Marketing Mix for the Holden Commodore Case Study

Marketing Mix for the Holden Commodore - Case Study Example The car has been produced with a different target in the market but it has remained a family car. But the Holden Commodore VE Ute which was released in 2007 has a new target to individual users. It is small compared to the others but is has the appearance that makers Commodore in the market. The Holden Commodore Sport wagon which was released in 2007 is also a family car and is larger. This shows that the company has been responding to the changing need of the market and has therefore been producing models that go with the market. There are also some models that have been targeted for the upper market. Although most of the models have been selling at a constant price, there are some models like Commodore VE that has been produced target the higher income market. the company has been pressure to lower the price of the VE model as the demanding the market falls due to low sales attributed to the its exorbitant prices. (Edger, 2002) Since it was produced the primary target market for commodore has been the family. It has bee produced targeting the family market and therefore the model have been made larger in a way that they can carry the whole family. The company has been producing medium sized cars that are usually important for family travels and other means. Therefore the family has been the primary target market for the cars. ... The company has been producing cars which are meant for private use. All the models produced are personal cars which are mainly aimed for the family. The features that are produced with each successful model show that the car is for the family market. They produce medium sized cars which are safer and durable. However in the recent past there have also been productions of other models that are aimed for the secondary market. These include the sportive VE Ute which is aimed at individual travelers. But this can only be considered as the secondary market since there are not many productions that have been made on this model. Generally the company has produced cars that are primary made to meet the needs of family travelers but the trend in the market has forced it to produce other models which specifically target the individual travelers as well. The company has been improving its models since it was produced in order to put in place some futures that are meant to position it as a contented in the target market. With new models entering the otherwise competitive market, Commodore has been retaining large sales owing to the way it ha s been changing features of its cars to meet the demands of the target market. The design and the price of the cars have been well planned in order to fit the status of the target market. (Kenwrite, 2004) Positioning When the first car was produced the level of competition in the market was low compared to what it is right now. By then there were not many models that were targeted to the family target market but with time there have been new entrants in the same market that have increased the level of competition. The main competitor of the Commodore model has been the Ford Falcon, Honda CV, Toyotas Camry, Mitsubishi

The impact of graphic design on new media(Graphic Design) Dissertation

The impact of graphic design on new media(Graphic Design) - Dissertation Example The Internet, of course, has played a large part in this. Graphic design is intimately connected with new media – Engholm (2002) states that new media would not have risen to prominence as quickly as it did without graphic design. Therefore, the two concepts are interconnected. Because they are, it is important to discovery how one influences the other. In particular, this study seeks to find out how graphic design influences the consumers of new media. Especially important is the effect upon young people, because they are intimately connected. Young people have virtually always had new media in their lives, and, indeed, they tend to use new media to a profound level. New media is ubiquitous in their lives. To this end, the study focuses upon individuals who are purveyors of new media, yet, by and large, are not experts on graphic arts. They simply â€Å"like what they like.† Graphic arts might be a turnoff if not done correctly. Alternatively, it might be a draw for ot hers, if it is done right. What the study has found is that, with regards to websites, graphic arts are important, but content is more important. With advertisements, it seems to be the opposite of this. Aims and Objective The aim of this project is to show how graphic design and the new media interact. Another aim is to show how young people are influenced by graphic design in their websites and online advertisements. The objective is to tie new media, graphic design and their effects on young people to show graphic designers, advertisers and other purveyors of new media how they can reach the young audience with graphics. New media uses graphic design in a variety of ways. Advertisements, online video games and websites are all ways that graphic design and new media intersect. This study will focus on different ways that graphic design and the Internet intersect, and how graphic design is used on the Internet. This study will examine different online advertisements, web sites and online video game sites to determine how graphic design is used. This study will also examine how young people react to the graphics, and what can be done to make the graphics better.  Abstract The first chapter will give an overview of graphic arts and new media. The second chapter will go more into depth in these concepts. The third chapter will feature the results of the interviews and surveys done on the participants to this study. The fourth chapter will synthesize the findings and provide a road map for what should come next in the area of graphic design, as it relates to new media. The fifth chapter will conclude the paper.  Chapter 1 In this chapter, a road map for the dissertation will be offered. The first part of this chapter will concentrate on the overview of the graphic design and new media, providing a brief history and definition of the two concepts. The second part will give a brief overview of the literature survey. The third part will explain the research de sign, including the limitations of the particular design, as well as a brief overview

Expressing Global Linkage with Hope Essay Example for Free

Expressing Global Linkage with Hope Essay My chosen major is Global Business. This major trains us to develop skills in management in a global perspective and further enhance these skills in trade, competition, and investments. It entails learning patterns in international and global business specifically on the terms of imports, exports, monetary relationships, and direct investment. The specific skills learned in this major are: setting a mission and vision for the global business enterprise; developing a global business plan; conducting research in an international environment; understanding the nuances of cultural, legal, political and regulatory differences; and using technology to support global trade. By entering into a career that in inline with my major, I believe that I can be an agent of change in this country by following the example of Martin Luther King. I believe that in whatever career you undergo, if you have a pure heart and if you are willing to help other people, you can do it in your chosen field. The act of being in service to humanity doesn’t only involve going to third world countries and feeding children; helping people doesn’t mean that you donate a large amount to an organization; helping people comes from a person’s initiative and will. Being in service to humanity is a choice and it is not awarded to the richest person in the world or to an ambassador. People mostly think that helping others entail helping the poor people only. I believe that this is a misconception. Being in service to humanity entails being an agent of change to humanity. I believe that I’m my chosen career, I would be able to tap a portion of society that has been neglected of change and of help not financially but morally, emotionally, and spiritually. After graduation, my career would entail me to interact and work with people all over the world. My opinion on the logistics and success of their company in a certain place would be a great influence in their decision making. Normally, business is equated with bribery, biases, discriminations, pride, and money. A businessman’s ultimate goal is always to have profit and find ways to have more profit. I want to change the techniques of people making business. I believe that I could be in service here to be able to change the long established techniques by providing businessmen with new and fresh techniques that would suet the businessmen’s goal but not harm other people. When being a middleman for a millionaire’s business, one might be blinded by money and would find ways on how to cheat the businessmen and get more money out of him. By being grounded and remaining a God fearing person, I would want to change this. Another example would be removing discrimination in the workplace. Certain people have their own biases about location, other people, etc. , and I would personally want to change that by giving equal opportunity to people in need of work. Basically I would like to be an agent of change in this field and change the perception of businessmen that they only need to worry about profit; I believe it’s time that they start thinking about other people also benefitting from them.

Advantages and Disadvantages: Event Driven Process Chain

Advantages and Disadvantages: Event Driven Process Chain The reason to choose UML to create a model among the other choices is its simplicity and ease of use. The structure of the end model obtained using UML is easy to design. The given case on hospital procedures was simple to understand but when comes to addressing the problem with a model, its an entirely different story. This is because the given case consists of four core issues and each issue has to be addressed properly. We identified the actors use cases, functions and their attributes at the first place. The very next step was to interpret the identified elements into graphical units. These are pretty much the steps involved in designing the model using UML. The first constraint to arise was how to handle external actors while using use case diagrams. Next on the priority list was whether to implement the model using swim lanes or normal flow when it came down to activity diagram. With reference to the hospital case, the entity à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½general practitionerà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ which was suppose to be interpreted as function it was rather used as a external actor. Similarly the standard swim lanes which were to be used in accordance with activity diagram protocol were replaced by using the alternate normal flow diagram. The initial work of interpreting the given problem into workable modeling units was carried out. It was followed by dividing the complex issue into small modules so as to achieve better efficiency. The model is highly influenced by à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½modular programming approachà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. That approach helped us a lot in understanding the complex issue by dividing it into number of sub-issues and addresses them individually. These collections of smaller solutions ultimately added up to the consolidated solution. Reflection on the modeling process: (EPC) It was an entirely different approach from UML model. As far as we are concern, this model is an enhancement of a basic flow chart. This is because, the shapes, the flow and the structure the model is highly influenced by a flow chart. The model required extensive analysis to segregate the model units from the given case. It takes quite some time to get accustomed to new rules of modeling difficulty arises when we tried to give a base model for the entire case so as to give a skeleton approach. Adding to the complexity, the use of logical connectors and splitters was a tedious job. Modeling the various issues and the core processes posed a variety of problem during the early stages. For example usage of logical splitters and connectors was different from using other branching structures. And also the rules of using units like à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½eventsà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½functionsà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and the others was to be kept in memory prior to joining them with the other units. The structure of the model was a long one when compared with that of the previous model. Some portions of the problem given had to be modified, which in process gave away parts of the literal components. Adjustments and modifications were carefully tailored so as to meet the conditions and rules of how the model to be made. The work was to pick out units with reference to EPC such as events, functions and organizational units etc. we identified events from all the core issues which were to be followed by functions. In a similar fashion the other model units were sorted out. After that these individual units were integrated as according to the rules of EPC. The areas in which logical connectors were to be used were identified and the connectors were put into their place. This ensures proper structure and flow of process. Reflection on the modeling Language: (UML) This is because; the given case is simple but an elaborate one. Thus, a reader could easily identify the number of entities involved and their roles and still could progress through the entire model which is an elaborate one without losing the track of the process. How and when a reader could get confused with the different models depends on the knowledge of the user, that goes as a different topic altogether. But even an ordinary reader could spot the persons, the different processes and the flow of the model readily and easily. And also the UML diagram itself is quite easy to design which involves few graphical elements. Unlike other modeling languages, UML emphasizes on à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½use casesà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ which are in essence are nothing but notations of the essential activities results and the functions which constitutes to the entire process. It helps the user to easily get used to the protocols of using use cases and implement them. Since the actors and external actors are depicted against the use cases, its easy to connect the performers of the action and their sub sequent results. Complexity of producing a suitable model for business process is reduced to a greater extends. As far as the hospital case is concerned, UML is the most suitable modeling language to aid the user as well as analyst due to the above said reasons. This case produces four core processes starting from admission of patient till the discharge of patient, which involves quite a lot of actors and their functions which in turn produce the given results. One could easily interpret statement into the business model using UML by just using a handful of graphical units without any ambiguities. We say this so because, the four critical issues are addressed with the specific actions being transferred into particular use cases one after the other in a typical UML fashion. Each actor is connected to their actions and the directional connectors indicate the flow of action. For example: A nurse in this hospital performs the following actions like allotting bed, recording the admission time, conducting ward rounds, providing medical care and updating registers. It is evident from the above said reasons that the role of nurse involves quite a few activities and these activities are supposed to be recorded and depicted in business model to ensure complete data base of the events and their functions. Adding to these facts, one needs to know that these actions are not consecutive and happened in a sequence ware the activities performed by other actors coming in between them or preceding them or succeeding them. Only in UML we could connect the specific actions performed by distinct actors without getting entangled in the collection of various other functional units. In a nut shell, a reader could grasp the flow of different actors and their functions at the same time in a single diagram. The only substantial drawback of UML is not able to implement logical flow and branching options i.e. in the given hospital case, there are instances were two parallel events occur where one cannot use UML modeling to depict the parallel events occur For example: A nurse provides medical and general care whereas in parallel another nurse prepares the necessary test forms and forwards them to the physician. Using UML we interpreted this problem statement in the following manner à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½provides medical careà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½prepares test formà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½; a reader could not understand whether these two processes occurred at the same time or at different instances. So these processes were placed one after the other and connected to a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nurseà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. From the above example we can infer that UML does not aid plotting of parallel events. The key factor missing in UML is a lack of logical decision makers and branching functions example in discharging of patient, there is logical branching condition which needs to be satisfied, the condition is the patient is to be cured of diagnosis or else the entire treatment cycle has to be read. It is not possible in use case diagram as these two unique events need to be addressed as separate use cases rather than branched activities or events. Comparison of Languages: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Logical connections and decisions cannot be performed in UML use case models and it could be done in EPC. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ We have faced little difficulties while addressing parallel processes in use case diagram. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Structure and integration could be expressed more efficiently in EPC rather than UML. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Only in UML we could connect the specific actions performed by distinct actors without getting entangled to other functional units. Advantages of UML: UML is the popular approach of visualizing and documenting the software systems design. UML gives object oriented design concepts and ità ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s independent of specific programming language. UML is a popular and technique for documenting and modelling system. It ensures set of symbols to represent graphically the various components and relationships within the system and UML can be used for business process modelling and requirements modelling, it mainly uses to support object oriented system analysis and to develop the object models. Real time UML, this approach is the application of UML to design the real-time system. It emphasises the system with structural and behavioural language models and those designing modelling include the architectural mechanical and detailed design .Object oriented methodologies have employed in the construction of the real time system. The introduction of IT for hospital case is expected to be a major issue in re-designing the processes. Therefore, some of the functions will be speeded by developing suitable software and hardware artifacts. To do so, the business models should be seamlessly matched to software engineering models. As a standard, UML seems to be currently the best choice for expressing such models Disadvantages of UML: UML has still no structure and specification for modeling user interfaces. From our point view, the main disadvantage of this model is lack of formality. UML is used in a implementation process and we wish to use it for our stage of this process for consistency and to protect the user translating work into a innovative language. The other related reason is simply that if users are familiar with UML it may be worth keeping it, as a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½front endà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to a formal language. Advantages of EPC: One of the main advantages of the EPC is that it is both powerful and easily understandable for end-users. EPCs are often used for capturing and discussing business processes with people who have never been trained in any kind of modelling technique. Although EPCs can be understood even by untrained personnel, the same models can be refined and used for the requirements definition of an information system. This is one of the reasons that both many end-user companies and many software vendors are using EPCs for business process modelling. The existing connections with traditional modelling methods (e.g. data models, such as the entity relationship- model) have been very useful for developing information systems for process-oriented organizations. Therefore many users have asked for a similar kind of connection between EPCs and UML diagrams. Comparison of process: ? UML is richer of concept than ARIS because of the presence of Stereotype, and this enables a higher view of modelling for specific cases. ? ARIS allows personalisation of the model as one concept is represented in many symbols.The software platform also allows integration of business and IS concepts. ? EPC method and UML have different scopes of business modelling. There is a need to use one language in both software and business fields. ? Logical connections and decisions cannot be performed in UML use case models and it could be done in EPC. ? We have faced little difficulties while addressing parallel processes in use case diagram. ? Structure and integration could be expressed more efficiently in EPC rather than UML. ? Only in UML we could connect the specific actions performed by distinct actors without getting entangled to other functional units. Reasons for choosing EPC: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ The EPCs meet the requirements to put forward with respect to the ease of understanding by non-specialist in modelling. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ EPCs can offer a multi-level view of the process, since a function in an EPC could be explained in more detail by means of another EPC. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ EPCs give a consistent, formally supported process oriented language that can ensure simulation of the processes. Comparison between EPC and UML: When comparing the EPC and UML for modelling business processes, there are some aspects from which we can view the correspondences and differences between these two methods. The comparisons can be mainly grouped into three aspects: Context: This aspect covers in which context the EPC or UML are developed and used. Both diagrams can be used for modelling business processes, but both have different contexts under which they are developed. Ambiguity: In modelling business processes, it is possible that the EPC or UML diagrams that are created would be ambiguous. Examples of this are implicit decisions, possibility of having blocking, etc. Therefore it is necessary to take a look at the exactness or ambiguity of the diagrams constructed with EPC or UML Activity Diagram. Notation/Terminology: Both the EPC and UML activity diagrams have similar concepts à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ such as fork/join, branch/merge, atomic/extended activity, etc à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ but they are represented using different notation and terminology. Some notation does not have a counterpart in the other diagram. This indicates the semantic differences between them. Therefore we will compare both notations and terminologies to see the correspondence of symbols of one diagram in another diagram and the differences between them. Context Even though the EPC and UML Diagrams are used or can be used to denote business processes, they were developed in different contexts. This pragmatic difference comes from the different modelling approaches that drive the EPC and UML. There are two approaches to model a system. Process-oriented modelling: In process-oriented modelling, the main focus of modelling a system is the process inside the system. A process consists of sequences of events triggering activities. The events themselves are the results of other functions apart from initial events that trigger the whole process. By introducing logical operators, this event-driven control structure can be expanded to a complex control flow illustrating relevant decisions and potential for concurrency that happen in the process. This process-oriented modelling is the basis for the EPC, which found its way as a standard for modelling business processes of an enterprise. The basic EPC model can be extended by further semantic components to illustrate the elements participating in the process such as information objects and organization units. Object-oriented modelling: In object-oriented modelling, the main focus of modelling a system is the objects inside the system. A system is a bunch of objects that have relationships among them. These objects communicate each other by exchanging messages. An object is a discrete and differentiable entity in a system. Each object has properties and exchanges messages through operations. This object-oriented modelling is the basis for UML, which is mainly used in software development such as enterprise information system. Initially activity diagrams are targeted for modelling the dynamics of internal objectà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s actions. Because of its characteristics similar to flowcharts and its capability to visualize concurrent activities, they can be generalized to model operations, use case scenarios, workflows and business processes. Exactness: The formal description of EPC can be used to analyze the syntactical correctness of an EPC diagram. However in practice there are still some problems regarding the exact meaning of some elements in the EPC. The ambiguities arise from the analysis of how elements in an EPC diagram interact in a flow of process. Those ambiguities are: Conjunction of start events: An ambiguity concerning the modelling of start and end events occur in the EPC. It is obvious that nodes without input edges are the start events and similarly nodes without output edges are the end events. But the interpretation is left to the reader, which combination of start and end events he should see as admissible, that is, as seen in reality. The problem becomes obvious when there exists à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½events from the sideà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ meaning start events in the middle of the process which has been started some time before by the first start events. These usually represent communication with external entity. However this conjunction of start events is not explicitly modelled in EPC. Semantics of logical connectors: There are three logical connectors in EPC, that is, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connectors. In chapter two we have already discussed how to connect these logical connectors to events and functions in the control flow. We know that because an event cannot be used to make decisions, an event cannot be followed by logical connectors à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. Nevertheless there is also an ambiguity in the semantic of logical connectors, especially in the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connectors. Consider the case in figure 4.1. In the case of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector, the function F1 can only start when both events E1 and E2 occur. That is clear, the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector serves to synchronize by waiting until both events have occurred. In the case of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector, the switching rule of the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½exclusive orà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector says that if either event E1 or event E2 occurs, the following function F1 can start. One question arises, what does the rule mean, when both events occur one after another, for example E1 occurs first then after some time E2 occurs? Can the function then run twice: The first time after the occurrence of the first event, and the second time after the occurrence of the second event? There are several interpretations for what the modeller wants to express, when he uses this connector: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ When both events occur at the same time, they block the following function, or à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Both events cannot occur at the same time, or à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ When the following function starts, then exactly one of both events must have occurred. For the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector, the following rule applies: when at least one of the events occurs, the following function can start; when both events occur at the same time, the function can only start once. A similar question arises for the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector as for the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ one à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ that is, whether the function runs once or twice. Again, there are several interpretations when the events occur one after another, but in the case of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector it is obvious that when both events have occurred the function is not blocked. E1 E2 E1 E2 E1 E2 AND XOR OR F1 F1 F1 Two events arriving at one connector Deadlocks and Loops: For simple EPC graphs it is easy to analyze whether the graphs work or not, but for complex graphs we need a tool to analyze them. It is possible that even when the graph is semantically correct according to the definition of EPC, still an analysis shows there can be deadlocks when executing the process according to the diagram. A deadlock means that in reality when the start events occur à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ thus the process runs à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ after some time the process is stuck somewhere in the graph unable to reach the end states. Possible causes of deadlocks are mismatches of logical connectors à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ especially in complex graphs where connectors link to other connectors à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and different interpretation of logical connectors. For an example an à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector can work either in à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ mode or in à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ mode. If an opening à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector works in à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ mode but the closing à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector works in à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ mode or the other way around, a deadlock would happen. This can be solved if the closing à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½knowsà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in advance in which mode the opening à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector works. Another possible problem discovered by graph analysis is looping. A loop may cause a process to run forever. This is usually not intended to occur in business processes. Notation/Terminology Since both EPC and UML Activity Diagram serve to visualize processes and workflows, both diagrams have similar notations for some common terminologies such as activities, branches and merges, forks and joins, etc. as well as some notational differences between them. These notational correspondences and differences will be discussed here and we will use the result of these notational comparisons for the translation from EPC to UML. The notational correspondences and differences of both diagrams can be categorized as follows: Functions and Activity/Action States: Both the functions in the EPC and activity/action states in UML Activity Diagrams are the active elements that represent what a person of an organization unit or an actor in a use case diagram do with respect to the process. Therefore it is clear that functions and activity/action states represent specific business tasks within a company. That means that they share the same role within their respective diagrams. An activity or a function usually takes some extended time to execute. Events: In the EPC an event is a passive element that triggers a function and is a result of another function. The events can also show the change of status of an object over the process chain. There is no correspondence of events in activity diagrams, even though the activity diagrams are based on state diagram, but the states are mostly activity states, while an event is not an activity. Nevertheless if we take a look at the example of EPC some of the events, especially those that are the direct results of a function, are redundant. For example in the figure 4.2 the result of the function à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½capture requirementà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½requirement capturedà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ which means that the resulting event is just to show that when the function finishes control will pass to the event which in turn triggers the next function. However in activity diagram this intermediate result is not explicitly declared. This is because the transition in activity diagrams means that as soon as an activity state finishes it does not have to wait but instead it will trigger the next activity. Control flow and Transitions: Control flow in the EPC corresponds to the transitions in UML Activity Diagram. Control flow is used in a process-oriented approach to show the process chain over time from one event that triggers a business function that in turn results in another event. Activity diagrams are based on state diagrams in which transitions are defined; transitions show the change of states over time. Control flow and transitions are instantaneous; they are assumed not to take so much time. However in the EPC, between two functions there can be some time for the control/token to be kept in an event. Logical connectors: Logical connectors allow the splitting of control flow in the EPC and transitions in activity diagrams. For the splitting regarding to taking a decision between different alternative paths, both diagrams have a similar construct, which is known as branch/merge. The branching and merging of control flows in the EPC is represented using the logical à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector plus the events following it. The same mechanism in activity diagrams is implemented using the decision diamond symbol and transition labels. Both diagrams also support the notation of parallelism known as fork/join. The forking and joining in the EPC is shown using the logical à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector while in activity diagrams it is shown using the synchronization bar. Actually a synchronization bar corresponds to an à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector together with the events before it, because a synchronization bar waits for all transitions to arrive. The main difference between EPC an d activity diagrams in the case of logical connectors is that EPC supports à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½inclusive orà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector while there is no notation in activity diagrams to denote the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector. Organization units and Swim lanes: An organization unit in the EPC is attached to a function its responsibility for the respective business task. In the activity diagrams this is accomplished by arranging the activities that belong to the same department in a company or activities being done by the same actor in a use case into swim lanes. Iteration Activity diagrams support the notation for iteration which is not available in the EPC. The comparisons between EPC and activity diagrams are summarized in the following table: EPC UML Context Process-oriented modelling Object-oriented modelling (business oriented) (IT oriented) Exactness/Ambiguity à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Event from the sideà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, deadlocks, loops, logical connector semantics Notation/Terminology Active Element Function Activity/Action state Passive Element Event Process chain Control flow Transition Logical connectors Branch/Merge à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector Decision diamond Fork/Join à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector Synchronization bar à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Inclusive orà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector Actor Organization unit Swimlane Iteration à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½*à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (multiplicity sign) Summary of comparison between EPC and UML Translation between EPC and UML Diagram In translating from EPC to activity diagram and the other way around, we will use the results from the comparison between EPC and UML Activity Diagram as already discussed before. To translate from an EPC diagram to an activity diagram, the following guidelines can be used. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Determine the organization units involved in the process chain together with the functions that each of the organization is responsible for. Align the Organization units into separate swim lanes in an activity diagram. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Transform each function into activity/action states in the activity diagram and put it in the swim lane of the organization unit being responsible for it. If the function is a complex hierarchical function (which is also called a process), the refined EPC for that specific function can be either drawn as a complex activity state (meaning that inside the activity state we must specify some actions performed in the activity as well as entry and exit actions) or it would be better to draw the function in a separate activity diagram. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Transform the corresponding logical connectors from the EPC into the corresponding elements in the activity diagram. The branches and merges represented by à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connectors are transformed into decision diamonds and the forks and joins represented by à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connectors are transformed into synchronization bars. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Connect the activities and decision diamonds or synchronization bars according to the control flow in the EPC. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Add the start event(s) and end event(s). It is possible to have multiple start events and end events. This can be considered as multiple start events in the EPC or can also be considered as several scenarios in one diagram. However, there are some problems with regard to the translation from an EPC to an activity diagram: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ As can be seen from the comparison, not all logical connectors for splitting and joining the control can be modelled in a straightforward way. The main problem is with the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector; there is no corresponding element in activity diagram to represent this logical connector. One solution is to express this à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connection in terms of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½XORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ANDà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connectors. To show this, we know from the logic theory that for two variables x and y, the following equation applies: Using this equation we can translate two alternate paths taken based on an opening and a closing à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connectors into the following diagram: OR F1 F2 F1 F2 F1 F2 OR The branch/fork solution for the elementary or-connector However if the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ORà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ connector connects more than two alternative paths the resulting translation in the activity diagram would be very complicated. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ The organizational responsibility for activities is expressed in activity diagrams using swim lanes. However, swim lanes are not sufficient for modelling advanced and precise organizational relationships. These are important for example for the definition of workflows when support through workflow management systems is intended. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Another problem with respect to translation from EPC to activity diagram is related to the loss of important information contained in events and information/resource objects. Some of the events are related to the change of state of an information/resource object. We can show this change of objectà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s state as an object with the object flow in an activity diagram, but if there are many information/resource objects in an EPC, they would make the diagram very hard to read. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ The definition of activity diagrams as state machines is quite problematic for applying activity diagrams according to the UML definition for business process modelling because actually not all business functions can be regarded as internal action states, e.g. interaction with outside business units. A reverse procedure can also be applied to transl

Life And Works Of George Orwell :: essays research papers fc

In his short life, George Orwell managed to author several works which would inspire debate across the political spectrum for years to come due to his extreme views on Totalitarianism as exemplified in his novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell is now regarded as one of the finest essayists in Modern English literature because of his inspired common sense and a power of steady thought. Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair in Bengal on January 23, 1903. He lived with his two sisters, mother and father who was a minor official in Indian Customs. Orwell’s childhood has been an influence on his later life and writing. British Writers by Ian Scott-Kilvert quotes Orwell as saying: Looking back on my own childhood, after the infant years were over, I do not believe that I ever felt love for any mature person, except my Mother, and even her I did not trust, in the sense that shyness made me conceal most of my real feelings from her†¦ I merely disliked my own father, whom I had barely seen before I was eight and who appeared to me simply as a gruff-voiced elderly man forever saying "Don’t." Early in his childhood, he was sent to a fashionable preparatory school on a scholarship. The other boys were much better off than Orwell was. Looking back on his school years, British Writers by Ian Scott-Kilvert again quotes Orwell as saying: I had no money, I was weak, I was ugly, I was unpopular, I had a chronic cough, I was cowardly, I smelt†¦ The conviction that it was not possible for me to be a success went deep enough to influence my actions until far into adult life. Until I was thirty I always planned my life on the assumption not only that any major undertaking was bound to fail, but that I could only expect to live a few years longer. At the age of 13, Orwell was rewarded with not one, but two separate scholarships. Orwell decided upon Eton, which was the more distinguished and prestigious of the two. Of his time at Eton, Modern British Essayists by Robert L. Calde quotes Orwell as saying, "I did no work there and learned very little and I don’t feel that Eton had much of a formative influence on my life." However, a majority of English students does no work at Universities but instead broaden their outlook on life and acquire a new sense of self-confidence along with an ability that is far more valuable than academic learning. After Orwell’s time at Eton, the natural thing for him to do would have been to go on to Cambridge and continue his career there where he could easily have gained a full

migration Essay -- essays research papers

The need to migrate from lower developed countries to developed countries is generally due largely in part to financial reasons. In most cases, the attractiveness of higher wages in urban environments usually outweighs the inconvenience of being away from family members and becoming acclimated in a new environment. In lower developed countries, under-employment is high and the demand for labor is low. As such the problems arises with rural to urban migration. This migration into urban cities is usually an attractive alternative for individuals with low education levels, generally with limited experience in the agricultural sector. Initially at first, an individual may feel uneasy since the risk factor involved with migrating into a different environment is high and the likelihood of finding a job is uncertain. As much of a concern as this may be, the willingness to take this risk and migrate is usually a better alternative than staying in the current environment with insufficient infrastructure with limited job opportunities. The role of government policies also plays a large role in affecting the level of migration into a country. If the government can increase the perceived probability of getter a job sooner, even more people would migrate from the rural sector to the urban sector. This being so, the same would also be true for the opposite scenario. Should the government fail to implement policies that would increase the level of perceived probability, the amount of peo...

Framework for Praxis Essay

Medical advancement and practices have changed healthcare over the years. As the healthcare system changes so does the role of a nurse. As the elderly population in the United States grows the demand for primary care also increases but the use of Nurse Practitioners is estimated to reduce the shortage of primary care services (Schiff, 2012).This paper will provide an overview of the benefit of a framework for praxis for an Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (APCNP) and examine how the framework helps in the development of nursing knowledge. The writer will give an overview of the role of an APCNP and how this role can help enrich the overall healthcare system. The paper will explore ideological, theoretical, and ethical components that guides and contribute to the growth of an APCNP framework for praxis. The paper will finally examine a case study of the use of the framework for praxis in a clinical setting. Overview of Praxis Praxis is defined in numerous ways for different disciplines, for the nursing profession it is defined as the combination of practice and theory (Kilpatrick, 2008). Many healthcare practitioners see knowledge acquired through clinical practice (praxis) as subjective and not real knowledge because theory is always linked with scholarly achievement, as such it is difficult in present day nursing practice to recognize the importance of praxis (Penney & Warelow, 1999) According to Chinn and Kramer (2011) praxis may arise out of a single person or a group. Praxis arising at an individual level is based a person identifying and pondering on an issue that controls one’s capabilities and understandings, then taking the responsibility in changing the issue for themselves and others affected (Chinn & Kramer, 2011). A significant intent of praxis is the incorporating of theory and practice that helps in the acknowledgment and valuing different types of knowledge (Kilpatrick, 2008). Chinn and Kramer (2011) states â€Å"nursing praxis values and labels those clinical experiences by bringing together the worlds of nursing practice and theory through the use of reflection and action† (p. 83). It is believed nursing praxis helps in knowledge development. â€Å"With each turn of reflection and action at least four ideals are used as a  benchmark for determining the worth of emancipatory knowledge, these are sustainability, social justice empowerment and demystification† (Chinn & Kramer, 2011, p. 84). Nursing praxis is important to an APCNP’s practice; it creates opportunity for change by influencing personal nursing theory and the development of nursing knowledge through self-reflection. Self-reflection helps challenge the APCNPs personal and professional standards. Praxis may also help advance the role of the APCNP by reducing the disparities between clinical practice and concepts (Chinn & Kramer, 2011). Incorporating theoretical, ethical and philosophical beliefs of the APCNP will help provide a framework for praxis. Overview of the role of an Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (APCNP) An Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (APCNP) is a primary care provider and is at the forefront of providing healthcare to the public. Certain standards must be attained before one can become an APCNP; these include graduate education with a concentration in an APCNP program and certification through examination. Duties of an APCNP include patient education, performing physical assessments, diagnosing and prescribing medications (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, & O’Grady, 2014). APCNP may practice in private clinics, acute care facilities, long-term care facilities or public health departments (Fitzpatrick & Emerson, 2011). As the elderly population in the United States grows the demand for primary care also increases, as such the use of an APCNP is estimated to reduce the shortage of primary care services (Schiff, 2012).The expanded use of APCNPs increases the ability to increase access to health care, especially in the commonly underserved areas (Schiff, 2012). Ideological Influences Liberation theory by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator establishes a technique of teaching literacy for underprivileged adults based on dialogue (Sanford, 2000). The Liberation theory is chosen as the philosophical basis for practice because it’s centered on patient education and building trust between the nurse and patient through dialogue .The use of liberation theory and the theory of self-efficacy by Bandura will help the APCNP in the promotion of health education. According to Cody (2011), health is described as an attitude that reflects accepting responsibility for self in developing purpose in life (p. 377). Health is currently viewed much more than the absence of disease. According to Bandura (1989), the theory of self- efficacy is based on self-confidence and is a good indicator for motivation to make behavioral changes. Self-efficacy theory is based on the mastery of skills, modeling of skills especially by others and social persuasion of others to help create the belief that the patient is capable of mastering skills. Health literacy in the overall healthcare system is vital; it improves patient satisfaction, decrease patient concerns, increase compliance to care, creates patient autonomy and increases overall quality of life. Utilizing theories provide the APCNP with the opportunity to effectively educate; to enable the patient to understand their current health conditions in order to be able to make suitable healthcare decisions. As an APCNP it is necessary to explore ways to effectively educate patients because patient education is a vital part of continuum of health (DeMarco, Nystrom, & Salvatore, 2011). Theoretical Influences Theory development is the fundamental step for expansion of nursing knowledge. The theory of goal attainment by Imogene King addresses the phenomena, patient education. The theory was first presented in the 1960s by Imogene King (King, 1997). The basics of Kings Theory encourage nurse patient communication; the nurse helps the patient set goals and work together with the patient to attain the goals (King, 1997). The theory focuses on patient education, through interpersonal relationship with nurses and patients; allowing the patient to acquire knowledge or develop skills to help achieve goals. The theory encourages dialogue between the patient and nurse and this process opens the possibilities for participants to present problems, to seriously reflect and to identify solutions not previously realized. Essential attributes of the theory that influences patient education includes the necessity to make all health information accessible to the patient. Due to the importance of disease pr evention patient education is vital; as such the APCNP should determine the best possible theory to help achieve desired outcomes through patient education. Ethical Influences According to Cody (2011), people should be afforded the opportunity to be  treated with dignity by having their values respected without judgment by others (p. 168). An APCNP providing patient health education can be faced with ethical dilemmas (Pavilish, Brown-Saltzman, Hersh, Shirk, & Rounkle, 2011). Ethical knowledge is required in nursing to guide practice because care outcomes depend on the nurse’s ethical and moral perception (Chinn & Kramer, 2011). Ethics help by identifying principles and create basics that help maintain human rights, and ethical values (Hamric et al., 2011). The changing healthcare system and patient care delivery systems have increased the complexity of ethical issues (Hamric et al., 2011). According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) (2001), the code of ethics provides an outline nurses can use in making ethical decisions when performing their duties to the public, to members of the health team, and to the nursing profession. Ethical principles include autonomy, beneficence (bring about positive good), fidelity (trustworthy), and veracity (honesty) (ANA, 2001). As ethical agents and patient advocates, we know patient education includes written materials, but it’s also known that most written material available is above reading levels of the overall public. It is vital as an APCNP to take into account your responsibility to the ethical element of autonomy or fidelity in relation to patient education. Patient education is sometimes directed toward supporting patients to make decisions about signing consents. It is the responsibility of the health care professional who is educating the patient to confirm that the patient has enough understanding about the consequences of the diagnosis, test or procedure that they are consenting to. In order not to violate the principle of autonomy, veracity and beneficence, the primary ethical step for healthcare providers would be to learn more about the patient’s literacy level and then assess to get appropriate educational materials suitable for the patient. In order to provide the most comprehensive educational material to patients and not infringe on ethical principles, providers need to consider the importance of using appropriate written materials at patient’s readability level. The combination of the APCNP’s ideology, theoretical and ethical framework helps provide a framework for praxis. This also gives nurses the opportunity to help impact changes to the health of the community by concentrating on the quality of life of the community. As an APCNP creating a practice that  promotes health literacy, empowerment, acceptance and equality is important. This can be done through the use of patient centered care model that helps in promoting effective patient education. With the use of liberation theory and theory of goal attainment the healthcare provider will be able to better assess patient and provide health education tailored for each patient. Ethical theories have to be examined and integrated throughout the patient education process to ensure patient services provided meets specific needs. Case Study Mr. Bick is a 50 year old with hypertension who comes to the clinic for a follow up appointment after a stroke. During his appointment the nurse establishes a relationship by having a dialogue with patient; inquiring about patients overall life, through the dialogue the patient is able to share personal struggles with medication compliance due to work schedule. The nurse is able to educate patient on how to effectively take all medications without interfering with the patient’s work schedule .The patient sets a goal to reduce BP, the nurse guides the patient with different methods on reaching his goal, including diet modification and increasing activity level. The case study utilizes the liberation theory to educate by building trust between the nurse and patient through dialogue. In the case study, it is noted that the patient’s self-efficacy made the patient more receptive to the health education offered by the nurse. The patient learnt different options for medication adherence without interference in his work schedule. The theory of goal attainment was also utilized; the patient set a goal and the nurse helped by educating the patient on different options to achieve his goal. Conclusion APCNPs are considered as nurses who are equipped with the clinical and management skills necessary to meet the key roles in transforming healthcare. Nursing obligation to patient education is entwined into many theoretical frameworks. The intent of the framework for praxis is to place the practice of patient education in a position where significant relations can be made between experiences of everyday practice, clinical research and scholarly inquiry. References American Nurses Association (ANA), (2001), Code of ethics for nurses, American NursesAssociation, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org /Main MenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsfornurses /code-of-ethics.pdf Bandura, A. (1989). Regulation of cognitive processes through perceived self-efficacy. Developmental Psychology, 25, 729-735. Chinn, P. L., & Kramer, M. K. (2011). Integrated theory and knowledge development. (8th ed.). St Louis: Mosby Elsevier. DeMarco, J., Nystrom, M., & Salvatore, K. (2011). The importance of patient education throughout the continuum of health care. Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, 15(1), 22-31. doi: 10.1080/15398285.2011.547069. Hamric, A. B., Hanson, C. M., Tracy, M. F., & O’Grady, E. T. (2014). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Kilpatrick, K (2008), Praxis and the role development of acute care nurse practitioner. Nursing Inquiry; 15(2), 116-126. King, I. (1997). King’s theory of goal attainment in practice. Nursing Science Quarterly 10(4), 180-185. Pavlish, C., Brown-Saltzman, K., Hersh, M., Shirk, M., & Rounkle, A. (2011). Nursing priorities, actions, and regrets for ethical situations in clinical practice. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 43(4), 385-95. doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2011. Penney, W & Warelow J. (1999) Understanding the prattle of praxis. Nursing Inquiry 6, 259-268 Sanford, R. C. (2000). Caring through relation and dialogue: A nursing perspective for patient education. Advance Nursing Science; 22(3), 1-15 Schiff, M (2012). The role of nurse practitioners in meeting increasing demand for primary care: National Governors Association. Retrieved from http:// www.nga.org/cms/home/news-room/news-releases/page_2012/col2-content/nurse-practitioners-have-potenti.html