions and handle the pilots’ requests to change positions.It mainly uses seniority-based rules for decision making. In an average system bid award, 15 to 20 percent of the airline’s pilots receive new positions. As long with system bid award, the Crew Resource-Solver system can bu ild the training program that establishes the timing of training, advancements, releases, and new pilot hires. The Crew Resource-Solver system includes two phase to solve the pilot training problem. The pilot-transitioning phase determines the timing of pilot transitions by using limited information about training capacities to restrict the number of pilots assigned to training.The training-class-scheduling phase produces the detailed training schedule taking as input the solution from the pilot transitioning phase. As a result, the training program contains a set of detailed training schedules including all training events for each student and each training resource. The training program must satisfy all the constraints set by Continental Airlines such as pilots training will not be assigned during their vacations and other scheduled absences. Planners are able to use system to customize the training plans by changing the objectives and options (Verbeek 1991).Analysis The main obje ctives of the Crew Resource-Solver system are: 1. The improvement of the efficiency of the training programs 2. The forecast of future airline pilots’ needs 3. The maximization of the cost savings There are a number of advantages in using the Crew-Resource Solver system. First, the system improves the airline’s processes by enhancing information sharing within the organization and by simplifying system maintenance. Second, the system enhances data integrity by eliminating duplicate data storage and automating processes.Third, the system saves time compared to the old manual approach as it can produce a complete, optimized training plan that includes both the pilot transitions and the training class schedules within an hour (Yu et al 2004). Moreover, the system increases the flexibility of the training program as it is able to customize by adjusting objectives and setting options. The Crew-Resource Solver system provides an optimal set of components that can satisfy all training program requirements. However, there are several limitations to the Crew-Resource Solver system.First, the training program constraint is based on the traditional training plan which highlights the inherent weakness of any optimization model as it relies upon sound data for accurate outputs (Sarker 2008, p. 5). Second, the potential sources of savings vary depending on different system bids. It is the fact that a bid will have no cost components associated with those activities when it is no required on new hires and pilot releases. Third, even using the system, there is a trade-off between block-hour shortages and other costs on the training plans.Therefore, when block-hour shortages cost increases, the training cost will decrease, vice versa. It is unable to decrease both block-hour shortages cost and training costs together. Finally, the final decision of the training program is not automated and requires management to select the best option for each training program. R esult The Crew Resource-Solver system is an important investment of Continental Airlines to upgrade the management of manpower-planning needs by resource optimization and operation and financial performance improvement.Based on the evidence given in the article, the Crew-Resource Solver integrated decision-support system is a successful program for Continental Airlines to achieve its above objectives. First, there are three ways for the cost savings. Training classes’ schedules become more efficiently and the number of pilots sending to training decrease. Second, there is reduction in pay-protection costs as promoting pilots in new positions in seniority order.Third, it reduces payroll costs because the system can provide the optimized training plans which can use exiting pilots more efficiently and reduce the chances to hire new pilots. In fact, many recommendations derived from the Crew Resource-Solver integrated decision-support system have already been applied and have he lped Continental Airlines to save approximately $10 million each year. Second, the integrated system have focused process improvement and improved data integrity, and it is easier to maintain than the numerous legacy systems and spreadsheet application it replaced (Yu et al 2004).References Sarker, R & Newton, C 2008, Optimization Modelling: A Practical Approach, CRC Press, Florida. Verbeek, P. (1991) Decision support systems – An Application in strategic manpower planning of airline pilots. Eur. J. Oper. Res. (55)3, 368-381 Yu, G. , Pachon, J. , Thengvall, B. , Chandler, D. & Wilson, A. (2004) Optimizing Pilot Planning and Training for Continental Airlines. Interfaces, Vol. 34, No. 4, July-August, p. 253-264

The US Government Framework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The US Government Framework - Assignment Example President Obama’s entry into the presidency came at a time when the economy was taking a turn for the worst and the spoils for the Iraq War was being reaped.   Thus, the American public gave its support for the time being in the hopes that everything will turn out better. Being a great orator, Obama was able to capture the attention and the hearts of the people.   However, most things are easily said than done. And if even they can be achieved it usually takes time to do it, which most people affected by the failing economy cannot appreciate.Officials in public office, especially the President experiences a decline in popularity mainly because of his decisions, which the majority of the public does not agree with.   And most of his decisions regarding the economy and an unpopular war may either increase or decrease his level of popularity.   If during his term in office, the economy becomes good he will generally have a high level of approval; and if he engages in a wa r that makes the country look like the defender of democracy then normally his ratings will surge upward (King).   It is unfortunate that President Obama’s administration had to deal with a failing economy almost at the start o his term in office and like wise quite unfortunate that the popularity polls have been conducted at a time when the surveyed group was not in favor of the President’s actions and decision. Hence a decline in popularity rating was eminent but not entirely new in the world of politics, since past presidents also went through the same dilemma during their time (King).The veto power of the Texas governor gives him or her authority to reverse budget appropriation items, resolutions and bills passed by the legislation in session.   The President likewise has the veto power to invalidate resolutions and bills forwarded by the legislative body of the national government.   Additionally, the vetoes of the President and the Texas Governor have limit s since they are normally given ten days from receipt of a bill to sign or veto it.  

What Is the Controlling Law, Testimony and Liability Research Paper - 3

What Is the Controlling Law, Testimony and Liability - Research Paper Example As an initial matter, vicarious liability refers to a type of liability that results from the commission of negligent acts or criminal acts committed by one or more persons that are, by law, thereafter shared or assigned to another person or other persons. (Hill v. McQueen, 1951: 484-485). Significantly, this liability via attribution is imposed vertically; more specifically, a person is subject to liability when a person or persons under its control cause some type of injury through negligent behavior, reckless behavior, or intentional behavior. In this case, Tex and Rex were sponsored by the resort and this sponsorship was made known to potential customers. In addition, the injuries sustained resulted from the negligence, and perhaps, reckless disregard of the resort’s agents, Tex and Rex. They knew, for example, that Molly had certain potentially hazardous inclinations; they knew that the injured party was ignorant when it came to horses; and finally, as experienced stable hands, they knew that injuries could result from placing inexperienced riders on such a horse. The resort might argue that Tex and Rex acted in excess of their duties or authority; however, an important principle of vicarious liability holds that â€Å"An employer may be held responsible for the tort committed by the employee where the act is incidental to and done in furtherance of the business of the employer even though the servant or agent acted in excess of the authority or willfully or maliciously committed the wrong† (Ada-Konawa Bridge Co. v. Cargo, 1932: 7). The plaintiffs, as a result, should not be deterred by allegations that Tex and Rex acted in excess of their authority because this type of liability can still vest and include the resort as a responsible party.

Anti Money Laundering In Relationship To The Banking And Busiiness Dissertation

Anti Money Laundering In Relationship To The Banking And Busiiness Sector In Todays Economy - Dissertation Example Money laundering activities are considered to be of prime importance by almost all the nations in the world. In today’s economy all the banks and the financial institutions are subject to the risk of money laundering activities being carried on through the prevailing transaction systems within the organisations. Money laundering is the result of different criminal activities being operated all around the world. This study entails all about money laundering activities carried on globally with special reference to banking institutions and other related business organisations. First of all a brief overview about money laundering has been provided in this study. Next the various effects of money laundering in today’s economy have been discussed in details. The various preventive measures to combat money laundering have also been included in this study. Plenty of initiatives have been taken by different nations all around the world to put a hold on the existing money launder ing operations. It has all been discussed in details in this study. Finally how the nations in the world have come forward to combat the threat of money laundering activities have also been discussed in this study.... Introduction Money laundering activities are considered to be of prime importance by almost all the nations in the world. In today’s economy all the banks and the financial institutions are subject to the risk of money laundering activities being carried on through the prevailing transaction systems within the organisations. Money laundering is the result of different criminal activities being operated all around the world. This study entails all about money laundering activities carried on globally with special reference to banking institutions and other related business organisations. First of all a brief overview about money laundering has been provided in this study. Next the various effects of money laundering in today’s economy have been discussed in details. The various preventive measures to combat money laundering have also been included in this study. Plenty of initiatives have been taken by different nations all around the world to put a hold on the existing money laundering operations. It has all been discussed in details in this study. Finally how the nations in the world have come forward to combat the threat of money laundering activities have also been discussed in this study. 2. Money Laundering – An Overview Money laundering can be defined as the process where the monetary proceeds of a criminal activity are integrated into the stream of financial business in a legitimate way so that its origin is never known to anybody. In this process of money laundering illegitimate funds are made to appear as legitimate funds (Odeh, 2010, p.1). The process of money laundering could be explained in any of the following three ways: a. Creating clean money out of dirty money. b. Washing away drug money. c.

Romeo and Juliet Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Romeo and Juliet - Assignment Example The ceremony started with melodious music being played. Paris was with his best man on the altar waiting for his bride to arrive. He was blushing with joy and very happy which showed on his face. There was a silence that was music in itself as the bride, Juliet, entered. She walked down the aisle smiling but clearly showed signs of nervousness. All eyes were on the beautiful bride but there was something missing in her. Even though she was very beautiful, the glow of a happy bride seemed to be missing. Paris broke into a smile as Juliet stepped on the altar to join him. Clearly he was on cloud nine, and the nervousness of Juliet vanished as she stepped on the Altar. They made their vows in front of the guests and she they pronounced husband and wife by Friar Laurence soon after. They had their first kiss as a couple. They showed at the balcony where citizens of Verona were waiting to get a glimpse of the couple. The couple had their first kiss in public, then waived to the crowds. They walked hand in hand into the chapel again. Lord Capulet had held a dinner party attended by everyone who is anyone in Verona. The dinner was followed by dance where Paris and Juliet had their first dance as a couple. The day in great style as it had

The Undermining Of Nationalism By Globalization Essay

The Undermining Of Nationalism By Globalization - Essay Example Since nationalism focuses on the patriotic feeling, globalization does not have any such attachments so to speak (Taylor 2002). The element of a proper national identity seems amiss when one discusses the finer aspects related to globalization, as this has added to the internationalization of individuals, companies, and events in entirety. There is a great deal of learning at hand with regards to nationalism and globalization which will be discerned and discussed in the context of this paper. Nationalism is a combination of the national rights that an individual has for his own nation. But globalization does not agree with the same premise. Therefore nationalism has more relation with the nationalistic stance as compared to the globalization debate. In some viewpoints, nationalism goes one step ahead of globalization and hurts its cause. Therefore it would not be wrong to suggest here that the nationalism regimes get seriously undermined by the globalization approaches that are undertaken every now and then. The companies have also held on to this belief for a long time now, especially with the advent of the globalization realms which have shaped up the world, and have played their vital role at changing perspectives. Since individuals and corporations have long relied on the extent and positives attached to the phenomenon of nationalism, globalization has taken a nosedive especially within the quarters of the patriotic feelings and sentiments (Moeller 2006). However this cannot be said with reference to the business conglomerates, multinational organizations and business corporations of repute who have for long believed in the premise of going global and staying within the national domains as well. There are some hindrances in terms of studying the globalization ranks but one thing which assures the debate is that globalization is here to stay as it brings quite a few positives which the phenomenon of nationalism has been unable to inculcate or provide in the recent past. Nationalism can be taken control over yet globalization remains an entity which is still unexplored and there is much to learn in the coming days (Guibernau 1996). Globalization is a very strong and mighty phenomenon which can easily absorb the nationalism concept yet nationalism keeps on coming back to haunt the basis of globalization in the current times.