Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Wolfenstein 3D is a first-person shooter Essays - Software
Wolfenstein 3D is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software and HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FormGen" \o "FormGen" FormGen . Originally released on May 5, 1992, for MS-DOS , it was inspired by the 1981 Muse Software video game Castle Wolfenstein . In Wolfenstein 3D , the player assumes the role of Allied spy William "B.J." Blazkowicz during World War II as he escapes from the Nazi German prison Castle Wolfenstein and carries out a series of crucial missions against the Nazis. The player traverses through each of the game's levels to find an elevator to the next level or kill a final boss , fighting Nazi soldiers, dogs, and other enemies with knives, pistols, and other guns. Wolfenstein 3D was the second major release by id Software, after the Commander Keen series of episodes. In mid-1991, programmer John Carmack experimented with making a fast 3D game engine by restricting the gameplay and viewpoint to a single plane , producing HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovertank_3D" \o "Hovertank 3D" Hovertank 3D and Catacomb 3-D as prototypes. After a design session prompted the company to shift from the family-friendly Keen to a more violent theme, programmer John Romero suggested remaking the 1981 stealth shooter Castle Wolfenstein as a fast-paced action game. He and designer Tom Hall designed the game, built on Carmack's engine, to be fast and violent, unlike other computer games on the market at the time. Wolfenstein 3D features artwork by Adrian Carmack and sound effects and music by Bobby Prince . The game was r eleased through Apogee in two sets of three episodes under the shareware model, in which the first episode is released for free to drive interest in paying for the rest. An additional episode, Spear of Destiny , was released as a stand-alone retail title through FormGen . Wolfenstein 3D was a critical and commercial success, garnering numerous awards and selling over 200,000 copies by the end of 1993. It is widely regarded as having helped popularize the first-person shooter genre and establishing the standard of fast-paced action and technical prowess for many subsequent games in the genre, as well as showcasing the viability of the shareware publishing model at the time. FormGen developed an additional two episodes for the game, while Apogee released a pack of over 800 fan-created levels. Id Software never returned to the series, but did license the engine to numerous other titles before releasing the source code for free in 1995, and multiple other games in the HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfenstein_(series)" \o "Wolfenstein (series)" Wolfenstein series have been developed by other companies since 2001.
Monday, March 16, 2020
Risk and Safety Management The WritePass Journal
Risk and Safety Management INTRODUCTION Risk and Safety Management INTRODUCTIONHS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM MODELSRESERACH EVIDENCE OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMBARRIERS TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMCASE STUDY OF MY EXPERIENCE IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMRESULTS OF EXPERIENCECONCLUSIONREFERENCESRelated INTRODUCTION The idea of occupational health and management systems is rather complex and several definitions exist. The debate about OSHMSs is evident that there is no universal knowledge of the concept of occupational health and safety management. Rather there exist many models and approaches which are frequently merely sub elements regarded as complete management systems. Although the fundamental objective is to improve the health and safety of employees, at a more indebt level, one can find a variety, for example by using prevention as a fundamental company objective, by projecting the employer’s responsibility or by improving the employees’ participation and their representatives. Occupational Health and Safety management system can be defined as  a set of harmonized and incorporated processes, that allows a business or organisation to be able to control and manage their occupational health and safety issues in a homogeneous, orderly and effective way. It also enables organisations to comply with the requirements of legislation and also to initiate current best practice. Because it uses a systems approach, it helps guarantee’s a reliable and systematic approach to health and safety management throughout an organisation. Implementing this type of system is an indication that an organisation is taking a coordinated approach to the prevention of occupational health and safety risks. It is a choice that explicitly sets out to:          Improve an institutions responsiveness and performance in OSH          purge or reduce health and safety failures          predict change          Ensure overall uniformity with other management policies           Contribute to improving the Company’s image. HS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM MODELS There are two recommended approaches depending on the organisational needs of the business and with the objective that the approach will be integrated into the total management system. One is based on successful health and safety management HS (G) 65. Another model is OHSAS 18001, the international standard for health and safety management systems. The international standard recognises HS (G) 65 and uses essentially identical principles. Both models are very similar with some minor differences. Effective health and safety management systems should have clear processes to follow, such as clear directives that describes who does what and when. Effective health and safety management systems should also have Control Forms in place that are used to control the important steps in the process. These should be simple, clear and easy to use as they will, when concluded, records that are necessary for the continues effectiveness of the management system. Some of the basic components of an effective management system are thus: 1)    developing a sound policy, 2)     organising, 3)    developing procedures, 4)    monitoring performance and 5)    Reviewing the effectiveness of the management system. The various models of management systems standards are in effect establish on the same values of management as those of general management. Management systems based on OHSAS 18001, AS 4801-2000 and ISO 14001 are prescriptive than others that are base on HSG65 and, to a great extent, ILO-OSH 2001, which base greater concern to the responsibility of people in the management of occupational health and safety risks.  RESERACH EVIDENCE OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Some research has been carried out to assess the effectiveness of Occupational health and safety management systems. Frick et al. (2000:2) pointed out that the lack of critical assessment is astonishing despite the fact that: ‘OHSM has evolved internationally as the major strategy to reduce the serious social and economic problem of ill-health at work’. On the other hand, there are some researches that base their findings on the effectiveness of OHSMS, and which will be grouped as the ‘effectiveness research’. The first (effectiveness research) is a project started in the late 1970s, by researchers at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the USA to look at the different characteristics of companies with outstanding health and safety performance. In the first two stages of the research, matched pair comparisons were undertaken of safety programme practices in companies with high and low injury rates (Cohen et al., 1975; Smith et al., 1978). The third stage of the research looked at the health and safety programmes of five companies with commendable health and safety performance (Cohen Cleveland, 1983). Some sensitive issues were identified in the NIOSH research and other research linking the practise of health and safety management with injury result data (Simonds Shafai-Sahrai, 1977; Viner et al., 1989; Gallagher, 1994; Zohar, 1980; Chew, 1988; Shannon et al., 1996; Simard Marchand, 1995; Eyssen et al., 1980). Research findings of the studies suggest the fundamental and critical role played by senior management employees (managers) in successful health and safety management systems, the role of effective communication, employee participation and consultation in the whole process. Another research conducted in the nuclear industry have identified further conditions for the effectiveness of health and safety management systems. Marcus’ (1988:251) research of externally induced health and safety innovations in nuclear power companies following an incident (Three Mile Island incident) found autonomy to be a fundamental factor for the effectiveness of Health and safety management system. Nichols and Marcus (1990) in their research emphasize the eventual negative impact of the lack of management attention from vital production and safety requirements. There are some factors that stand against the adoption of effective health and safety management systems. These include: -the difficulties faced by small firms, -subcontracting arrangements, and -contemporary labour market changes. Research conducted in Australia by Gallagher (2000) was based on the relationship between OHS type and system performance. This is the only major empirical research of health and safety management system effectiveness in Australian industry. Research evidence was collected in the mid 1990s from some twenty organisations that had implemented an occupational health and management systems. The systems in these organisations were grouped according to Gallagher’s cross typology based on management structure/style and control strategy. Performance was then evaluated using three criteria Incident/claims trends, -changes in performance relative to industry benchmarks, and An assessment through an audit tool based upon Safety MAP. The research findings suggest the type of occupational health and safety management system may influence its effectiveness or failure. There was a tendency for innovative/safe place enterprises (adaptive hazard managers) to perform better than traditional/safe person enterprises (unsafe act minimisers). Adaptive hazard managers stand out from the remainder by the vigour of their focus on elimination of hazard as the underlying purpose of their system activity. They had an organised approach to the management of hazard for the full spectrum of hazards, in contrast to other cases where systems activity variously had an underlying risk management or cultural change purpose, or appeared to be base at improving the health and safety system as an end in itself. Gallagher’s findings strengthen the results of the various ‘effectiveness’ research that highlight the important role played by top managers and of employee participation and engagement ‘’That the most senior managers should drive health and safety change and that health and safety representatives should move away from the margins of health and safety management, into more mainstream health and safety management planning, implementation and review.’’ In his analysis of the Esso gas plant disaster, Hopkins’ (2000) provides a thorough case study of how lack of management commitment can cause a system to fail in practice. Esso had its own occupational health and safety management in place called Operational Integrity Management System (OIMS), once complemented by many as an ideal system and one which company audits suggested was operating at peak level. Reviewing material from the Longford Royal Commission, Hopkins identifies a number of failures in the Esso system that directly contributed to the disaster: 1) Defective auditing processes, 2) Failure to adequately identify hazards and assess risks, 3) A hands-off management strategy, 4) Absence of procedures to deal with the immediate set of incidents, 5) Inadequate training, 6) Poor communication mechanisms 7) Inadequate hazard reporting system. All the above can in a sense be seen as some of the barriers to the effectiveness of an occupational health and safety management system. Hopkins (2000:147) on the other hand challenges the critics of Occupational health and safety management systems who argue that the Esso disaster discredits the idea of an OHS management system and points instead to the need for ‘organisational mindfulness’, an idea said to account for the reliability of high reliability organisations. Hopkins suggests that mindfulness can strengthen an OHSMS by highlighting the aspects of health and safety management that are essential for high reliability. A further research by Dell (2000) was out to identify the conditions of an effective OHSMS and the needed interventions to ensure the systems characteristics are well understood and applicable to industry. Dell draws the differences between proactive and reactive systems, the later marked by reactive activity following an incident; the former by proactive hazard management linked to quality and continuous improvement philosophy. Of the fifteen companies assessed, more than half have no management focus on health and safety and high levels of legislative non-compliance and no fundamental system in place.  Of the remaining companies with some sort of system in place, the systems are mainly reactive in nature with no indication of proactive logical hazard or risk management activity. System performance remains difficult to separate given these sub-optimal conditions. BARRIERS TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM The evidence from research suggests that Occupational Health and Safety management systems are likely to fail because of the following reasons: 1).The inability to meet primary conditions for Occupational health and management systems effectiveness (by not customising systems to organisational needs, imposition without consultation, relax top management commitment and non-employee involvement). 2).The inapt utilisation of audit tools (where they become an end in themselves, are base on misdirected management goals, and are conducted without any expert auditor skills, standards and criteria). 3). Application of the system in hostile contexts (small business, precarious employment, contractors and labour hire companies). CASE STUDY OF MY EXPERIENCE IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM These case studies are base on my experience on a review which was undertaken by ASHMAN ASSOCIATES LTD CAMEROON between 2001 and 2009. These studies include: 1)    A review of occupational health and safety management systems used within the Cameroonian chicken processing industry. 2)    An evaluation of injury prevention within a large governmental department with multiple locations across Cameroon. 3)    The development of a strategic plan for injury prevention within a large governmental departmental involved in the running of detention centres. 4)     The approach towards injury prevention with the Douala reference hospital 5)    A manufacturing company involved with the making and distribution of textiles. Each of these case studies involved an objective of assessing the effectiveness of the occupational health and safety systems for developing an injury prevention model suitable for the culture and hazards associated with the respective workplaces. Each project primarily involved the following methodology: 1)    A review of the workplace’s injury history for the previous three to six years and identification of the primary types of injuries as well as their location and causal agents. 2)    A review of incident reports and safety committee minutes, as well as consultation with key stakeholders in identifying the variety of hazards that is evident within the respective workplace. 3)    A series of walk-through inspections and audits of targeted areas within the workplaces. 4)    Technical assessments based on a risk management approach for identifying hazards, with assessing based on legislative and best practice models, and development of appropriate risk controls. 5)    Maintaining consultation with the stakeholders throughout the risk assessment approach and monitoring the adoption and evaluation of recommendations. 6)    Integrating the results of the risk assessments into a range of appropriate business plans relevant for the size and scope of issues managed in the business. 7)    Debriefing the senior management of the organisation on the major findings and recommendations. 8)    Developing key performance indicators, in consultation with the stakeholder groups, to ensure an approach of ongoing implementation and continuous improvement with respect to addressing injury prevention in the workplace. RESULTS OF EXPERIENCE On the basis of the research conducted in these workplaces, a range of business imperatives were clearly identified within those companies which were successful in addressing occupational health risks. The key imperatives were as follows: 1)    Management commitment and active participation 2)    Participation of the employees 3)    Setting of goals and measuring performance 4)    Integration of Occupational health and safety strategies into business plan 5)    Positive feedback and recognition of achievements. The commitment of senior management and their participation in the prevention systems was vital. The direct involvement and commitment of the senior management was the major determinant within specific workplaces as to the level of improvement and sustained performance in injury management. Without their commitment and participation, the prevention appeared to achieve a ‘glass ceiling’ above which the performance appeared not to improve. This was particularly evident where responsibility for OHS management was delegated to a ‘middle level’ manager, in particular those with non-operational responsibilities, such as human resource managers or OHS officers. The successful integration of OHS with other management systems will ensure that the long term objectives of the organisation incorporate a desire to develop OHS initiatives through each stage of the design and development process. It is evident from these case studies that the five basic imperatives outlined should be key components of a system which will produce a sustained focus on injury prevention. Many of the OHS management systems available on the market were found to be too complex and too time consuming and costly to implement and maintain for the majority of the businesses assessed. However, the requirement of at least a simple system which contains these key imperatives would seem a sensible starting place for organisations contemplating a programme focusing on injury prevention at the workplace level. CONCLUSION Implicit in many of the research reviewed above to show the effectiveness of Occupational Health and Safety management system is the finding that OHSMS sometimes work under the appropriate conditions. It also alludes to the significant importance of top management commitment and employee involvement in the whole process. A general agreement also emerged that the effectiveness of Occupational health and safety management systems depends on concrete top management commitment and employee involment which were relentlessly described as essential and inter-linked. Top management commitment is regarded as a pre-requisite for embarking on a systems approach in the first place. Without this whole concept of top management commitment, an OHS management system cannot be effective or is likely to collapse into a token exercise. Employee consultation and Involvement was also considered equally important to its effectiveness.  REFERENCES Cohen, A., Smith, B., Cohen, A. (1975) Safety Program Practices in High vs. Low Accident Rate Companies An Interim Report, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Publication No 75-185, Cincinatti. Cohen, H., Cleveland, R. (1983) Safety Program Practices in Record-Holding Plants, Professional Safety, March, 26-32. Dell, G. (2000) Current Safety Management Practice: Does a Systematic Approach Deliver? Paper presented at the First National Conference on Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, UWS, Sydney. K. Frick P. Jensen M. Quinlan T. Wilthagen (Eds.) Systematic OHS Management: Perspectives on an International Development, Elsevier, Amsterdam. Gallagher, C. (1997) Health and Safety Management Systems: An Analysis of System Types and Effectiveness, National Key Centre in Industrial Relations, Monash University, Melbourne Gunningham, N., Johnstone, R. (1999) Regulating Workplace Safety: System and Sanctions, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Health and Safety Executive (1991) Successful Health and Safety Management, HMSO, London. Hopkins, A. (2000) Lessons from Longford: The Esso Gas Plant Explosion, CCH Australia Limited, Sydney.
Saturday, February 29, 2020
What does it really cost to attend Princeton University?
As one of the top universities in the nation, Princeton University is an extremely attractive option for high-achieving students. If your student plans on applying to Princeton, you’re probably wondering if your family will be able to afford the cost of education or if your student will end up burdened with debt. Although prestigious private colleges often have higher costs than public institutions overall, very few students pay the listed â€Å"cost of attendance.†Instead, you’ll want to look at the net cost to youâ€â€what families like yours typically pay out-of-pocketâ€â€and how different types of aid will contribute to your net cost. We’re breaking down what it really costs to attend Princeton University, and we’ll show you how your net cost may differ depending on your household income or if your student is a resident of New Jersey. We’ll give you the information you need so you can make an informed decision about whether Princeton is an affordable option for your family. If you were to take a look at Princeton’s website , you may experience some sticker-shock when you see the estimated cost for one year of attendance. When you multiply it by three to five years, depending on how long your student plans on being in college, the price can really add up! The cost of attendance, or what we affectionately call the list price, includes tuition, room, board, and other miscellaneous costs of living. For the 2016-2017 year, the estimated cost of attendance for in-state and out-of-state students at Princeton was the same, around $63,690. That said, most families do not pay the list price at any institution, whether it’s Princeton or another school. Typically, families with an annual household income over $175,000 tend to pay list price; if merit aid is offered at the school and their student qualifies, families can expect to pay less than list price. (As a heads up, Princeton doesn’t offer merit aid) In this post, we’ll go over some other ways to save that can help any family, regardless of income, reduce their net cost. Hopefully knowing that you’re unlikely to pay the full list price has offered some relief. So what can you expect to pay once you factor in financial aid? Again, based on the 2016-2017 data, the average net cost for students with financial aid, either in-state or out-of-state, was $51,920. Your particular net cost is highly dependent on your household income, which will qualify your student for more or less financial aid. These are the average net prices for a student based on annual household income: There are generally two broad types of financial aid: merit aid and need-based aid. If you’re unfamiliar with the term â€Å"merit aid,†it’s a form of financial aid offered to students who have performed exceptionally well academicallyâ€â€like having a high GPA or standardized test scoreâ€â€or who have some other exceptional personal accomplishment. These could be for students’ accomplishments in activities like sports and art, for their demonstrated leadership, or for completing a high number of community service hours. As we said before, Princeton does not offer merit aid to any students , since most of the students who are admitted to Princeton are similarly accomplished both academically and personally. This means that if your family does not have any demonstrated financial need, you can expect to pay the full list price. Because of its strict need-based policy, Princeton ranks 927th out of over 1000 schools we analyzed for merit aid generosity. You can review Princeton’s financial aid policies on their website . Even students with only a moderate level of need will often need to find a way to cover the remaining educations costs. Just over half of the students at Princeton take out loans, around 55% of students, and the average size of the federal loans per undergraduate is $427. Many students find other ways to cover the cost of their education without taking on a large amount of debt, which we cover in greater detail below. Given the significant financial investment that you would be making if your student chooses to attend Princeton, you might be curious to know whether most students graduate and how much they can expect to earn after graduation. Luckily, 96% of students at Princeton graduate within 6 years, and graduates tend to earn a higher salary in the long term. After ten years, the average Princeton graduate earns around $74,700 a year. Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. For some, it may still seem that the price of a Princeton education is too high a cost to justify. However, we’ve only looked at two main sources of aid so far: institutional and federal aid, which in Princeton’s case are both need-based. That said, your student can supplement the cost of college by applying for private scholarships with the help of their high school counselor or by working with a company like . These scholarships, which are often merit-based, are administered by corporations and nonprofit organizations and will award scholarships to students with high academic potential or extraordinary talent. You may even want to ask your employer if there are scholarships available specifically for the children of employees. One example of a nonprofit-hosted scholarship is the prestigious National Merit Scholarship . In order to qualify, your student must: Not only could scoring well on the PSAT lower the cost of attendance, but it can also help them perform well on the SAT, which can open up other scholarship opportunities. Another thing to consider when determining the affordability of a school is the area’s cost of living and the local economy. New Jersey, as a whole, has a higher cost of living index than other states in the country at 132.6, and Princeton’s cost of living index is even higher at 217.8, meaning it’s nearly twice as expensive to live in Princeton than it is in the United States in general. Princeton requires all students to live on-campus during their first and second years of college, after which they may choose to move off-campus. Many students choose to live on-campus all four years, but for the students who move off-campus they can expect to pay a premium to live in Princeton. Here are the average monthly rents for apartments in Princeton: Although the rent may seem high, some students find it more affordable to live off-campus if they split the cost with friends. For example, if we add Princeton’s room charge and residential fee and divide it by 12, we find that students are paying about $918 a month for on-campus housing. If they rent a three-bedroom apartment and split it with two friends, they will pay about $808 a month. If your student might consider living off-campus, it’s important to have an informed conversation about how this decision might impact the costs to your family. According to the Economic Policy Institute , the hourly minimum wage in New Jersey is currently $8.85. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the average hourly wage across all occupations is $20.43. It’s difficult for students to cover the cost of their education with a part-time job, especially if they are enrolled full-time and pursuing extracurricular activities on-campus. However, every little bit helps reduce the net cost to your family. When it comes to helping your student select and apply for college, there are so many factors to consider. Along with affordability, you’ll want to consider the educational opportunities that schools like Princeton provide for students, and if the school makes sense for your student’s specific goals. That’s where can help. As a part of our College Applications Program, we help students figure out how to make any school more affordable using our Finances tool, which can show the ROI of different schools and majors and help students identify scholarships to apply for. On average, our students earn about $83,000 in scholarships, which can really help make their academic dreams a reality. Find out if working with our Financial Aid Tools is right for your family!
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
The circulation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
The circulation - Coursework Example The aorta is separated from the aorta by the aortic semilunar valve that allows blood to only flow from the ventricles and not back. Many arteries then branch from the aorta to circulate rich oxygenated blood to all parts of the body. This pathway of blood through blood vessels, body parts, and body organs except the lungs is referred to as systemic circulation. Systemic circulation is responsible for carrying blood to the neck, head, and other organs in the body. It exchanges oxygen in it with carbon dioxide from the body tissues. Blood then flows via atria system and then to the capillaries. Blood flows in a series of veins and eventually flows to the right side of the heart. Two large veins; superior vena cava (drains the upper surface) and inferior vena cava (drains the lower body) collect blood from systemic circulation and dump the deoxygenated blood to the right atrium (Zamir 2006). Blood then passes through the right atrium to the right ventricle through tricuspid valve then out of the right contracting ventricle via pulmonary semilunar valve to a pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery branches into arteries that carry blood with deficient oxygen to the lungs. Blood with plenty oxygen and reduced carbon dioxide then returns to the left atrium of the heart repeating the
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Book Review of the Omnivore's Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Book Review of the Omnivore's Dilemma - Essay Example The book raises myriad inquisitions which evolve from the genius mind of Pollan regarding the nature of diet for the Omnivores and satisfy thereby those inquisitions in a very simple and straightforward way. The Review Omnivores are the consumers of the divergent varieties of food. They are the most unselective species when it comes down to diet. Conscious humans, being omnivores, generally face dilemma regarding their choice of food. Pollan tried his best to quench this confusion in human mind through his detailed research regarding the food chain and nature of consumption prevailing in humans. Pollan throws light widely on the nature and types of industrial foods, organic foods and the food that humans look for themselves. The detailed research work captivated within the pages of the enlightening document by Pollan, â€Å"The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals†throws light on the sources of the meals in omnivores to the transition of those sources in to a final complete meal for humans. Moreover, amid the process of evolving the procedure of the transition of various scattered food materials into complete meals, Pollan was successful in developing and identifying a healthy account of American way of eating.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Case Study for AcuScan, Inc :: Business Management Essays
Case Study for AcuScan, Inc I am the newly hired Vice President of Organizational Development. My responsibilities include creating the Organizational Development Department. I look forward to working with all of you especially with finding a new and improved product based on our already developed retinal scanning system iScanner. First of all I am going to discuss assumptions made by Kelly Thomas, Pat Lambert, Cliff O’Connor and Chris Martinas. After each employee assumptions will be their arguments and my evaluation of whether the argument is sound or unsound and why. Kelly Thomas – Senior Engineer, Product Development 1. Assumed that Pat, Director of Marketing knew nothing about QC (quality control). 2. Assumed that all the features for the retinal scanner could not be developed in the time frame allotted. 3. Assumed that due to lay-offs last year they would not have the staff to develop a new product. 4. Assumed the customer would be â€Å"short changed†because the company may not be able to comply with the customers expectations. 5. Assumed Pat did not have any technology experience because his past experience was with the cereal business. 6. Assumed Pat was going behind his back because Pat spoke to the programmers first without consulting with Kelly.      Kelly argued that new product was much more complicated to produce than Pat had implied. He also argued that Pat had no understanding as to how the iScanner worked and would have a better understanding if Pat took the time to involve him in other areas of the business not just marketing.      Kelly’s argument was logical and sound because he based his decision on the time it took the staff to develop the iScanner. Past history of creating a new product can give you an idea of how long it would take to produce a new product. He also did not want to jeopardize his reputation or the company’s by producing and inadequate product. Pat Lambert – Director of Marketing 1. Assumed the new product would be a simple addition to the new product. 2. Assumed programmers had plenty of time to work on new product even though he knew staff was cut last year. 3. Assumed because they were not agreeing with him they were not committed to the new product. 4. Assumed that the job could be done by outside contractors in the specified time frame. Also with money being a problem. 5.     Assumed a meeting would resolve all problems. 6.     Assumed the customer would be happy with whatever product was developed and launched.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Aaliyah – original writing on the life of the singer
â€Å"I don't think about my success. I'm happy that the work I've done in the past has been very successful. All I can do is leave it in God's hands and hope my fans feel where I'm coming from. I took the time to give my all.†– Aaliyah Haughton. As I sit listening to the infectious, sensuous harmonies of Aaliyah's smooth R & B, I wonder why it had to happen. Why did someone so young with such amazing talent, strength and the potential to carry on rising higher and higher, have to be taken from us? The lyrics swirl around in my head, saying more about the real Aaliyah than any media report could ever attempt. Her tragically shortened life followed the message from within one of her most famous songs, â€Å"If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again.†Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16th, 1979 in Brooklyn, New York. Her Grandmother would tell stories of how she was special straight out of the womb; born with a full head of hair. Aaliyah lived in Brooklyn for five years until, together with her parents and older brother, she was moved to Detroit where they could be closer to family. Her devoted mother gave up her teaching job to care for Rashad and Aaliyah full time. Aaliyah was introduced to music at a very young age; her mother would play Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and other such legends while she worked around the house. It wasn't long before Aaliyah was joining in, having learnt all the words off by heart. She was just six years old when her talent for singing was recognized by her mother. Before she even started school, the services of a voice coach had been secured for her. Aaliyah spent most of her pre-teen years between singing in school plays and auditioning for various small television projects. At the tender age of only eight or nine she was charming people all around Michigan with her sweet, angelic voice, belting out songs during weddings. Aaliyah sang the very songs she listened to at home, while people sat in awe, eagerly anticipating the time her voice would mature to its full potential. Her first downfall came when she was just eleven years of age. Aaliyah landed a spot on the nationally syndicated talent show, Star Search. She chose to sing ‘My Funny Valentine†, a soul classic that she had often heard her mother singing, ‘That was my Mommy's song and I wanted to be like my Mommy' she said, remembering the experience during an interview. The high hopes she and her family had for victory where shattered when Aaliyah lost, and was ripped apart just as any other child would have been. However, without any falls no lessons could be learnt. With lots of encouragement from her mother, Aaliyah began to understand a prospect of great importance, one that would guide her through not only her musical career, but every aspect of her life. Never give up. It was only a matter of months before the bright, upcoming star was on the rise again. At the time her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was married to Gladys Knight. Some people slated Aaliyah for this, claiming she only got onto the music scene because she knew the right people, but without her outstanding talent, none of her future success would have been possible. Hankerson took his niece to perform with Gladys Knight for five nights at Bally's Las Vegas Casino. Here, the two would duet on Believe In Yourself and Aaliyah would sing solos. Remembering she was still only eleven at the time, she was nervous and hardly moved on the first night. Her aunt helped her, teaching Aaliyah how to work a crowd and loosen them up. Two years later came the meeting that would set Aaliyah's career on fire. Barry Hankerson introduced his niece to R. Kelly, a performer he was managing at the time. Kelly fell in love with her beautiful voice, going on to become her mentor. He ended up writing and producing all the tracks on her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing But A Number. And it wasn't – not many people can boast a completed album at just thirteen years of age. The process of selling the album began but, once again, expectations of Aaliyah were not fulfilled. Many record companies passed on the album – a setback very hard to take at such a vulnerable age. Her confidence was dented but her strength was not; Aaliyah was prepared to give things another go. Hankerson created his own label, Blackground Records especially for his niece. There was no way he was going to give up on her; she was far too special to let go. In 1994 the album was released, catching the world's attention. Her first single, Back And Forth reached number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, dethroning her mentor. Other singles followed including At Your Best (You Are Love), Down With The Clique, and the adulterated title track. Her sound was new and fresh to the music world, her unique mystique captivating listeners. The artist herself liked to describe her music as ‘street but sweet'. With the success of her debut album Aaliyah's spirits soared. She had kept information about her age (she was just fifteen at the time) concealed, as she wanted her triumphs to be based solely on her talent. She did not seek any advantages because she was, ‘really good for someone so young'. Unfortunately her decision to withhold such facts was taken in the wrong way. Vicious rumors arose, slowing down album sales and threatening to thwart a prosperous career. The provocative nature of Age Ain't Nothing But A Number combined with a little bit of media imagination and the mystery of her age sparked a frenzy of stories about a relationship between Aaliyah and twenty-five-year-old R. Kelly. Tales of marriage and even pregnancy were spread. All were denied. The storm settled and three years passed, leaving many wondering what Aaliyah's next project would be. She teased fans with numerous guest appearances, singing songs from soundtracks and building them up for the time she would truly return, stronger then ever. Aaliyah left R. Kelly behind to prove, more to herself than to anyone else, that she had grown as an artist and could make it without him. Perhaps the rumors that had at one point looked like they could destroy her had in fact been a Godsend. Would Aaliyah have made this choice if tales of something more than a good friendship and working partnership between the two hadn't sprung up? Whatever her reasons, the change was for the best. She teamed up with the then unknown Missy Elliot and Timbaland and, between the three, a new sound was created, once again irresistible to fans. They blended rough Hip-Hop beats with Aaliyah's silky, laid-back vocals, the voice of an angel. The result was a sassy, sexy, sophomore album, One In A Million. The album went double platinum, putting her among the superstars of the music industry and silencing critics in their questions as to whether or not she had been just a ‘one hit wonder.' The first single from the album, If Your Girl Only Knew, went straight to number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, followed by four other singles including the number one radio play title track. Aaliyah never let the fame go to her head. Between all her musical commitments she still found time for her family, friends and schoolwork. In June 1997 Miss Haughton graduated from the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing arts, just one A-grade away from a perfect grade score. She had always set her sights so high and her determination paid off. She worked hard through hard times as well as the good, and brought her dreams to life. She truly was one in a million. It was time for Aaliyah to turn her attention to Hollywood. She began by sticking to her music, recording Journey To The Past for the Anastasia soundtrack and then the contagious, Grammy nominated, number one hit song, Are You That Somebody, from the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. With that track, she really got a taste for the mainstream and took a hiatus from the music world to team up with Joanne Baron, an acting coach. With Baron's help, Aaliyah's talent for acting was revealed and, by 1999, she was flying to Vancouver to shoot her debut film, Romeo Must Die. She starred alongside Jet Li in the adrenalin-stoked/Hip-Hop action flick, in which she was the executive producer of the soundtrack. From this came Try Again, the song that followed the story of her life. The lyrics came straight from her heart, from the lessons she had learnt. These qualities took the single all the way, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the first single ever to do so based on Airplay a lone. Romeo Must Die sparked rave reviews and her acting skills were soon sought throughout Hollywood. Her next film was the novel-based Queen Of The Damned. Baron recalls the memory of Aaliyah during the audition process, ‘She put her heart, her time, her love and her life into it. She just ripped it out.' It was her second starring role in just her second motion picture, displaying to the world she was more than just a crossover singer/actress. So much more. The release of the completed film was fervently awaited. Little did anyone know that Aaliyah wouldn't be there to witness its success. Whilst shooting Queen Of The Damned, Aaliyah simultaneously recorded her third, self-titled album. She was not put off or daunted by her doubled workload, choosing instead to put her all into both projects, as she had always done. Aaliyah was well aware of her presence, or lack of it, in the music world; it had been five years since the release of One In A Million. She released the dark, feisty, first single, We Need A Resolution, warming fans up, preparing them for what was to come. Aaliyah was released on July 17, debuted at number two in the charts and, in it's first week alone, sold over 200,000 copies. Blackground Records planned to release Rock The Boat and More Than A Woman as back-to-back singles; they were getting heavy rotational airplay and already an awesome response from listeners. It seemed nothing could stop her. It was August the 25th, 2001. Aaliyah had just finished shooting the island themed video for Rock The Boat in The Bahamas. Another video completed; another accomplishment. The set was laid-back and, together with the film crew and dancers, Aaliyah was enjoying herself, chatting, laughing and winding down. Her work done, Aaliyah decided to head home a day early, anxious to be with her beloved family before heading back to promote the album. Her parents and brother had always been there for her and it had been a while since she had managed to get back to them. The arrangements were made; she would leave that day along with eight others. The small Cessna 402 departed from the Marsh Harbour airport, bound for Opa-locka, Florida. It had been airborne for only a short while when, suddenly, it crashed. Six of the eight were killed instantly. Aaliyah was among them. Nobody knows just what it was that made the plane crash that day. Nobody could understand why it had to happen. Why Aaliyah, why someone so talented, so determined, so beautiful? There were so many questions and so few answers. At just twenty-two years of age Aaliyah, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a star, was gone. Disbelief, anger and, most of all, a great sense of sorrow and grief spread with the news. She had lived her life like an angel, fallen from the heavens. Through her life she rose and fell and now she had risen for the final time. We can only hope that, when the time came, she knew how much she was loved. Aaliyah will never be forgotten. Through her music and her memory, she will live on. The album in the CD player draws to a close. It is an album that she never saw released, an album that wouldn't even have been put together if she was still with us; a tribute to Aaliyah, I Care For You. Visions of her float by with the music and songs take on a whole new meaning now she's gone. When Miss You is played, instead of thinking of the singer's lost love, we think of ours, Aaliyah. Every note she sang was a part of her and with every song we understand more about her. She was a star in every sense of the word and I believe she continues to be so even now; still a star, shining brightly down on us. There is no doubt in my mind that this angel lived up to the true meaning of her name, ‘The highest, most exalted one.' The best. Aaliyah.
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