9 Steps to Produce a Professional Business Presentation

9 Steps to Produce a Professional Business Presentation 9 Steps to Produce a Professional Business Presentation The presentation is a very complicated and costly way of communication. It requires time, efforts, creativity and what is worse, it may not work if you have missed at least one important component. At the same time if a presentation is well-thought-out and properly organized it turns from being costly into being cost-efficient. Here are nine steps to create and deliver a professional business presentation, which will astonish your audience. Telling a Story Step 1. The goal should be clearly stated, written down and followed at every further step. Never start with asking yourself questions like: â€Å"What will I be talking about?†, â€Å"What is the best first line for this presentation?†, â€Å"How to capture attention?† Primarily you should determine your goal. Your goal is an answer to the question: â€Å"What do I want my audience to do after I finish?† You might want to be promoted, or hired, or receive a great mark for your project, or make people buy your product, invest money in your startup, you name it. To do: Determine your goal and write it down. Step 2. Find a dilemma in your story. No one likes boring stories like: â€Å"He felt in love with her, she felt in love with him. They lived happily ever after and had no problems. The end.† People want drama. People want you to show them a problem and then to solve it miraculously during your presentation. If your presentation doesn’t have any inner conflict, people won’t listen for long. To do: Apply some drama even when you are talking about microbiology. Step 3. Keep your story integral. Your presentation has the same structure as any good novel â€Å"beginning-stating a problem-peak (solving the problem)-ending.† You might have several smaller peaks, but you should still follow this order. It is better if one presentation is dedicated to one problem, but if you have several issues to cover, find the one uniting all of them. In this case, your smaller problems will be your small peaks. To do: Write down an outline of your story with a thesis in the beginning, peaks, and ending. Making Slides Step 1. Design matters. At this step, you make important decisions about slides. Determine, for example, whether they will be image or text centered and which are the most suitable fonts and colors, etc. To do: Choose fonts and colors, make sure they are matching. Step 2. Visualize. Don’t put huge tables with numbers or piles of text into your presentation. No one pays attention to them, first of all, because it is â€Å"mission impossible† to read and analyze them. Show trends and ideas with the simplest visualization you are capable of. To do: Add well-structured information, but don’t overload your slides. Step 3. One slide one idea. Make your slides concise and integral. One slide should contain only one simple idea, and serve your final goal. If some slide doesn’t complement the target you have determined, delete it, even if you like how it looks. To do: Check if every slide helps you achieve the major goal of the presentation. Delivery Step 1. Clarity is the answer. Focus on making your storytelling straight to the point. Establish organizational framework, for example, define the approximate time of the presentation and tell whether you are going to answer questions during the speech or right after it. To do: Write a clear introduction to your speech. Step 2. Stick to a storyline. It is hard, especially if you decided to answer some questions during the speech. You should balance between improvisation and the major line of your presentation. The easiest way to copy with this is to make repetitions and to understand clearly major peaks of the presentation. To do: Write down 3-5 issues you have to cover whatever it takes. Write 3 sentences about each, add a starting thesis and an ending. Learn all this by heart. Step 3. The audience is more important than content. Whatever your goal for this presentation is, the outcome largely depends on the way the audience perceives your delivery and you in general. People pay attention to what you say when you pay attention to people, not to your slides or paper with text. Talk to the audience, ask some short questions (rhetorical, if you are under time pressure) and make sure to keep eye contact. To do: Relax and try to enjoy what you are doing. Joy and engagement are infectious. Have a great time producing and delivering your custom presentation. We are sure you will rock it!

Free Essays on Sound Waves

Sound Waves Sound is everywhere. It plays an important role in almost everything that we do in our lives and we take it for granted. Whether it’s the sound that the wind makes when it rustles the tree branches or the music coming out of our speakers, all sound is composed of little sound waves that are made by slight vibrations. These slight vibrations in any object move the air particles around the object in an outward motion and cause a sound when these waves hit your eardrums. Sound waves come in many different types, shapes, and sizes but they all share the same principles and characteristics. Sound waves are a part of every noise and they are imperative to sound perception. A wave of sound can be considered as a disturbance that travels through some material called a medium, transporting energy from one location to another. (Henderson) Such waves that seem to be hooked onto one another in a straight line are characterized as mechanical waves. When the first particle is disturbed it then moves the second particle on the line because they are hooked together and touching. Once the second particle starts moving, the third will be disturbed by the second particle’s movement and the fourth particle will be disturbed by the third particle’s movement and so on. The vibration will be passed on consecutively and the energy that was first introduced in the first particle will move on and on from particle to particle in that medium. These mechanical waves can best be described as producing longitudinal waves. In a longitudinal wave, the medium would most commonly be the surrounding air particles that vibrate toward a certain direction. The individual particles of the medium will always move in a direction that is parallel to the direction that the energy is being applied. (Kriz) For instance, if someone is talking to another person, the sound waves produced by the vocal chords will move in a direction in which the person is faced. ... Free Essays on Sound Waves Free Essays on Sound Waves Sound Waves Sound is everywhere. It plays an important role in almost everything that we do in our lives and we take it for granted. Whether it’s the sound that the wind makes when it rustles the tree branches or the music coming out of our speakers, all sound is composed of little sound waves that are made by slight vibrations. These slight vibrations in any object move the air particles around the object in an outward motion and cause a sound when these waves hit your eardrums. Sound waves come in many different types, shapes, and sizes but they all share the same principles and characteristics. Sound waves are a part of every noise and they are imperative to sound perception. A wave of sound can be considered as a disturbance that travels through some material called a medium, transporting energy from one location to another. (Henderson) Such waves that seem to be hooked onto one another in a straight line are characterized as mechanical waves. When the first particle is disturbed it then moves the second particle on the line because they are hooked together and touching. Once the second particle starts moving, the third will be disturbed by the second particle’s movement and the fourth particle will be disturbed by the third particle’s movement and so on. The vibration will be passed on consecutively and the energy that was first introduced in the first particle will move on and on from particle to particle in that medium. These mechanical waves can best be described as producing longitudinal waves. In a longitudinal wave, the medium would most commonly be the surrounding air particles that vibrate toward a certain direction. The individual particles of the medium will always move in a direction that is parallel to the direction that the energy is being applied. (Kriz) For instance, if someone is talking to another person, the sound waves produced by the vocal chords will move in a direction in which the person is faced. ...

Media Bias CNN and FOX News on the Healthcare Debate Research Paper

Media Bias CNN and FOX News on the Healthcare Debate - Research Paper Example Media bias can be of many types. It could be advertising bias which means slanting to please the advertisers, it could be mainstream bias which refers to reporting only those stories which are being reported on other main networks, it could be corporate bias which means selecting particular stories which would please only the corporate honchos of the media industry or it could be sensationalism which means showing the exceptional much above the ordinary for instance, making the viewers believe that airplanes crashes happen very frequently and they are as frequent as automobile crashes. There have been efforts made to correct bias but significant results are yet to be seen. This paper will shed light upon the slant of Fox news and CNN during the 2008 presidential election, how these trusted news channels present their biased perspectives will also be analyzed in this paper. Barrack Obama has been very critical of Fox news for more reasons than one, the President of the United States h as even excluded the news channel from participating in his press conferences, it is also known that the President wants the other big media outlets to cut all their ties with Fox news because he thinks the channel fabricates the news and is biased in more ways than one. It is implausible to find negative articles about McCain and Palin and it is implausible to find positive articles about Obama on Fox news. Their website has had its own share of flak from the Obama administration. The channel has received flak on a no of occasions for unfair reporting. Fox news has become faux news because the news shown on the channel is either fake or has bias. â€Å"A more accurate statement is that Fox News does actually report on all news: You'll find negative McCain and Palin coverage on the site and in the story archive. What they don't do is feature it as prominently or for as long on their homepage when they do post these stories, and they keep negative coverage on Obama on their homepage for as long as possible.† (Faux News) There have been a series of controversies that Fox news has been involved in and many believe that a reputed news channel would never face so many controversies, the channel has been accused of having a pro-republican bias and a documentary by the name outfoxed proves the very same fact. Keeping all these facts in mind one must be aware of the fact that the channel does not make any attempt of presenting stories and events as they really are, they fabricate and add their perspective to these stories and events. The 2008 presidential election was no different, the channel did their best to defame and criticize Obama who after becoming the President got back with the same animosity and hostility. The website would often leave their homepage as it is which would contain defaming information about Obama. â€Å"Discussing the 2008 campaign for the presidency, Sammon said, "I have to admit that I went on TV on Fox News and publicly engaged in what I guess was some rather mischievous speculation about whether Barack Obama really advocated socialism, a premise that privately I found rather far-fetched." (Is Fox News' Sammon a 'mischief' maker?) The channel has already lost its journalistic integrality and it is believed that they attack everyone and anyone who refuse to believe in their ideology. CNN on the other hand has been accused of having a pro-democrat bias. The channel hardly criticizes democrats and this has been seen on several occasions. The president was also racially abused on several occasions, several channels tried their best to defame and criticize him, in-spite of that he came out victorious. CNN has been

USER MODELS AND MODELS OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE Essay

USER MODELS AND MODELS OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE - Essay Example One of the most thoroughly researched aspects of misconceptions is their resilience - they are hard to eliminate (Champagne, Klopfer, & Anderson, 1980; Larkin, 1983; as cited in Alexander, 1992). One cannot just make them go away by giving new information to students. Alexander (1992) attributes this to the complex networks of related information associated with misconceptions. This connection of misconceptions to information associated with a domain could cause students to alter other concepts too (Duschl & Hamilton, 1992). As students do not know that these misconceptions exist, they often work towards reinforcing them (Alexander, 1992). For example, while solving a problem, a student with misconceptions in algebra would try to create an alternative process that would conform to the misconceptions. In well-structured domains such as mathematics, computer programming, physics, and physical sciences, misconceptions have been researched consistently (Alexander, 1992). While misconceptions are not limited to some domains, not much research exists on why studies focused on well-structured domains or how the impact of misconceptions changes with domains. According to Alexander (1992), misconceptions have a "dispersive quality" - the more central a misconception is in a domain, the greater its impact on domain knowledge. According to Johnson (1986), programs written by novices with misconceptions reflect the misconceptions through characteristic bugs. Novices in C programming often use "=" for equality testing, rather than the required "= =" (Bull, S. et al., 2008). In C language, "=" is used to assign values and "= =" to compare for equality. Students who are new to C are likely to use "=" to compare values, as they learnt in mathematics and other programming languages. While the statement "If (x = y)†¦else†¦" is syntactically correct, the value of "y" is copied to "x". This happens

General Essay on Chinese Religions Essay Example for Free

General Essay on Chinese Religions Essay Early Chinese religion belongs to the mythical and prehistoric period. Tradition speaks of the origins of Chinese culture lying in the 3rd millennium BCE with the Hsia dynasty. As of yet no historical evidence has been found for such a dynasty; all references to it are mythical. It is only with the Shang dynasty, which is traditionally dated from 1766 to 1122 BCE, that we find evidence of a developing culture and religious practices. The religion of the Shang was principally characterised by the use of oracle bones for divination and the development of the cult of ancestors. It was believed that the cracks that resulted from burning ox bones or tortoise shells represented messages sent from the gods about a variety of matters such as illness, the weather or hunting. Belief in deities and the practice of the worship of ancestors has persisted in Chinese life, and has come to form the basis of what has broadly been termed popular religion. Popular religion in fact represents a mixture of early religion and elements of the three great religions: Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. At the heart of popular religion is the worship of deities and veneration of ancestors at shrines in the home or temples. There are many deities associated with this form of religion, but the best known are Shang Ti, the supreme ruler of heaven, and Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy and protector of women and children. In the Chou dynasty a more structured form of religion developed. This is associated with the teaching of Kung-Fu Tzu (551-479 BCE), whose Latinised name is Confucius. Confucius sought to establish a socio-political ethical system, with theological beliefs concerned with human destiny and the conduct of human relationships in society, based on a belief in the goodness of human nature. He believed in a providential Heaven (Tien) and in prayer which encouraged him in his mission. He emphasised the five relationships namely, Father-Son; Ruler-Subject; Husband-Wife; eldest son to brothers; friend and friend to be expressed by li (correct ceremony) to bring he (harmony). Such relationships were rooted in family piety which came to give a prominent place to Ancestor Worship and to respect for deified men, which came to find expression in the Sacrifices of the State religion. The Confucian canon can be divided into two parts: the Five Classics and the Four Books. The Five Classics were handed down from earlier times and emphasised by Confucius. These are the Book of Odes; the Book of History; the Book of Rites; the Book of Divination; and the Spring and Autumn Annals. The Four Books consist of The Analects (Conversations of Confucius); the Doctrine of the Mean; The Great Learning; and the Book of Mencius. Out of the teachings of Confucius emerged various schools associated with a master. Notable was the work of Meng-Tzu (c. 371-c. 289 BCE) and Hsun-Tzu (300-230 BCE). Meng-Tzu and Hsun-Tzu formed rival schools whose doctrinal differences were based in a fundamentally different conception of human nature. Meng-Tzu taught that people were fundamentally good and that what made them bad was their environment. Consequently, Meng-Tzu emphasised the importance of education as a means for bringing out the innate goodness of people. By way of contrast, Hsun-Tzu had a more pessimistic view of human nature. Hsun-Tzu taught that people were inherently evil, and that they could only be taught to be good through training. He also was religiously sceptical, teaching that religious ritual had no purpose except to provide moral training. It was this negative attitude towards religion that was one of the main factors behind the subsequent rejection of the teachings of Hsun-Tzu by mainstream Confucianism and the establishment of Meng-Tzus teachings as orthodox. At the same time that Confucianism was developing, two rival schools were active in China: the Mohists and the Legalists. Mohism was founded by Mo Tzu (c. 470-390 BCE). Mo Tzu advocated universal love and opposed the elaborate and expensive rituals that defined Chinese religious life. This put him at odds with Confucianism in that Confucianism advocated particular love for ones parents as well as the importance of ritual for interpersonal relations. Although during the 4th century Mohism was strong enough to rival Confucianism, it went into decline in the 3rd century, and by the time of the unification of China in 221 had virtually disappeared. It is unclear why the tradition declined so quickly. Legalism is more of a political philosophy than a religion. The various strands of legalist doctrine were systematised by Han Fei Tzu (d. 233 BCE). Han Fei Tzu had been taught by Hsun Tzu and adopted his pessimistic attitude to human nature. Unlike Hsun Tzu, Han Fei Tzu did not believe that people could be reformed, advocating instead a strong, even ruthless, form of government that could control human behaviour. Legalist principles were put into effect by the Chin dynasty, which unified China in 221 BCE, and was subsequently overthrown in 207 BCE. The brief rule of the Chin had a devastating impact on Confucianism, whose scholars it persecuted and whose books it destroyed. Fortunately for the tradition, Confucianism received official acceptance of the Han dynasty and flourished during the Han period. Under the Han dynasty (206 BCE 220CE), the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE), and the Sung dynasty (960-1127CE) Confucian teaching was used for public examinations. In 631 CE the Confucian canon was made the sole subject for the examination of aspirants to official positions, so Confucianism came to be known as Ju-chiao, the Doctrine of the learned. During the Sung dynasty (960-1126 CE) Neo-Confucianism emerged as a distinct movement in response to Taoism and Buddhism. Two traditions of Neo-Confucian thought emerged: the School of Principle, represented by Chu Hsi (1130-1200), and the School of Mind, represented by Lu Chiu Yuan (1139-1193) and, later, Wang Yang Ming (1472-1529). Chu Hsi sought to provide a metaphysical explanation of the nature of reality as well as an ethic for human conduct. For Chu Hsi the basis of all reality was the Supreme Ultimate (Tai Chi). In order for people to live properly they had to purify their chi (vital energy) through taming their desires so that they could be united with the Supreme Ultimate. In reaction to Chu Hsis dualistic perception of reality Lu Chiu Yuan presented a monistic picture of the universe. He claimed that the universe and the mind are one. Therefore, through understanding ones own mind one could understand the nature of the cosmos. This was developed by Wang Yang-ming. Wang Yang-ming believed that individuals could perfect themselves through moral self-cultivation. This involved returning to an original mind whose principal quality was love (jen). Also of ancient origin is Taoism whose classic text, the Tao Te Ching, is attributed to a supposed contemporary of Confucius (551-479), Lao Tzu. This text has had many interpreters whose works have developed in various sects, some of which have been very influential. There are two streams of Taoism: Religious Taoism, which is represented by the many sects concerned with the quest for immortality, and Philosophical Taoism, which was concerned to explain the human condition. The major imported religion is Mahayana Buddhism which is believed to have entered China in the 1st century BCE. An important early Buddhist teacher was An Shih Kao who founded what came to be known as the Dhyana School, characterised by its emphasis on meditation. Another major early school was the Prajna school whose doctrines were based on the interpretation of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita). It was, however, between the 5th and 8th centuries that Buddhist schools flourished and developed in China. Schools that were active at this time were: San-Lun, Ching-tu, Tien-tai, Chan, Chu-she, Hua-yen, Lu, San-chieh, Fa-hsiang and Chen-yen. The great persecution of Buddhism in the middle of the 9th century led to its rapid decline, and by the time of the Sung dynasty only the Chan and Ching-tu schools remained significant. Incursions from the West began at an early date, mainly in regard to trade and commerce from Arabia and India, probably to Canton or Hangchow. Infiltration of a different kind took place under the Mongols (1260-1368), when the armies of Ghengis Khan spread westwards over countries occupied by the Muslims. The records of the Yuan dynasty indicate that many distinguished officials (both military and civil) were Muslims, bringing with them knowledge of Arabic science known to Kublai Khan and the use of catapults in siege warfare. In Ming times Arabic books on science came into the Imperial library. After the Mongol period, no great influx of Muslims took place, but they spread into most provinces of China, especially in the north-west and west (the provinces of Kansu, Szechwan and Yunnan) and in the north-east (in Manchuria and Hipei). They mainly live in their own communities in their mosques and schools. Their first mosque appears to have been built in Sian in 742. Another group attracted by commerce were the Jews who traded across Central Asia, during the Tang dynasty (618-907), whose communities have mainly been along the sea board in cities such as Shanghai and Canton. The earliest evidence we have of a Jewish community in China derives from a letter written in the 8th century by a Jewish merchant I China. By the 9th century there was a distinct Jewish community in Kaifung, its continued presence evidenced by the construction of a synagogue in the city in 1163. From the 15th century onwards the Jews became increasingly integrated into Chinese life to the extent that by the 19th century the community had all but lost its distinctive identity. As a result of the western colonialism of China in the 19th century and the establishment of new trading contacts with Europe Jews settled in some of the major cities of China. Christianity came to China first by the way of Nestorian Christians, after the arrival of A-Lo-Pen in 781 where it flourished for two centuries (by favour of the imperial court) until the reign of Wu Tsung who closed the monasteries and persecuted the church. It flourished again under Mongol rule in the 13th century, and in 1289 Kublai Khan established an office for the supervision of Christians. At about this time the Roman Catholic Church came to the Mongol empire, when a Franciscan monk came to the Khans court of Kharatorui in 1246. Shortly after that St Louis of France sent an embassy, followed by Marco Polo in 1275; a request from Kublai Khan for a hundred teachers did not, however, bear fruit apart from a small Franciscan mission led by John of Monterovino, who was appointed Archbishop in Cantilec in 1289, and under him three bishops were appointed. Then in the 16th century the Society of Jesus became very active in China inspired by the work of Francis Xavier who had preached in India and Japan. Matteo Ricci came to Canton in 1610 and then to Peking, where he founded a Christian community and gained prominence as an outstanding astronomer. From that time the Roman Catholic Church has continued despite periods of persecution. Protestant missions date from 1807 with W. Morrisons arrival in Canton for the London Missionary Society. Other missions soon followed with the Presbyterians in 1847, the Anglicans in 1849 and the Methodists in 1850. Also prominent have been the China Inland Mission, under Hudson Taylor an interdenominational missionary society. In the twentieth century house churches have been prominent, often associated with such evangelists as Watchman Key. These Protestant activists have contributed greatly to educational and medical developments as well as political and social influences from the West; these were often backed by military force and, therefore, deeply resented. Recent changes under Communist influence, led by Mao, have been profound, strengthening agnostic tendencies for many in the population. Traditional religious practices are still continued in many homes in China and among overseas Chinese. In recent times relaxation of restriction has given fresh opportunity for religious activity. Many Taoist and Buddhist temples, as well as mosques and churches, are being renovated and reopened. Greater openness to the West has been accompanied by renewed conversion to Christianity; the demise of communism has encouraged the rediscovery of traditional religious values. Taiwan has provided an important haven for traditional Chinese religions, as well as the establishment of new religions, since the Nationalist government established itself on the island in 1949. A number of syncretic movements such as San-I-Chiao (Three in One Religion), were suppressed in China following the Communist victory, but have found a haven in Taiwan. Other interesting traditions that have been transplanted to Taiwan are those which are collectively designated the Hsien Tien Tao (Way of Former Heaven sects). Five of the best known of these are the I-kuan Tao, the Tung shan She, the Tien-te Shang-chiao, the the Tao-yuan, and the Tzu-hui Tang. These are characterised by a belief in a creator deity (usually a cosmic Mother figure) from whom humanity has strayed. These sects also claim to transcend all other religions and, therefore, provide a way by which all these religions can be united. All but one (the Tzu-hui Tang) were founded in mailand China, later moving to Taiwan. The Tzu-hui Tang was itself founded in Taiwn in 1949. Also originating from the mainland are the spirit-writing cults. These are cults which derive religious beliefs and practices from a deity mediating through an entranced medium. The practice of spirit writing has been a part of Chinese life probably since the Tang dynasty (618-907). In the 19th century a spirit-writing movement developed in China and entered Taiwan in the same century. This continues to be part of the Taiwanese religious landscape to the present day. There are, of course, a number of recently emerged distinctively Taiwanese movements. Xuan Yuan Jiao (Religion of the Yellow Emperor) was founded in Taiwan in 1957. Xuan Yuan Jiao represents the attempt to recapture the spirit of pre-Han Chinese religion through incorporating Taoist, Confucianist and Mohist teachings and interpreting these as emanating from a tradition that derives from the Yellow Emperor. The religion is highly political in character since its purpose is to revive Chinas national spirit following the loss of the mainland to communism. Buddhism continues to flourish in Taiwan. Following the Communist victory in mainland China in 1949 a further wave of Buddhist monks arrived in Taiwan from the mainland. This has strengthened the presence of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism in the island and influenced the character of earlier traditions. Since 1950 the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China has been the focal point of Taiwanese Buddhism. This is responsible for ordination ceremonies for Buddhist monks, nuns and lay people. In more recent years Taiwanese Buddhism has adopted a more missionary approach both within Taiwan and abroad, particularly in North America. In the 1960s two important Buddhist organizations emerged: the Tzu Chi Compassion Relief Foundation and Fo Kuang Shan. The first of these was founded in 1966 by a self-ordained nun named Cheng-yen. This organization has sought to introduce a strong degree of social concern into Taiwanese Buddhism. Fo Kuang Shans origins can be dated to 1967 when when a Chinese monk, the Ven. Hsing-yun, opened a temple at Fo Kuang Shan in Southern Taiwan. Like the Tzu Chi Compassion Relief Foundation, Fo Kuang Shan emphasizes social action as a means to promote Buddhist values. More recently, Ling Jiao Shan in the north of Taiwan has become a centre of Buddhist activity. Founded by Master Hsin Tao, Ling Jiao Shan has acquired prominence within Taiwan and beyond on account of its establishment of a museum of world religions with branches in Taiwan and the United States.

Accidents Have Caused Major Explosion

Accidents Have Caused Major Explosion In the past few years there had been a steady increment in the usage of the risk assessment in the offshore production facilities. This is especially after the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988 and many other major accidents that killed many lives. Operators are showing an increasing awareness by reviewing the safety of their existing topside production facilities. The Piper Alpha accident provided adverse confirmation that the predictions of risk analyses regarding major accidents were certainly prudent. Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) is very useful in order to reduce the risks especially on the hydrocarbon releases from offshore topsides facilities. (Harmony, 1998) The accidents have caused major explosion and followed by some other minor explosions that release huge amount of hydrocarbons such as gas, liquid and 2-phase liquid. According to the investigation report that had been made after the accident, the main reason that causes the accident is the handover work made by two different shift personnel. Communication problem is one of the reasons of the tragedy. Initially the platform only produced crude oil. However, after a few years natural gas is also being produced. During the installation of the gas conversion equipment, the fire walls were not upgraded to the blast wall that causes a severe explosion throughout the disaster. Moreover, the pumping operation of oil and gas was continued even though the fire started to spread on the platform due to lack of professed authority that just witness the burning of the Piper (Taylor, Wallace, Ward, 1991). It was started from the two condensate injection pumps which are A and B. The day shift engineer forgot to inform the condition of pump A to the night shift engineer in which the pressure valve was removed for recalibration and recertification. There are about 106 recommendation has made for the future of safety offshore by the Cullen Report. All of the recommendations had been accepted and implemented by the offshore operators later then (Simon, 2012a). Petrobras Enchova Central Platform was listed in the major offshore accidents. This platform also listed as one of the worst and notable blowouts in the history of offshore oil platform. It is located in the Enchova Field, Brazil and operated by Petrobras. Two major incidents recorded in these fields which were on 16 August 1984 and 24 April 1988. The first accidents caused by blowout followed by explosion and fire. Most of the personnel were evacuated safely by chopper and lifeboat. Unfortunately, 42 workers died during the evacuation processed. The main reason that killed many lives during evacuation is because the failure of lowering mechanism of a lifeboat. The lifeboat was suspended and eventually fell 10-20m to the sea which killed 36 personnel. The other six workers were killed when they jumped from the platform to the sea at 30-40m height. (Simon, 2012b) The second accident occurred on 24 April 1988 which is four years later during the workover operations on the platform. One of the well that operated by the platform blew out and finally ignited that resulted in the destruction of the platform. Petrobras decided to drill two relief wells in 30 days time and eventually succeed in controlling the blowout (Maduro Reynolds, 1989). The workover well was performed in order to convert oil well to gas well. Then the blowout occurred during that converting process. The fire resulted from gas ignition last for 31 days. There was no loss of life recorded because the floating living quarters were separated from the platform during the blowout. The operator incurred a total loss because the extensive damage to the topside structure (Simon, 2012b). Ekofisk Bravo Platform is another type of platform that was listed in the top five worst blowout accidents in the oil and gas industry in which the volume of hydrocarbon released is about 202,381 barrels. This platform is operated by Philips Petroleum Company located at Ekofisk field in Norwegian continental shelf. The event of blowout was recorded on 22 April 1977, a few years after the discovery of this field in 1969. It was declared that the blowout cause the biggest oil spill in the North Sea. The blowout occurred during the workover of the production well. It was started when the production tubing was pulled out at 10000 feet depth. Then the blowout preventer (BOP) is not yet installed after removing Christmas tree prior to the production tubing pulling process. The downhole safety valve was malfunctioned because of improperly installed that cause well kick then resulted in well blowout that release large amount of hydrocarbon to the environment. There was no loss of life recorded as the evacuation job carried properly. Initially the total release calculated was 202,381 bbls by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Then the oil was evaporated up to 40% of the initial release and a total spill estimated is lower than the initial amount. It was reported that there was no significant effect to the environment. The investigation to determine the root cause of the accident had been carried out. They found that the main reason of the blowout was caused by human errors. The human errors include inappropriate planning and well control, misjudgment on the job scope difficulty for instance ignores the proper installation documentation and equipment identification (Simon, 2012c). Bekok C platform that is operated by PETRONAS Carigali Sdn. Bhd. is one of the listed platform accidents in Malaysia that cause severe injuries to the workers. This platform is located 200km from the coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The major factor of the tragedy is because of the gas leaked that cause fire on the platform. Basically, the platform went through scheduled shutdown in order to plan maintenance activities during the accident (Bernama, 2010). There were about 108 personnel on the platform at that moment of incident and six of them were injured because of the fire. The fire just started after midnight and brought under control by the emergency response teams (ERT). The injured personnel were the one that on duty at that time and in the process to complete their shift. The six injured personnel suffered several burns on parts of their body including the face. The fire might be resulted from sparks that produced from one of the maintenance valves. The remaining 102 workers have been evacuated safely to the nearby platform (Chris, 2010). Another offshore accident in Malaysia is Tukau B platform located in Miris offshore. This platform is operated by PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd which is Malaysias National Oil Company. The fire occurred on 11 June 2012 which is the latest accident at an oil and gas facility recorded on offshore platform. It was reported that 16 workers were on the platform at that time of fire. Five of them (two PETRONAS employees and other three contractor staff were suffered first and second degree burn. There was no loss of life reported as other remaining workers were evacuated safely to the nearby platform, Tukau A living quarters. (Mohamad Abdullah, 2012) The fire resulted from the explosion at Tukau B oil drilling platform started to spread on the structure at 9.20am at the compressor skid. Fortunately they managed to put the fire under control within an hour that prevents the fire to spread over the platform. The personnel were doing some maintenance works on the platform at the time of fire. The human errors could be the reason of the explosion that cause fire and injured some of the workers. Most of the accidents occur were mainly cause by the engineering workers that do not have good understanding on the safety elements. Misjudgment on the job difficulty has been normal situation on the event of fire and explosion. Improper use of standard operating procedure for equipment always becomes major factor in platform accident. This is mainly occurring during the maintenance works that involve the operator and contractor staffs (Luin, 2012). The most recent incident that involves oil and gas industry in Malaysia is the fire and explosion of the oil tanker named Bunga Alpinia own by Malaysian International Shipping Company, MISC which occurred at 26 July 2012. This event of fire and explosion take place at Rancha-Rancha industrial zone, Pulau Enoe near Labuan. It was reported that the oil tanker was loading six tons of methanol at the PETRONAS Chemicals Methanol Sdn Bhd jetty when a small fire ignited during a thunderstorm. The fire started at 2.30am and resulted in at least three major explosions that shake the Labuan Island. Bunga Alpinia had 29 crews on board consisting 23 Malaysians and six Filipinos. The accident killed five workers; four of them were Malaysian and one Filipino as mentioned by MISC Company which is a subsidiary of PETRONAS. Another 24 workers were evacuated safely to onshore (Almeida, 2012). The fire and explosion just occurred nearby the PETRONAS Chemical Methanol plant that arise another concern if the flames from the tanker ignite the methanol silo. The effect might be severe which can cause enormous destruction to the surrounding area. Problem Statement According to Oil Gas UK Knowledge Centre, hydrocarbon release may contribute to major accidents as well as determine a key performance indicator of asset integrity management of offshore installations. A hydrocarbon can potentially release to atmosphere due to leakage from equipment, flanges, valves, pipe works and etc. Each of this equipment has their own release frequency. QRA study is very important in order to identify the most cost effective ways to reduce risks to people and to the production asset. It is also important for company to improve their understanding on the risks and hazard involved in its offshore operations (Hanson, Lewis, Walters, 1995). For Quantitative Risk Assessment study, the release frequency of each Isolatable Section needs to be calculated. The QRA is employed in order to size hazards and advantages gained from their concession. The QRA particularly calculates the overall risk and potential loss of life and the average individual risk of fatality. In order to determine the release frequency the installation type and location are the important parameters that should be considered. Objective The overall objective of these studies is to calculate the hydrocarbon release frequency for each isolatable section of offshore production facilities. In order to determine the release frequency, the isolatable section of the topsides production facilities needs to be identified at the early period of the research. The quantity of each of the process equipment needs to be determined in order to get the release frequency. The other objective is to utilize the raw and modify data of release frequencies from the risk assessment data directory (OGP Publications) in order to classify the release criteria by using the inventory released. Scope of the Research In this research, a typical unmanned platform is used as a subject of study. A complete offshore production facility will be divided into several sections in QRA study. The sections are known as Isolatable Section. The Isolatable Section consists of different type and sizes of equipment, flanges, valves, pipe works and etc. The research will identify method to calculate the release frequency of a given Isolatable Section of Offshore Production Facilities. All of the possible process equipment with various sizes is listed down to make the parts count easier. There are three types of release which are full releases, limited releases and zero pressure releases but in these studies full releases type will be used in order to determine the release frequency for each isolatable section. The parts count of process equipment with its specific sizes can be done by using the data that is provided in the Process and Instrumentation Diagram PID. Other than that, the volume of equipment on the topsides of offshore facilities also needs to be calculated by using the volume equation. Process Flow Diagram (PFD) is used in order to determine the volume of each of the process equipment. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Quantitative Risk Assessment 2.1.1 Definition According to C.M. Pietersen et al. (1991), Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) can be defined as a method to determine the risk in major offshore platform accidents. It is crucial to determine the release frequencies from process equipment in the event of failure so that the risk can be identified. P.J Corner et al. (1991) state that QRA can use many type of methods or model ranging from simple correlation to complex computer codes. The method of assessment includes the effect of releases such as fire and explosion models, the model for assessing the impact resulting from the fire and explosion and the probability of failures of the process equipment on the topsides platform. Based on R J Hanson et al. (1995), the QRA (computer based model) was implemented in order to evaluate the risk reduction measures. 2.1.2 History In order to improve safety on offshore platform, QRA was introduced after the tragic accident that killed many lives in the event of fire and explosion at Piper Alpha platform. Lord Cullen in his report of The Inquiry based on Piper Alpha Disaster had identified that QRA as a technique that provides a structured, objective and quantitative approach in order to have better understanding on the risks and ways to overcome or control them (Hanson et al., 1995). 2.2 Hydrocarbon Release Frequency 2.2.1 Type of Offshore Topsides Production Facility Offshore topsides production facilities investment is substantial in order to maximize the production. The main production facilities can encompass half of an offshore topsides platform area and half of the capital or installation cost. There are approximately 16 types of process equipment on the topsides of offshore installation facilities handling hydrocarbon that have potential to release hydrocarbon in the event of equipment failures based on the Risk Assessment OGP (2010). The process equipment include steel process pipe, flanges, manual and actuated valves, instrument connections, process (pressure) valves, centrifugal and reciprocating pumps, centrifugal and reciprocating compressors, heat exchangers (four different types), filters and pig traps (launchers/receivers). 2.2.2 Type of Releases According to the analysis of historic process release frequency data (Producers, 2010), releases can be divided into three different types which are full releases, limited releases and zero pressure releases. Full releases can be described as flow through the defined hole is consistent, starting at the normal operating pressure then continuing until controlled by emergency shutdown and blowdown. Limited releases can be classified as cases in which pressure is not zero but the quantity of releases are much less than from a full release. The main reason of these releases is because of the human intervention such as closing an inadvertently opened valve. Then it may cause by the failure from the system itself. Zero pressure releases can be defined as the cases where pressure inside the leaking equipment is virtually zero. This is because of the equipment has a normal operating pressure of zero. Releases can be classified as major, significant and minor based on the (Pratt, 2002) statement. Significant releases are those lying between major and minor releases. Release frequency of the major hydrocarbon release is higher compared to the significant and minor releases (Edmondson Hide, 1996). 2.2.3 Type of Hydrocarbon Releases Hydrocarbon releases have the highest risk on offshore platform that potentially cause loss of life (Hanson et al., 1995). According to Derek B Pratt (2002), the hydrocarbon release type can be classified into three which are gas, liquid and two phase hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbon such as diesel, methanol, hydraulic oil, lubricating oil and helicopter fuel were included. These types of hydrocarbon are termed as non-product hydrocarbon. (Hare, 2008) states that there are five types of hydrocarbon release which are gas, oil, non-process hydrocarbon, 2-phase hydrocarbon type and lastly condensate. 2.3 Inventory of Basic Data 2.3.1 Number of Decks on the Platform Basically there are three types of decks found in offshore platform which are cellar deck, main deck and helideck. Cellar deck is the lower part of the platform while main deck is the upper part of the platform. Helideck is installed on this main deck which commonly above the living quarters. In some platforms, there are four types of decks existed which are spider deck, cellar deck, main deck and helideck. Most of the time, all of the drilling or production facilities are placed or installed on the main deck such as power generator and water treatment while all of the manifolds and Christmas trees will be installed on the cellar deck. One of the significant issues in order to reassessment and requalification of an old platform is the wave-induced force on offshore platform decks. Platform may be subject to partial or even fully submerge in the event of severe storms due to seafloor sinking the cellar deck. The structural integrity of the platform will be obviously affected and is thus a very crucial issue of concern (Grà ¸nbech, Sterndorff, Grigorian, Jacobsen, 2001). 2.3.2 Accommodation Arrangement Living quarters are the crucial requirement for the safe operational and life support requirements for personnel in the offshore Oil and Gas Industry. The other key requirement in the design and build of offshore facilities is to provide functional spaces for optimum comfort of personnel. Providing a safe environment offshore is mandatory in this industry. The location of the living quarters on the platform is one of important parameters in personnel safety requirement. The findings presented to the Cullen report based on the past Piper Alpha disaster regarding on the risk reduction would be achieved whether by accommodating personnel on a nearby flotel (floating hotel) or on PDQ (production, drilling, quarters) platform. The advantage is that personnel are separated from fire and explosion hazards if there are accommodated on a nearby flotel but the disadvantage of exposing them to other hazards such as transportation and flotel capsize (E.F, 1993). According to the QRA made based on the Piper Alpha disaster, it can be concluded that safety can be improved by decreasing the number of personnel offshore or separating production and accommodation platforms linked by bridges. (Lewis Spouge, 1994) in their study also claimed that the risks depend mostly on the separation between the accommodation and the hydrocarbon inventories. 2.3.3 Location of Helideck Location of helideck also one of the important parameters in the offshore platform and should be taken into consideration in order to reduce the risks. The scope of study carried out by K.H Von Blohn et al. (1979) included different locations of helideck on platform, effect of a seaway on the wind velocity profile, effect of varying wind velocity on the turbulence level and air flow around modules without the helideck. Most of the helideck are located directly on top of the crew quarters structure (Blohn, Peterka, Cermak, Barnard, Ewald, 1979). Based on the wind tunnel tests made on the Maui B platform, the flow conditions over the helideck for all approach wind directions tested are improved if the original helideck shape is raised 2.5 m above the crew quarters. Different types of drilling rig or platform have different location of helideck for instance jack-up rig, submersible platform and drillship because they are different in sizes and water depth. The location of helideck also differs between fixed and unfixed structure (BOMEL Limited Burt, 2012). 2.3.4 Location of Process Equipment In order to ensure the safety of personnel working on the offshore platform the process equipment should be placed or installed at the right position where there is less tendency of injury during the event of emergency. In other words, accident can be prevented if the equipment had been engineered properly (Johnstone Curfew, 2011). Properly layout the facility on the platform is the first job in building a new facility. The equipment that needs to be installed should be listed out and a plot plan of the site must be obtained in order to plan equipment layout. It is started by placing the most hazardous items of equipment on the site. Some examples of hazardous items are venting system, flaring system, fire process equipment, engines and rotating equipment, separators, tanks and unfired vessels. According to J.E Johnstone et al. (2011), venting system should be positioned downwind of the facility in which the released gases will not risk the personnel life and platform area. Venting system must be placed where there are no or far from the source of ignition. The same goes to the flaring system. Fired process equipment such as heater treaters, heater or separator, glycol and amine reboiler should be placed away from the equipment that process or store flammable hydrocarbons. It is also should be located away from the potentially released type equipment such as vents and pig receivers. Pumps and compressors which are categories as engines and rotating equipment must be placed on the site to avoid damage from any possible hydrocarbon releases, ignition and noise. Liquid hydrocarbons may be released to the environment resulted from losing seals of pumps while compressors normally leak small amount of oil which might cause fire if there are source of ignition (Johnstone Curfew, 2011). 2.3.5 Location of Risers and Pipelines Risers and pipelines are frequently become one of the main risk contributor on an offshore platform. The most crucial safety goal is to minimize the potential leakage from a riser or pipeline. The impact and corrosion are the significant failure causes by risers and pipelines (Edmondson Hide, 1996). The location of riser and pipeline should be planned properly because of a limited space on platform in order to operate in a safe condition (Sarica Tengesdal, 2000). Moreover the congestion on the platform should be reduce in order to lower the risks (Majumder, Markanday, Anand, 1991). According to P.J Corner et al. (1996), the most important approach in QRA is the failure that will cause different in the holes sizes and leaks rate to the marine environment. The impact may result in rupture or destruction of the platform while corrosion may cause small holes on the riser or platform which can be repaired and not hazardous. It is also essential to anticipate the release duration in order to determine the significant effects. It might be the long duration release of medium size cause destruction compare to enormous release of very short duration. Some risers are installed outside of the shafts, leakage and explosion will occur if hit by ships (Larsen Engseth, 1978). 2.3.6 Location of Wellheads Wellhead is the equipment that installed on the surface of an oil and gas well that acts as a pressure seals and suspension point for casing string. Wellhead that is located at the production platform is called surface wellhead while if the wellhead is located below the water it is termed as subsea wellhead or mudline wellhead. Wellhead should be located properly on the platform because wellhead load includes all casing strings with cement weight, tubing strings weight, weight of wellhead itself and BOP equipment (Anderson, 1984). Meaning that wellhead carries massive loads and part of the platform weight. 2.3.7 Location of Any Drilling Activities Drilling operation is one of the most hazardous activities on the offshore platform. Many personnel are at risk because of the intensive labor work. This is because this operation involves in heavy lifts of many components, BOP stacks, collars and precisely miles of drill pipe. Additional risk will be encountered during exploration drilling especially on the shallow gas hazards and the ultra deepwater operations that potentially have high pressure and temperature (HPHT) wells. Harsh environment condition also need to be considered (E.F, 1993). The best location of any drilling activities is away from the living quarters in order to reduce the risks on personnel. This is for instance in the event of blowout, the personnel can be evacuated safely from the platform. The drilling operations should be separated from production in order to reduce the release frequency of reservoir fluids on the platform as well as reduce the population at risk. Blowout that can claim many lives also can be prevented if drilling and production carried out separately (E.F, 1993). 2.3.8 Transportation According to E.F et al. (1993), the risk to people working offshore start when they leave the shore and stop when they return onshore. The main transportation of the personnel (crew change) is by helicopter or boat. The use of QRA technique had made the risk become apparent because the future risk can be predicted, accidents to be anticipated and ways to overcome or prevent is considered by interpreting the past accident experiences (Lewis Spouge, 1994). The helicopter accident can be categorized into three major sections which are accidents in flight, accidents on take-off and accidents on landing while crew boat accident can be described in two categories which are fatalities in transit and fatalities in transfer. Helicopter crash is on the second ranking for causing of fatalities on UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) after hydrocarbon fire and explosion (Lewis Spouge, 1994). Based on transport risk study carried by JR Spouge et al. (1994), it can be concluded that transport risks are important. Transportation by using helicopter has higher risk if compared with crew boat. This is because the usage of helicopter is higher for crew change operation since the distant of onshore and platform is considered while crew boats indicate dissimilar problems in evaluating risk due to their great safety record. 2.4 Inventory of Materials That May Cause a Fire or Explosion 2.4.1 Inflammable, Combustible and Explosive Materials Inflammable, combustible and explosive materials are materials that are capable to cause fire and explosion. These types of materials should be placed or stored away from the fired process equipment, venting and flaring system in order to prevent any ignition from occurring. These materials must be located away from the living quarters to prevent severe injury to personnel on board in the event of fire and explosion. The blast or firewall has to be installed around these storage materials to reduce the impact of explosion. Properly handling method has to be done on these materials. 2.4.2 Medium of Materials Released There are many ways for materials release to the surrounding environment. One of medium of materials release is through cracks, splits or holes in the containment envelope. This medium is created from the degradation of the equipment such as corrosion, erosion and wears out. The releases of material to the atmosphere may be resulted from opening pathway that is provided by the opening of equipment that still containing hydrocarbon by personnel with intention (Pratt, 2002). 2.4.3 Types of Fire The event of fire and explosion are common in the oil and gas industry especially on the offshore oil and gas platform and drilling rigs (Heaviside, 1980). Every year many injuries and loss of life are recorded because of fire and explosion itself. Personnel are suffered from first to third degree burn which can cause severe injury as well as loss of life. Fire can be classified into four categories which are jet fire, flash fire, pool fire and fireball. 2.4.3.1 Jet Fire Jet fire can be classified into two categories which are the fire that colliding against wall resulting in a diffuse flame and without collision. Immediate ignition will cause jet fire (Pietersen Engelhard, 1991). Jet fire also termed as spray fire. Diffusion flame is resulted from the combustion of a fuel that unceasingly released with significant momentum in a particular direction or direction. The releases of gaseous, flashing liquid and pure liquid inventories can cause jet fires (Executive, 2012). 2.4.3.2 Flash Fire According to C.M Pietersen et al. (1991), in case of gases, delayed ignitions in open spaces will result in flash fire. A flash fire is a sudden, intense fire caused by ignition of a mixture of air and a dispersed flammable substance such as solid, flammable or combustible liquid or a flammable gas. It is described as high temperature, short duration and a rapidly moving flame front. 2.4.3.3 Fireball Fireball can arises from the delayed ignition in enclosed containment that resulting in gas cloud explosion (Pietersen Engelhard, 1991). The gas cloud explosion together with fire will gives tremendous effect on the offshore platform such as destruction of platform. Fireball can cause severe injuries as well as loss of life to the personnel on board. 2.4.3.4 Pool Fire Pool fire can be defined as the turbulent diffusion fire burning above a horizontal pool vaporizing hydrocarbon fuel where the fuel has zero or low momentum. Pool fires could be static which depends on where the pool is contained. Large amount of hydrocarbon inventories have the highest risk and likelihood for the arising of pool fire (Executive, 2012). 2.5 Identification of Initial Accidental Events 2.5.1 Release and Leakage of Hydrocarbon from Process Equipment Hydrocarbon releases is one of the main reasons that result in accident. The release of hydrocarbon from the process equipment may cause ignition followed by fire. Each of the process equipment has its own release rate and frequency. The release rate may be depends on the size and diameter of the equipment. The leakage of hydrocarbon from process equipment can lead to fire and explosion. Oil and gas can migrate to other areas of the platform in a split second and cause ignition that may destruct the platform as well as kill many lives. It is important to minimize the number of equipment and piping installation in order to reduce the failure rate. It is better to operate at low pressure if possible to lessen the leak. The equipment with high leak potential such as compressor is place in open ventilated area. Separation between process system from drilling systems, utilities and accommodation is made by using blast and firewalls (Comer Eades, 1991). 2.5.2 Failure of Utilities The failure of utilities such as electric power shutting down pumps, compressors or motor operated valves can result in overpressure. Overpressure can be defined as pressure build up over the set pressure of the primary relieving device. Overpressure can cause sudden rupture or leak of utilities. Loss of cooling system such as water and refrigeration can form hazardous situations (Johnstone Curfew, 2011). 2.5.3 Falling Loads According to E.F. Brandie (1993), falling loads or dropped objects will create an immediate hazard to offshore workers. It also has high potential to cause major accidents if falling on the process equipment. The object may be dr

Information System

1. 4. 4 Information Systems for the Banking & Financial Sector: Audit is one of the major controls for monitoring management activities in the banks and financial institutions. In a computerized environment, IS audit is a very effective and necessary activity. Usually the IT implementation in the banking and financial organizations is done by adopting a mix of different methodologies – internal development and deployment and third party product development and deployment. In case of internally developed and deployed IT systems, IS audit will require to be done by a team of specially trained internal or external auditors.However, it is preferable to have the IS audit conducted with the help of suitable external agencies with the required skills and expertise to ensure independent nature of audit. In case of development and deployment of the IT systems by third parties, the IS audit requires to be conducted by trusted auditor/s with skills and expertise, required for the purpose . IS audit assumes greater significance because a large number of critical and strategic financial operations in the banking and financial sector are wholly or partly being handled by the computerized systems.There is a significant need for determining the role of IS in banks. This would assure the top manage- ment that the IS development is in the right direction. This would also help in exploring the intended and the real role of IS in banks. The knowledge of the real role of IS in banks would help IS managers in managing information systems by judging the business needs of the IS projects, associated risks, importance and ranking of IS managers in organizational hierarchy, need for innovation and flexibility in IS planning approach, etc.The IS practitioners may use the variables used here for self-evaluation and for deciding about the IS development. It has been well recognized that IS plays different roles in different industries. However, there is limited research examining the differences in the role of IS within a single industry. This study empirically explores the differences in the role of IS among public, private, and foreign ban. ks. Results indicate that while, at present, only private and foreign banks have obtained strategic advantages using IT, public sector banks, although late, have also realized the importance of IT.It has been empirically proved that the future impact of IS does not vary significantly with the banking groups. This suggests that IS efforts put in by the public sector banks are in the right direction and can be expected to give them a strategic advantage in future. Foreign and private banks, though in the strategic group today, have to constantly harness IS for strategic advantage to maintain their position. Sustaining competitive advantage is very difficult, because IS managers have to continuously evaluate the bank's applications portfolio with respect to technology and their competitors.Public sector banks have to search f or ways to shift from support group to the strategic group in order to enjoy a strategic advantage from the use of IS. In order to achieve this objective, they may have to formulate a different IS strategy so as to make them competitive enough to survive. Future research could evolve suitable IS strategies for all the three sectors. This paper has tried to locate the banks on the Strategic Grid. However, the level of computerization of various branches of a bank may be different and hence their dependency on IT may be different.Future research may involve locating the various branches and departments of a bank on the Strategic Grid and suggesting a suitable strategy for the branch. This study has the limitation that data are collected only from key IT executives. Perceptions of the bank's business executives may be different from that of the IT executives. Therefore, future research could also attempt obtaining and analysing the opinion of bank's business executives and looking for perceptual differences, if any.Another interesting area of future research could be to unearth the reasons for adopting a particular role of IS and to explore facilitators and inhibitors in using IS for strategic use. Uses of information technology in banking Write your abstract here. Applications of Information Technology in Banks in India While computer by itself is the most cherished invention that man has ever accomplished, its union with communication technology which is at its pinnacle, has brought yet another amazing extension to its already fabulous capabilities.From the period of Marconi to this day , the improvements that have taken place in the television , have literally brought the entire world into an individual’s bedroom. Joining this powerful communication environment , the IT has opened flood gates for global economic activity. The contribution of economic and political changes that have so far taken place to encourage international trade will bear fruit only when banking and the associated services can catch up with the new trends. The modern IT has enough capabilities to enable banks, financial institutions and others to bring about the desired changes.Banking sector reforms introduced a decade ago in 1992-93 , have been based on five fundamentals: 1. Strengthening of prudential norms and market discipline. 2. Appropriate adoption of International benchmarks. 3. Management of organizational change and consolidation. 4. Technological upgradation. 5. Human resource development. The Financial Reforms that were initiated in the early 90s and the globalization and liberalization measures brought in a completely new operating environment to the Banks that were till then operating in a highly protected milieu.Services and products like â€Å"Anywhere Banking† â€Å"Tele-Banking† â€Å"Internet banking† â€Å"Web Banking† , e-banking, e-commerce, e-business etc. have become the buzzwords of the day and the Banks ar e trying to cope with the competition by offering innovative and attractively packaged technology-based services to their customers. Reserve Bank of India constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan. The main task of the committee was preparation of a plan for computerization for the period 1990-1994 ( for 5 Years ).For the purpose of computerization , the committee selected the important areas relating to customer service , internal-decision-making process , productivity and profitability. The committee furnished its report on November 9, 1989 with the following recommendations- 1. The branches having daily average level of vouchers at more than 750 should be computerized . 2. Computerization on branch level should be achieved on any of the following basis- (i)Selected branches will have on-line terminals with micro and mini-computers which will be linked with central main-frame computer to provide counter service and other office-services. ii)Personal compu ters will be installed at counters which will be linked with local area network. (iii)For third option , the banks will have to depend on Telecom line. 3. The banks should gradually use developed devices such as- Photocopier , FAX , Duplicator , Microfilm , Signature Storage , Scanners etc. 4. Non-computerized branches can take the services of other local computerized branch / office in case of important task. 5. The customers should have the facility to route their business to any branch of the bank. 6. All-Bank Credit Card should be issued. . Computers should be made bilingual and proper training arrangements should be made to provide training to staff members. 8. The regular customers should be offered On-line facility. 9. Like some European countries , there should be a system of credit clearing. 10. BANKNET should be used for interbank and intra bank applications. 11. All Regional offices and Zonal offices to be computerized in a phased manner. Rangarajan Committee – 198 9: A Statistical Analysis Rangarajan Committee ( 1989 ) has focused its stress on computerization of banks.A statistical analysis was also made in the report of committee. In this analysis ,it was mentioned that following jobs can be rapidly and easily performed at Regional Office/Zonal office level. 1. To ascertain the bad and doubtful debts and to make provision for them. 2. To claim the amount under Credit Guarantee Schemes of DICGC. 3. To communicate , analyze and forecast the data for trade-plan. 4. To make action plan for recovery of advances. 5. Personnel Information System. 6. Credit Information System. 7. Checking of figures of priority sector advances. . Consolidation of statements/figures to be sent to the RBI. Present level of Computerization: Based on the norms worked out by Rangarajan Committee (II), 7827 branches of the Public Sector banks were identified for full branch computerization up to March 2000 of which around 4620 were computerized as on March 99. Meanwhile, the networking of the already-computerized branches also assumed urgency and some of the Banks have started inter-connecting their computerized branches using leased telephone lines or Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATS).This is meant to provide a more comprehensive service to customers and at the same time give banks better centralized control over the branch operations. As of now, New Private Sector and Foreign Banks have an edge over Public Sector Banks as far as implementation of technological solutions is concerned. However, the latter are in the process of making huge investments in technology. Source:  http://www. shvoong. com/humanities/1748375-applications-information-technology-banks-india/#ixzz2ONAVoUdI

Envolving Future of Human Resource Management Essay

As newer generations begin to fill management roles at companies, evolving HR practices are positioning HR professionals on the pulse of industry trends–helping them to focus on the idea that employee performance is part of an ongoing evaluation. This evaluation, many experts argue, should be focused on the future and on inspiring people towards demonstrating new ways of attaining goals set by the company. HR consultants around the world are coming to a consensus that a company’s recruitment process needs to be where the innovative conversations and actions are taking place in any given sector. Using technology and proven, up-to-date strategies HR practitioners are better able to analyze what is happening in the marketplace while identifying those individuals who are making the bold and successful moves in industry. How might these factors positively influence of impact the future of HR in general and in the industry which I have selected From large job boards like Indeed to niche job sites, from networking on discussion lists to sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, networking and recruiting will never be the same again. Human Resources employees have either kept up with the new ways of interacting and communicating or they are doing their organizations a disservice. Social media networking is the new way to find employees, find jobs, get answers to questions, build a wide-spread, mutually supportive network of contacts, and keep track of colleagues and friends. Social media and online recruiting bring the employer new challenges. Developing social media and blogging policies, deciding whether to monitor employee time online, and checking candidate backgrounds online, just scratch the surface of new employer challenges. Social media is an amazing talent management tool. By googling a person’s name ,a company can create a 3-dimential profile of a applicant, learning their interests, skills, personalities and â€Å"real lives† How might these factors negatively influence or impact the future of HR in general and in the industry which I have selected? Some disadvantages of an integrated solution in technology are that it offers minimal customization options. Because of the large scale and integrated nature of such solutions, they can  be prohibitively expensive to customize, or maintain customizations, as new versions of the underlying package are released. It does not necessarily offer the best solutions in each functional area. It is challenging to upgrade, because a change to one function may have dramatic impacts on others. Also, it slows down the introduction of new features and upgrades due to complexity. What might happen if these factors are ignored or not taken seriously in terms of the future of HR in general and in the industry which I have selected. If the HR role in your organization is not transforming itself to align with forward thinking practices, executive leadership must ask HR leaders some tough questions. Today’s organizations cannot afford to have an HR department that fails to contribute to lead modern thinking and contribute to enhanced company profitability. What should organizations do to prepare for the future? In this environment, much of the HR role is transforming. The role of the HR manager, director, or executive must parallel the needs of his or her changing organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptive, resilient, quick to change direction and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional, who is considered necessary by managers and executives, is a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and a change mentor. These roles were recommended and discussed in Human Resource Champions, by Dr. Dave Ulrich, one of the best thinkers and writers in the HR field today, and a professor at the University of Michigan. The HR professionals who understand these roles are leading their organizations in areas such as organization development, strategic utilization of employees to serve business goals, and talent management and development. In today’s organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners. In this role, the HR person contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide business plan and objectives. The HR business objectives are established to support the attainment of the overall strategic business plan and objectives. The tactical HR representative is deeply knowledgeable about the design of work systems in which people succeed and contribute. This strategic partnership impacts HR services such as the design of work positions; hiring; reward, recognition and  strategic pay; performance development and appraisal systems; career and succession planning; and employee devel opment. When HR professionals are aligned with the business, the personnel component of the organization is thought about as a strategic contributor to business success. To be successful business partners, the HR staff members have to think like business people, know finance and accounting, and be accountable and responsible for cost reductions and the measurement of all HR programs and processes. It’s not enough to ask for a seat at the executive table; HR people will have to prove they have the business savvy necessary to sit there. This decade has brought about the transformation of employee recruiting and social and media interaction and networking. Employers have seen a transformation in how people find each other for networking and jobs this decade. References Bradley, B. (2012) American Cultural History. Lone Star College. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade50.html. Licht, W. (February 2012). How the workplace has changed in 75 years. U.S. Department of Labor Monthly Labor Review. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2012/02/art3full.pdf Rubis, L., Mirza, P., Fox, A., Shea, T., & Moss, D. (2013) 10 Changes that Rocked HR. HR Magazine, 13, 50. Biro, Meghan, M. (2013) 7 Hottest Trends in HR Technology Https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2013/10/06/7-hottest-trends-in-hr-technology/

Getting Caught Smoking

Getting Caught Smoking Free Online Research Papers All throughout my life, I’ve heard a saying that experience is the best teacher, and in my case this proved to be true so many times. I can say that no matter the outcome of the situation, each time I was taught a lesson about something, I got the point clearly. I was always one that learned best when I was taught through experience, and on one summer afternoon my mother taught me a lesson that will never forget. I was twelve years old, and I can remember this day like it was yesterday. It was a typical Michigan summer day. School was out, and there were children running up and down Kalamazoo Street playing football, double dutch, and many other childhood games. Often times in the summer, all of the boys would spend the night over my house since I had three brothers and no sisters. We woke up that morning, and everybody went towards their normal routines. My oldest and youngest brothers were sitting in front of the television set in our bedroom watching cartoons. My mother had just finished cooking breakfast for us and was walking through the house watering her plants. My closest cousin, best friend, younger brother, and I were all bored. As we sat at the kitchen table thinking of all of the different things we could do, someone noticed that my mother had left her cigarettes on the kitchen table sitting right next to the butter dish. I played as if it was no big deal, and we continued to plan our day. My three partners in crime decided to go to my best friends house to play video games. I stayed behind, assured them that I would join them later, the whole time I was eye balling the cigarettes. As soon as they had walked out of the door, I seized the opportunity to take two of my mother’s cigarettes. I looked around to see where she was and saw her in the front room talking to her plants and picking the dead leaves from them, and I knew she would be busy in there for a while. I slowly eased the two cigarettes out of the pack, and crept towards the stove and lit the first one without her even noticing. Once I had the cigarette lit, I eased out of the back door, and went and chilled in the back yard with the four dogs we had at the time. As I sat in the backyard smoking the cigarette and talking to the dogs, I never imagined I would get caught. My dogs jumped around and played as far as their chain would take them, and I watched them and talked to them as I got comfortable blowing out the rings of smoke. In the middle of the second cigarette I heard the back door open, and before I could blow out the smoke, and put the cigarette out, there was my mom standing eight in front of me. I tried to hurry up and blow the smoke out of my mouth and stomp on the cigarette, but I was caught re handed. She just looked at me and shook her head. She told me to go in the house, and I just knew I was in trouble. I went in the house as she was feeding the dogs, and I was so scared that I locked my self in the bathroom. I could hear my mom return, and I instantly started sweating. As I looked at the blue walls in the small bathroom, I got dizzy, so dizzy I thought I was going to pass out. I noticed that she wasn’t scream ing or anything. I sat in there a few more minutes listening, and when I heard the t.v. turn to the soap operas, I just knew I was home free. As soon as I opened the bathroom door she called my name. My heart was beating a million miles a minute as I walked in the t.v. room to see what my punishment would be. As calm as I had ever seen her she told me to sit down. In my head I was thinking, â€Å"O lord please help me get out of this†. She didn’t say another word she just passed me her fresh pack of cigarettes and told me to go and light one. I did as I was told, and then tried to hand her the cigarette back. She wouldn’t take it. She didn’t even look in my direction as she told me to smoke it. I thought she had lost her mind, but I did what I was told. As soon as I put the cigarette out I began to get comfortable thinking she was okay with me smoking, and then she handed me two more, and made me do the same thing with those two that I had did w ith the first one. Halfway through the third one, I began to get dizzy again, and my throat and chest burned so bad. Before I knew it the room was spinning, the t.v. was too loud and I couldn’t handle it anymore. I ran in the bathroom and threw up everything that I had eaten that day. I felt sicker than I ever had before this day. My mother let me throw up and gave me enough time to get myself together before she demanded that I come back to the t.v. room, she handed me another lit cigarette and said, â€Å"here smoke this, you want to smoke, here it is, smoke it†. I was still nauseous from the first three cigarettes, and I begged her not to make me smoke another one. She looked at me and put the cigarette out. My mom looked me dead in the eyes and promised me that what I just experienced was nothing, and she assured me that it would get much worse of she ever caught me smoking another cigarette again. I was relieved at first, but I was sick for the rest of th e day. I never touched another cigarette after that until I was about 22 years old. Research Papers on Getting Caught SmokingUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresThe Spring and AutumnPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Hockey GameEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenStandardized TestingHip-Hop is ArtComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoWhere Wild and West MeetThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings

Do Colleges Average Your SAT Scores

Do Colleges Average Your SAT Scores SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you taken the SAT more than once?Are you wondering howcolleges will look at multiple test scores? Will they reviewall your scores? Onlyyour highest score? Will they average your scores and use that number?Standardized test scores are an important part of applying to college, but it’s not always clear how schoolswill review your SAT scores if you send them more than one set of scores. Will colleges average your SATscores if you take the test multiple times? In short, no. Colleges don’t take the average of your scores. Instead, they will look at your â€Å"best† score,however; there are multiple ways a school can calculate that.In this article, I’ll go over the variousmethods schools use to look at multiple SATscores, if they require you to send all your SATscores, and how you can use this information to your advantage and help strengthen your college applications. Do You Need to Send Schools All Your SAT Scores? The first thing you need to know, before you start wondering what colleges do with multiple SATscores, is tolearnif the schools you're interested in actually require you to send the results of every SATyou took. If they don't, you may want to take the SAT a few times, and then only send your best score. Infact, most schools do NOTrequire you to send in all your scores, and the College Boardmakes it easy to choose which scores you want to send with an option referred to asScore Choice. Schools that require you to send in all of your SATscores will be referred to as "All Scores" schools. I'll discuss bothin more detail below. Score Choice Score Choice gives you the option to send schools only the SATscores you want them to see,rather than sending scores from every SATyou took. On the score report request form, you will be asked to list your college of choice and the test date you want to send on each line. For schools that allow Score Choice, if you did poorly on one test date, you don’t need to send that score to schools, and they will never see it. This means that if you take the SATfourtimes, you can choose to send only your best score, or your best two scores, or as many scores as you'd like. Be aware that ifyou are using Score Choice and choose to send your scores from a specific test date, you must send your scores for the entire test; you cannot only send individual section scores to schools. All Scores Some schools, including certain highly selective schools like Yale and Duke, requireyou to send all your SATscores.This means that you cannot use Score Choice, and youmust send these schoolsthe scoresofevery SATyou took, even if there was a particular test date when you didn’t score as well as you usually do. So, if you took the SAT fourtimes, you need to send these schoolsyour results from each of those fourtest dates. Check out our complete list of schools that require you to send all your SAT scores. What Do Colleges Do If You Send Multiple SATScores? You may end up sending a school more than one SATscore, either because theyrequire it or because you earnedmultiple strong scores and want schools to see them. So what do colleges do if they receive more than one SATscore from you? There are several options, and I'llexplain each below. Superscoring If a school uses superscoring, that means they take your highest score from each SAT test section and combine those scores into a Superscore. Look at the table below to see an example of how superscoring works. Critical Reading Mathematics Writing Total Score Test 1 710 800 750 2260 Test 2 800 780 700 2280 Test 3 750 750 800 2300 Superscore 800 800 800 2400 This student took the SAT three times, and even though shenever had a perfect test, at one point shegot perfect scores on each of the test sections. Superscoring combines the highest scores from each section, in this case, an 800 for all three, to get a superscore of 2400. This is the SAT score superscoringschools will use when reviewing herapplication. This superscore is higherthan any of the composite SATscores for individual test dates Superscoring benefits you because you get to combine your best scores from each section of the SAT even if those scores didn’t occur in the same test.Wondering which colleges use superscoring? We have a complete list of schools that superscore the SAT. Highest Sitting Some schools don’t use superscoring, but instead use your highest composite SAT score from a single test date. In these cases, you cannot combine section scores from different test dates to get a higher score. Using the above example, schools that use highest sitting would consider her SAT score to be 2300, because that is the highest score she achieved on a single SAT exam. Will Schools Look at Your Other Scores? Regardless of whether a school uses superscoring or highest sitting, will they look at your "non-best" SATscores as well? There's no clear-cut answer to this question since it varies for each school and often for each applicant; however,many times schools will look at your other test scores, even if your best score is the one they give the most weight to. This is particularly true for schools that require all scores sent. In these cases, your scores still won't be averaged, but schools mayreview all your scores and make inferences if there were any outliers. For example, if you take the SATthree times and get composite scores of 2250, 1900, and 2300, most schools will use 2300as your "official" SATscore, but they may wonder why you got a 1900for one test. One outlier score will usually have a small, if any, impact on your application, but it's still important to never blow off an SATjust because you think schools will only look at your best score. As mentioned above, schools that allow Score Choice only see the scores you send them, so you can take the SATseveral times and only send your highest scorein order for that to be the only resultsthey see. The next sections give more recommendations on howyou can use school score policies toplan and improve your SATpreparation methods. Can You Take the SATas Many Times as You Want? Now that you know that schools will useyour best SATscore, either by using superscoring or highest sitting, does that mean you can take the test asmany times as you want in order to maximize your chances of getting a high score? Technically, yes. You can sign up for the SAT as many times as you want, and schools will continue touse your best score from those tests, whether by using superscoring or highest sitting. However, it is possible to take the SAT too many times. In general, we recommend not taking the SAT more than 5 or 6 times. Taking the SATmore than 6 times maycause schools to think you don’t take the test seriously or can't figure out how to improve your score. It can also becomevery stressful and time-consuming,not to mention extremely expensive because you have to keep paying to take the SATand to send your scores to schools. Taking the SATas many times as you can is a particularly bad idea if one of yourschools requires All Scores sentbecause itincreases the chance of you having an off-day and getting a lower than usual score, which those schools will see and can possibly hurt your chances of being admitted. Instead of taking the SATas many times as you can, you should instead look at your test prep methods and how effective they are. Is your studying targeting and improving your weak areas? Are you learning what mistakes you make and how to avoid them? By putting time and effort into studying effectively, you will be able to reach your target SATscore more easily than simply taking the SATover and over.In general, we recommend taking the SAT 2-3 times to get your best score, regardless of whether the schools you’re applying to use superscoring or highest sitting to determine your best score. Taking the SAT many times can be exhausting. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! How Can You Use Score Policies to Improve Your SATPrep? If you know which schools you want to apply to, you can learnwhichscore policies they use and use that information to help guide your test-taking strategy. If the schools you’re applying to use superscoring, then you can maximize your superscore by studying for and gaining a strong score in one SATsection at a time.For a more in-depth explanation of this strategy, check out our guide on how superscoring can affect your test strategy.If a school uses highest sitting, then you should continue to study each section of the SATin order to maximize your composite score. For schools that require All Scores sent, you will want to make sure you are well-prepared each time you take the SAT. Those schools will see all of your exam scores, so you don’t want one bad test day to hurt your college applications. You will also want to keep studying for each section of the SAT, even if you are only trying to improve your score in one specific section. You don't want scores from your other sections to drop on a retake. As mentioned above, evenif the schools you’re applying to allow superscoring orScore Choice, you should always take the SATseriously.A very low score canbe a red flag to schools, and it’s a waste of your time and money. Conclusion Most students take the SATmultiple times, and schools have different policies for reviewing multiple test scores. Most schools don't require you to send scores from all the SATsyou took. Score Choice is a way for you to choose which SATresults you want schools to see. If you send multiple SATscores, schoolswon’t average them, but instead will useone of two methods to determine your "best score." Some schools combine your highest section scores from multiple tests into a Superscore. This is known as Superscoring. Other schools look at your highest score from a single test date. Knowing which scoring policy schools use can help you structure your test prep and test-taking strategies to maximize your SATscores for college applications. What's Next? First, what’s a good SATscore? Read our article on good, bad, and excellent SATscores so you can identify and prepare for your target score. Using practice SAT tests to study?Check out our guide on how to get the most realistic SAT practice testing experience to help raise your scores. Want to learn ways to boost your SAT score? Learn the 15SAT tricks you should be using. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Christine Sarikas About the Author Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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