Problems of Library Automation in Africa Essay Example for Free

Problems of Library Automation in Africa Essay In 1981, IBM introduced its personal computer (PC) for use in the home, office and schools. Prior to that time, there had been several MS-DOS compatible personal computers that ran DOS programs. As computers became more widespread in the workplace (ie. an independent agent’s office), new  ways to unleash their potential developed. As smaller computers became more powerful, they could be linked together, or networked, to share memory space, software and information, and communicate with each other. So where does the insurance industry enter the â€Å"automation† picture? A word from our sponsor: Whats so difficult about combining personal and commercial umbrella coverage? Not much. Get a quote online now! Independent agents have come a long way in using technology over the past 20 years. From the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, independent agents for the most part used PC-based automation systems to boost efficiency and cut costs. Since 1970, ACORD, a not-for-profit standards-setting association for the insurance industry, has been involved in automation. The association is comprised of carriers, agents, vendors, solution providers, associations and other interested parties. â€Å"We aren’t the ones who ‘built’ the automation system,† said Carolyn â€Å"Cal† Durland, managing director of Standards for ACORD. â€Å"What we did and still do is provide standards-Forms and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) upon which the vendors or solution providers base their automation systems.† She explained that to find out how the industry became automated, one must look to the vendors and solution providers. In 1972, the first ACORD form, a property loss notice, went into use. Today, ACORD’s standards include Forms, AL3 (Automation Level 3), XML, OLife and ObjX. The Forms are point of sale, data collection vehicles, AL3 is ACORD’s EDI standard (or machine-to-machine, business-to-business, data transmission formats or components), OLife is a data integration standard and ObjX is â€Å"much more than EDI.† In the 1980s-when the number of PCs in use increased dramatically-ACORD members asked for standardized electronic transmissions between the agents’  computers and the carriers’ computers. â€Å"The industry has come to ACORD to consolidate efforts to eliminate duplication of work,† Durland said. â€Å"For example, without one approved, countrywide ACORD application, all of the 2,400-plus insurance carriers would have to have their own form. And the vendors or solution providers who automate those forms would have to customize each form.† Now that ACORD and the industry are working hand-in-hand, there is one form accepted and used by many of those carriers. In addition, the vendors or solution providers have the option to become licensed by ACORD to redistribute the Forms. â€Å"ACORD provides them with tools†¦to print the ACORD Forms,† Durland said. â€Å"ACORD’s Forms efforts have stripped the costs out of this distribution channel.† According to Durland, in the same manner that the industry came together with ACORD to do Forms, they have also worked to develop EDI Standards. â€Å"Through our subcommittee process and strict compliance to anti-trust guidelines, we bring together carriers, agents, vendors, solution providers and other interested parties to discuss what is needed to transmit the data collected,† she said. Change is good The industry on the whole, according to Durland, is slow to make changes, â€Å"although there are some carriers that have the resources to be on the leading edge of technology.† The beginning was a bit archaic. â€Å"Carriers realized the benefits of automation and developed proprietary systems that they placed in the agents’ offices,† Durland said. â€Å"This resulted in the agents having to physically go from one terminal to another to interface with the carriers automating their process.† With the inception of the agency management vendors and ACORD’s standards implemented in those systems, the agents were conceptually able to eliminate  those proprietary terminals and work through one system. â€Å"This concept called SEMCI, Single Entry Multiple Company Interface, allowed the agents to keep the data in one place and transmit it electronically to any of the carriers it was licensed to represent,† Durland explained. One step forward, two steps back Ten years ago, when Durland joined ACORD, there were many agency management systems attempting to enable SEMCI. â€Å"Today, due to acquisitions and mergers, there are three primary vendors and a few smaller ones,† she said. â€Å"SEMCI is still the goal for the agents and the carriers. However, with the inception of Web enabled processes, the carriers-in an effort to streamline their costs-reverted back to proprietary applications. â€Å"Those leading edge carriers put up Web sites that required the agent to go to the site and enter the information. So instead of going to a separate terminal in their office, they now had to connect to a Web site and rekey the data that was already in their databases.† This resulted in the acceptance of the new standard XML. â€Å"XML is a standard that enables connectivity between Web applications and agency management systems, in addition to business-to-business, business-to-customer, etc.,† Durland said. The goal to secure SEMCI, according to Durland, can still happen with the implementation of XML. â€Å"Plus it broadens the trading partner base to be more than the agent to insurance carrier,† she said. A push for implementation In the 1990s, implementation guides were written and a certification process was developed. Today, there are more than 12,000 upload and 40,000 download implementations using AL3 standards. AL3 continues to evolve and there are new implementations every day, including using AL3 standards over the Internet. Ever since the dawn of the industry’s automation, forms standardization  continued and still continues to be an important focus for ACORD as the standards-setting association works with many different trading partners within the industry. Today there are roughly 400 ACORD forms. And although it’s important to note how many forms there are, what is even more important to note is the fact that these ACORD forms have eliminated or prevented 80,000 proprietary forms-saving the industry millions of dollars. Communicating on a global basis According to Durland, ACORD has staff dedicated to building relationships with other standards-setting organizations. The fact is, the industry handles business on a global basis, so it just makes sense that the goal is to be able to communicate on a global basis. As an example, Durland pointed out that carriers write coverage for properties owned by people all over the world. In turn, these carriers work with other carriers or reinsurers to share the exposure. When asked why it is so important for the industry to be automated, Durland said, â€Å"Automation strips costs out of workflows.† Simply put, to only have to go to one place for information and to be able to service customers quickly and efficiently is key. â€Å"For example, the agent and carrier agree to indemnify the customer if they have a loss which is covered under their policy. The customer pays a fee based on that promise. When the loss occurs, they want someone to handle it promptly†¦to be given information on the progression of the resolution and be paid or have the item replaced ASAP,† Durland said. Automation makes it possible. â€Å"With the technology and automation available to us today, the opportunities to share information are unlimited,† Durland said. â€Å"The industry realizes that and is working together to figure out how to communicate electronically  with each other.†

What Might We Mean By Firm Performance

What Might We Mean By Firm Performance The firm performance is a complex term which may include different shadows of meaning as long as it relates to organizational performance, functioning of the firm and outcomes of its operations. Normally, the firm performance implies the organizational performance, including manufacturing of products and services, functioning of different units of the firm, performance of its employees and outcomes of their work in total. At the same time, the firm performance can be viewed in a broader context as a part of the business development of the firm. What is meant here is the fact that the business development mirrors the firms performance and allows to assess the extent to which the organizational performance is effective. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the firms performance is basically measured in terms of efficiency of the firms operations. In fact, the more effective the firms operations are completed the more positive the organizational performance is and, on the contrary, the low efficiency of firms operations and employees performance means the poor firms performance. In this respect, employees performance comprises an integral part of the firms performance because, in the contemporary business environment human resources, comprise an important marketing asset of any organization. Therefore, the efficiency of employees performance affects consistently the firms performance. Furthermore, it is important to take into consideration that the firms performance is an important indicator for investors and stakeholders. What is meant here is the fact that the firms performance indicates whether the company is worth investing or not. For instance, investors are ready to invest money in firms with the positive marketing performance, whereas poor marketing performance indicates at problems firms have in their business development. As a result, investors avoid investing money in companies with poor performance because they are uncertain in the return on investments and because of high risks accompanying such investments. What is competitive advantage, in OPERATIONAL and CONCRETE terms? The competitive advantage of a company is one of the most important factors that define the competitive position of the company in the market. In fact, the competitive position of a company means the marketing position and performance of the company compared to its major rivals. In this regard, it is necessary to pay a particular attention to the return on investments rate of the company because the higher is the return on investments and lower risks associated with investments and business development of the company, the better is the marketing position of the company. In fact, the company with the high return on investment can count for the steady improvement of its marketing and competitive position because it can take advantage of its business development and growth which occur due to the high return on investments. In addition, the competitive advantage should be unique, relevant and sustainable. At the same time, it is important to distinguish competitive position in operational and concrete terms. In this regard, the competitive advantage in operational terms implies the advantage of the company in terms of its business development, introduction of innovations, use of management strategies, organization of production process and other operations conducted by the company. The competitive advantage of the company in operational terms is defined by its ability to take a better position compared to its rival due to a better organization of the production process and other operations conducted by the company compared to its rivals. As for the competitive advantage in concrete terms, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the competitive advantage in concrete terms implies the advantage of the company in terms of the assets value of the company, costs of its facilities, fixed costs, and other fixed values of the company, along with the products and services provided by the company to its customers. In other words, the competitive advantage in concrete terms implies the advantage the company gains in quantity of products, revenues and other items which can be measured and assessed accurately. Finally, on analyzing the competitive advantage concept, it is worth mentioning the fact that companies have to maintain their competitive advantage. In other words competitive advantage should be sustainable to insure that the company keeps progressing. Otherwise, if the company fails to maintain its competitive advantage, it is doomed to failure because it cannot afford the competition for rivals will keep progressing and outpace the company that has stopped in its development. Question 3: Assess the merits of the VRIO framework when determining a firms competitive advantage? The VRIO framework allows to obtain the basic information on the competitive advantage of a firm. To put it more precisely, the VRIO framework focuses on four key items defining the competitive position of a firm, including value, rarity, imitability, and organization. The value of the company is very important for determining its competitive position. In terms of the VRIO framework, the value implies the ability of a firm to neutralize external threats and hold a better marketing and competitive position compared to its rivals. In such a way, increasing the value, a firm can improve its competitive position and take the lead in the industry. The rarity implies the control over resource in hands a few and the firm should attempt to limit the access of the rivals to the resources. Alternatively, the company may attempt to establish control over resources and, thus, get a consistent competitive advantage over its rivals, especially if they cannot get access to resources. Furthermore, imitability involves the protection of the uniqueness of products and services provided by the company to its customers and the ability of the company to protect its products and services from imitations from the part of its rivals. In this regard, the protection of intellectual property rights, the development of new, original and unique products is crucial because it provides the company with an excellent opportunity to take advantage and hold the dominant competitive position in the market. The uniqueness of products or services is crucial for the competitive position of the company. Finally, the organization is another important factor that determines the competitive position of the company and its competitive advantage. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that the effective organization allows the company to optimize the production process and company-customer relationships. As a result, companies with a better organization has a competitive advantage of its rivals because its performance is better compared to its rivals due to the better organization of work and more efficient work of employees within the company.

Review of Dickersons End Of Blackness Essay example -- essays research

Debra Dickerson, a lawyer and journalist, sets out to inform blacks that they have to give up on the past. If they do not give up on the past, there will be no future for blacks in America. She opens her book, The End of Blackness: Returning the Souls of Black Folks to Their Rightful Owners, by saying â€Å"this book will both prove and promote the idea that the concept of ‘blackness,’ as it has come to be understood, is rapidly losing its ability to describe, let alone predict or manipulate, the political and social behavior of African Americans† (p.3). My first thought after finishing this book was that she did not prove anything. Dickerson’s goal in this book, I gather, is to criticize contemporary approaches to race. She does this without leaving anything or anyone untouched. She questions the civil rights establishment, which sets the current tone of black politics to white apologists who continue to minimize the affects of slavery. One of her main arguments is that as long as blacks define themselves in terms of inherited blackness the civil rights movement will never be complete. Not only do blacks need to stop identifying with the past, they must surrender. According to Dickerson, â€Å"blacks must consciously give up on achieving racial justice† (p 16), is this a possibility? I do give credit to Dickerson for noting that blacks in America still face structural barriers to equality, among them poor scholastic achievement, crime, family breakdown and infant mortality; however, ...

Economy Shipping Company :: Business Management Finances Essays

Economy Shipping Company It is recommended that Economy Shipping Company (ESC) replace the steamboat, Cynthia, with a new diesel powered boat. The analysis assumed no operating cost in 1950. Although ESC was presumably still in service during this analysis, the costs associated with the project evaluation were not accounted for until 1951. It was also implicit in the NPV calculations that any upgrade required subsequent to 1950 could be performed without any interruption to the daily operations and were performed at the beginning of the year. Therefore, the stoker upgrade and the engine replacements were considered on Jan 1st of the intended year and did not require any downtime for the installation. The evaluation considered four different scenarios: 1. Rehabilitation of Cynthia with the stoker conversion occurring in 1950 2. Rehabilitation of Cynthia with the stoker conversion occurring in 1952 3. Purchase of a new diesel-powered boat with 2 shifts, 12-hour working day 4. Purchase of a new diesel-powered boat with 3 shifts, 8-hour working day Since ESC was considering other projects with a rate of return of 10%, each of the above options were considered using the same rate of return. The company?s balance sheet suggests that management was very conservative. The debt-to-equity ratio in 1950 was 0.075, indicating that the company could easily borrow at the going rate of 3% without fear of bankruptcy. Moreover, the company had sufficient funds to purchase four new diesel-powered boats. Overall, ECS was in a very strong position to quickly upgrade their fleet and gain any advantage that may come with the new diesel-powered boats. The influence of the union to change the working hours for the crew members is noteworthy in this analysis. If the union succeeded, the steamboats would not be capable of accommodating the 3-shift requirement and therefore be noncompliant with the new regulation. If the new regulation had fines associated for any vessel not in compliance with the new guidelines, the results for the steamboat scenarios would only get worse. In this case, the diesel-powered boats could accommodate the anticipated ruling and therefore continue to operate without fear of being unlawful. Another disadvantage against rehabilitating Cynthia was its age. At the time of the decision the steamboat had already been in operation for 23 years. Although, the realizable cost to renovate the steamboat was already known, the intangible aspect of this alternative was the status of the boat once refurbished. It should be noted that with any overhaul, there are still aspects to the boat that will remain ?old? and will eventually fail. The maintenance and repairs listed in

Bringing the Jobs Home

The book under review is: â€Å"Bringing the Jobs Home† or â€Å"How the Left Created the Outsourcing Crisis–and How We Can Fix It†. In this book the author, Todd G. Buchholz, gives a conservative economist’s views on the origin of outsourcing of jobs meant for Americans to people in other countries, and how the trend can be reversed to return jobs to Americans in the United States. His analysis of the problem of outsourcing of jobs places the origin of the phenomenon squarely at the doorsteps of liberals, who he termed â€Å"The Left†.Todd G. Buchholz, to all intents and purposes, sees the problem of outsourcing of jobs from America to foreign countries not as a global phenomenon, deriving its origin from globalization; but as a problem contrived and sustained by American liberals and democrats, whose policies deprived American workers of their god-given rights to jobs in their own country. The critical questions one should ask are: What are the re al reasons that led American corporations to consider outsourcing of jobs? In what ways can the trend be reversed?If one objectively views Buchholz’s analysis of the origin of outsourcing problem as rather strange and ultraconservative, his recommended solutions to the problem are more than weird. In a world that is fast shrinking into one big global village, and where American cultural and economic influence have penetrated even the most remote outposts of human civilization, and in all areas of human endeavor; Todd G. Buchholz’s recipe for fixing the outsourcing crisis, are to say the least isolationist; a throwback to the era of American protectionism.Todd G. Buchholz’s views on solving the outsourcing crisis, when placed in the context of today’s world, are like driving a car in the reverse gear on an expressway. Description and Analysis Background Information about the author The author of the book Todd G. Buchholz is an internationally known economi st and financial expert. He once served as a director for economic policy to the United States president. He has also served as financial adviser to such well known investment companies as Goldman Sachs and Soros Fund.In addition Todd G. Buchholz has managed an investment that is famous worldwide. He has written for such top of the shelf newspapers as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times among his many other publications on financial policy. Todd G. Buchholz has thrown new light onto old problems in the area of financial and economic management. One of his other well known books is: New Ideas from Dead Economics. Todd G. Buchholz is generally regarded as a well respected conservative economist.His views on economic policy directions are well known and sought after by companies and governments. Purpose of the Book The purpose for which Todd G. Buchholz wrote this book was to highlight the problem Americans have to face by the policy of outsourcing jobs to workers overseas to t he detriment of jobless Americans. Todd G. Buchholz attributes much of the problem to the policy of globalization which was initiated by previous governments of the United States controlled by the Democratic Party, which he collectively labeled â€Å"The Left†.Some of the unfavorable conditions emanating from wrong-headed policies of â€Å"The Left† which he felt led to the crisis of outsourcing of jobs by American companies include: an education system which continues to produce graduates who do not have the necessary competence required for modern job requirements; thus forcing American companies to look elsewhere for reliable workers; a suffocating tax regime which forces companies to pay for an over bloated social security programs; pro-union laws which restricts well educated foreigners of American Universities from staying back to work in the United States; and to compound it all, an American legal system that favors plaintiffs in frivolous lawsuits and which awa rds unnecessarily high financial damages against companies. Todd G.Buchholz’s solution to these problems, and which he claims will lead to reversal of direction of policy of outsourcing, is that legislation should be passed in all the problematic areas highlighted above in favor of protecting the free market tradition of the United States. Todd G. Buchholz first identified the root causes of why American companies and businesses outsource, as a combination of the negative effects of such societal forces as â€Å"nasty tax collectors, dull school bureaucrats, and sharp lawyers† which working together, force American companies to take their business overseas, where government policies and societal conditions are more favorable to free enterprise. He then gave the following recommendations: To reduce the high cost of hiring American workers, should legislate tax cuts and have less regulations on doing business in the United States. Todd G.Buchholz also advocates stricter education standards in American schools and colleges so as to improve the quality of graduates being churned out annually. He also recommends the reduction of the lawyer population in the United States through giving disincentives to American law practice, by restricting admission and raising standards required to qualify for admission to law schools and at the Bar. Significance of the work This book written by an expert who knows his onions is significant in many respects. By joining the debate on the vexed question of outsourcing of jobs overseas by American companies Todd G. Buchholz, has given us a fresh dimension to a problem which has now assumed a crisis dimension.American youths and older workers should not be put at such a terrible disadvantage by what has now come to be seen as wrong headed government and policies. Government of the United States needs to do more to give incentives to American companies wishing to continue business operations at home. Review of Critical Qu estions The two critical questions poised at the onset are: What are the real reasons that led American corporations to consider outsourcing of jobs? In what ways can the trend be reversed? From the analysis of Todd G. Buchholz’s work, it is obvious that there is a crisis of underemployment of labor in the United states due to outsourcing of jobs overseas by American companies.Moreover, urgent steps need to be taken to reverse the trend, and to encourage American businesses to bring back outsourced jobs to the United States. Todd G. Buchholz’s work addresses these two questions. His remedies, though conservative in outlook, give us a starting point in addressing the issues raised in his book. Summary In summary, Todd G. Buchholz has given us a starting point in frontally confronting the crisis of outsourcing jobs overseas by American companies which face daunting problems of overpricing of incompetent labor at home in addition to government interference in business and labor matters. Reference Buchholz, Todd G: Bringing the Jobs Home: How the Left Created the Outsourcing Crisis–and How We Can Fix It, Sentinel HC, 2004

Mendel Vs. Darwin

Dear Mr.. Mendel, I am very Interested In your study of genetics. I also am a Naturalist and we share the same passion for Gods creation. I have known, from your studies of genetics, organisms may only pass down traits to their offspring that they were born with. This proved Lamarckism theory to be incorrect. Your studies show many helpful genetic facts. One of which is all members of a species are all different in some way. This ties together part of my own theory called Natural Selection.I too believe that all organisms are born with different variations. Variations that help to get food or escape from predators will help that animal survive. Then, those animals will reproduce offspring with the helpful variation. Your genetic studies reinforce my theory of Natural Selection. One of our few differences is that you conduct controlled experiments, while I simply observe nature. Much of my work took place while sailing on the Beagle around South America and Africa. I observed the natu ral life and took notes.You seem to Like working In a laboratory while I Like to explore the world and see nature as It happens. Our methods of study are almost opposite, but both reveal much information. Every organism's difference is a variation. While I traveled to the Galapagos, I noticed many variations in the finch species. From island to island, each finch bird has a different type of beak. I hypothesize this is because each island has different food sources so each bird adapted to their environment.Some have sharp, thin beaks to separate insects while others on different islands have shorter beaks to pick seed off the ground. I understand that in your research with peas you have found out that offspring inherit only traits that the parents were born with. I formed similar thoughts about the finches. As you may be thinking, my theory Is very controversial within the church. Most people think low upon me for believing my theory. Some say Natural Selection Is going against the churches belief of the Genesis written In the Bible.Fortunately for you, you are part of the monastery. You have your colleagues to support your ideas and thoughts. I am in the process of writing book to express my ideas to the people. I hope my ideas will be revolutionary and change the thoughts of evolution. My wish is that society will someday find value in my research, even if it is rejected by the church in present. Sincerely, Charles Darwin Mendel Vs.. Darwin By resourcefulness I am very interested in your study of genetics. I also am a Naturalist and we share the same passion for God's creation.I have known, from your studies of genetics, One of our few differences is that you conduct controlled experiments, while I seem to like working in a laboratory while I like to explore the world and see nature as it happens. Our methods of study are almost opposite, but both reveal much As you may be thinking, my theory is very controversial within the church. Most people think low upo n me for believing my theory. Some say Natural Selection is going against the churches belief.

MBA Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MBA Project Management - Essay Example Cross- utilization of resources would also reduce the cost. Hyten has taken a reasonable approach to implement formal project management. Project management cannot be implemented without taking the employees in confidence. For this purpose, it organized the seminar to enlighten the management with the benefits of project management. Having confidential interviews was a good way to understand the hurdles in implementing the project and employees' perceptions. However, the implementers should consider the arguments presented by the managers and devise solutions to cater to the problems involved especially to those presented by the plant and engineering managers. They should meet with the general manager and take him into confidence too. They should also consider the time period for creating an adequate information system required for project management. For that, they may approach an outside company to find out how much time it would take to create the same information system for them The organizational personnel were focusing more on the disadvantages. ... However most of them accepted the fact the long-term benefits were more than the disadvantages in short term. Many of the disadvantages focused on the changes that would be required as a result of project management. For example, the staff would have to break work summaries into work packages, prepare commitment reports, estimate report data, perform project audits and prepare comparisons of projected versus actual costs. Besides the present internal control system would have to be changed after reviewing it. All of these would require more resources. The advantages included improved communication among the departments, cross-utilization of resources, better scheduling and reduced costs. Hence, to gain the advantages, it is important to consider the disadvantages and the changes required. 4. Are the issues raised regarding evaluations and compensations valid Provide some solutions and are these areas really a result of formal project management The issues that are raised regarding evaluations and compensations are valid. If employees know that they can influence their evaluation and appraisals by siding with a particular manager, they might choose to do so. This may particularly happen when the functional and project manager do not get along together. These issues may be resolved by increasing cooperation between both the managers. For example, if a project manager assigns a task to a functional employee, he should notify the functional manager so that he does notfeel that his authority is surpassed. However, the issue may still remain if any or both of the managers are unwilling to cooperate. For this purpose, detailed evaluation forms may help. In those, the managers would have to give a detailed evaluation of the employees' assigned task