Precede Proceed Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Precede Proceed Model - Essay Example As per the research conducted by Stanford University Medical Center (2003), South Asian Indian Women are more prone to heart diseases and diabetes compared to other women of the world. The primary reason behind this is their reluctance to the insulin resistance syndrome that causes high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. There is no doubt that diet plays an important role in controlling diabetes but reluctance towards insulin is one of the major problems that often aggravate the problem. Thus, it is important for health planners, policy makers and evaluators to design an effective and efficient health program pertaining to the diabetes control among South Asian Indian Women. The role of health care institutes and communities is of great importance in creating awareness along with changing the health care systems and patterns along with educating women suffering from diabetes. There is a need of global initiative and a systematic utilization of the health framework to attain he alth objectives. It is important to incorporate Precede Proceed Model’s elements while designing an effective framework for controlling diabetes along with keeping a tab on related diseases. ... There has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of Diabetes in South Asian Indian Women living in different parts of the world. The primary reason behind this is low physical activities and high fat diet. There is no denying that genetics play an important role in determining a disease but apart from it, health initiatives and perceptions also play a deciding role. It is important to create local level awareness among these women along with guiding them in an informative and logical manner on the use and importance of insulin. An initiative needs to be taken by creating health care communities bringing changes along with managing and guiding people suffering from diabetes (Gielen, McDonald, Bone, (2008). This would help in addressing the problem in a systematic manner offering great results and solutions. Precede Proceed Model Lawrence Green (1976) stated that Precede Proceed Model is a framework that helps and guides health planners, policy makers and evaluators to assess a hea lth problem along with designing an effective health programs. It includes enhancing of health and quality life by designing and implementing effective health initiatives and programs. This model requires active participation of targeted audience in order to understand problems and issues pertaining to a specific disease. This model states that health problems are influenced by both environmental and personal factors and need to be analyzed well. In this discussion, the basic health problem to be assessed and analyzed is diabetes and community based health solutions would be designed based on Precede Proceed Model. This would help in achieving the proposed objective of the discussion in a desired and systematic manner. Description of the Model The

Globalization of World Financial Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Globalization of World Financial Markets - Essay Example Research finding proving the detrimental effect ÃŽ ¿f liberalization on the financial system. The Wyplosz research paper says that the evidence based on studies ÃŽ ¿f the experience with liberalization in a sample ÃŽ ¿f 27 developing and developed economies seems to be converging to the view that liberalization contributes to both banking and currency crisis.A study by Eichengreen, Andrew Rose and Wyplosz (1995) found that the presence ÃŽ ¿f capital controls reduces the possibility ÃŽ ¿f a currency crisis. This result has been confirmed in a 1999 study by Marco Rossi (IMF working paper WP/99/66) for a sample that includes developing countriesAccording to Wyplosz study, liberalization ÃŽ ¿f financial markets may be desirable in the long term, but it is risky in the short to medium term, and developing countries should approach this as a delicate step calling for cautious policy reactions, according to a research study for the Group ÃŽ ¿f 24 on International Monetary Affairs, the devel oping country grouping at the IMF and the World Bank.In theory the liberalization ÃŽ ¿f capital accounts and financial markets, promoted and pushed by the International Monetary Fund and the international financial institutions (IFIs) is different from the push at the World Trade Organization for liberalization ÃŽ ¿f trade in financial services.However, whether it be through capital account liberalization or via the liberalization ÃŽ ¿f trade in financial services, the effect on developing countries could be the same.... According to Wyplosz study, liberalization f financial markets may be desirable in the long term, but it is risky in the short to medium term, and developing countries should approach this as a delicate step calling for cautious policy reactions, according to a research study for the Group f 24 on International Monetary Affairs, the developing country grouping at the IMF and the World Bank. In theory the liberalization f capital accounts and financial markets, promo ted and pushed by the International Monetary Fund and the international financial institutions (IFIs) is different from the push at the World Trade Organization for liberalization f trade in financial services. However, whether it be through capital account liberalization or via the liberalization f trade in financial services, the effect on developing countries could be the same, particularly in the absence f major reforms to the international monetary and financial systems. In and by itself, the study finds that liberalization does not pose a lethal threat to the balance-of-payments and may carry significant long-term gains. However, he also stated that the positive influence f liberalization is not easily confirmed and most recent studies find little or no effect though some early results suggest that fast growth and financial development go hand in hand, In the case f capital account liberalization, the peak to trough decline in the output gap exceeds 20 percent. No other shock ever seems responsible for such a massive contraction. The boom exceeds the bust in magnitude, but not in length. Thus liberalization brings about an overall gain in terms f output. With the increasing

Effective leadership characteristics

Effective leadership characteristics Intro (just a rough outline) Transformational vs transactional (here Im thinking to say something along the lines of â€Å"when evaluating leadership characteristics, the team identified more with transformational leadership† Our group used ranking to decide order in which we would prioritize (Exhibit 1 does the team want to include this?) Effective leadership has many characteristics that make it what it is, but weve narrowed down the list after tough debates and inspirational personal experiences. Effective Leadership Characteristics Visionary Ranked First To be an effective leader, our team believes that being a visionary is the most important characteristic. The team went through various different words with a similar tone, such as â€Å"strategist†, â€Å"innovative†, and â€Å"a thinker with depth and breadth†, but none of them encompassed such a broad meaning as visionary did. Being a visionary encompasses all of the above key descriptors and includes the ability to think ahead in a manner that is neither rash nor unrealistic. Having vision gives clarity to the integral processes that follow the vision during implementation. Our team examined previous class discussions on transformational leadership and having a vision was a key aspect that was critical in order to successfully fulfill other leadership requirements. For example, being a good communicator is definitely an advantage; however, without a vision, the information communicated is questionable. This is why we ranked it first. Competency Ranked Second The team initially had varied opinions about competency because of our diverse perceptions of what being competent really means. Some perceived it as unnecessary as leaders who have vision can align their followers and make them accountable for achieving the vision. Others perceived competency as more than that they viewed it as a characteristic that is not only technical but also involves knowing what steps to take in order to achieve the vision and how to effectively communicate those steps. Nevertheless, technical competency is of instrumental value as it increases efficiency due to the breadth and depth of knowledge. Other rational that served vital in convincing the rest of the team was that having competence increases ones self-confidence, helping them to better motivate and articulate their position. Communicator Ranked Third Being an outstanding communicator is essential to being an effective leader. The entire team was aligned with making this a core characteristic of effective leaders. The discussion highlighted the need to firstly communicate the vision and subsequently, to maintain a flow of information around the organization. The team discussed how when this was done in our personal experiences, we felt more involved and important in the company. One key point of reference for us was the class discussion on transformational leadership. Within all four aspects (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration), communication was either directly or indirectly a factor in being able to successfully be a transformational leader. Motivational Ranked Fourth A term that we feel is related to being a good communicator is being motivational. We believe they go hand-in-hand. Our reasoning for selecting â€Å"motivational† was because in order to achieve the vision, a leader must align his or her followers one person is often not enough. The group spoke about several different characteristics related to motivational that we also wanted to include on the list; however, while short-listing, we came to the conclusion that several of those were related to being a motivational leader. For example, the team brainstormed â€Å"inspiring† as a characteristic. Although this is a distinctive quality to have in a leader, we felt that being motivational was the appropriate term because, in a business context, it relates to stimulating ones interest in the vision while we saw inspirational as invoking a more general sense of desire to accomplish something. The team also saw a motivational leader as one who will create more leaders and this is essential in todays business environment as it has been said that many organizations are over-managed, but under-led. High Integrity Ranked Fifth The team was divided on whether or not to include integrity in the characteristics of effective leaders. Some of the team was concerned with the fact that leaders who have committed unethical deeds (i.e. the executives of the Enron scandal) did not have integrity yet were still effective in being successful prior to the scandal. We spoke in great detail about the article â€Å"Leadership Warts and All†, and although we found many of the points to be intriguing; some of the team members were inundated with questions like â€Å"are we setting our standards too low? Should we not expect honesty and integrity?† We had thoughts surrounding the idea that â€Å"it is okay to fail, and you should not compromise your values in the name of success†. The others brought up the class discussion on the first day when we spoke about leadership not having the classification of good or bad but the members for integrity highlighted that it depends on perception. Those who followe d Adolf Hitler believed he had integrity. More of the team was convinced, but there was still hesitation because according to them, â€Å"leadership is not a moral concept† (Kellerman, 2004, p. 5) being an effective leader has nothing to do with your values. The turning point was our discussion about the topic of leaders that lack integrity but are high on charisma; the â€Å"Danger Zone†.Questions that were raised within the group circled around â€Å"although the leader could be effective, how long could he or she sustain leadership before their low integrity was publicized?† Examples of this include the leaders of Enron or Nortel after the scandals, their leadership was completely overthrown and their credibility was no more. If one does not have credibility, how will he or she attract followers? Empathy Ranked Sixth The team spoke about empathy in great detail. We were heavily inclined to say â€Å"no† to empathy being a top characteristic, however there were two that felt strongly about it. The discussion revolved around what the true definition of empathy is is it related to the way you communicate to people, knowing their situation or is it a feeling that you have when you understand anothers circumstances? We answered it by giving real-life examples of how empathy is a characteristic that is more than communication. A personal experience within the team was one that many individuals face as part of an organization. Our teammate had fallen ill one day and telephoned his manager to let him know that he was unwell. The manager, showing a lack of empathy, instructed him to come into work anyway. The manager failed to put himself into our teammates shoes and this negatively affected his perceived leadership style. The teammate felt more and more disengaged, almost resentful towards his ma nager. An example from a team member who had a great experience was about how his manager was empathetic towards the specific direction in which he wanted to go. He would take the time to understand our teammates future aspirations and would make it his duty to seek out the most relevant projects. In another real life experience, the manager would take the time to understand the diverse culture of his team so that he would be more empathetic to the differences surrounding them. These experiences were a catalyst to emphasize the fact that empathy was a definite characteristic of effective leaders amongst our team. Passionate Ranked Seventh In all great leaders there is a purpose and intensity. To our team, passion is an internal and self-generated tool.   Effective leaders should have the ability to concentrate on their purpose, motivate not only themselves but also their followers to the common purpose. Their attitude sets the mood for everyone around them and their followers get excited if the leader is excited. There was a general consensus within the team for passionate to be one of the main characteristics. The feeling was solidified even more with a personal example of an effective team lead who was extremely passionate about his work in software coding. The team lead would spend his own time learning more about coding. He would share his findings with the team in a manner that was both exciting and intriguing. Both his work and the teams work were positively influenced because of the authentic passion this leader shared. Becoming a More Effective Leader Building a Transformational Leader During our analysis, we discovered that these characteristics are dependent on each other in order to be effective. Leaders with a vision need to be able to communicate that vision passionately in order to align their followers. In â€Å"Leadership for Extraordinary Performance†, Joseph DiStefano highlights the need for the visionary to express â€Å"personal confidence and enthusiasm† (DiStefano, 2000, p. 1). Leading your organization with passion is extremely important when communicating the vision. It seems as though a leader without vision, passion and communication is an ineffective leader, while a leader that has a high degree of all three is a motivational leader (refer to Exhibit 2a). He or she has a consistent vision in mind, and is able to communicate that vision effectively with enthusiasm which is a critical step in aligning your followers and motivating them to achieve the vision. The story discussed above about the leader who was so passionate about coding was not the only attribute that made him the best leadership experience for our teammate. He was able to see ahead and know what the team needed to do before anyone else did this is what differentiated him from the rest of the team. Team 423 argues that if you have passion and are able to communicate that to your colleagues, you are an engaged team member. It is your ability to be a visionary in addition to those that makes you a leader. In combination with the above characteristics, we feel that leadership is also dependent on ones competencies. If a leader has vision, communication skills and passion but no competency, he or she is ill-equipped to be effective (refer to Exhibit 2b). One of our team members worked under a CEO of a small company. The CEO was a former salesman and his interests were only focused on increasing sales and not building customer loyalty or providing adequate support. He had a vision of using the products uniqueness in the industry to market it to customers; he had the communication skills and passion to both inform and align his employees; however the company suffered as time went on because he did not factor in the customer relations aspect of the business. His lack of knowing what to do to be successful led the company to many reports with the Better Business Bureau and constant customer complaints to the head office. Building on our illustration of how these characteristics are dependent upon each other, we proceed to analyze motivational and empathetic. Although motivational was touched upon with communication, the team feels that it is also separate because of the need for individualized consideration. We are speaking about these characteristics not in terms of broadly aligning employees, rather in terms of providing them to employees based on their own set of unique strengths and weaknesses. A leader without empathy and motivation becomes a â€Å"power wielder† (Kellerman, 2004, p. 3) given that he or she has the other characteristics we have discussed (refer to Exhibit 2c). Being a more effective leader means, as Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones put it, â€Å"giving people what they need, not what they want† (Goffee Jones, 2000, p. 7). Effective leaders are genuinely concerned with what their employees aspirations are and will point them in the right direction even if it means co mmunicating areas of weakness. While pointing out the weakness, the leader should also motivate the employee to improve and achieve his (her) goal. When a leader has all these characteristics, we believe that he (she) is very close to becoming what we believe, is an effective transformational leader. Nevertheless, how good are all of these characteristics if the leader cannot uphold them? Once the leaders integrity is broken, his (her) characteristics are no longer legitimate. The fundamental vision which was so necessary becomes a fraud. The leader that has all the above characteristics cannot be exhibiting a true display of being a visionary (refer to exhibit 2d). Staying true to your vision, or in other words, leading by example, is undermined when a leader does something that is inconsistent with their values or vision. The team also feels that there is a lack of genuine motivation and empathy for the employees and this leads us to believe that an effective leader with low integrity is really a pseudo-transformational leader.One of our teammates had an experience where his manager would display all of the positive characteristics we have spoken about to his own managers, however, the reality was he was taking credit for successful projects and blaming others for failed initia tives. The display of leadership, in this case, was false and it served to undermine his leadership ability to our team member. On the contrary, a leader with all characteristics is a full and effective transformational leader. Leveraging Natural Strengths Some leaders are naturally stronger in one characteristic, and they leverage that to be more effective. (Can someone think of an example to put in here Made up or real is fine) Leaders who lack technical knowledge can benefit from leveraging their other strengths. Relying and trusting your employees to use their expertise you may not have empowers them and is a vital aspect in creating more leaders. We are in accord with Goffee and Jones when it comes to revealing select weaknesses to establish trust, collaboration, and solidarity. While leveraging natural strengths is something the team believes should be done, a leader should be looking to continuously improve. In class we discussed effective leaders who may not be comfortable speaking in public, and saw how one leader drastically improved his skills by joining a Toastmasters Club. We are also increasingly seeing more managers in training programs to increase their competencies in new technologies and methodologies. Using These Characteristics to Differentiate Leaders from Managers The teams analysis also revealed distinguishing factors between leaders and managers. We found that managers and workers relate more to the day-to-day work and tend not to think about the long-term strategy or vision of the organization and therefore, some processes that should be maximized to achieve long-term gains are completed to attain short term success. Through our personal experiences, we also found that they are more focused on performance rather than development and improvement. A visionary leader attaches the skills of his (her) team in to a vision, incorporating performance into team development and advancement while placing importance on both long-term and short-term strategies. â€Å"Leaders motivate people; managers manipulate assets† (Cuneo, 2005). How can managers be better leaders by motivating their employees? In all of our positive personal experiences, motivation was a key aspect. Being motivational does not need to mean inspiring a crowd of five hundred. Instead, the team appreciated open-door communication and individualized inspiration through words of encouragement when we failed, and recognition when we succeeded. We specified leaders who guided us in the right direction instead of telling us the exact move. Beginning with a simple â€Å"good job, youre almost there!† or â€Å"I know you can do it, lets try that again† proved to be effective and meaningful. According to Level 5 Leadership, a manager is described as competent, but not a leader.Our team interpreted this as a technically competent manager who lacks the softer characteristics such as empathy, vision, motivation, and etcetera. Competency is a necessary requirement for an effective manager; however it is not the foremost characteristic a manager can possess. In class, we discussed how Level 5 Leadership can be seen in any level on the pyramid. Many people possess humility and professional will at all levels it is something that transcends your leadership capabilities. Improving Leadership in Business Today In todays business world, several new issues have come into play and the leadership characteristics we discussed are relevant to the times we face at the present. In class, we spoke about multi-generational workforces, ethics, and diversity. The team will briefly discuss how each one of these issues can be positively affected by leadership. The multi-generational workforce we face today goes both ways. Older employees are taking advantage of continuing to work after the age of sixty-five and the younger generation is storming the workforce with new expectations to suit their lifestyles. Being able to manage each end of the spectrum will prove to be an asset to any leader. Through communicating effectively, a leader can avoid the problems that arise when dealing with a multi-generational work force. Speaking to your employees about their expectations and goals are paramount to being able to successfully manage both older and younger workers. We cannot assume that a younger worker wants to be the CEO of the company, just as we cannot assume that an older worker does not want to spend time outside of the office with his (her) colleagues. Using communication to directly ask the employees what they want out of the job will help to avoid misunderstandings as well as misconstrued expectations of the other. Empathy is also a characteristic that is essential in managing a multi-generational workforce. Being able to understand where someone is coming from means taking the time to comprehend their reasoning for certain matters, but it also means providing them with what they need based upon their experiences. A person with empathy can connect to and build trust with several different types of people based on the fact that they are able to understand where the other is coming from. A leader must make the â€Å"effort to understand why people do what they do† (Cook Ross Inc., 2004). After understanding your workers, it becomes easier to motivate them. We developed insight into motivation after discussing our different experiences. What motivates us as people varies; even the style of motivation varies. Some members responded well to a realistic motivator while others enjoyed a more casual, humorous style of motivation. Learning about your employees helps determine the style of motivation you should adapt. â€Å"It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it† (Warren Buffet). This quote describes how easy it is to falter in the area of integrity. Ethics has become a key aspect of leadership today. With the number and magnitude of corporate scandals, it is easy to say you stand for something than it is to actually prove it. Effective leaders must stand by the values they purport, therefore, they should not keep values that they may have the possibility of violating. The team is not saying this is easy, but it is a standard that should be upheld especially when thinking about future leaders. A manager must lead by example and focus on the behavioural outcomes more than the performance outcomes.Set the expectations at where you believe you can legitimately operate at leaders are not perfect after all. In todays globalized market, diversity is an ever-increasing factor in organizations. We feel that the struggles of managing diversity can be mediated with a competent, empathetic, and communicative leader. Competency comes into play when a leader is aware of differences and able to manage diversity. The manager should be able to align the thought processes of diverse interest groups to the common vision. How do they accomplish this? Through empathy and communication. We discussed a personal experience earlier of how a manager took the time to understand his diverse team by openly communicating about differences in cultures and work ethics. Politicians often learn to attract a very diverse array of voters. Barrack Obamas slogan, â€Å"yes we can†, was centralized enough that it applied to various groups in the United States but his meetings with senior citizens versus Mexican immigrants were extremely different. The two groups had different priorities and expectations. A manag er who takes the time to understand where his (her) employees are coming from, will find it easier to motivate them successfully. In conclusion, based on our analysis and course material study, we believe that there is no perfect recipe or readymade solution to be an effective leader. However, having the characteristics discussed above and using them appropriately places one on the right track to be an effective leader.

Forensic Scientists Essay -- Criminal Investigative Laboratories, DNA

â€Å"Even with the reliability of DNA examinations, forensic scientists need additional safeguards to ensure the significance of their findings are not over- or under-interpreted† (Willis, 2011, p77). While laboratory techniques for DNA recovery and profiling are well established in criminal investigative laboratories (Bond, et al, 2007, p129), it can be argued that a possible weakness of the use of national databases are understaffing and/or under training of investigators and laboratory staff. Standardization of testing, analysis, evaluation and result presentation to the courts such as that the jury may understand how many people in the population are possible to match the particular DNA profile. This allows the jury to decide on all information presented to direct judgment (Lincoln, 1997, p26). Walsh et al. derived â€Å"an inferential model for DNA database performance using data from major national DNA database programs in 2010 using the parameters that optimizes desirable database outputs as matches† (Walsh et al., 2010, p1556). Research has taken â€Å"important steps toward identifying measures of performance for forensic DNA database operations† (Walsh et al., 2010, p1556). With the expansion of the national DNA database, hit â€Å"rates will continue to increase as approximately 25,000 to 35,000 new arrestee and convicted offender DNA profiles are entered† monthly (Gabriel et al., 2009, p408). Proper use of national DNA databases will strengthen both laboratory and policy efforts with â€Å"standards that guard against bias and error† (NAS, 2009, p111). Regardless of methods, automation or legislation laboratories and criminal investigators involved in forensic sciences must maintain integrity and professional training to expect credibility... ...f how a sample is deemed suitable for entry into the National DNA Database. For example the FBI Criminal Justice Information Service Division (Wide Area Network) recognizes entry into the NDIS of a forensic profile requires a DNA profile to contain ten or more specific CODIS core loci (FBI, 2011). As of 2010, England maintains authority at a National level under Home Office and National DNA Database Strategy Board (FSS, 2010) to regulate NDNAD entries under seven of 10 core loci requirement. These regulations can often change as technology advances such as that in England new PCR kits allow for testing of 15 loci, and as such if DNA samples are capable of being individualized by an increased number of loci authorities will have to address the possibility of enhanced core loci regulations for entry into national databases, while other countries advance accordingly.

Operations Management Review Questions

INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Spring 2012-ASSIGNMENT # 1 Name 1: ————————————————— ID # ———————————————— Name 2: ————————————————— ID # ———————————————— Question # 1 [15 Marks] Bob Richards, the production manager of Zychol Chemicals, is preparing his quarterly report, which is to include a productivity analysis for his department. One of the inputs is production data prepared by Sharon Walford, his operation analyst. The report, which she gave him this morning, showed the following. |2011 |2012 | |Production (units) |4,5 00 |6,000 | |Raw material used (barrel of petroleum by-products) |700 |900 | |Labor hour |22,000 |28,000 | |Capital cost applied to the department ($) |375,000 |620,000 |Bob new the his labor cost per hour has increased from average of $13 per hour to an average of $14 per hour, primarily due to a move by management to become more competitive with a new company that had just opened a plant in the area. He also knew that his average cost per barrel of raw material had increased from $320 to $360. He was concerned about the accounting procedures that increased his capital cost from $375,000 to $620,000, but earlier discussions with his boss suggested that there was nothing that could be done about the allocation. Bob wondered if his productivity had increased at all.He called Sharon into the office and conveyed the above information to her and asked her to prepare this part of the report. Discussion Question; 1- Prepare the productivity part of the report for Mr Richards. He probably expects some analysis of productivity inputs for all factors, as well as a multifactor analysis for both years with the change in productivity (up or down) and the amount noted. 2- Assume additional information related to the cost of production were available. The cost per unit for 2011 was $120 and for 2012 was $125. Considering the increase in the cost is there a change in multifactor productivity growth? Solution Q1:Question # 2 [15 Marks] Forecasts based on average. Given the following data: (Stevenson page 96) |Period |Number of Complaints | |1 |60 | |2 |65 | |3 |55 | |4 |58 | |5 |64 | Prepare a forecast using each of these approaches: a. The appropriate naive approach. [2 marks] b. A three period moving average. [3 marks] c. A weighted average using weight of 0. (most recent), 0. 3 and 0. 2. [4 marks] d. Exponential smoothing with a smoothing constant of 0. 4. [6 marks] Solution Q2: Question # 3 [15 Marks] Using seasonal relatives, Apple’s Citrus Fruit Farm ships boxed fruit anywhere in Middle East. Using the following information, forecast shipments for the first four months of next year. |Month |Seasonal Relatives |Month |Seasonal Relatives | |January |1. 2 |July |0. 8 | |February |1. 3 |August |0. | |March |1. 3 |September |0. 7 | |April |1. 1 |October |1. 0 | |May |0. 8 |November |1. 1 | |June |0. 7 |December |1. 4 | The monthly equation being used is Yt = 402 + 3t Where t = 0 correspond to January of two years ago Yt = Number of boxes of fruits expected to ship in month t. Solution Q3:Question # 4 [15 Marks] Consider the following two techniques for forecasting F1 and F2. The actual and the two sets of forecast are as follows |Period |Demand |F1 |F2 | |1 |68 |66 |66 | |2 |75 |68 |68 | |3 |70 |72 |70 | |4 |74 |71 |72 | |5 |69 |72 |74 | |6 |72 |70 |76 | |7 |80 |71 |78 | . Calculate the MAD, for each set of forecast. Given your results, which technique appears to be more accurate? Explain b. Calculate the MSE, for each set of forecast. Given you r results, which technique appears to be more accurate? c. Calculate the MAPE, for each set of forecast. Given your results, which technique appears to be more accurate? Solution Q4: Question # 5 [10 Marks] Rick Wing, salesperson for Wave Soldering Systems, Inc. (WSSI), has provided you with a proposal for improving the temperature control on your present machine.The machine uses a hot-air knife to cleanly remove excess solder from printed circuit boards; this is a great concept, but the hot-air temperature control lacks reliability. According to Wing, engineers at WSSI have improved the reliability of the critical temperature controls. The new system still has the four sensitive integrated circuits controlling the temperature, but the new machine has a backup for each. The four integrated circuits have reliabilities of 0. 90, 0. 92, 0. 94, and 0. 96. The four backup circuits all have a reliability of 0. 90. ) What is the reliability of the new temperature controller? b) If you pay a premium, Wing says he can improve all four of the backup units to 0. 93. What is the reliability of this option? Solution Q5: Question # 6 [15 Marks] A weather satellite has an expected life of 16 years from the time it is place into earth’s orbit. Determine its probability of failure after each of the following lengths of service. (Assume Exponential distribution is appropriate. ) [2. 5 marks each a, b, c, and d] a. More than 9 years b. Less than 12 years c. More than 9 years but less than 12 years . At least 21 years Solution Q6: Question # 7 [15 Marks] An office manager has received a report from a consultant that includes a section on equipment replacement. The report indicates the scanners have a service life time that is Normally distributed with a mean of 41 months and standard deviation of 4 months. On the basis of this information, determine the percentage of scanners can be expected to fail in the following time periods. a. Before 38 months of service b. Between 4 0 and 45 months of service c. Within 2 months of the mean life Solution Q7:

Iran Country Assessment

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a country governed by a regime that began with a revolution headed by Ayatollah Khomeini over two decades ago. Khomeini was the first to label the United States as the ‘Great Satan. ’ Although the Iranian government denies it, terrorism has been actively supported, both materially and morally, for years by Iran and Iran supports efforts damaging to the U. S. If the more extreme elements in Iran continue to hold power and arm themselves with nuclear weapons, the international repercussions would be far-reaching.Understanding of Iran is important for members of the U. S. Armed Forces in order to comprehend the scope of Iran’s extremist’s leanings. On the other hand, many of Iran’s citizens love the United States and are resentful of Iran’s oppressive regime. The anti democracy and hindrance of personal liberty have taken a large toll on the Iranian youth. Iran’s younger generation has put forth a lot of res istance against this oppressive regime. Over two thirds of Iran’s population is under the age of 30, which is good from an operational standpoint.This massive amount of young people generally feels that there is hope to moderate if not remove the oppressive regime. Recently a few young Iranians have been frustrated to the point of actively demonstrating against the regime. It is also important to mention many younger Iranians want improved relations with the United States. Most urban Iranians have access to the Internet and satellite television and are able to compare their standard of living with that of the United States and Western Europe.The Kurdish people believe that they are a nation in itself that are deserving of a sovereign homeland. After the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, many Kurdish sided with the Iranian leftist and protested against Ayatollah Khomeini and his regime. In 1979, the Kurdish formed a rebellion, which ended with thousands of Kurdish dea d. Shortly after this, Khomeini centered his power and banded Kurds from serving in government office and greatly enforced freedom of expression.The Party of Free Life of Kurdistan is a militant group that is based out of Iraq but has been consistently performing operations in Iran. Iran has prepared to conduct military action against the group and has moved a large portion of Iran’s military to Kurdistan to hinder the uprising of the militant group. The Party of Free Life of Kurdistan would be a great asset to possible future operation in Kurdistan. The party is semi supportive of the United States but will most likely be more than willing to help in U.S operations in Iran due to their long-term goal of destroying the regime. Iran is a tough operational problem set due to their advanced military and technical power. Operations in Iran should be focused on using the people of Iran to include the youth and Kurdish people. Intelligence operations would be better suited for usin g Iran’s youth because they are more supportive of the Untied States and have the ability to work in Iran’s government and military. The Kurdish are not trusted in the government and would not be able to provide accurate intelligence.Operations should be held out of North East Iraq due to the likelihood of Iraq cooperating with the United States during operations. Iraq has a large portion of Kurdistan and it would be easy to work with the Kurds right out of Iraq. Iran and Iraq have a long history of war which only furthers Iraqs likelihood of helping the U. S. Iran is a very dynamic and technologically advanced country, which presents many intelligence issues. The help of Kurdistan, Iranian youth and Iraq would greatly increase the likelihood of operational success in Iran.