Small Company Y2k Report Essays - Calendars, Software Bugs, COBOL

Small Company Y2k Report Essays - Calendars, Software Bugs, COBOL Small Company Y2k Report Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Testing Procedure 3. Hardware and Software Compliance 4. Summary 1. Introduction Year 2000, Y2K or Millennium Bug! What is it? It is a problem resulting from the common programming practice of using only two-digits to store the year in software. The practice dates back to the 1950's when computers began to be used for business purposes. Using two digits for dates is benign and causes no harm so long as the next year is a larger number than the current year. For example software applications that use dates have no problem with the sequence of 95,96,97,98 and 99. However, when the century ends, the year 2000 will be stored as 00. Calculations or decisions, based on dates or time periods, can go seriously wrong. How is it fixed? Inregard to personal and small business computers, the problem is three fold. Firstly, the computer hardware must report the current date correctly. Many computers, especially early Pentiums, 486, 386 and 286 based machines, will on the 1st January 2000 Revert back to 1 April 1980 or some other date. Thus creating a potential problem until the correct date is re-entered - provided of course that the computer can be set manually to a date beyond 311299. Calculation of Leap Year dates may also be incorrect on some computers. Secondly, the computer software must carry out the correct calculations based on a four-digit year (e.g. 1999 or 2000 etc) rather than just using the last two digits. The supplier or manufacturer of the software should be approached to ascertain the compliance of their code, or their schedule to have it corrected and distributed. Thirdly, your data must be in the correct format - namely year described as a four-digit number. If your dates have been entered as described above (that is 15th Feb 1955 entered as 150255), then you have a data conversion to be carried out. Testing Procedure To determine if Windows NT 4.0 ,Win95 and would roll to the appropriate date, the control panel applet DATE&TIME(d&t) was used to change the dates. The machines d&t were set to the day before each date outlined in the memo. The machine date was changed to a control time of 11:59:45 PM in each case. The machine date was then allowed to roll to the date in question. The machine d&t was then reset to the previous date and control time. This time the machine was rebooted while the time was rolling to the date in question. In each case, after the time rolled, the date was checked to find the correct date. WinNT and Win95 Explorer was then opened and a file in the 'c:winnt' and 'c:windows' directory was changed to check whether or not a saved file corresponded with the correct date. The data from these tests is defined in the following table. 'Data & Time Tested' column are the Control values found in the memo. Both 'Post Test Date' columns are the dates found in each instance after the date rolled from the 'Date&Time Tested' column to the date in question. The 'Post Explorer check' was tested to see if the machine reported the right time. 'Post modification dates' are file dates after the file was saved to check the corresponding date. In each test, no problems with the d&t were encountered. Results: The testing actually caused several different things to happen to the OS. Whenever I rolled the date forward, The following directories changed the date associated with them: Windows NT Test C:Winnt, C:WinntSystem32, C:WinntFonts, C:Temp. Windows 95 Test C:Windows, C:WindowsSystem, C:WindowsFonts, C:Temp This seemed strange because the machine time stamp wouldn't roll back when the time was changed backwards, but this isn't part of the test procedure. When the time actually changes the date will roll forward and stay. It won't roll backwards. I don't know if this affects the testing but it would be totally impossible to rebuild the machine each time the test was run. This would take many hours to do and it probably won't affect the data anyway. Before I started testing, I looked on the Internet to see what Microsoft said about WinNT 4.0, Win95 and the y2k problem. On this site, there are links to all Microsoft Products. For WinNT 4.0, there were 4

Scot-free

Scot-free Scot-free Scot-free By Maeve Maddox â€Å"To escape scot-free† means to elude merited consequences: [Construction] Site Deaths Soaring as Bosses Escape Scot Free No escape: independent directors won’t go scot free Now all the doctors at Mid Staffs escape scot-free over deaths. In the Middle Ages a scot was a tax or tribute paid by a feudal tenant to his lord. The word derives from a Scandanavian word meaning tribute. It came to stand for different kinds of payments levied for services. In Kent and Sussex, the scot was a tax for the maintenance of drainage systems and flood prevention. In some contexts the scot was simply the bill owed for drinks or entertainment. Explanations of the expression scot-free may be found on numerous web sites. Most of the sites I’ve browsed correctly trace the term to the word for a tax, but a few cling to a mistaken idea that the expression has something to do with the 1857 US Supreme Court ruling known as the â€Å"Dred Scott Decision.† For example, this confident explanation: Its spelt scott-free and refers to a famous US Supreme Court decision involving the black slave Dred Scott. Ironically Scott lost his suit, though you wouldnt know it from the well-known phrase. The misspelling scott occurs both as an error and as a play on the name of someone named Scott. For example: Lincoln’s Assassin Got Away Scott Free (misspelled headline at YouTube) American Idol recap: Getting off Scott-free (The reference is to a contestant named Scott MacIntyre.) The lingering association of scot-free with Dred Scott is probably owing to vague recollections of high school history: a man named Scott wanted to be free. To refresh your memory, here’s a recap of what the Dred Scott Decision was about: In 1846, Dred Scott, then 47 years old, sued the Missouri state government on behalf of his wife, two daughters, and himself; the suit contended that they were being illegally held in slavery. Scott was born into slavery in Alabama. When he was about 30, he was sold to an Army doctor in Missouri. During the following years, Scott married, fathered two daughters, and lived at different times in the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin. Scott’s lawsuit contended that residence in a free state conferred freedom. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where, in 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the majority opinion: the Scotts were property and property rights were protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Although Dred Scott lost his case, he did not die in slavery. His owner’s widow married an abolitionist who returned the family to Scott’s original owner. The former slave owner had since moved to Missouri and become an abolitionist; he freed Scott, his wife, and their two daughters. Dred Scott died of tuberculosis after enjoying only seventeen months of freedom. His wife Harriet survived him by eighteen years. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†Probable vs. PossibleContinue and "Continue on"

Professional Code of Conduct Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Professional Code of Conduct Exercise - Essay Example Construction managers are called to avoid conflict of interest by shunning projects that compromise integrity and objectivity. CMAA code of ethics requires its members to bargain openly for fair compensation. The code provides that construction managers release truthful information and keep other information confidential. Construction managers are required not to discriminate potential clients. CMAA members are encouraged to strive for professional development and to uphold the integrity of their profession (Ghillyer 12). I agree with everything that is stated in the CMAA code of ethics. My agreement with this code is underpinned by its comprehensiveness. This is seen in the way its elements touch on the welfare of all the stakeholders including construction managers, the profession of construction, clients and the public at large. Additionally, this code of ethics is acceptable because it promotes a robust practice. Its emphasis on qualification, competence, and integrity underscores this robustness. CMAA code of ethics is designed in such a way that it can be domesticated into other fields and professions and this is another reason why I agree with it. For example, the principles of confidentiality, integrity, and fair competition can apply in business and medicine. This code of ethics also encourages professional development and as such, it promotes a self-reinforcing practice (Ghillyer 13). Accountability is one of the ethical considerations that can be added to CMAA code of ethics. This would encourage construction managers to ensure that they have enough justification for the decisions they make and the actions they take. Facilitation of evaluation is another ethical consideration that can be added into CMAA professional code of ethics. This would impress on construction managers to use their knowledge and experience in evaluating the quality of

Es179 writing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Es179 writing assignment - Essay Example People working in engineering jobs without the degree must be classified as engineering workers, not engineers to keep up with the engineering standard. Performing work commonly recognized as â€Å"what engineers do† does not make a professional engineer. The law dictating that an engineer is one practicing engineering jobs should be revised. In fact, people must not initially trust a person working as engineer if they do not have a college degree. Likewise, there are no persons included which should be removed from the list of engineers. Thus, people working as engineers must be classified as engineering workers, never engineers to ensure professionalism. Being a chartered engineer is not the minimum requirement to be called professional engineer. In some countries, the computer engineers and the industrial engineers do not have a chartered board exam requirement. Clearly, having other accomplishments like passing the chartered engineering board exams and pursuing professional engineering development are not the minimum requirements needed to be called an engineer. There are no people included which should be removed from the list of engineers. Consequently, people working engineering jobs must be called engineering workers, to avoid

Multinationsl Enterprise's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Multinationsl Enterprise's - Essay Example This would mean that multinationals have to invest in not only a change in strategy over a period of time but also carry out related activities like proper methods of hiring, removing inefficient employees, investing a little more on the units which are ready to default as well as strengthen the cash cow strategic unit of the company, all the same. Multinational institutions around the world have devised similar strategies so that they can cope up with the ever-rising pressure that they face from their direct as well as the indirect competitors. The direct competitors could be in the form of the partners who are strategically or at times tactically coming up with their customer-tailored products whilst being on the same end of some other strategic unit with the said multinational. The same has been seen as quite an ‘in’ thing in the business world of present times and all said and done it will continue to be the same for a number of years to come. [Jones, 2002] The change in the organizations’ strategies as well as structures guarantee that the company is present and willing to do more than just provide products and services to the end consumers. It wants to make the people realize that the company is there and wants to do its very best by tailoring its strategies in such a manner that can only benefit them nonetheless. After all, a company or an organization without the target people is nothing more than an office set up with employees and employers working for no one, at the end of the day. Also the fact that organizations need to evolve over a period of time is testimony enough for them to grow within themselves and thus adopt and hold on to a new path altogether, one that will be their torchbearer as well as reap rich dividends for them not only in the present times but also in the future. These strategies are so much in alignment with the future goals and tactical perspectives that they fulfill what is really expected of them, both in terms of short

Problems Facing Leader in Multinational Organization Essay Example for Free

Problems Facing Leader in Multinational Organization Essay Abstract This research suggests that there is a lack of congruence between the Iranian Institutes of Higher Education culture and the faculties desired culture. This conclusion is based on empirical data that indicate that faculties believe that they operate on a day-to day basis in a profession whose culture is characterized by an overarching desire for stability and control, formal rules and policies, coordination and efficiency, goal and results oriented, and harddriving competitiveness. Emphasizing this lack of cultural congruence, the respondents of this study also indicated that the faculties culture should be one that emphasizes flexibility, discretion, participation, human resource development, innovation, creativity, risk-taking, and a long-term emphasis on professional growth and the acquisition of new professional knowledge and skills, which is more aligned with the universities strategic external environment. One of the principal reasons for the popular interest in the study of organizational culture is to determine the linkage between it and organizational performance (Berrio, 2003). This study has reviewed a previously assumed but unverified connection between organizational culture and leadership styles. It has uncovered a lack of congruence between the dominant type of organizational culture and leadership styles. This observed lack of congruence may be inhibiting performance and unconsciously perpetuating a cycle of caution and an over reliance on stability and control. Key words: Organizational culture- Leadership styles-Higher education 1.Introduction An examination of the literature in the fields of organizational culture and leadership finds that the two areas have been independently linked to organizational performance. For example, researchers have examined the links between leadership styles and performance (see Bycio et al., 1995), and also  between organizational culture and performance (see Kotter and Heskett, 1992). Furthermore, numerous aspects of the organizational culture literature allude to the role of leaders in ‘creating’ and ‘maintaining’ particular types of culture (for example, Schein , 1992). Equally, the literature on leadership suggests that the ability to understand and work within a culture is a prerequisite to managerial effectiveness. However, despite the implicit and explicit linking of culture and leadership in many parts of organization theory, little critical research attention has been devoted to understanding the links between the two concepts and the impact that such an association might have on managerial effectiveness. The absence of critical literature exploring the effectiveness implications of the links between organizational culture and leadership is surprising given the numerous references to the importance of the two concepts in the functioning of organizations (see, Schein, 1992). The aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of the links between different types of organizational culture, a range of leadership styles and managerial effectiveness. This is achieved through the presentation of the results of a cross sectional survey of leadership style, organizational culture, and managerial effectiveness across nine universities in Iran. The paper begins with a brief review of the literature on organizational culture and leadership. This is followed by a discussion of the methodology adopted for the study and the presentation of the findings and analysis of responses to questionnaire exploring the links between the two concepts and managerial effectiveness. The evidence demonstrates t hat the relationship between leadership style and effectiveness is mediated by cultural congruence. In the final part of the paper, the conclusions and implications of the study are highlighted. As more and more universities enter into new arrangements in 21st century, the need to assess organisational cultures becomes more important .The term ‘organisational culture’ has proved difficult to define, but several of its important components are agreed on by most researchers. These include the norms, perspectives, values, assumptions and beliefs shared by organisational members. Due to the abstract nature of these elements, there is a considerable challenge for external researchers who want to assess organisational culture. It is even difficult for members of an organization to describe their own culture. Cameron and Freeman (1991, p.31) use the old  proverb â€Å"Fish discover water last† to illustrate the problem of assessing culture among those immersed in it. The aim of this study is to provide insight into the construct of culture and its relationship with leadership styles in the context of higher education institutions , and to discuss competing values framework as one of approaches to measurement of culture. The paper starts with a discussion on how the concept of organisational culture is understood in the setting of higher education institutions, and is followed by a brief introduction to the tradeoffs between qualitative and quantitative approaches to assess culture. Based on the basic psychometric requirements for measuring culture, this study concludes by identifying some of the implications of selecting or designing instruments for assess cultural differences in higher education institutions. 2.Organizational Culture and Leadership Styles Before attempting to describe the content of organizational culture, one should first know the concept of organisational culture. Organizational culture has been criticized as being conceptually weak, since it has been defined in many ways (Jelinek et al., 1983) and each definition emphasizes a particular focus or level. Since Schein (1992) published the book Organisational Culture and Leadership, more researchers have recognized culture as a multidimensional and multilevel concept. Schein describes three levels of culture. The first level consists of visible organisational structures and actions, such as dress code, facilities and procedures. This level of culture can be easily observed. The second level consists of espoused values manifested in the public images of organisations, such as strategies, goals, and philosophies. While not as visible as the artefacts present in the first level, these values can be ascertained by norms, the way things are done in the organisation. The third level consists of basic assumptions, or unconscious beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings. These determine both behaviour norms (the way people should behave) and organisational values (the things that are highly valued). According to Buono and Bowditch (1989, p.137-139), the visible elements created by an organization on the first level are treated as objective organizational culture, while the elements on the second and the third levels are concerned with subjective organizational culture. Most researchers agree that subjective culture is more important as a significant determinant of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours, and it thus provides a more distinctive basis for characterizing and interpreting similarities and differences among people in different organizations. On this understanding, university culture as a particular form of organisational culture can be defined â€Å"as the collective, mutually shaping patterns of norms, values, practices, beliefs, and assumptions that guide the behaviour of individuals and groups in an institute of higher education and provide a frame of reference within which to interpret the meaning of events and actions on and off campus† (Kuh Whitt, 2000, p.16 2). While the term organisational culture is used as if an organisation has a monolithic culture, most organisations have more than one set of beliefs influencing the behaviour of their members (Morgan, 1986; Sathe, 1985). Cultural diversity appears to be more obvious in higher education institutions (Kuh Whitt, 2000, p.161). The ‘small homogenous society’ analogues used in anthropological studies of culture is sorely strained when applied to many contemporary institutions of higher education. Large public, multipurpose universities are comprised of many different groups whose members may or may not share or abide by all of the institution’s norms, values, practices, beliefs, and meanings. Instead of viewing colleges and universities as monolithic entities, it is more realistic to analyze them as multicultural contexts that are host to numerous subgroups with different priorities, traditions, and values (Kuh Whitt, 2000 p.161) . This study pays particular attention to academic staff and specifically those engaged at the departmental level. Therefore, from the perspective of this paper, the culture refers to values, beliefs, and assumptions developed within an academic department by academic staff and  those who manage academics through joint experiences over long periods of time. Nevertheless, disciplinary identity is not the sole source of the culture shared by academic staff members within an academic sub-unit. It is also subject to a variety of circumstances, such as national context, professional culture and organisational character (Austin, 1992; Clark, 1983, p.75; Và ¤limaa, 1998). 3.A Review of the CVF Model and the Study Methodology An Overview of the Competing Values Framework (CVF) Model The Competing Values Framework (CVF) evolved from the work of Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981, 1983) as they attempted to circumscribe the elusive definition for a generally agreed upon theoretical framework of the concept of organizational effectiveness. This framework was chosen for this study because it was experimentally derived and found to have a high degree of face and empirical validity. Additionally, the CVF was identified as having a high level of reliability matching or exceeding that of other instruments commonly used in the social and organizational sciences (Cameron and Ettington, 1988; Cameron and Quinn, 2006; Berrio, 2003). The four quadrants of the framework, representing the four major cultural types: clan, adhocracy, market, hierarchy, provide a robust explanation of the differing orientations and competing values that characterize human behavior. The richness provided by the CVF is based on its ability to identify the basic assumptions, orientations, and values of each of the four cultural types. These three elements comprise the core of organizational culture. â€Å"The OCAI, therefore, is an instrument that allows you to diagnose the dominant orientation of your own organization based on these core culture types. It also assists you in diagnosing your organization’s cultural strength, cultural type, and cultural congruence† (Cameron and Quinn,2006, p. 33). In their research concerning organizational effectiveness, Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981, 1983) statistically analyzed 39 indicators of organizational effectiveness as identified by Campbell, et al, (1974). Quinn and Rohrbaugh’s analysis resulted in the bifurcation of the 39 effectiveness criteria between two major dimensions. The first dimension, which is labeled the â€Å"Structure† dimension, differentiates the organizational effectiveness criteria between those that emphasize flexibility, discretion, and dynamism and those that  emphasize stability, order, and control. The second dimension, which is labeled the â€Å"Focus† dimension, differentiates the organizational effectiveness criteria between those that emphasize internal orientation, integration, and unity and those effectiveness criteria that emphasize an external orientation, differentiation, and rivalry (Quinn and Rohrbaugh, 1981 and 1983; Cameron and Quinn, 2006). Within each of these two dimensions there is also a third set of values, which produces an emphasis ranging from organizational processes, such as planning and goal setting at one end of the spectrum, to an emphasis on results, such as resource acquisition at the other end. Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981) labeled this third set of values as the organizational â€Å"Means –Ends† continuum. The two primary dimensions differentiating between organizational values emphasizing â€Å"Structure† and â€Å"Focus† produce four clusters of effectiveness criteria as depicted in Figure 1. The â€Å"Structure† axis is represented 100 by the â€Å"Flexibility – Control† continuum, while the â€Å"Focus† axis is represented by the â€Å"People – Organization† continuum in Figure 1 . Within each of these four quadrants the relevant â€Å"Means – Ends† values are enumerated.

Jonathan Swifts Gulliver in the Land of the Houyhnhnms Essay -- Swift

Jonathan Swift's Gulliver in the Land of the Houyhnhnms In the last voyage in Jonathan Swift's book Gulliver's Travels, "A voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms," Swift describes his idea of an ideal society. There are many examples provided in this part of the book to convince the reader that Swift is indeed illustrating his idea of a utopia. By using horses as the most reasonable creature, Swift not only defaces human society by making a beast a more powerful creature, but also shows that humans are unable to attain this perfectly reasonable society. The society that the Houyhnhnms live in is unlike any society known to man. The Houyhnhnms are perfect in the way they live their lives; they are always doing what is best for the society as a whole, as opposed to thinking only of themselves as individuals. They truly believe that the best interest for themselves is the same as the best interest of the entire species. When they choose their mates they do so with the best interest of the race as a whole in mind. "Strength is chiefly valued in the male, and comeliness in the female, not upon the account of love...," (217). This quotation illustrates that even when it comes to something like choosing their mates, they are not concerned with their own happiness. It is not even a choice that they choose to act in the best interest of the society; they do not know of an alternative way to act. They are raised to put themselves secondary to the health and well being of others. The Houyhnhnms are so perfect that Gulliver has to expla in many different basics of the human lifestyle that do not apply to their being. The Houyhnhnms do not understand the idea of justice because they are not capable of doing anything wron... ...to be extremely rational, in an effort to break away from his human tendencies. His attempt will not be successful as humans are full of passion, and therefore will never be purely rational. Gulliver eventually becomes insane in his attempt to be like the Houyhnhnms, which is Swift's way of showing that humans can not live in a society based on reason. In this section of the book, it becomes unmistakable that Swift is describing his ideal society and at the same time proving that it cannot be attained by humans. By making the perfect society one in which the ruling creature is in fact a beast in the eyes of humans, Swift portrays his hate toward the human race. This also precisely shows, that this is in fact his utopia, but that it is never attainable for human beings. Works Cited: Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. Mahwah, NJ: Watermill Press, 1983.