Skills Development Report Essay Example

Skills Development Report Essay Example Skills Development Report Essay Skills Development Report Essay According to Scott (2005), self-awareness is at the center of professional learning and development.   In order to boost his career potential, each worker must understand himself, being aware of the kind of work he enjoys, and recognizing his strengths, weaknesses and skills, as well the effect that he has on others.   Self-awareness allows people to easily manage their own behavior apart from their colleagues while fulfilling the goals of the organization.   As a matter of fact, self-awareness lies at the very core of successful leadership. So as to help the reader develop self-awareness, Scott recommends the Myers Briggs personality type indicator (MBTI) in addition to the 16PF – two of the many psychometric tools employed in the assessment of one’s interests, talents, and skills.   Such psychometric tests are known to help in self-reflection.   Feedback from a skilled practitioner who administers these tests is sure to help the individual gain more insights about his behavior.   In order to gather additional knowledge about their managerial styles, managers may even consider requesting â€Å"multi-sourced feedback† if not a â€Å"full-blown 360-degree appraisal (Scott).† 1.2 Discussion Scott’s article stresses the importance of self-awareness.   Managers who are deeply cognizant of their managerial styles are easily able to improve upon them.   However, self-awareness is also essential for their subordinates.   People who are not aware of their talents, skills, strengths and weaknesses may waste a great deal of time on jobs that they are not suited for.   If they truly understood their own capabilities they would not only increase their productivity but also their earning potentials. Fortunately, psychometric tests such as the MBTI and 16PF are available to the modern-day workforce.   Perhaps every organization should make it mandatory for its employees to take these tests.   In this way, the organizations would also be saved from wasting their time and resources on training people for jobs that they are not suited for.   Moreover, self-aware employees would be able to manage themselves and their colleagues better.   In short, they would act more responsibly toward their organizations. 1.3 Summary Hardingham (2004) writes that self-awareness is necessary for all workers, except the â€Å"most creative, talented and quirky of individuals, who survive by simply doing what comes naturally.†Ã‚   Yet, Hardingham’s article is especially meant to help developers and trainers in organizations to expand their self-awareness.   According to the author, self-awareness would allow developers and trainers to plan in advance so as to ensure that their weaknesses would not compromise their work.   Besides, it would assist them in watching out for mistakes and doing something about their weaknesses. Hardingham further believes that self-awareness helps people to be conscious of their responses.   Additionally, it leads to self-acceptance.   The author recommends several strategies for achieving this, e.g. psychometric testing and coaching. 1.4 Discussion Hardingham’s article offers a fresh perspective on self-awareness, although some of the author’s ideas are the same as the ones put forward by Scott.   The fact that self-awareness permits people to be conscious of their responses in any given moment was not mentioned by Scott.   Similarly, the idea of self-acceptance as a corollary of self-awareness is new.   This idea is especially important for people who are severely critical of themselves.   Some of these people are perfectionists whose performance may be adversely affected when and if they fail to meet their own expectations.   By knowing who they truly are, such persons may save themselves from a great deal of heartache in addition to losses in productivity. Both Hardingham and Scott describe the importance of feedback in addition to psychometric tests such as the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator for self-awareness.   The reader is, therefore, led to believe that these two methods of increasing self-awareness must be the most essential ones.   At the same time, however, the importance of introspection as one of the principle methods of gaining insights about oneself cannot be discounted.   Hardingham describes introspection as â€Å"a personal exploration of our own history and beliefs.†Ã‚   She also mentions a strategy for increasing self-awareness that Scott’s article fails to consider: coaching.   All the same, this method of expanding self-awareness is not described by the author in depth. 2. Managing under Pressure 2.1 Summary With a focus on health care management, Curtin’s (2005) article describes plenty of situations that could place a â€Å"severe strain† on managers.   These situations may include â€Å"public dissatisfaction with healthcare, hospital closures, disgruntled patients, physicians, administrators and personnel, meeting after meeting devoted to planning and/or reporting on implementation of yet another change, or on budget (keeping within it or explaining why you cant or didnt), or reorganization (Curtin).†Ã‚   The author’s advice for managers that are dealing with pressure is that they must learn to lead themselves under pressure before they can hope to effectively lead others.   The following are three of the most significant tips for managers to bear in mind when facing pressure on the job: (1) They must not hurt themselves and others on the physical, psychological and emotional levels; (2) They must take good care of themselves so that they are in a posi tion to take good care of others; and (3) No matter how difficult the circumstances are, managers must use their experiences as opportunities for growth and learning. 2.2 Discussion The advice offered in Curtin’s article may be used by managers in all industries.   All managers may have to face the kinds of problems that managers in the health care system must deal with from time to time.   Time pressures are commonplace; and dissatisfied and/or disgruntled people are not hard to find among the stakeholders of any organization. It is noteworthy that Curtin’s article also touches on the concept of self-awareness.   When facing pressure in the workplace or in times of crises, managers must be able to manage their own selves before they can effectively manage others.   Self-management includes physical, psychological and emotional levels to the self.   Curtin writes that managers must experience stressful times as opportunities for growth and learning.   In other words, they must reflect on themselves as well as their relationships with the situations at hand when dealing with pressure on the job.   Undoubtedly, managers would be able to increase their self-awareness in the process of managing themselves under pressure.   What is more, with the assumption that pressure is an experience of growth rather than pain, managers would be able to deal with the stressful situations in a positive way.   In fact, their positive attitude toward pressure is sure to rub off on their subordinates. 2.3 Summary Stettner (2004) writes that managing under pressure demands the process of decision-making to be speeded up.   In point of fact, fast decision-making is a skill for managers to learn before they can use it under pressure.   Managers cannot afford to make stupid decisions by acting too quickly.   Rather, they must be able to thoughtfully assess the organizational situations before they can arrive at decisions during stressful times. Instead of worrying about the deadlines, managers under pressure should keep their focus on the goals of the tasks at hand.   Also according to the author, managers under pressure are inclined to talk too much.   Instead of lecturing their teams on the subject of speediness, however, managers should learn to listen.   In any case, it is more important for them to assess rather than debate under pressure. 2.4 Discussion Stettner offers very valuable advice for managing under pressure.   The author is absolutely correct to state that assessment is of the essence, regardless of whether the situation facing the manager is stressful or not.   Anxious managers may spoil the tasks at hand.   Therefore, it is necessary for managers to learn self-control so as to effectively manage under pressure.   The concept of self-awareness may be quite useful for managers who are trying to learn self-control for this reason.   By knowing that he easily becomes anxious through a tense situation at work, a manager would be able to control his emotional state.   He would also learn to talk less and listen more in such situations.   This advice proffered by the author may, in fact, reduce the manager’s anxiety.   When the manager is relaxed and in control, his subordinates would also feel relaxed enough to perform their tasks efficiently.   After all, it is not impossible for people to meet deadli nes in a state of relaxation.   What is more, anxiety is known to have an unfavorable effect on any job at hand. 3. Motivating Others 3.1 Summary Welch and Welch (2007) describe money, â€Å"interesting work,† and â€Å"enjoyable co-workers† as â€Å"no-brainers† as far as employee motivation is concerned.   Managers need to learn about a new perspective on employee motivation that the authors put forth.   In this perspective, recognition is a very important motivator.   Whenever an employee or a team does a good job, the company should make a public announcement.   Awards should also be handed out, and the managers should mention the productive effort of the employee or team whenever there is an opportunity.   In point of fact, the success of employees and/or teams must be celebrated by their companies. Another way of motivating employees is for companies to ensure that their missions are spelled out.   In fact, the mission of every task must be explained to the employees in simple terms.   Finally, the authors advise companies to motivate their employees by making them feel that although they have reached the top, they are still climbing the mountain of success.   The authors explain this as a balance between â€Å"achievement and challenge (Welch and Welch).† 3.2 Discussion It is a well-known fact that employees are motivated by money, jobs that they enjoy, and co-workers who make their organization a fun place to work.   Welch and Welch offer entirely new ideas about employee motivation – all of which are expected to work wonders for the organization.   Furthermore, it does not cost the organization anything to implement most of the ideas.   Recognition, for example, only requires the organization to make its employees’ success a fact to be known by everyone in the workplace.   Similarly, by clarifying the mission of the organization and its tasks to the employees, the organization is expected to cut its costs rather than to incur costs.   There would be less wastage of time and resources if the mission of the organization and its tasks is made obvious to the workers.   Lastly, the organization would not incur costs by helping the employees to feel that although they have achieved great success they may continue to climb the s uccess ladder. Celebrating the success of all employees may be costly.   All the same, it is considered essential by many organizations to celebrate the major successes of their employees.   As a matter of fact, celebration is expected to be such an effective motivator that the employees who are not successful enough for their efforts to be celebrated may also be motivated by the hope that their efforts would be similarly celebrated if they work harder and better. 3.3 Summary Dalton (2007) writes that there may be seven kinds of people in an organization at any time: â€Å"Commanders, who need control; Drifters, who need flexibility; Attackers who need respect; Pleasers who need to be liked; Performers, who need recognition; Avoiders who need security; and Analyticals, who need certainty.†Ã‚   Accordingly, the author offers tips to motivate the seven kinds of people, even though the basic descriptions of the seven types of workers are enough as a framework for a theory of motivation. 3.4 Discussion Dalton’s need theory of motivation is altogether different from Abraham Maslow’s famous theory, despite the fact that it is based on the same concept, that is, employees have needs, the fulfillment of which is enough to motivate them.   Thus, the commanders among the employees must have their work linked to results in order to feel that they are in control.   If these people lack a sense of being in charge, they would be unmotivated.   Likewise, the drifters in the workplace should be given free rein to express their creativity, without which they may be unmotivated to work efficiently.   The attackers, the pleasers, the performers, the avoiders and the analytical also possess specific needs that must be fulfilled in order for them to feel motivated for efficient work practices.   What is more, if the ideas of Welch and Welch are incorporated, it would be icing on the cake. 4. Managing Conflict 4.1 Summary Fralix (2007) writes that there are two main kinds of conflict: covert conflict and overt conflict.   Covert conflict is also of two types: avoiding conflict and ignoring conflict.   According to the author, conflicts are unhealthy for the organization.   Therefore, employers should use the conflict management tactics that she puts forward: (1) Using personality assessment tools to understand the communication styles of potential employees, so as to prevent and avoid conflict in the workplace; (2) Establishing an organizational culture that welcomes diversity, seeing that conflict is often a result of diversity; (3) Clearly explaining the roles and responsibilities of each individual; (4) Openly discussing conflict, etc. 4.2 Discussion Needless to say, all kinds of conflicts mentioned by the author may be destructive or constructive for the organization.   Falix fails to mention the constructive type of conflict in her article.   This kind of conflict may lead to new ideas and much-needed changes in the organization. It is interesting to note that personality assessment tools may also play an important role in preventing destructive conflicts in the workplace.   As mentioned previously, these tools may be very helpful for the employees in enhancing self-awareness.   Although the organization is expected to use its employees’ results on personality tests to understand their communication styles before the occurrence of a destructive conflict, the results must be shared with the employees so as to allow them to increase self-awareness, which in turn would increase their sense of responsibility in the workplace. 4.3 Summary Springer’s article, â€Å"Managing conflict to build consensus† describes the constructive side of conflict.   According to the author, â€Å"Fostering conflict to enhance decision quality while simultaneously building consensus requires the stimulation of debate, keeping conflict constructive, insuring that the process is fair and legitimate and being able to reach closure (Springer).†Ã‚   Thus, the article offers ideas on nurturing conflict instead of preventing it, e.g. by way of role playing.   Springer also describes the decision-making process that is perceived as fair, in addition to ideas to prevent a misalignment of the entire process of using conflict to help the organization. 4.4 Discussion Contrary to Falix’s article, â€Å"How to prevent and resolve conflicts in the workplace,† Springer’s writing defines conflicts as desirable.   As stated previously, constructive conflicts may help the organization by allowing it to gather new ideas for change.   Moreover, once the conflict is resolved the employees of the organization would be able to agree on the final decision made by the managers, provided that their organization is in the habit of nurturing conflicts for positive change.   The author insists that the decisions should be perceived as fair, however.   In order to achieve a sense of fairness in its decision-making, the organization must seek to avoid all negativity during the conflict.

Analysis and Summary of If by Rudyard Kipling

While living in England, Kipling was inspired by the imperialistic views of the British demonstrated around the world. During his school years, Kipling had a very difficult at boarding school. He was physically abused throughout his time in college. After finishing college in 1882, he returned back to India to work as a journalist and editor. Also in 1882, Kipling married an American woman Caroline Balestier and immediately moved to America to live with her. He stayed in Vermont until 1899, and went back alone to England to write literature. The majority of his poems dealt with his opinion of inspiration and imperialism. An analysis of â€Å"If† and â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† makes it clear that Rudyard Kipling uses literary devices effectively to fortify his message of inspiration and imperialism. If† is one of Kipling’s best known poems and it contains one of his most powerful messages of inspiration. In the beginning of the second stanza in â€Å"If†, Kipling uses personification â€Å"If you can dream- and not make dreams your master. † The beginning of the stanza focuses on reality; dreaming is good, but do not let it take control of yourself. Meaning, there are other impor tant goals in life that are needed to be achieved. The second personification used by Kipling is on line 10 and 11 â€Å"If you can meet with triumph and disaster/ and treat those two imposters the same. This explains that failure is a benefit; mistakes are guaranteed to happen. No one is perfect and people learn from their missteps. The final personification on line 21 and 22 Kipling uses is â€Å"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew/ To serve your turn long after they are gone. † This means to put your heart and nerve into your actions in the future and learn from the past. Also, having to accept the past and move on from it with your heart and gut. Alliteration is expressed twice in â€Å"If† to fortify Kipling’s thoughts and expressions throughout his poem. In line 12, the alliteration â€Å"treat those two imposters just the same. † emphasizes Kipling’s point of treating people with equity and respect. This quote implies how Kipling sees society’s disapproval towards other people and he interprets that everyone including (imposters) should be fairly treated without criticism or judging based on societal influences. Another example of Alliteration is â€Å"With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,† on line 30, expressing Kipling’s opinion of time. Meaning to try and put an effort in constantly; even when feeling exhausted. Repetition and diction is used in â€Å"If† to strengthen Kipling’s message of inspiration. First off, â€Å"you† is used repeatedly in the poem to enrich Kipling’s message directly to the reader â€Å"The white man’s burden†, is one of Kipling’s best views of imperialism throughout the poem. In lines 19 and 20, Kipling uses the personification â€Å"Fill full the mouth of famine/ and bid the sickness cease. † Thus Kipling proclaims that the imperialist nation is going to aid and feed the conquered land. Kipling uses another personification in the sixth stanza â€Å"Nor call too loud on freedom/ To clock your weariness†. Thus, Kipling explores the meaning of individual freedom and that the use of individual freedom should not be an excuse to cover up ones weariness. Also, not aiding others by refusing to â€Å"Take up the White Man`s burden†. Anaphora is used in â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† to give emphasis to Kipling’s points. The first example is found in the fourth stanza, â€Å"The ports ye shall not enter, /The roads ye shall not thread,† have the same â€Å"The _ ye shall not _†. This represents Kipling’s repetitive thoughts of the imperial nation being denied to enter and live in the captured nation. Another example of anaphora is used in the sixth stanza â€Å"By all ye cry or whisper, / By all ye leave or do†. Kipling is poetically conveying the ruling of the conquered nation founded by the bequest of the imperial territory. Kipling also expresses the poems theme of Imperialism with the significant use of repetition and allusion. The line â€Å"Take up the White Man’s Burden-† is used at the start of each stanza establishing the basis of the poem. Analysis and Summary of If by Rudyard Kipling While living in England, Kipling was inspired by the imperialistic views of the British demonstrated around the world. During his school years, Kipling had a very difficult at boarding school. He was physically abused throughout his time in college. After finishing college in 1882, he returned back to India to work as a journalist and editor. Also in 1882, Kipling married an American woman Caroline Balestier and immediately moved to America to live with her. He stayed in Vermont until 1899, and went back alone to England to write literature. The majority of his poems dealt with his opinion of inspiration and imperialism. An analysis of â€Å"If† and â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† makes it clear that Rudyard Kipling uses literary devices effectively to fortify his message of inspiration and imperialism. If† is one of Kipling’s best known poems and it contains one of his most powerful messages of inspiration. In the beginning of the second stanza in â€Å"If†, Kipling uses personification â€Å"If you can dream- and not make dreams your master. † The beginning of the stanza focuses on reality; dreaming is good, but do not let it take control of yourself. Meaning, there are other impor tant goals in life that are needed to be achieved. The second personification used by Kipling is on line 10 and 11 â€Å"If you can meet with triumph and disaster/ and treat those two imposters the same. This explains that failure is a benefit; mistakes are guaranteed to happen. No one is perfect and people learn from their missteps. The final personification on line 21 and 22 Kipling uses is â€Å"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew/ To serve your turn long after they are gone. † This means to put your heart and nerve into your actions in the future and learn from the past. Also, having to accept the past and move on from it with your heart and gut. Alliteration is expressed twice in â€Å"If† to fortify Kipling’s thoughts and expressions throughout his poem. In line 12, the alliteration â€Å"treat those two imposters just the same. † emphasizes Kipling’s point of treating people with equity and respect. This quote implies how Kipling sees society’s disapproval towards other people and he interprets that everyone including (imposters) should be fairly treated without criticism or judging based on societal influences. Another example of Alliteration is â€Å"With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,† on line 30, expressing Kipling’s opinion of time. Meaning to try and put an effort in constantly; even when feeling exhausted. Repetition and diction is used in â€Å"If† to strengthen Kipling’s message of inspiration. First off, â€Å"you† is used repeatedly in the poem to enrich Kipling’s message directly to the reader â€Å"The white man’s burden†, is one of Kipling’s best views of imperialism throughout the poem. In lines 19 and 20, Kipling uses the personification â€Å"Fill full the mouth of famine/ and bid the sickness cease. † Thus Kipling proclaims that the imperialist nation is going to aid and feed the conquered land. Kipling uses another personification in the sixth stanza â€Å"Nor call too loud on freedom/ To clock your weariness†. Thus, Kipling explores the meaning of individual freedom and that the use of individual freedom should not be an excuse to cover up ones weariness. Also, not aiding others by refusing to â€Å"Take up the White Man`s burden†. Anaphora is used in â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† to give emphasis to Kipling’s points. The first example is found in the fourth stanza, â€Å"The ports ye shall not enter, /The roads ye shall not thread,† have the same â€Å"The _ ye shall not _†. This represents Kipling’s repetitive thoughts of the imperial nation being denied to enter and live in the captured nation. Another example of anaphora is used in the sixth stanza â€Å"By all ye cry or whisper, / By all ye leave or do†. Kipling is poetically conveying the ruling of the conquered nation founded by the bequest of the imperial territory. Kipling also expresses the poems theme of Imperialism with the significant use of repetition and allusion. The line â€Å"Take up the White Man’s Burden-† is used at the start of each stanza establishing the basis of the poem.

Social Media Marketing Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Media Marketing - Article Example This paper highlights that  planning and strategy development can be considered as important aspects of successful social media presence. There are several small and medium enterprises that do not even plan before adopting and implementing social media marketing strategies. For this specific reason, those organisations failed to get success through the adopted and implemented social media marketing strategy. Example of Dove Real Beauty Campaign can be considered as a perfect planning of social media marketing strategy. The organisation used common people in the videos and texts while putting the advertisements on social media networking platforms. They tried to convey emotional marketing and promotional message.Accordings to the paper findings the planning of consideration of common women in promotional campaign can be considered as the example of ultimate planning of an effective social media marketing strategy. This specific social media campaign helped the organisation to create significant brand awareness among the target customers. In addition to this, effective implementation of planning and strategy development process helped this campaign to redefine the face and concept of real beauty.  The organisation is the first ever organisation that adopted and implemented social media marketing strategy in UK retail industry. Slowly and gradually, the organisation promoted its products through several leading social media networking platforms that helped the organisation to create significant brand awareness among the target customers.

The Human Resource Management in an International Setting Research Paper - 1

The Human Resource Management in an International Setting - Research Paper Example A flow of new migrants in any country may have a huge impact on the labour market, however the positive or negative aspect of the impact greatly depends on the jobs being created due to the spending of the immigrants to boost businesses and their production, the drop-off in the activity of the existing population such as the retirement or number of dependent population, and the capabilities of immigrants to fill the existing gaps of skills. Such factors are considered when it is decided whether migration has actually affected the labour market of a particular country negatively or positively. Moreover, in the UK, analysts suggest that immigration has led to a huge impact on the labour market which is mostly regarded as a positive one (Adesina, 2008, p. 72). According to the statistics and trends which have been observed in the labour market since the 1940s when the mass migration took place, it can be concluded that there have been several positive impacts of migration when it comes to the diversity and the increase in skill levels. But at a critical level of analysis, it can be said that there have been many distributional impacts which means that competition levels in the market rose and businesses experienced more rivalry. As the years have passed since the 1940s, the pressure of migration has increased and the impact of immigration on the UK local communities have also been obvious especially at a time of rapid change that Britain is going through continually from time to time. This is why countries need to maintain the laws and policies for migration and control the negative effects (Ham, 2010, p. 152). Migration has taken place in a number of countries which had opportunities in the labour market. However, due to this migration, the prominent labour markets such as that of the UK have been overcrowded which has resulted in the reduction of wages.

Examining the Impact of Texting on Romantic Relationships Essay

The purpose of this paper will be to explore the effect of communication technology on interpersonal relationships, with regard to the attachment styles of individuals in the relationships. The central thesis is that, based on the anxious and avoidant attachment styles of individuals in the relationship, the influence of text message â€Å"read receipts† will have a negative impact on couples’ overall relationship quality relative to the control. First, I will discuss the relevant literature on attachment styles, providing distinctions between anxious, and avoidant attachment styles. I will then examine research that: establishes the criterion used to measure relationship quality, explains the influence of various attachment styles on relationship quality, and describes the influence of communication technology (specifically texting) on romantic relationships, with regard to individuals’ attachment styles. Then I will discuss the novelty of my hypotheses, providi ng a description of the conceptual methodology required to test these theories. Finally, I will conclude this paper by discussing the implications of my proposal for future research and understanding human behavior. The initial attachment theory, fostered by the collaboration of John Bowlby (1969) and Mary Ainsworth et al. (1978) research, focused on infant’s connection to their mother’s presence, absence and return, and established the three attachment styles: secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment (Bretherton, 1992; Li & Chan, 2012). Future research would continue to build on their theory, applying the attachment styles to adult relationships. In particular, Bartholomew’s (1990) research categorized attachment into four styles based on a two-dimensional model of positi... ...), 150-162. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2010.00639.x Li, T., & Chan, D. K. (2012). How Anxious and Avoidant Attachment Affect Romantic Relationship Quality Differently: A Meta-Analytic Review. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 406-419. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.1842 Lou, S. (2014). Effects of Texting on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships: The Role of Attachment [Abstract]. Computers in Human Behavior, 33, 145-152. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.01.014 Mario, M., & Phillip, S. (2002). Attachment Theory and Affect Regulation: The Dynamics, Development, and Cognitive Consequences of Attachment-Related Strategies. Motivation and Emotion, 27(2), 77-102. Retrieved May 05, 2014, from

Discussion Question Essay

1. Briefly describe Moore law. What are the implications of this law? Are there any practical limitations to Moore law? Moore’s Law is a hypothesis stating that transistor densities on a single chip double every two years. Moore’s law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware. The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years. Moore’s law is a rule of thumb in the computer industry about the growth of computing power over time. Attributed to Gordon E. Moore the co-founder of Intel, it states that the growth of computing power follows an empirical exponential law. Moore originally proposed a 12 month doubling and, later, a 24 month period. Due to the mathematical nature of doubling, this implies that within 30-50 years computers will become more intelligent than human beings. The implications of many digital electronic devices are strongly linked to Moore’s law: processing speed, memory capacity, sensors and even the number and size of pixels in digital cameras.All of these are improving at (roughly) exponential rates as well. This has dramatically increased the usefulness of digital electronics in nearly every segment of the world economy. Moore’s law precisely describes a driving force of technological and social change in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Transistors per integrated circuit. The most popular formulation is of the doubling of the number of transistors on integrated circuits every two years. At the end of the 1970s, Moore’s law became known as the limit for the number of transistors on the most complex chips. Recent trends show that this rate has been maintained into 2007. Density at minimum cost per transistor. This is the formulation given in Moore’s 1965 paper. It is not just about the density of transistors that can be achieved, but about the density of transistors at which the cost per transistor is the lowest. As more transistors are  put on a chip, the cost to make each transistor decreases, but the chance that the chip will not work due to a defect increases. In 1965, Moore examined the density of transistors at which cost is minimized, and observed that, as transistors were made smaller through advances in photolithography, this number would increase at â€Å"a rate of roughly a factor of two pe r year†. Power consumption. The power consumption of computer nodes doubles every 18 months.Hard disk storage cost per unit of information. A similar law (sometimes called Kryder’s Law) has held for hard disk storage cost per unit of information. The rate of progression in disk storage over the past decades has actually sped up more than once, corresponding to the utilization of error correcting codes, the magnetoresistive effect and the giant magnetoresistive effect. The current rate of increase in hard drive capacity is roughly similar to the rate of increase in transistor count. Recent trends show that this rate has been maintained into 2007.Network capacity. According to Gerry/Gerald Butters, the former head of Lucent’s Optical Networking Group at Bell Labs, there is another version, called Butter’s Law of Photonics, a formulation which deliberately parallels Moore’s law. Butter’s law says that the amount of data coming out of an optical fiber is doubling every nine months. Thus, the cost of transmitting a bit over an optical network decreases by half every nine months. The availability of wavelength-division multiplexing (sometimes called â€Å"WDM†) increased the capacity that could be placed on a single fiber by as much as a factor of 100. Optical networking and dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) is rapidly bringing down the cost of networking, and further progress seems assured. As a result, the wholesale price of data traffic collapsed in the dot-com bubble. Nielsen’s Law says that the bandwidth available to users increases by 50% annually. 2. What is a quad core processor? What advantages does it offer users? Quad-core processors are computer central processing units (CPUs) that have four separate processing cores contained in a single device. Intel and AMD, two popular CPU manufacturers, both produce quad-core processors. Quad-core processors carry several advantages over normal single-core processors, though there is skepticism as to how much of an advantage they are for the average computer user. Multitasking. Perhaps the most significant benefit of quad-core processors is their ability to handle several applications at the same time. When you run a few different programs on a single-core processor, it slows down from running data calculations for many programs at once. With a quad-core processor, each core is responsible for a different process, so even running four demanding programs can be possible without experiencing much delay from a lack of processing power. Future Programs. One of the frequently cited benefits of quad-core processors is that they are â€Å"future proof.† As of summer 2009, there are not many programs that can utilize the full power of a quad-core processor, but programs and games capable of using multiple cores in parallel will be developed in the future. If and when this happens, computers without multiple cores will quickly become obsolete while those with quadcore processors will likely remain useful until developers make programs that can utilize an even greater number of processors. Taxing Processes. Another area in which quad-core processors will yield significant benefits is in processes that require calculations on large amounts of data, such as rendering 3D graphics, compressing CDs or DVDs and audio and video editing. Enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management applications also see a noticeable benefit with quad-core processors. Power Consumption. The integrated architecture of a quad-core processor uses less power than if the four cores were split into separate physical units. This is important, since the  amount of electricity required by computer power supplies has risen quickly in recent years. Also, newer CPUs are beginning to use 45nm architecture, which requires less power and produce less heat than the larger 60nm processor architecture. Criticism. Until programs take full advantage of multiple cores, there will not be a significant difference in performance between quad-core and dual-core processors, and perhaps even quad-core and single-core processors. Considering the rapid progress of computer technology, there may be processors with eight, ten or more cores by the time programs are developed that properly utilize parallel processing of many cores. 3. What would be an advantage for a university computer lab to install thin clients rather than standard desktop personal computer? Can you identify any disadvantages? A thin client is an aesthetically slim PC used as an access point for server-based computing. It has fewer parts and requires fewer components to run; hence, it has numerous cost efficiency benefits. Although thin client benefits are remarkable, we must also look into their disadvantages. Thin client computing fits a lot of work environments. Since thin clients do not need to be in the same place as their server, the setup presents thin client benefits that are mostly practical. Clients can be taken into the harshest of work places like dusty desert camps and can be deployed even after the occurrence of a natural disaster. Thin clients are also perfect for environments where space is a big issue. A thin client has an inherent space-conserving attribute since they come in one piece with only the monitor showing while the unit is hidden behind it. Some even mount on walls with only the peripherals and the monitor exposed. Even work places with very little budget room to run air conditioning systems can be expected to gain with thin client benefits in their facilities. The absence of dynamic or moving parts to serve one’s computing purpose entails less generation of heat. This is mainly because thin clients make use of solid state devices like flash drives instead of hard drives. However, as ideal as a server based computing may all seem, there are notable disadvantages which concern costs and performance abilities. Below is a rundown of advantages and disadvantages you should consider before deciding to use thin client computing in your university computer lab. Advantages of Thin Computing: Lower Operational Costs- An office environment where several workstations are involved will access a single server unit, thereby reducing the operational costs covering these related actions: * Setting up the device takes less than ten minutes to accomplish. * The lifespan of thin clients is very long since there are no moving parts inside each unit. The only parts that need constant replacements are the peripherals which are external to the unit. This brings cost efficiency in the maintenance aspect which means when something breaks on the client’s end, it can be as easy as taking a replacement unit to replace the broken one. Even wear and tear is considerably unnoticeable. * Energy efficiency- A thin client unit is said to consume 20W to 40W as opposed to the regular thick PC where power consumption during operation mode consumes 60W to 110W. In addition, thin clients themselves need little to no air conditioning at all, which literally means less operating costs. Whatever air conditioning needed is demanded and supplied at the server area. * Work efficiency- The thin client work environment can be far reaching and extensive; it can provide quick access to remotely located workers, also operating on server-based computing. Superior Security – Since users will only have access to the server by network connections, security measures like different access levels for different users can be implemented. This way, users with lower access levels will not be able to see, know, or in worst case scenarios, hack into the confidential files and applications of the entire organization since they are all secured at the server’s end. It is also a way of securing the data in the event of natural disasters. The servers will be the only machines that need to survive the disaster as the server is the main location of all the saved data. Immediately after the disaster, new clients can easily be connected to the server as long as the server is intact. Lower Malware Infection Risks – There is a very slim chance of getting malware on the server from a thin client. The client inputs to the server will only be coming from the keyboard, mouse actions, and screen images. Thin clients get their software or programs from the server itself. The software updates and virus scanning applications as well as patches will be implemented only on the server. At the same time, the servers will be the one to process information and store the information afterwards. Highly Reliable –Business organizations can expect continuous service for longer durations since thin clients can have a lifespan of more than five years. In as much as thin clients are built as solid state devices, there is less impact from wear and tear through constant use. Disadvantages of Thin Computing: Client Organizations are Subject to Limitations – Since the thin clients do most of their processing at the server, there will be setups where rich media access will be disabled. Some of these concerns are the result of poor performance when simultaneous access to multimedia on the thin client is taking place. Heavy and resource-hungry applications like Flash animations and video streaming can slow the performance of both the server and client. In corporate organizations where video conferencing and webinars are often  carried out, presentation of materials and web-cam/video communications can be adversely affected. Requires Superior Network Connection – Using a network that has latency or network lag issues can greatly affect thin clients. It can even mean rendering the thin clients unusable because the processing will not be fluently transmitted from the server to the client. This makes the thin client very hard to use in these cases since the response from the server will affect both the visual and the processing performance of the thin client. Even printing tasks have been observed to hog bandwidth in some thin client set-ups, which can affect the work going on in other units. A Thin Client Work Environment is Cost Intensive – For any plans of converting a regular work station into a thin client work environment, it is advised that comparative cost analysis be performed. Thin client set-ups have been noted to be cost efficient only if employed on a large-scale basis. Comparison of regular workstations using the same number of regular PC units should be made versus a work environment set-up that makes use of a dedicated server and the same number of thin clients. In some cases the cost of installing the server itself is already far more expensive than all the regular workstations combined. This is aside from the fact that a thin client unit can cost as much as a fully-equipped PC. Nevertheless, some argue that the benefits of thin clients, as far as cost and maintenance efficiency are concerned, will offset the initial costs. Besides, as a capitalized investment, the costs can be spread out for at least five years. Still, the excessiveness of the fees involving different licenses, which include software for every station, Client Access Licenses (CAL) for clients and server, as well as tracking and managing licenses, will tie up a substantial amount of business funds and may take too long to recover. Thus, smaller business organizations are advised to carefully consider such costs before venturing into server-based or thin client computing. Single Point of Failure Affects All – If the server goes down, every thin client connected to it becomes barely usable. No matter how many clients are connected, if the server becomes inaccessible, all work processes will come to a standstill thereby adversely affecting business-hour productivity. References http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/gray/moore_law.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

Essay on Edgar Allan Poes Life and Activity

One Page Essay on Edgar Allan Poes Life and Activity Thesis: The life of the most popular American short stories and poems master of the eighteenth century, Edgar Allan Poe. His lifes path as an extraordinary person and misunderstood writer. Biography and the writers path of Alan Poe The life of the Edgar Allan Poe as one of the most revered writers in American Literature remains the subject of eternal discussions. The works left after his early death still impress the readers all over the world and will hardly ever stop being so enormously popular. His well-known poems as well as short stories continue to highlight his extraordinary talent and attract with their magnificence. Both critics and readers familiar with Poes biography admit that almost all the pieces of his works are much influenced by the circumstances and events that took place in life of the writer. Childhood years of Alan Born in Boston on January 19, 1809, Edgar Poe was one of the three children his parents gave birth to. When Alan was a 2 year old child, his mother Elizabeth Arnold died, which is why he was then adopted by the family of a merchant John Allan. Seems like destiny of on Edgars side when he was a little boy. He went to a very good school and was brought up in the surrounding of successful people thanks to his foster-fathers status. Later on, however, at the age of 17 he will start misuse alcohol and quit school a year later. Despite he was very good at both French and Latin languages as well as history and mathematics subjects. What was the reason for such a tragic moment of his early life filled with depression and debts? The facts say it is the greed of his foster-father that played its part, since John Allan didnt give his ward enough money, though had lots of them. Poes reality in the army Having no money and experience to find a job, he was literary forced to move to Boston, where he joined the U.S. Army in 1827. As Edgar was a skillful person, it helped him do well in the Army and become a sergeant major. All the years after the future writer quit school, he tried to avoid John Allan in any possible ways. After Mrs. Allan, though, John Allan took attempts to contact Edgar and thus signed Edgars application to West Point. Edgar entered West Point as a cadet, but later on had to leave it because John Allan didnt support him with money. Literature Master: immortal writer of prose and poetry Just like any other story of talented writer who tried to find all the ways and be published, the story of Edgar Alan Poe is no different – he was rejected by all the magazines of New York. His financial trouble made him ask for John Allans help but there was no answer. Later on the latter will die and leave nothing to Edgar. Alan found his first job as an editor for the Southern Literary Messenger newspaper as he was lucky to win the contest with the story he wrote called The Manuscript Found in a Bottle. He successfully coped with his duties as an editor and managed to increase the circulation of the newspapers copies from 500 to 3500. But it didnt bring him a lot of money, which is why he left his the paper soon. He continued his writing and published his first short stories Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, which didnt bring him money at all though. Some time later he will become a successful editor again but leave the paper again, having a dream to start publishing his own magazine. He managed to make his dream a real but could barely make a living. After this financial failure he became an editor once again – this time it was The Broadway Journal. Seems quite ironic, but the Journal ran out of money and Poe had to look for a job again. Immortal writer that struggles against life Sad but true, the life of the most brilliant writer Edgar Alan Poe was not plain. Controversially, it was filled with eternal attempts to make a living and failure on his way. Sure, no doubts it influenced his works, which is felt while reading his stories and poems. The last days of his life were quite mysterious. He was taken to the hospital being without consciousness, but never remembered what happened to him. In four days he died in the hospital. His death is still covered with mysterious reasons and no one ever will know what really happened.