Analyzing the rational actor model of decision essays

Analyzing the rational actor model of decision essays The initial chapter of this book deals with how analysts use models to predict behavior within government. Using model 1, or the rational actor model, analysts can predict the future actions an agent will take based on the assumption that the agent will choose alternatives that have the greatest utility. The agents goals or objectives, alternatives, consequences, and choice, are the four concepts analysts use in determining actions agents will take. There are four states of being in which analysts place agents and two types of rationality the agent may use within these states to make decisions. During the first state the agent is armed with the least amount of information and thinks in a notional (limited context) state. As the agent receives more information their state of being thickens and the agent moves from the notional into the generic, then identified, and finally the personified state of being. As the agent moves through these states, their rationality also changes. During the initial states the agent can act in a bounded rationale where he has limited resources or information on hand. As the agent again ascends it begin to use a more comprehensive rationale where all alternatives are ranked and the agent chooses the action with the greatest utility regardless of consequence. The RAM is a great tool for analysts to use in helping predict possible outcomes. However, as more complex concepts such as institutionalism and strategy come into play and decision makers must look for alternatives that not only maximize utility, but also not seem threatening. ...

Out of this Furnace essays

Out of this Furnace essays The book Out of This Furnace by Thomas Bell expresses a story of the triumph of man over his place in society. It illustrates this point through the story of George Kracha and his offspring and their struggle to adjust to the world they had arrived in. Their new home was an unforgiving place. It was filled with ignorant people who were not tolerant of the new peoples coming to share their homeland. Thomas Bell, author of Out of This Furnace, grew up in the steel mill town of Braddock, Pennsylvania. He drew on many personal experiences to create a full picture of the environment in which the story takes place. This fictional portrayal of the steel mills is based on the true history of steel production over three generations beginning in 1881. Bell illustrates the lives of the steel workers and the conditions under which they live and work. Firstly, the living conditions in these mill towns were appalling for the steel workers. They lived their lives working as hard as they could, for someone else. In those days, as well as in these days, the very system of work and money was geared to keep lower class down and keep higher class up. This is called capitalism; the method of governing that allows unlimited accumulation of wealth and properties. In fact, this is a horrible way to govern the masses. Because of this premier principal of capitalism, it is possible to state that this system of government ifs faulty. The fault begins in the fact that not all classes are equal; the higher classes would have the lower classes believe that they live in the same station of life as them. When in fact, the very idea of capitalism is what draws the separation of the classes. It becomes a situation where the labor of the lower class keep the upper class afloat, yet the upper class holds all the power in voting and through other methods. . Bell portrays initial worker interest in forming these unions, yet the representatives had a ve...

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 47

Art - Essay Example The smaller frame has a golden lining around it making the breakage of the black color clearer and more defined. The entire frame seems to be made out of wood. In the painting that appears in the picture, there are two people, a male and a female, who seem to be dancing. The girl is shorter than the man and she is in the foreground of the picture. The girl may be shorter than the man because she is leaning forward. She is wearing a short white dress with a purple band around her waist. The lower waist of the girl’s skirt is flared and seems to have pleats. The girl is leaning forward and is supported by the man from behind. She has spread her hands in the air to look like she is flying. Her left hand is spread lower than her right hand. She has lifted her right leg way up in the air from behind. The whole body of the girl can be seen. The girl in the picture appears to be smiling. Her eyes seem to be closed and her face is facing down at an angle. Her hair is short and black. The man in the picture is standing straight behind the girl. He is wearing a white shirt with a dark suit. The man has a black hat that has a red flower and white feather on the front left side. He seems to be looking down towards what the girl is doing. The man has yellow, long and curly hair. Both the man and the girl are averagely slender. The man and girl look like they are in a forest. Several green leafy trees can be seen around them and behind them. The blue clear sky is visible in the background. Not the whole sky can be seen because it is blocked by the trees. Only some parts of the sky are visible through the spaces left by the trees. The picture is an up-close photograph of a painting that shows two people performing. The background of the picture is not clear. It is difficult for one to pinpoint that the plantations behind the two people are actually trees. Color variations have also been used to show the different features of

The Nursing & Management of a Patient with an Acute Exacerbation of Essay

The Nursing & Management of a Patient with an Acute Exacerbation of their Asthma - Essay Example Between 10 and 20 per cent control their condition well, but there continues to be about 2,000 deaths a year (Dolan and Holt 2000, Davies-Gray 2000, Eaton 2002, Resuscitation Council (UK) 2000). British Heart Foundation (2003) statistics show that mortality from coronary heart disease is falling significantly, and, although the number of asthma deaths is small by comparison, the static nature of asthma mortality rates is alarming especially because asthma deaths are probably more preventable than those from direct cardiac causes are. Asthma is defined as narrowing of the airways, which is reversible either spontaneously or because of treatment. The well-known symptoms of asthma are shortness of breath, wheeze and cough which may develop suddenly, in an acute attack, or over a period. Nurses need to be aware that adult people with asthma who experience breathlessness associated with activities of daily living, such as putting out washing or walking up stairs, may discount these symptoms and put them down to old age and lack of fitness, when in fact it may be their asthma becoming increasingly active and uncontrolled. The Stages of an Acute Attack are very terrible for the affected patients. These symptoms often start out similar to a usual attack; coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and recession (drawing in the flesh between the ribs and sternum). In an acute attack, however, the symptoms persist, and become more marked or even change in nature. The asthmatic often becomes quiet and withdrawn, focusing on the struggle to breathe. The patient sits hunched over, which enables the muscles of the upper body to help expand the chest and consequently the lungs.

Sunset Boulevard by(Billy Wilder, 1950) and Northwest by( Alfred Essay

Sunset Boulevard by(Billy Wilder, 1950) and Northwest by( Alfred Hitchcock, 1959) - Essay Example The 1920s were known as the Jazz Age and Americans prospered due to the zooming of stock markets and the flourishing of the arts. At the turn of the decade, the Great Depression set in, precipitated by the biggest crash in Wall Street history. The country went into a period of great introspection. As politicians and economists were grappling with finding solutions to pull through the economic depression, similar efforts are being made to improve the standards of the film industry. The Hays Code, introduced in 1934 was one such outcome. Although the United States Motion Picture Production Code of 1930 came ahead of Hays Code, it was not taken seriously by filmmakers, making it necessary for government authorities to introduce and implement a more comprehensive set of guidelines (Friedrich, 1997). The agency given the responsibility of enforcing the code is commonly referred to as the Breen Office (after administrator Joseph Breen). In this context, it is interesting to see how the content of popular movies such as Sunset Boulevard (1951) and North by Northwest (1959) were possibly influenced by the code. Both the movies were produced years after the introduction of the code. Hence by the time the movies were conceived and written, the story writer, screenplay writer and the director would have inherently known what is acceptable and what is unacceptable with respect to the Hays Code. There is also documented evidence that the first scripts of the two movie submitted to the Breen Office were not approved immediately. The production team had to modify a few dialogues and change certain aspects of the film that were deemed to violate the code (Harris, 2008). To take the case of Sunset Boulevard, the story depicts an unusual relationship between a fading Hollywood writer and a former Hollywood leading lady. As the fortunes of both the former stars are fading away, they happen to develop an opportunistic

Examples of Unethical Experiments

Examples of Unethical Experiments Section 1 HISTORICAL CASES Nazi Experimentations –Testing the effectiveness of sulfanilamide and other drugs in curbing infections. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES NOT MET: Respect for Human dignity Informed Consent Privacy Respect for Vulnerable persons Minimizing harm and maximizing benefit The persons involved in these experiments, were Human beings. Their privacy was invaded by these Nazi doctors. There was coercion – they did not have a say in terms of what was being done to them. Having battlefield wounds being inflicted, was not a voluntary decision by these people. Since the doctors in Nazi Germany were guided by utilitarian moral principles, they did not need to consider informed consent. Experiments were conducted with no considerations for the wellbeing of the subject from the possibilities of injury, disability, or death. In these experiments the subjects experienced extreme pain, resulting in permanent injury, mutilation, or death. Respect for these subjects in the eyes of the Nazis was not a priority, as they were seen to be â€Å"Less-Human.† These people were vulnerable to the Nazis, and to whatever was being done to them. Minimizing harm was not a consideration that was taken by the nazi medics. However, even though it was for the Germans be nefit, it was torture for the Jewish and Non-German people. There is no way in which this experiment can be reconstructed to become an ethical process. However, since it was geared towards finding cures for those wounded in battle, what can be a possible suggestion is that, instead of using those innocent people and inflicting battle wounds, the wounded casualties should have been used instead, with consent ofcourse, to find those possible remedies for infections. Another senario, would have been to take blood samples of infected persons, again with consent, and test with appropriate apparatus/equipments to find cures. Tuskegee Syphilis Study- Learning more about syphillis and its treatment, especially for blacks in the U.S. This study had good intentions. However, it shifted from helping persons with the disease to becoming a study about the effects of untreated Syphilis on live patients. At the time, the â€Å"couloureds† had no access to medical care. This study was more or less based on Deception. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES NOT MET: Respect for Human Dignity Informed Consent Respect for vulnerable persons minimizing harm and maximizing benefit Independence of research and conflicts of interest or partiality must be explicit. The participants in this study were not informed that they were more or less test subjects, and the doctors were more interested in the results of their autopsies. It is more accurate to say however that they were informed, but rather misinformed, and not notified that the disease they were being treated for was indeed serious and possibly fatal. â€Å"The duration of the experiment was so long that the study violated two laws that were passed since its beginning. The Henderson Act of 1943, which requires the testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and the World Health Organizations (W.H.O.) Declaration of Helsinki of 1964, which requires professionals to provide informed consent on all medical experiments that researched effects on people (Brunner, 2009). Despite the passing of these laws the doctors involved in the study not only withheld information from these men, but also deliberately misinformed them and prevented them from seeking alternative methods of effective treatment.† (Amaris Joy, 2011) How can this process be revised, so as to become more ethical? Participants need to be informed and not mislead about the study. Researchers should not maximize harm to obtain maximum benefit The rights of Human beings/dignity should be of a high priority Research should be made explicit Blood samples should have been taken, with consent and with the person being throughly informed, and then be analysed for a cure, thereby not using the individual and having him/her prone to any harm. Since penicilin was used to counter the disease, it should have been enforced. The government should have been aware that the study was going on after they found the penicilin cure and should have shut down the study. They should have been more aware of what was going on. The Willowbrook Study ETHICAL PRINCIPLES NOT MET: Respect for Vulnerable persons Respect for Human dignity Witholding information about risks Coercion or undue pressure on parents to volunteer their children. Willowbrook State School, located in Staten Island, is a school for retarded children, which in 1956, agreed to participate in a research experiment to determine the course of the hepatitis virus and whether or not gamma globulin (a protein complex which contains antigens to provoke the body to produce antibodies) could be used to inoculate children against the virus. How can this process be revised, so as to become more ethical? A series of Blood samples of those infected or who have now enrolled to the school, could have been taken with parents informed consent at different phases, and analysed with the various methods to find the cure. Children should not be taken for experimentation without their consent or parents consent children should not have been used as test subjects at all. Laud Humphrey, 1960s, Washington University (PhD diss) Tearoom Sex Study The study planned first to obtain information about homosexual practices in public restrooms and then to conduct further investigation on the men who took part in the acts. The researcher went undercover and gained the confidence of the men by acting as a look out. The researcher identified 100 active subjects by tracing their car license numbers. A year after he completed the initial study of direct observation of homosexual acts the researcher distributed a social health survey throughout the communities where he knew the subjects lived. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES NOT MET: Respect for privacy and confidentiality Respect for vulnerable persons Ensuring research was conducted in the best interest of society Respect for free and informed consent How can this process be revised, so as to become more ethical? What Laud Humphrey should have done, was not to pry on peoples privacy, but interview those who were willing to go along with his study, who found themselves in that category. Questionaires/Surveys done with confidentiality could have been done instead, being distributed to various communities. Section 2-Report THE UNIVERSITY OF RED BRICKS WARRENVILLE CAMPUS Research Ethics Board March 11, 2014 Dr. Researcha, University of Red Bricks, Warrenville Campus. Re: Approval report on the research proposal requested by Dr. Geographia. Dear Dr. Researcha, As an external reviewer of Dr. Geographias study of community vulnerability to natural disasters, I have approved the complete protocol, â€Å"Strategies of the richest and most famous: Minimizing vulnerability to Earthquakes and other Natural Disasters in Trinidad and Tobago.† The Project is scheduled to last twenty-four months, which includes the areas of Warrenville and surroundings, commencing on May 5, 2014. Dr. Geographia, is very experienced in this area of study, has published in peer reviewed journals, and has many books published in the subject area of natural hazards and risk perceptions. The protocol involves no special populations in particular, thereby reducing the ethical principle of subject vulnerability. The pupose of the proposed research is limited only to the social elite, being approximately five percent and not to socio-economically disadvantaged groups. According to the proposal read, this study seeks to disclose the resources, networks, and strategies of the countrys wealthiest and apply the results gained to formulate a â€Å"trickle-down† mobilization stategy. In emulating societys elite, this can strengthen the socially disadvantaged in coping with natural hazards. The study incorporates views and community perceptions.Quantitative methods such as blood sampling, laboratory usage, and other sampling experiments and analysis will not be performed. The study is a Qualitative study. Research material will be obtained through semi-structured interview via researchers within the residents homes, taped and transcibed, completed in the participants homes for their comfort, in keeping with ensuring research is conducted in the best interest of the society as a whole. The ethical principle of Privacy and confidentiality will therefore not be compromised as the study demands the highest discretions due to the wealth status of the individuals participating. Respect for free and informed consent, will be adhered, since once the participant decides to take part, their verbal consent will be recorded, and therefore a consent form will not be necessary. Data will be collated and analyzed in order to formulate applications to prevent loss and vulnerability among the poorest in the Region. Her study in no way violates any other ethical principles such as respect for human dignity, confidentiality, justice, and respect for minimizing harm and maximising benefit. No harm is done to the participants in the study. It has minimal to no risks involved. Benefits are obtained, when results are obtained and analyzed accordingly. The proposal is a more or less cost effective study. Whatever expences are required, are thereby funded by Right Hand Left Hand Insurance Group. A suggestion that I would recommend, is that Dr. Geographia should incorporate in her study, the views and opinions of the Poor. The study should be revised to incorporate the poor, although the main focus is on the social elite. The perspectives of the socio-economically disadvantage will add leverage to her study, and a deeper understanding of their own responces to natural hazards can be contrasted and compared to that of the social elite. Sincerly, _________________________ TARA TRISHA MANNIE. EXTERNAL REVIEWER

1984 Big Brother Is Watching You Essay -- essays research papers

Someone has always been there to tell you what to do in life. As a young child, you were told to behave properly and not to eat too many sweets. As you grew older and older, it seemed as if the responsibilities became greater and greater in number. Even as an adult, there was always an officious boss telling you what to do. There was always some higher force that bound your actions. Authority was the major theme in the novel 1984, by George Orwell. Authority was also a profound factor in Stanley Milgram’s experiment conducted in 1974. It seems that authority has been around longer than any of us can remember, and it is authority that dictates the way we act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Authority is based on instinct. When we receive an order, we intuitively react and follow the command. At first, we do not think, nor contemplate the effects that come as a result of our actions. In 1984, we get a sense of a greater authority in Big Brother. Although we never come to know if Big Brother actually exists, the power and authority that this idol holds over the people is unimaginable. The people of Oceania are divided into two classes, the members of the Party and the proletariat. The Party members are like machines that do the jobs of the government. In this world, never has anyone thought any different of his or her place in society. Due to this authority that attempts to control the human train of thought, paranoia among the people became common. Nobody would talk to each other. Bonds between one another were broken, and it was never thought to be any different than before. To hold on to what makes you human - emotions and the ability to speak freely - was considered a crime against Big Brother. Of course, with authority comes punishment. To break from traditional views essentially asks for some form of retribution. For Winston, this resulted in undergoing a painful stay at the Ministry of Love. In the experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram, the power of authority over one’s personal conscience was laid bare. Subjects were asked to apply shocks to another person at increasing levels if questions were answered incorrectly. Although equipment was specious, 63% of the subjects followed through with the experiment and delivered the shocks at the highest intensity. “I was just following orders,'; was the excuse of many of the s... ...experiment, felt that the experiment made such a deep impression on him that he became convinced that “social sciences and psychology, are much more important in today’s world.'; One can only imagine the inner conflicts that were running through his head. After the experiment, he described the mood, “I did want to stop at that time. I turned around and looked at [the experimenter]. I guess it’s a matter of…authority.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was clearly evident in the storyline of 1984, and was an outlining theme of Milgram’s experiment. Authority has always been with us; its laws are instilled within us. Most times, we know what is right and what is wrong. It is wrong to steal, and authority punishes us for doing so. It is wrong to disobey the government, and authority again punishes us for doing so. These truths are imposed upon us. Authority not only dictates the way we act, but it also changes our outlook on life. Ordering someone to apply shocks to another person is one thing. Making someone change the way they have viewed the world their whole life is something that authority has the power to make you do.

Merton Truck Co

Case Analysis: Merton Truck Company Linear programming techniques can be used to not only determine the best production mix, but also to provide clues and data suggesting ways to improve profits. In 1988, Merton Truck Company was searching for ways to increase profits and ultimately its poor financial performance. Options being considered included changing their product mix by either removing or adding a product line, or renting capacity. In the following pages, the product mix and capacity options considered by Merton are evaluated, other factors and alternatives are discussed, and final recommendations are provided. Product Mix Based on the financials in 1988, Merton’s president suspected that discontinuing their Model 101 would result in stronger financial performance. With unit costs of $40,205 (including fixed overhead) and a sales price of $39,000, each sale of Model 101 resulted in a $1,205 loss. However, the president did not consider that fixed overhead (OH) was being allocated across all units, and the discontinuation of Model 101 would increase the overhead applied to Model 102. In reality, the $8. M in monthly fixed overhead exists regardless of the product mix and does not need to be allocated on a per unit basis to determine overall profit or financial performance. Therefore, fixed overhead was not considered until the end of each evaluation. In order to evaluate any alternative, we need to compare to current profit. Utilizing the data from Tables B and C to obtain production costs per unit as well as fixed overhead, Merton is currently making a profit of $1. 9M (Exhibit 1A). Since it was the specific request of the president, the impact of discontinuing Model 101 was evaluated. The first step was to determine the capacity of producing only Model 102, which is as follows based on Table A: Engine Assembly4,000 hours / 2 hours per unit = 2,000 units Metal Stamping6,000 hours / 2 hours per unit = 3,000 units Model 102 Assembly4,500 hours / 3 hours per unit = 1,500 units The resulting capacity of 1,500 units is the same as the current production level, so it was suspected immediately that discontinuing Model 101 would likely have a negative result. Without an increase in sales, discontinuing Model 101 would only result in increasing the fixed costs for Model 102 without increasing the revenue. As seen in Exhibit 1B, this would indeed result in a $1. 1M monthly loss for Merton. This is a phenomenon known as the death spiral, when the discontinuation of a seemingly unprofitable product causes otherwise profitable products to become unprofitable. Merton should continue to use that extra capacity to produce Model 101 to generate additional revenue and help absorb costs. The impact of making only Model 101was evaluated by determining the capacity using Table A: Engine Assembly4,000 hours / 1 hour per unit = 4,000 units Metal Stamping6,000 hours / 2 hours per unit = 3,000 units Model 101 Assembly5,000 hours / 2 hours per unit = 2,500 units As shown in Exhibit 1C, producing 2,500 units of Model 101 results in a $1. 1M loss. However, since the bottleneck is the Model 101 Assembly, additional capacity remains to produce Model 102 units: Engine Assembly1,500 hours remaining / 2 hours per unit = 750 units Metal Stamping1,000 hours remaining / 2 hours per unit = 500 units Model 102 Assembly4,500 hours / 3 hours per unit = 1,500 units Exhibit 1D shows that producing 500 units of Model 102 results in a $1. 4M profit; however, Merton is still better off in its current situation. In the current analysis, it is assumed that Model 102 Assembly cannot be used for Model 101, a logical assumptionsince Merton specifies the department where Model 103 will be made. However, if Model 102 Assembly can be used for Model 101, the bottleneck then becomes Metal Stamping at 3,000 units x $3,000 CM = $9. 0M – $8. 6M = $0. 4M profit. In a similar fashion, the ability to use Model 101 Assembly for Model 102 would also drastically change the impact of discontinuing Model 101. The bottleneck for producing only Model 102 would then become Engine Assembly at 2,000 units x $5,000 CM = $10. 0M – $8. 6M = $1. M profit. So far an improved product mix has not been identified, so linear programming was used to identify the production mix that would maximize profits using the following objective function: To maximize c1x1 +c2x2 Where: x1 = Number of Model 101 trucks to produce x2 = Number of Model 102 trucks to produce c1 = Contribution margin of Model 101 (excluding fixed costs) c2 = Contribution margin of Model 102 (excluding fixed costs) The contribution margins (CMs) were calculated in Exhibit 1 as: c1 = $3,000 c2 = $5,000 Subject to Constraints: Engine Assemblyx1 + 2Ãâ€"2 ? 4000 Metal Stamping2x1 + 2Ãâ€"2 ? 000 Model 101 Assembly2x1 ? 5000 Model 102 Assembly3x2 ? 4500 Negativityx1,x2 ? 0 Each constraint was graphed as a line by setting each variable to zero, and then determining which side of the line satisfied the equation by plugging in points (such as the origin). Once the relevant range of all the constraints was determined, the extreme points were clearly identified. The extreme points corresponding to the non-negativity, Model 102 Assembly, and Model 101 Assembly constraints were easy to identify, and the rest was determined by simultaneously solving the equations of intersecting lines. Exhibit 2 shows the graph, including the values in USD obtained when the extreme points are plugged into the equation. Many of the values were in accordance with expectations as they corresponded to the earlier analyses. The optimal product mix was identified as 2000 units of Model 101 and 1000 units of Model 102, which would generate $11. 0M – $8. 6M fixed costs = $2. 4M profit. The same result was obtained when the analysis was done in Excel Solver (see attached Exhibit 3, Model 101 & 102 Solver Results). The binding constraints seen in Exhibit 4 are no longer the Model Assemblies s seen with earlier combinations, but are now the Engine Assembly and Metal Stamping departments. The optimal product mix for Merton given their current product mix and constraints has been determined, but Merton is also considering the addition of a new Model 103. The values for contribution margin (CM) are given as well as the portion of departmental capacity required to produce 103. Based on the capacity information, it was determined that Model 103 would require 0. 8 hours of Engine Assembly, 1. 5 hours of Metal Stamping, and 1 hour of Model 101 Assembly per truck. The constraints and objective function were modified with these new values and run in Excel’s Solver, which determined that Model 103 should not be produced (Exhibit 5). Exhibit 6 provides a sensitivity report indicating a reduced cost of -$350, meaning that the CM of Model 103 would need to increase by $350 before it would make sense for Merton to begin producing Model 103. Capacity Options Given the capacity limitations seen thus far, it is a fair conclusion that increasing capacity may present an opportunity. In the optimal solution, there are limitations in both Engine Assembly and Metal Stamping. If one or both of these was increased, this could have a strong positive impact on profit. By referring to the sensitivity report for the optimal solution found in Exhibit 7, we see that Engine Assembly and Metal Stamping have shadow prices of $2,000 and $500 respectively, which means that an increase in one unit of capacity would result in the corresponding increase in profit. If Merton can rent capacity for less than the shadow price for either department, it should. Note that for each, this is only true for 500 units before the scenario would require reevaluation (see the allowable increase in Exhibit 7). Also, only one variable or department can be increased. If both are modified, the shadow prices may no longer hold true. Merton also has the option of increasing engine capacity by 2,000 hours using overtime. This would also result in a 50% increase in direct labor or: Model 101$4,000 current from Table B x 1. 5 = $6,000 (reducing CM by $2,000) Model 102$4,500 current from Table B x 1. 5 = $6,750 (reducing CM by $2,250) In the overtime tab (Exhibit 8), we add two additional variables epresentative of overtime production o1 and o2, including an additional constraint representing the maximum of 2000 hours. As seen in Exhibit 8, Solver has determined that overtime should be utilized to produce 250 additional units of Model 102. However, fixed OH has not been included in the calculations until afterwards as it does not impact the optimal solution, only the net profit. In this case however, the fixed overhead increases by $0. 75M to $9. 35M if overtime is utilized. Therefore, the $9. 35M is subtracted from this result and compared to our previous optimal solution net profit of $2. M. This was done in Exhibit 8, resulting in a net profit of less than $2. 4M. Therefore, Merton should not assemble engines on overtime under these conditions. Other Factors, Alternatives and Considerations Merton’s president would like to impose a marketing mix constraint requiring Merton to produce at least three times as many units of Model 101 as units of Model 102. By adding this constraint to the analysis in Exhibit 9, the marketing mix moves to producing 2,250 units of Model 101 and 750 units Model 102, and a net profit of $1. M . The marketing constraint hinders the potential total net profit by $500,000 because at optimal production levels, Merton will be able to produce a total net profit of $2. 4M. There are several other options th at Merton did not consider. Renting capacity from an outside supplier was one alternative, but a similar option would be to simply outsource (at a rate less than the shadow prices discussed earlier). It is also mentioned that at present, demand is great enough that the company is selling everything it produces. How much greater than supply is the demand? If it is much greater, Merton should consider raising its prices to reduce demand. If demand is expected to continue, Merton should also evaluate the ROI of investing in capital and permanently increasing capacity as an alternative to renting or outsourcing capacity. Merton should also consider the impact that learning curves and technology may have on their production process. As the Model 101 and 102 life cycle continues, the company should see a reduction in time and costs associated ith every aspect of the truck manufacturing process as a result of learning curves. It can be reasonably estimated that labor hours per vehicle will be reduced due to learning curves (which result from staff experience and familiarity with the production process), and that Merton will therefore be able to increase the total volume of vehicles produced. Technology could also play an important role in reducing the time and costs needed to produce the vehicles, so it is important that Merton maintain a watchful eye on new production methods and machinery. Investments in technologies can reduce the firm's fixed overhead costs and increase profits and improve productivity. In addition, technologies can help reduce the costs of designing, developing, and manufacturing a product which can help the firm to improve product quality and to charge a higher price. Conclusion Merton’s president was absolutely correct in his supposition that the company could improve its financial performance by changing their product mix, though wrong in his initial thoughts on which actions to take. The value of linear programming techniques in evaluating possible solutions is clear, particularly in that it quickly provides clues of other options to consider (such as adding additional Engine Assembly Capacity). Based on the information provided here, further recommendations for Merton would be to (1) immediately change the production mix to 2000 Model 101s and 1000 Model 102s, (2) evaluate anticipated demand and the impact of a capital investment to increase capacity, and (3) seek quotes for capacity rental or outsourcing Engine Assembly.

John Adams essays

John Adams essays John Adams was born in Braintree, now called Quincy, Massachusettes on October 30, 1735. He graduated from Harvard College in 1755, where he ranked fourteenth out of a class of twenty four people. Adams was the first vice-president and served under George Washington, our first president.Later in 1797, John Adams became our second president serving from 1797 to 1801 with his vice-president being Thomas Jefferson. Adams was the first president to reside in the White House, and the only chief executive whose son served as a president. John was the oldest son of John and Susanna Adams. They lived on a farm in Braintree where John had a deep connection for the family farm. When he was only sixteen years old, he attended Harvard College and graduated with a law degree. In 1758, he began to practice law and met many people who would later influence him as leaders of the Massachusettes Colony. In 1764, John married a lady named Abigal Smith, who he had been seeing for three years. She was the daughter of a minister and together they had five children. In 1818, Abigail passed away after fifty-four years of marriage. On April 30, 1789, John Adams took office as the first vice-president under the authority of George Washington. Adams served for eight years as vice-president even though he often thought it was the "most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived". In 1796, John won the presidental electon and was ignagurarted on March 4, 1797 at Federal Hall, Philidelphia. He served only one term, losing in 1800 to Thomas Jefferson. At the age of sixty-six, Adams moved back to his Massachusettes farm where he spent the last twenty-five years of his life. Even though he never participated in the public life again, he took great pleasure in the career of his son John Quincy Adams, who became president in 1824. John Adams died on July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Decl...

Shakespeares Idea Between Time and Love Essays

Shakespeares Idea Between Time and Love Essays Shakespeares Idea Between Time and Love Essay Shakespeares Idea Between Time and Love Essay Thesis In Shakespeare’s sonnets, he discusses the conflicts that men have with time, such as time with human being’s body and time with the mind. Although time withers the body and eventually takes away the mind, however, Shakespeare writes that time cannot defeat love, especially when love is written by poems. I. Analysis of Sonnet 18 A. Interpretation of Sonnet 18 B. Discussion of the underlying meaning of time and love II. Analysis of Sonnet 19 A. Paraphrase of Sonnet 19 B. Denotation of the message of love with the comparison of Sonnet 18 III. Analysis of Sonnet 73 A. Summary of Sonnet 73 B. Discussion of the relationship between time and love of this sonnet IV. Analysis of Sonnet 116 A. Summary of Sonnet 116 B. Investigation of the connection of time and love with the comparison of Sonnet 18 V. Conclusion A. Restatement of the key points of the above sonnets B. conclusion Shakespeare’s idea about the relationship between time and love -with the analysis of Sonnet 18, Sonnet 19, Sonnet 73 and Sonnet 116 In Shakespeare’s sonnets, he discusses the conflicts that men have with time, such as time with human being’s body and time with the mind. Throughout his sonnets, especially Sonnet 18, Sonnet 19, Sonnet 73 and Sonnet 116, Shakespeare talks of love and time which expresses his ideas the powers of beauty, time, and love and how each interacts with the other. He examines the relationship between love and time. In several lines he leads the reader to believe that when written and recorded, love can be remembered throughout time. In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare raises a proposal- â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? † at the beginning. Then he argues that â€Å"you† are more lovely and beautiful than a summer’s day. Although the wind blowing on the flower buds of May can be felt, still the summer just doesn’t last long enough for the sun dims and sometimes goes away by chance or simply by nature’s doing. After the word â€Å"but† in Line 9, the poem shifts to another statement- as long as â€Å"your† beauty is recorded by this sonnet, â€Å"your† beauty will live forever with the eternity of poetry. In this sonnet, Shakespeare argues that his love for his beloved, whether it’s for a â€Å"fair young man† or a beautiful lady, will never die for it is remained forever in his poem. So does his love. Thus, time cannot take the beauty and the love away. Sonnet 19, which is similar to Sonnet 18, also boasts of the speaker’s writing talent. In this sonnet, the speaker is addressing â€Å"Time† instead of addressing â€Å"You† in Sonnet 18. In the first quatrain, the speaker begins his direct engagement with Time in a battle of wills. He blames Time, saying go ahead and makes the lion’s paws dull and useless with age, let the tiger’s sharp teeth fall out, and let the phoenix die. In the second quatrain, the speaker challenges Time to create happy seasons and sad seasons as he hurries by. The speaker even encourages Time to go ahead and do whatever it wants to whole world. But the speaker forbids Time to touch one particular entity, and he says it with vehemence: â€Å"But I forbid thee one most heinous crime. † In the third quatrain, he commands Time not furrow the brow of his love: â€Å"O! carve not with thy hours my love’s fair brow. Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen. † In the couplet, the speaker appears to do an about-face. He says, on the other hand, go ahead â€Å"old Time,† do your best to destroy this love, this talent of mine. And even though you try your hardest, â€Å"My love shall in my verse ever live young. † His love, which is in his art, is untouchable by time. Again, in this sonnet, Shakespeare restates his idea between time and love. Although time can take away people’s youth or fades everything, it cannot take away my love as long as it is written in my poem. Sonnet 73 is a poem that emphasizes the strength of love by describing his aging process by the use of three metaphors: a tree, a day and a fire. In the first quatrain, the speaker addresses a beloved, remarking that she may see that he is aging. He compares his body to a tree losing its leaves: â€Å"yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang. † His hair is thinning, and the few strands he has left are turning gray with age. The gray hair that once was brown is just like the yellow leaves that once were green. Even his poetry is becoming â€Å"are ruin’d choirs,† it used to be filled with beautiful expression akin to the songs of â€Å"sweet birds. † After comparing his aging to a tree in late autumn, he then compares the aging process to a day, and the time when the sun â€Å"fadeth in the west†, he is in the â€Å"twilight of that day†. He will not be able to rest after black night has stolen his life. In the third quatrain, the speaker again introduces a new metaphor: this time he compares his ebbing life to a fire that â€Å"on the ashes of his youth doth lie. † His youth once burned brightly, but now his flame is dwindling, and the very things that fed his youth’s flame are being consumed by the low-burning fire of old age. Nevertheless, his beloved still offers him love and that love is even stronger for they know there is not much time left so they have to cherish and love each other even more. In this sonnet, Shakespeare states that love can be much stronger despite the time. Even though the two lovers are growing old, their love for each other is never growing old. On the contrary, time even makes their love stronger and more beautiful. To Shakespeare, love is not only forgiving faults but also invincible in the face of any storm. Whether it is hostility in the marriage or the death of one of the individuals in the marriage, love will continue to persevere between the two involved. This can be best exemplified in Sonnet 116. In Sonnet 116, the first quatrain depicts true love as everlasting and how marriage is a bond that will keep two souls together and never apart. The second quatrain, talks about love as uncontrollable and it guides and goes through with us along our way in life. Love is described as boundless and something that cannot be contained. Furthermore the quatrain also states true love as an intense force that we cannot predict. Finally, the third quatrain describes the amount of time love lasts and that true love is not and cannot be affected by time: â€Å"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks†. The couplet argues that if the vision of love that has been so accurately depicted is incorrect, â€Å"I never writ and no man ever loved†. Both Sonnet 116 and Sonnet 18 share the similar idea that true love is eternal. Sonnet 18’s main theme is the power of the speaker’s poem to defy time and his love lasts forever in poetry. Sonnet 116 presents the extreme ideal of romantic love; it never changes, it never fades, it survives death and admits no flaw. Another similarity is the structure of the two sonnets. Both of them state the main idea in the couplet. From the analysis of the above four sonnets, it can be told that Shakespeare thinks that love will not fade throughout time and it can live forever in the form of poetry. In Sonnet 18 and Sonnet 19, he states that his beloved’s beauty and his love can live in eternity in his poem. In Sonnet 73, he argues that love can be stronger throughout time. In Sonnet 116, Shakespeare states that love is invincible in the face of difficulty or even death. To sum up, Shakespeare’s idea between time and love is that though time withers the body and eventually takes away the mind, however, he thinks that time cannot defeat love, especially when love is written by poems.

Significance of stakeholder management in construction projects Essay

Significance of stakeholder management in construction projects - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that construction projects result in a product like residential buildings, dams, parks etc. that is further utilized to house a number of other products. A construction project may impact several interests positively or negatively. Positive impacts may include high quality living and better facilities, while negative impacts may comprise deterioration and change to environment not only at construction site but on all levels. Those impacted by the project are referred to as project stakeholders. A stakeholder is a person or a group whose interests are affected by the execution or operation of a project. They may exert influence over the project through their attributes of power, legitimacy, expertise and urgency but may not otherwise be considered as stakeholders. Generally, there are five key stakeholders in every project: project manager, performing organization, team members, sponsor and end user. However, geographical differences and nat ural events directly affect the successful execution of the construction project and may involve a number of unique stakeholders like environmental and community groups being effected by the building process or its operation after completion and may not be involved in other type of projects. Similarly, regulatory agencies who control certain aspects of the construction by issuing permits and certificate are also key stakeholders. These stakeholders, if not managed well, can influence the project by delaying, changing the scope and even cancelling the project.

Rhetoric Criticism Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rhetoric Criticism - Article Example entitled What it Means to be Colored in the Capital of the U.S. at the United Women’s Club, expressing her views about what was happening then. In this speech, Terrell used Aristotelian forensic rhetoric to present her version of injustice towards colored people in order to increase awareness to their rights and to acquire them. According to Aristotle, forensic rhetoric uses facts to attack or defend, making the audience a judge of what has been done in the past. In Terrell’s speech, she talks about various challenges she has been through as a colored woman and the experiences of others as well in order to show the injustices committed against colored men. She begins with the instances that happened to her or those which she observed and considered to be most possible in her condition as a Black woman. She mentions that there is no other race treated as the Blacks, who may walk the streets to the White House without being fed or accepted in a house, hotel or restaurant. She exposes that even if one has money to buy food or pay for a decent room to stay for the night, if that person is Black, he would not be entertained at all. In a rather ironic tone, Terell points out that even if she were to enter the house of God where color and culture should not be a problem or where love and equality should be most evident, she, as a colored person, would not be given a welcoming reception as expected. This shows that even the very persons who proclaim equality and love, can be void of what they preach when it comes to colored people and the speaker considers this as an injustice. Concerning work, America has always been perceived as a land of promise because of its vast lands and various opportunities. However, to the Blacks, it is not so. According to Terell, there are many able and qualified Black men and women who are highly qualified to do white collar jobs. Nevertheless, color seems to be a hindrance to them. The writer speaks further about this issue by presenting the experience of a young woman who was a rising literary star. She applied to work as stenographer at a company and proving herself to be the best candidate for the job; she was invited in for the interview. Contrary to what the young Black woman expected, she was not given the job because of her color and instead, she was advised to do menial work as that is what the society expects from colored people. Such are the facts Terrell knew about a colored man’s life which she expressed in a compelling manner. â€Å"Her speech isn't as long as others, but it is effective in getting her message across, that there is an abundance of prejudice in America† (Johnston, 2001). She did not merely state examples of injustices that happened to her or a handful of her people but includes the whole community of Black people regardless of their economic status, religion, education and views. Terell used the Association theory by expounding on a specific experience of one person before proceeding to include others in her discussion. For instance, after mentioning the highly qualified applicant who was not given the job of a stenographer, she goes on to speak on a general note, including all the colored women in her discussion of employment opportunities. She says that Black women are not given the fair chance to get employment