UPS and Starbucks global strategies

Strategy can be defined as an outline of doing things in an organization. This is meant to bring out the desired results or solution to a certain problem. Organizations derive strategies that help them achieve a certain goal or objective in their operations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on UPS and Starbucks global strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More UPS Global strategy The United Parcel Services, which is abbreviated as UPS, is a package delivery company incorporated in the United States. The company offers transportation, financial services, and logistics to its clients who are mainly business companies and individuals on a global scale. The company, which started over a hundred years ago, has been able to conquer the global markets. Thus, it now operates in more than 200 countries worldwide. It also delivers more than 15 million packages daily to different global locations. The company started as a loca l messaging enterprise operated by the 19 year old Jim Casey. However, it has risen to employ more than 400,000 employees worldwide. The company’s success story may be attributed to its strategic global expansion plan. The company offers the best services on the market, and thus the many companies associate with its services (Mintzberg Ghoshal, 2002; Mintzberg, Ghoshal, Lampel Quinn, 2003). In a move to implement its global strategy in regard to its service delivery across the world, UPS was faced with a number of issues in implementing and executing the strategies. In the early 1980s when the company was in the process of expanding to other countries, it faced some challenges in implementing the strategies. Its expansion plan was hindered by its reliance on the local marketing skills. The marketing environment in Asia and Europe was different from the local marketing environment. Thus, the company’s management had to formulate a new strategy in the new markets. The choice of location of the company stores had to be strategically placed so as to attract and identify with new customers in Asia and Europe. The labor ethics in Asia and Europe had a different degree as compared with the American one. Therefore, the management had to come up with a new job schedule that suit the country’s specification. For example, in Singapore, the country instituted a stiff work ethics that had no room for overtime. In this regard, the drivers who used to deliver the goods could not operate on a 12 to 13 hour shift as they did in America. Thus, the corporation management had to establish a means that can help the new stores in different countries. The corporation had to train new managers who were conversant with the local markets. This was meant to render the company a competitive advantage over the local companies (Lussier, 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company’s strategy implementation was a success. In this case, it helped the corporation to expand by opening depots in over 200 countries across the world. The customer response to quick services has rendered the company as one of the largest organizations in the world. It has links all over the world through improved services to various destinations. The company marketing strategy has been instrumental in the global expansion campaign initiated by the corporation’s management within other countries. The company has been able to conquer global market forces. Starbuck Global Strategy Starbuck Corporation is an American coffeehouse that was founded in the early seventies. The founders were Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. The company is the largest coffeehouse in the world as it has more than 20,000 stores and operates in more than 61 countries worldwide. The company deals in hot and cold beverages, which range from whole-bean coffee, instant coffee , pastries and snacks. The coffee house has experienced an extensive global expansion. It has established stores in many countries after its initial store in Seattle, Washington. The Starbuck expansion strategy was faced with some issues which made it difficult for the implementation of the strategy. As the company continues to expand in its operations across America and Europe, it is faced with a number of challenges that tend to delay the implementation of the expansion strategy across international markets. The marketing strategies, which are formulated by the company management, are geared towards improving the quality of products in the market. Starbuck’s coffee house business is recognized through its main retail stores in the US, as well as within other countries. The company marketing strategy was tasked with finding new stores where people access the services at a convenient location and competitive prices. The company has been able to partner with various market sta keholders and introduced new services like selling music. For example, a partnership with apple to sell music in the company stores to various customers (Wit Meyer, 2010). The outcome of the implementation of the optimal strategy for the company has led to the success of the company in the world market. After its incorporation in the United States in the 1970s, the founders saw it necessary to invest in more global markets and better service delivery. The corporation has been able to open up other stores in various countries. In turn, this improved the financial capability of the firm. The corporation has been able to offer employment opportunity with the expansion movement globally (Miltenburg, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on UPS and Starbucks global strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Lussier, R.N. (2012). Management fundamentals: Concepts, applications, skill development. Mason, Ohi o: South-Western. Miltenburg, J. (2005). Manufacturing strategy: How to formulate and implement a winning plan. New York: Productivity Press. Mintzberg, H., Ghoshal, S. (2002). The strategy process. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Mintzberg, H., Ghoshal, S., Lampel, J., Quinn, J. B. (2003). The strategy process: Concepts, contexts, cases (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Wit, B., Meyer, R. (2010). Strategy: Process, content, context; an international perspective. Andover, Hampshire: Cengage Learning. This essay on UPS and Starbucks global strategies was written and submitted by user Sarai Hubbard to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Energy Infrastructure and Security U.S.

Energy Infrastructure and Security U.S. Today, the U.S. is the largest energy consumer and importer in the world. According to Klare, three factors play significant role in U.S. foreign policy: energy, environment and the world economy (2009, p. 48). As the country addicted to oil, the U.S. has to develop the new ways of its production and supply from the different regions; therefore, the U.S. foreign and military policies are driven by the increasing needs for oil.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Energy Infrastructure and Security U.S. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The modern economy cannot develop without an appropriate supply of energy. Therefore, the international relations are directed by the problems of oil demands and its supply. According to Farrell et al., â€Å"the theme of energy infrastructure and security appears in more general studies of national security and warfare† (p. 3). The following steps had been taken by the U.S. gove rnment in order to secure energy facilities and supplies and global oil chokepoints around the world. An understanding of significance of energy supply caused the attempt to destroy the German and Japanese energy infrastructures during the World War II. As the country consumed about 1/3 of the total oil reserve during the World War II, the government had to find another sources. In 1945, President Roosevelt offered Saudi Arabia the help of the U.S. forces in return of the Saudi oil (Klare, 2008). During the Cold War, the major forces of the United States and the Soviet Union were focused on the nuclear energy system’s development. At the same period, both countries wanted to prevent a large-scale nuclear war. The government had to be ready to rebuild the economy after the possible damages. Thus, â€Å"many electricity generators were expected to survive an urban-focused strike, but transmission system were expected to be largely destroyed, as were petroleum refining and ship ping facilities† (Farrell et al., p. 3). In order to protect the energy infrastructure, the scientists developed measures which should be used in critical situation. Energy system as the most vulnerable sector had to be protected, including the protection of all infrastructural elements such as plants, storages, pipelines, etc. Production of the renewable energy sources and flexibility of energy shipment system had been considered as the most effective methods. According to Farrell et al., the energy security included the use of â€Å"cooling towers at electric power plants could conceivably be used in a deliberate attack as a means of dispersing biological or chemical agents† (p. 8). Besides, construction of the hydroelectric dams could help to store energy produces with the use of water power.Advertising Looking for term paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Possible damage of the use of large electromagnetic pulses (EMP) could â€Å"induce instantaneous voltages of hundreds of thousands of volts in conductors, creating very large disruptions in electric power systems and destroying electrical equipment components such as motors, backup generators, and microprocessors† (Farrell et al., p. 8). Clifton supposes that the danger of use of the electromagnetic pulses today and in the nearest future is significant (2011). Terrorists can use this method in order to destroy the facilities and energy infrastructure. EMP attack can include the detonation of a nuclear warhead; therefore, the US government develops the system of defence. However, it is obvious that the damage of use of the nuclear weapons cannot be predicted. In this situation, it is necessary to prevent and stop the possible creation and use of the nuclear energy as a weapon. Clifton cites the Center for Security Policy that indicates that â€Å"a dire warning that an EMP attack could kill nine out of ten Americans†. Obviously, such fears drive the foreign policy of the country. Today, as the world faces the problem of creation of the nuclear weapons by Iran, the US government claims about this danger in the United Nations. In order to prevent the large-scale conflict, the United States has to improve and strengthen its security infrastructure that was created in order to protect country during the Cold War. A member of Republican Party Cain says about such counter urgent threats as â€Å"stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, fix border security – for real, shield us against Cyber and Electro-magnetic Pulse (EMP) attacks† (Clifton, 2011). Such threats are the part of his Foreign Policy National Security Pillars. One can notice that the US foreign policy towards Iran has to be developed. This issue is complicated and has a number of particular aspects that should be carefully investigated. According to the US Department of Energy, the nationa l energy infrastructure requires the use of modern technologies that should improve the current position (2001). There are various areas that should be improved such as protection of pipelines, oil refineries and energy transportation infrastructure. Obviously, the United States is the oil-dependent country and its foreign policy in the Middle East is motivated by the needs of the access to the local oil reserves. After the end of the Cold War, the U.S. foreign policy became concentrated on the Persian Gulf with its huge oil reserves. The military presence of the U.S. army is important measure that should help improve the process of democratic changes and prevent the disruption of oil sources. In the film Blood and Oil by Michael Klare the U.S. foreign policy is present as a simple search for oil no matter of the price, including the human lives. Klare says that after 1945, the U.S. foreign policy had been concentrated on the search of the access to the energy reserves around the wo rld (2009).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Energy Infrastructure and Security U.S. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Obviously, the country had to provide an adequate energy supply to its industries and citizens; however, as the result, there was a problem of overvalue of fuels and underestimation of human life. The Middle East can be considered as the most important geographical region which, on one hand, can affect the U.S. security, as it happened on September 11, 2001, and, on the other hand, provides the possibility to get the energy reserves needed for the U.S. industries and daily life. When in 2003 the US government suspected Iraq of development of chemical weapons, the foreign policy consolidated its main forces in order to prevent possible threats and damage of use of this king of weapons. In fact, the main reason of this War was Iraqi oil reserves. According to Richardson, â€Å"most international t rade in goods – over 80% of the total – is carried by sea† (2007). US Department of Energy claimed that The Hormuz strait in the Middle East is the most important chokepoint. In order to protect national and commercial interests in this area, the US sends ships and naval forces to this region. In 2007, when the threats of Iran occurred, â€Å"US officials were seeking to tighten financial sanctions on Iran and were openly accusing Iranian paramilitary forces of siding with Shiite militia factions in Iraq to attack US troops† (Richardson, 2007). Two US aircrafts carriers and associated warships were sent to the region in order to control this area and prevent the danger of military conflict. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter claimed about the necessity to use the military forces in order to protect the access to Middle Eastern oil (Klare, 2009). In recent years, the foreign policy of the U.S. includes the revolutions and conflicts arisen in the Middle East. F or instance, after the revolution in Libya in 2011, the United States got an access to the Libyan oil reserves. The national Defense Council Foundation indicates that the overall money spent on oil-defence securities was 137 billion dollars in 2007, comparing to 50 billion dollars in 2002 (Klare, 2009). Man power is one of the steps that US takes in order to protect this territory. Today, the U.S. naval forces patrol and protect â€Å"about 2.5 million square miles of water, including the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean† (Richardson, 2007). Together with other countries such as Pakistan, Singapore, Japan and European nations, the US forces control the Middle East oil reserves and the ways of its transportation. Checkpoint insecurity in the Middle East can lead to the serious problems and economical loss, therefore, the U.S. wants to improve the democratic situation in this region. In order to promote democracy abroad, the US sold iers provide common training programs with local military groups in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the same time, the presence of the U.S. forces in the region can guarantee that the influence of the U.S policy on the other countries’ governments will increase. The U.S. forces help other countries and, as the result, the United States get their support and gain allies. Cross-cultural training programs can increase the level of understanding of the current problems between local military forces, citizens and the US forces.Advertising Looking for term paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In return of the military help, the United States can get not only access to the oil reserves, but also the allies who will support the US policy on the international level. Although the presidential candidates discusses about the necessity of bringing home the U.S. military forces in Iraq, this oil-rich area is still used as the oil supplier. Thereby, the U.S. military forces provide training programs for the Iraqi soldiers, helping the local citizens to improve the protection measures. The U.S. Army uses the light and swift forces and the communicational facilities which help in the coordination. Besides, they use hundreds of aircrafts and satellite-mounted sensors. Iraq increased the oil production after the U.S. forces arrived to the country. According to the statistics of International Energy Agency, â€Å"crude oil production capacity in Iraq is set to increase by 1.87 million barrels per day (mb/d) between 2010 and 2016† (2011). However, at the same time, â€Å"warns of potential risks to this production increase in Iraq, notably the withdrawal of US troops and fears of escalating instability as insurgency bombing increases† (International Energy Agency, 2011). According to Cummins, the U.S. government has already committed 277 million dollars for energy infrastructure protection (2007). In fact, such programs are driven by the desire to control the present area and to protect the special access to the oil reserves by the U.S. Reference List Clifton, E. (2011). Far-Fetched EMP Doomsday Part of Cain And Gingrich Foreign Policy Platforms. Retrieved from lobelog.com/far-fetched-emp-doomsday-part-of-cain-and-gingrich-foreign-policy-platforms/ Cummins, C. (17 November, 2007). U.S. Digs In to Guard Iraq Oil Exports, Wall Street Journal, p. 7. Farrell, A. E., Zerriffi, H. Dowlatabadi, H. (2004). Energy Infrastructure and Security. Ann. Rev. Environ. Resour., vol. 29. Retrieved from green-erg.com/documents/Energy_Infra_security.pdf International Energy Agency. (2011). Iraq’s oil production capacity is forecast to increase sharply over next five years. Retrieved from iea.org/index_info.asp?ID=2335 Klare, M. T. (2008). Blood and Oil. Retrieved from bloodandoilmovie.com/download/Blood_and_Oil_EPK.pdf Klare, M. T. (2009). The New Foreign Policy Agenda: Energy, the Environment, and the Global Economy. In R. M. Lloyd (Ed.), William B. Ruger Chair of national Security Economics Papers, Number 4: American Foreign Policy: Regional Perspectives (pp. 47-54). US, Newport: Naval War College. Richardson, M. (2007). Asia’s Middle East Oil Dependence: Chokepoints on a Vital Maritime Supply Line. Retrieved from iseas.edu.sg/tr12007.pdf US Department of Energy. (2001). America’s Energy Infrastructure: A Comprehensive Delivery System. Retrieved from netl.doe.gov/publications/press/2001/nep/chapter7.pdf

Outline.This is only an outline for a research paper that is going to

Outline.This is only an outline for a that is going to be written latter,so the topic is outline - Research Paper Example One major argument on the matter is with relation to scientology. Scientology has grown in contemporary years and has seen many people join the particular movement (Barth, 2007). With the absence of religion, people would grow further believing in the movement. Religion exists in current days and people still carry out heinous crimes on a daily basis. It is only right to state that with absence of religion, these crimes would increase significantly. People would invade other’s privacy stealing and committing murders. (Matlock, 2008) Society would have no rubrics and humans would lack personal rules by which to abide. Without religion, people in society would lack common grounds (Ryan, 2007). Getting together in prayer and worship is one factor that unites people of different backgrounds and social stature. Lack thereof would lead to judgment and condescending among people. Atheists portray this when looking at the manner in which most of them live their lives. People would lack a sense of unity and this would act as a sign for the beginning of societal and humanity’s

2007 financial crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

2007 financial crisis - Essay Example The risks kept building up and through the synergistic effect; they interconnected among the institutions, which in the end undermined the stability of the financial institutions. There were seven main causes that worked together to cause the 2007 financial crisis. Such included the securitization of the mortgages bringing forth to the rise in the shadow banking sector, regulatory arbitrage and conflict of interest, leverage and lower interest rates, outsourcing of mortgage broker function, the suits vs geeks’ problem and finally the bankruptcy law changes. The factors mentioned above worked as follows to cause the â€Å"perfect financial storm.† (Mishkin 2004) The securitization of mortgages was the first cause of the crisis given that throughout history it had been a trend that mortgages were issued and serviced by the same bank (Mishkin 2004). The government created Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac although both were eventually spun off as private companies to encourage ho me ownership by creating home loans, which were issued at quiet lower interest rates. These institutions along with other banks converted loans into securities called mortgage backed securities whereby the money paid by the borrower had to pass through the bank to the holder of the security (Mishkin and Eakins 2012). The banks were therefore able to get more funds to issues more loans by selling the loans. The selling of the loans also made them pass the risks associated by the loans to the buyers of the securities whose impacts both tended to reduce the rates of interest on the mortgages (Casti 2012). The two formally created institutions together with AIG and other financial institutions insured those securities against default through credit default swaps, which are just insurances on cars or houses. Securitization of mortgages itself wouldn’t necessarily be unsafe if only low risk mortgages were securitized but the successive administrations went on to encourage Fannie an d Freddie to bundle mortgages so as to expand home ownership. Mortgage backed securities are much profitable when there is no default but with defaults insurance payouts grew and the government had to come in to bail out Fannie and Freddie plus AIG (Lounsbury 2010). Mortgage backed security market is part of the broader trend called the shadow banking where firms run from banks to direct finance due to the better rates they are likely to get (Lounsbury 2010). The participants in this sector take a greater risk as this sector is not regulated like the banking sector. These companies also lack the capital requirement that the banks have compounding the risks further so incase of anything these banks lose a lot. Through regulatory arbitrage, capital requirements reappear (Mishkin and Eakins 2012). This act occurs when financial institutions have a way of undermining the intent of regulation to increase profits like the bizarre risk rankings and the shopping for a regulator. Regulatory arbitrage combined together with the conflict of interest contributed to the growing instability of the financial sector. Poor lending practices caused by the changes within the mortgage market was a cause given that the lending authority was given to the independent contractor who were outsourced and being paid on a fee per loan. They therefore had the incentive for loaning people even without looking at their security, which banks could not do as they securitized the loans (The Guardian 2012). Recent government actions like allowing the investment banks to borrow at lower rates so that they could make profits by purchasing MBSs also contributed to the

Intelligent Agents Characteristics

Intelligent Agents Characteristics Report on Intelligent Agents Methodology The research for this report was done using the various books from the library, Internet sites and computer magazines. Introduction The uses of intelligent agents within the home and in businesses have increased dramatically over the years. Intelligent agents are a part of a program that carries out a task unsupervised and applies some degree of intelligence to the task. New and improved intelligent agents are constantly being designed and produced to carry out numerous repetitive and predictable tasks. One definition of an intelligent agent, as described by states â€Å"an intelligent agent perceives its environment via sensors and acts rationally upon that environment with its effectors. Hence, an intelligent agent gets percepts one at a time and maps this percept into actions† In his book, Essentials of Management Information Systems, Kenneth Laudon describes an intelligent agent as being â€Å"software programs that work in the background to carry out specific, repetitive and predictable tasks for an individual user business or software application†. The design and production of an intelligent agent has to take into consideration numerous factors. This report takes a look at these considerations and factors and provides and insight into how intelligent agents are influencing businesses and society as a whole. Findings Agent Characteristics Intelligent agents have four main characteristics: â€Å"An agent is a computer software system whose characteristics are situatedness, autonomy, adapitvity and sociability.† Situatedness When an Agent receives some form of sensory input from its environment, it then performs some actions that change its environment in some way. Autonomy This agent characteristic means that an agent is able to act without direct intervention from humans or other agents. This type of agent has almost complete control over it own actions and internal state. Adapitvity This agent characteristic means that it is capable of reacting flexibly to changes within its environment. It is able to accept goal directed initiatives when appropriate and is also capable of learning from its own experiences, environment and interaction with others. Sociability This type of characteristic means that the agent is capable of interacting in a peer-to-peer manner with other agents or humans. Design Considerations One of the most important aspects of intelligent agents is the design of the actual agent. The agent needs to be able to fulfil the tasks that are required from it, i.e. to achieve its goals. There are four main aspects that need to be taken into consideration when designing an intelligent agent. Percepts This is the information that the agent receives Actions This is what the agent needs to do or can do to achieve its objectives. Goals This is the factor that the agent is trying to achieve Environment The final aspect is the environment in which the agent will be working in. The environment in which the agent performs is probably the most important aspect that needs to be considered as this affects the outcome of the percepts, actions and goals. Different Approaches to Agent Design From the agent characteristics and design considerations come four different approaches to intelligent agent design. Simple Reflex Agents Simple reflex agents are the most basic form of intelligent agent. They are simple minded, direct connections between percepts and actions. Reflex Agents with Internal State Reflex agents with internal state are similar to the Simple reflex agents except they remember the state of the environment as contained in earlier percepts. As the agents sensors do not provide a detailed account of the environment at each input, a perception of the environment is captured over a period of time that provided further information to the agent and enables it to provide better results. Goal Based Agents For a goal based agent, the agent must know more than the current state of the environment, they must know the full requirements of the goal that they are required to perform. The goal based agent combines the information of the goal with possible actions that will achieve that goal. This may cause the agent to take longer sequences of possible actions before deciding on the right course of action and whether the goal has been achieved. Goal Based agents also take the future into consideration. 3.4 Utility Based Agents Utility-based agents are the ultimate form of intelligent agent and are an extension of the goal-based agent. Utility agents consider degrees of utility and try to maximise their own potential. Utility functions allow the agent to identify conflicting or alternative goals and decisions. The likelihood of success and importance of the goal can also be compared and evaluated by the utility agent; the agent would then execute appropriate action to ensure the best option was selected. Distinction between Environments Accessible Vs Inaccessible This environment is concerned with whether the agent is able to see the exact state of the environment. If the agents sensors are able to provide it with complete access to the state of the environment needed to choose an action, then the environment is accessible otherwise it is inaccessible. Deterministic Vs Nondeterministic In a deterministic environment, the use of the same actions will produce the same outcome every time the process or situation is repeated. But in a Nondeterministic environment the final outcome of the process or situation will be different every time. Episodic Vs Nonepisodic In an episodic environment, subsequent episodes do not depend on the actions that occurred in previous episodes, agents in this type of environment dont need to plan ahead. Agents in Nonepisodic environments do tend to depend on previous actions that occurred in previous episodes and do tend to have to plan ahead. 4.4 Static Vs Dynamic A static environment is an environment that doesnt change and the time taken for an agent to process an action doesnt matter, as the environment will remain the same. A dynamic environment changes continuously and an intelligent agent has to be able to process actions quickly before the environment changes. Discrete Vs Continuous In a discrete environment the number of distinct percepts and actions that an agent will receive is limited to a set amount, but in a continuous environment the percepts and actions are unlimited. Intelligent agents that are in an accessible or deterministic environment do not need to deal with uncertainty. Inaccessible, Nondeterministic, Nonepisodic, Dynamic, and Continuous environments are the most challenging, as these are unpredictable environments, the other environments are more stable and less volatile. The use of Intelligent Agents in Businesses The use of intelligent agents has increased dramatically over the past 5 year, though the majority of people wouldnt think twice about the process that they do that make their lives easier. During the1990s, A.D.Little, a management consultant, estimated that by the year 2000, 15 to 20 percent of all computer applications would contain intelligent agents. Though this figure has increased a substantial amount with the development of new technologies. The use of intelligent can agents can be seen in every industry sector within the UK and all over the world. The most common and widely used agents are found within two main areas. The first is within office type environments in which computers are used and the second is on the World Wide Web. In the first issue, computer software is the main reason for agents being used so widely: Operating systems use agents to add email and dial up networking account, do group management, add/remove programs and devices and monitor licences. Spreadsheet agents offer suggestions for improvement and can also tutor novice users. Software development agents assist in routine activities such as data filtering. The second and area and probably the largest is the Internet. The internet uses a variety of different types of agents to help the user find what they are looking for. They include: Search engines improve your information retrieval on the Internet Web mastering Agents these agents make it easy to manage a web site Web Agents These agents improve the users browsing experience. Monitoring Agents These agents monitor web sites or specific themes you are interested in. Shopbots These agents allow you to compare prices on Internet. Virtual Assistants these include virtual pets and desktop assistants. Intelligent agents can be seen in a wide variety of situations, the table in point 5.1 provides more examples of what agents are capable of. Though agents are making life easier, it is also reducing the amount of employees needed to do the job. An example of this would be a car-manufacturing factory. During the 1980s thousands of people were employed to make the vehicles but since the introduction of machinery that contains an intelligent agent to do the repetitive work, numerous people were made redundant and the positions in which 4 5 people did the job has been reduced to one or two men and the machine. An intelligent agent is something that perceives and acts in an environments. An ideal agent is one that always takes the action that is expected to maximise its performance. There are a variety of basic agent program designs. The designs vary in efficiency, compactness and flexibility. The appropriate design of the agent program depends on the percepts, actions, goals and environment. Some environments are more demanding than others. Reflex agents respond immediately to percepts, goal based agents act so that they can achieve their goals and utility-based agents try to maximise their own ‘happiness. The use of intelligence agents has increased beyond the expectations of experts within the management and information technology fields. The use of intelligent agents are being seen in a wide cross section of businesses whether it be in machinery and equipment or within the software programs that they have in their computers and networks. The most widely used forms of intelligent agents are found on the Internet, they are mainly used within search engines. Recommendations Intelligent agents are the basis of artificial intelligence; there are considerable ongoing researches into the field, with many exciting possibilities. â€Å"Agents are here to stay, not least because of their diversity, their wide range of applications and the broad spectrum of companies investing in them. As we move further and further into the information age, any information-based organisation which does not invest in agent technology may be committing commercial hara-kiri.† Bibliography Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig 1995,Artificial intelligence: A modern Approach, Prentice Hall www-cdr.Stanford.edu/nextlink/expert.html [Accessed 13 October 2002] Intelligent Agents on the internet: fact, Fiction and Forecast, Oren Etzioni and Daniel S. Weld www.computer.org/intelligent/ex1995/x4044abs.htm [Accessed 16th October 2002] www.hermans.org/agents/index.html [Accessed 16th October 2002] Intelligent agents likely to cut jobs, alter offices, Kile Martz www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/1998/08/03focus5.html [Accessed 16th October 2002] http://www.agentland.com/ http://sbm-connect.tees.ac.uk/ebuscon/Presentations%20(PPP%20%20PDF)%20Files/Chapter%2011%20Intelligent%20Systems%20in%20Business.pdf [Accessed 13th October 2002] Turban, McLean and Wetherbe, 1996, First Edition, Information technology for managers Improving Quality and Productivity Laudon K. Essentials of Management Information Systems, 2002, Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall

Process Paper on Making Snowman

Daniel Ricciardi Man of Snow Jim woke up after a large snowstorm last night that left ten inches of snow. His nephew Sean ran in to jim’s room and asks him to go outside. Sean said no one wanted to go and if they did it was to shovel. Of course Jim would rather play in snow then shovel so he gets outside before he gets assigned to work. He asked Sean what his favorite activity was in the snow. Sean said sledding but he was more interested in something else he hasn’t done before, making a snowman. Jim couldn’t wait to show Sean how to build the perfect snowman so he begins right away.Now their snowman needs three main body parts his legs, chest, and head. To make each body part they mold a small ball of snow in their hands and place it on the ground. Then begin to roll the ball around allowing it to gather up snow gradually getting larger. Jim Made sure not to roll it in a straight line since it might end up with a soup can shape snowball. They made sure their fir st ball for the legs was as big as Sean. Now repeat the process of molding the ball and rolling it to create the three body parts with one large and the rest gradually getting smaller.Lifting the chest snowball onto the leg snowball was difficult considering the size of my snowballs but Jim managed. Now they have the legs, body, and head with a perfect size deduction going from legs to head. Sean was filled with so much excitement seeing this large snow creature in almost full form. Sean could have been completely satisfied with the snowman he was so big he could climb it. Jim mentions to Sean that there not finished, the poor guy has no face. Sean was puzzled on how to draw a face onto our snowman. Jim told him we will not draw but all you need is a dozen or so quarter sized stones.Sean offered right away to look for them. While he did that Jim went inside to get a large orange carrot for the nose. Jim was lucky enough to find 2 large buttons for the eyes and a few smaller ones for a button shirt. Jim runs outside to see Sean stuffing the stones creating a in a vertical line across the lower part of the head. Jim asks him if he wants the snowman to smile or keep this straight face. Without an answer Jim starts to align the stones into a happy face along with the eyes and nose and buttons down the body. Sean is laughing uncontrollably at the goofy looking face.Jim couldn’t help laughing as he walks to the woods. He finds two skinny branches as along as his own arm. He stabs both sides of the snowman body with the left one tilted up to look like a wave. Sean jumps up and gives him a high-five almost snapping the arm right off. Now for them to finally finish, they both go inside and look for a hat, scarf, and mittens. They got the most colorful and wacky styles they could find. Together they place the clothing on there now finished snowman. With Jims help Sean created his first most perfect snowman.

Getting the Best Anti Intellectualism Essay Topics

Getting the Best Anti Intellectualism Essay Topics School should occur in the evenings. College is for a high amount of study. Students ought to be permitted to pray in school. School tests aren't powerful. Argumentative essay topics are so important since they are debatableand it's vital to at all times be critically contemplating the world around us. A student ought to keep in contact with the hottest trends and know which persuasive essay topics are related to sound convincing in regards to defending personal opinions. You first have to figure out the reason behind your essay, before you are able to write persuasive content about it. To discover argumentative essay topics easy on various platforms, you want to comprehend about the argumentative essay. In the event you were given a task to compose an essay, you should first understand what sort of essay you're expected to write. Normally, it doesn't include references and quotes in it. You could be offered a list of essay prompts to pick from. When it can be difficult to inspire children to compose essays, the trick is to introduce subjects or issues they are interested in. You're now prepared to compose your very first research paper and you can't decide what things to write it on. Writing prompts are among the best techniques to create confident writers who take pleasure in the procedure. Research papers are somewhat more complex than the essays you've written before. Anti Intellectualism Essay Topics Ideas Social issues can be reframed as social difficulties, and likewise, social issues can be downgraded into simple problems that matter to certain segments of the people. Pick a single person whom you admire for their leadership abilities and write about the traits which make them special and how they've influenced you somehow. You should participate in far-reaching studying to cover all facets of the subject and all point of views by different men and women. By way of example, students might write about the advantages of a vegan diet. When you imitate the job written by somebody else and move it as your individual it's generally called plag iarism. It is vital to choose a great topic as a way to compose an excellent paper. As an example, let's say you decide on the very first topic from our list. Thus, include data in the shape of statistics, experiments, research material that will help you support your essay argument. After you choose a topic, you should reply to the query and after that substantiate your response with three or more motivations as to why you think like that. Once you comprehend the sort of essay, it's time to choose a topic. The college essays must be organized in the particular format and design based on the instructions given. It's possible for you to discover the Old Testament's teaching about shalom particularly in the prophets, and you'll be able to discover the New Testament's teaching about the kingdom particularly in the gospels and in certain passages of Paul's epistles. First off, select a topic that's interesting for you before you think how others are going to react to it. You must pick an overall topic and after that when you have you can begin by doing some research on it. There are a few great topics to take into account when picking a topic for your argumentative essay. Argumentative essay is about arguing and debating on a subject, which is debatable. Training to compose essays on various topics is going to be the ideal preparation to the exam. Occasionally, selecting an excellent argumentative essay topics will be quite tough. Following are a few of the advised sociology essay topic for those students that are unable to choose a great topic for their assignment. A suitable comprehension of theodicy, suffering, and the issue of evil will assist the believer in times of terrific distress. Our life is about words. The issue is that everybody's interpretation of what makes a great society differs. Perhaps a number of the problems of integrity in today's church comes from the laziness that is so boldly exhibited in the anti-intellectual movement. Choose something you're in a position to discuss or describe and something which will present your good qualities to your teacher. Remember that you may make funny argumentative essays if you do a few things. Remember you have to reveal the best about yourself. There are a lot of things to argue when it has to do with the law.