Riordan Manufacturing Service Essay Example for Free

Riordan Manufacturing Service Essay Riordan Manufacturing is a global plastics manufacturer employing 550 people with projected annual earnings of $46 million. The company is wholly owned by Riordan Industries, a Fortune 1000 enterprise with revenues in excess of $1 billion (Riordan Manufacturing, 2013). The plastics that Riordan produced include beverage containers, custom plastic parts, and plastic fans which are made in three different facilities in Albany, Georgia, Pontiac, Michigan, and Hangzhou, China. Their corporate headquarters resides in San Jose, California where they conduct research and development. Riordan’s customers include automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, beverage makers and bottlers, and appliance manufacturers. Stakeholders There is always room for improvement and in order to improve Riordan’s existing Human Resources department, they need to update their system. By identifying the key stakeholders, Riordan is able to better improve their HR system. The key stakeholders for Riordan include the following: Dr. Michael Riordan (President and CEO) – Determine and formulate policies and business strategies and provide overall direction of private sector organizations. Plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate managers. Jane McCall (Executive Assistant) – Provides assistance to a senior executive, including board activities, publications, volunteerism and special events planning, to create and maintain favorable public image. Kenneth Collins (SVP – RD) – Directs and coordinates activities of R D and aids Chief Executive Officer in formulating and administering organization policies. Hugh McCauley (Chief Operating Officer) – Directs, administers and coordinates the activities of the organization in support of policies, goals and objectives established by  the chief executive officer and the Board of Directors. Information-Gathering Depending on what information needs to be gathered, more than one type of gathering technique might need to be used to obtain said information. TechRepublic.com lists ten different gathering techniques which include the following: 1. One-on-one interviews – this technique involves sitting down with a client and asking what they need. However, this type of interview needs to be planned ahead of time. Certain aspects of what is required need to be known before asking any questions. 2. Group interviews – Similar to a one-on-one interview, group interviews usually have two or more clients. Since more people are involved in this interview, information can be gathered quicker and more efficiently since the same information most likely won’t be repeated. 3. Facilitated sessions – Much like the ladder, this technique involves five or more people in which you are trying to gather a set of common requirements from the group. 4. Joint application development (JAD) – Much like facilitated sessions, JAD sessions groups stay together until the original objective is complete. 5. Questionnaires – Questionnaires are a great way of gathering information from users who aren’t local. They’re also great for when you need to gather information from hundreds of users when an interview or JAD just won’t work. 6. Prototyping – This type of technique is much more modern in which something is built based on your individual needs. You then present this prototype to someone to gather more information. You’ll be able to gather whether you need to add or remove something as well in addition to what needs to be improved on. 7. Use cases – Use cases are somewhat different in the fact that you tell stories of how something works, usually told by actors. They may be easier but more detailed information will need to be gathered. 8. Following people around – When explaining something is hard to do, following them around and see what they do helps much more. You’ll begin to learn what becomes a habit and how they can improve their duties. It is also helpful to participate in the work to experience what the user is experiencing. 9. Request for proposals (RFPs) – If you are a vendor, you may receive requirements through an RFP. This list of requirements is there for you to compare against your own capabilities to determine how close a match you are to the client’s needs (T. Mochal. 2008). 10. Brainstorming – When an idea is brand new, solutions  needs to be laid out and discussed. This type of technique is best for when uncovering information isn’t really going to work; it’s best to discover new ideas and talk about them in a group. Key Factors Every business needs to closely manage the decisions they make as it can make or break them. By managing their decisions and investments, they will be able to determine if it’s a good time to move forward or focus on what needs to be completed. To ensure that Riordan’s HR department is being updated and improving, meetings need to take place to discuss any issues that might come up. There will be a meeting once a week to discuss whether goals are being met and to see what stages are being worked on. At the end of every month, there will be another meeting to discuss the weekly meetings and see if issues are being resolved. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are at the heart of any system of performance measurement and target-setting. The priority of a KPI is to focus on quantifiable factors that are clearly linked to the drivers of success in your business and your sector (Info Entrepreneurs. 2009). However, just because something can be quantifiable, it doesn’t mean that it is financially beneficial to the business. The stakeholders of Riordan will be interviewed when decisions need to be made. Once the information is gathered, it will be discussed in the meets mentioned above. Solutions will be discussed and based on what was gathered during the interviews, a final choice will be made that is best for Human Resources. To ensure that decisions are being made and information is gathered in a timely manner, there will be due dates. This will help in tracking the progress of any changes that are to be made. One of the many challenges that a business faces is time, and it needs to be managed appropriately if a system is to be improved on and working correctly. Project Scope A project scope pertains to the work necessary to deliver a product (Project Scope. 2014). There are key concepts of a project scope that need to be known and they include the following: Scope planning does not occur after only one planning sessions. The scope baseline consists of the project statement, WBS, and WBS dictionary. A collaborative approach is the most  effective method of scope planning. All stakeholders must understand the scope baseline to minimize scope creep during project execution. Scope planning is an important step as it sets a baseline of deliverables in the analysis phase. It helps lay out a plan for the future and analyze what needs to be done to a current system. It is helpful to collaborate some of the gathering techniques from previous phases to help breakdown requirements needed. Reference Riordan Manufacturing. 2013. Employee Site. Riordan Manufacturing. Retrieved from: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Riordan/index.asp Riordan Manufacturing. 2013. Job Descriptions. Retrieved from: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Riordan/HR/JobDescriptions.asp T. Mochal. 2008. TechRepublic.com. 10 techniques for gathering requirements. Retrieved from: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-techniques-for-gathering-requirements/ Info Entrepreneurs. 2009. Measure performance and set targets. Retrieved from: http://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/measure-performance-and-set-targets/ Project Cope. 2014). Project Scope. Retrieved from: http://www.projectscope.net/

Balder Essay :: essays research papers

Frigg loved Balder. She loved him so much that she tried to protect him from everything. Balder was the light of this world and everyone loved him. Frigg went around to everyone in the world and asked for their promise that they would never hurt Balder; she asked the beasts and the elements, she asked mother nature and all the other gods. They had all pledged that they would not hurt Balder, but she missed one little plant since she thought that it was too small and young to do any harm. The mistletoe on the very edge of the world was the only plant that she had not asked for his protection from harm.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She also trusted everyone. She trusted a little too much. She told Loki (who was in disguise) about this one plant that she had overlooked. She loved Balder and trusted all the gods not to put him in harm. They tested it, they threw stones and shot arrows at him which always hit the ground before they got near him. But Loki was jealous of Balder because every one loved him so much. So Loki set out to find the mistletoe. He was so jealous that he wanted Balder dead. His jealousy over took him even though he was a god. He set out and found the mistletoe without any trouble; he then came back to where all the gods were testing out Balder by throwing things at him. Loki found Balder’s blind brother and told him that he should be respectful and throw something at Balder too. So because of Loki’s jealousy he helped the blind brother aim the mistletoe at Balder and throw it. It killed Balder instantly. Even though every one knew that Loki had done it, becau se they had lost the one that they loved they were too sad to do anything about it. Frigg thought that she had made sure of Balder’s safety even though she had overlooked this one small plant. Because Frigg trusted Loki she told him about that plant, she never thought that he would have killed Balder.

History Of Rock And Roll: The Beatles Essay

If there were would be one band that achieved fame more than any other else, this band is on the top of the list. This band reached the pinnacle and forever left their mark not just in the Rock and Roll scene but in the whole music industry. Not only did they made a lasting impact on music, but they also served as one of the most unforgettable people or group in the history of the world. Their music served influential and created a social impact as well. Composed of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, this group is arguably the most popular band of all time, the Beatles. THE BEATLES A group that originated in the small bars of Liverpool, the Beatles started off as one and only band who led the â€Å"British Invasion† into the United States. Their musical style can be easily attributed to the 1950s early rock and roll but eventually they grew into different genres that ranged from pop to psychedelic rock. They became trend-setters and their clothes, statements and styles became widely popular during that era. They even became a major influence in the 1960s’ social and cultural revolutions. â€Å"Their arrival in the United States marked such a wide recognition and frenzy. Like an approaching thunderstorm, the Beatles’ arrival in America was preceded by a few low rumbles and flashes of light, none of them giving more than the slightest hint of the potency to follow. Noting the saturation coverage in England of the Beatles’ Royal Command Performance two weeks earlier, Newsweek magazine offered one of the first American impressions of the band and its music. The tone of condescension and contempt in an article in the issue of November 18, 1963, would set a standard that virtually all American media would follow for months† (Goldsmith, 2004, p. 115) They have been one of the most successful bands commercially and has been noted as a critically acclaimed band that ruled the entire music scene. The Beatles has become the band that tops the charts among the best selling musical groups of all time. They had made almost more than 40 different songs that reached the top of the charts. And not were they only famous in the United States and the United Kingdom, but they were famous in almost every continent of the world. It has been estimated that they have already sold a billion records. The music of The Beatles displayed an array of songs depicting various messages and lyrics that ranged from different emotions. They were just made up of 2 guitars, 1 bass guitar and 1 drum set, though sometimes they use other musical instruments to create variations with their music. They also incorporated the Piano in some of their songs. The Beatles were influenced by R&B music and they kept on continuing to take different influences even if they have received initial success. Most of the time, they find new lyrical and musical ideas by listening to contemporary music. Some of these influences include Bob Dylan, who made an influence on songs as â€Å"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)†, and â€Å"You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away†. There are many other influential contemporary bands that made an impact on the Beatles, some of them are the Beach boys and the Byrds. The album of the Beach Boys’ named â€Å"Pet Sounds† was strongly liked by Paul McCartney and the band’s producer claimed that without that album, the album of the Beatles’ â€Å"Sgt. Pepper† won’t even exist as good as it did. While McCartney loved the Beach Boys, John Lennon gave high praise to the King of Rock, Elvis Presley. Lennon claimed that Elvis inspired him to buy records. He thought that the early music of Elvis was just phenomenal. John Lennon got hooked on Elvis’ beat music and when he hear the song â€Å"Heartbreak Hotel†, he wanted to fall in love with music and wanted to have something to do with it. The Beatles created variations with their music. They used sound effects but â€Å"Along with studio tricks such as sound effects, unconventional microphone placements, tape loops, double tracking and vari-speed recording, The Beatles began to augment their recordings with instruments that were unconventional for rock music at the time. These included string and brass ensembles as well as Indian instruments such as the sitar as in â€Å"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)† and the swarmandel as in â€Å"Strawberry Fields Forever†. They also used early electronic instruments such as the Mellotron, with which McCartney supplied the flute voices on the intro to â€Å"Strawberry Fields Forever†, and the ondioline, an electronic keyboard that created the unusual oboe-like sound on â€Å"Baby You’re a Rich Man†. Starting off with the utilization of a string quartet organized by George Martin with ideas form Paul McCartney on â€Å"Yesterday† during the year 1965, the Beatles spearheaded a modern kind of art song, represented by the arrangement of a double-quartet string on the song â€Å"Eleanor Rugby†, â€Å"She’s Leaving Home†, and â€Å"Here There and Everywhere† during the year 1966. McCartney was also inspired by the television performance of Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 by Bach which in turn influenced him to utilize a piccolo trumpet on â€Å"Penny Lane’s† arrangement. Moving towards psychedelia with the songs â€Å"Tomorrow Never Knows† and â€Å"Rain† in the year 1966, while â€Å"Strawberry Fields Forever†, â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds†, and â€Å"I Am the Walrus† during 1967, the Beatles turned on a new leaf. Each member of the band provided almost an equal contribution. Due to the numerous songs, each member of the Beatles have created their own impact on songs whether be it heard with the rifts, the vocals, the beat or just simply by the over-all presence of the song. John Lennon and Paul McCartney provided the added lift with regards to ingenuity with their songs. Their capability to adapt with the times and even produce music that seems ahead of their time has made the Beatles as one of the best bands of all time in the world. Their performance style during the 60s’ somehow are just simple but very catchy. The crowds roar and women drool over the band member while listening to them rocking the stage. There are times where the Beatles are just performing at TV stations and most of the time they are also performing in huge stadiums, which is a first in the Rock and Roll scene. They spearheaded the stadium-performances which hosted magnanimous number of people, which by the way were all sold-out right from the get go. During the 70s, the Beatles somehow showed a correlation with art and even intertwined pop culture with mass media. Also, during one time in the 70s, they performed on one of the rooftops of a building. The crowd below listened and stopped and even caused mayhem. Police had to get up and fetch the Beatles while they were still singing â€Å"Get Back†. This is one of the most awesome performances that they have done. As the Beatles have mentioned themselves, the Beatles have been influenced by American music. One of the notable inspirations that they always mention is Elvis Presley. There’s no better influence other than the king of rock. Their music somehow professed a mixture of style and tempo of Gospel music and also a little bit of jazz. But all in all, they created a different and seemingly diverse music, a result of different influences. The Beatles reinvented social values in their music. Their style of Rock and Roll and Pop changed the social landscape. It is widely regarded that the Beatles were influenced by jack Kerouac. This American poet, writer and artist somehow made an impact on the band. â€Å"One of the key myths surrounding the Beatles’ is that their music was so artistically strong it could not fail to get to number one. This belief fails to take into account their huge ambition for fame and its rewards. In today’s usual reckoning of the Beatles as pop `artists’, we tend not to examine any of their baser motives, preferring to see them as purely motivated by a love of music and a need to communicate with the world. The Beatles themselves, it should be noted, have attempted to point out that not all their motives were pure. John in particular wielded the biggest attack against the Beatles myth – as he himself referred to it – in his 1970 Rolling Stone interview. To make it to the top he said you had to be a `bastard’ and the Beatles were in such a context the `biggest bastards on earth’. Albert Goldman’s The Lives Of John Lennon seems to have taken this remark to heart and pursued it relentlessly, missing the point of what John was trying to achieve with this comment. By making such knowingly sensational remarks, he sought to counter what he saw as widely held misconceptions of the Beatles. His remarks also served to emphasise that the Beatles were not gods, but ordinary human beings. It is from the last perspective that I have written this book – the Beatles not as four gods, but as four highly motivated, but otherwise normal, Liverpool lads. † (Rowley, 2002, p. 11). CONCLUSION If there would be one band that have made such a magnanimous impact all over the world, it has got to be the Beatles. Their musical style that ranged from variations of different genres displayed their flexibility. Their ability to adapt with the times and influence contemporary bands and the bands of today has been unmatched. Not only were they successful in the field of music but they also gained a huge following with regards to the trends that they have utilized. No other band sold more concerts or at least satisfied more people other than the Beatles. Their music has been a wonder of the world and still has that impact until today. The Beatles, unparalleled, unbeatable, unforgettable. They are just simply phenomenal. REFERENCES Goldsmith, M. (2004). The Beatles Come to America. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Rowley, D. (2002). Beatles for Sale: The Musical Secrets of the Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band

Huckleberry Finn’s Road to Maturation

Huck states to Judge Thatcher â€Å"Please take it, and don't ask me nothing—then I won't have to tell no lies† (16). That quote is said by Huck to Judge Thatcher when Huck finds his pap is in town and pap will try to take his money. The Maturation of Huckleberry Finn is important because its about Huck making the right decisions to help him and Jim to freedom. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, begins with Huck introducing himself. He is wild and carefree, playing jokes on people and believing them all to be hilarious.When his adventures grow to require more maturity than ever, there is a drastic change in his opinions, thoughts, and his views of â€Å"right and wrong†. By the time the book is over, it is apparent that he has matured greatly since the introduction of the novel. Mark Twain is making a point about Huck’s maturation; the specific point he is making is that even though Huck had a rough past he still does his best to make himse lf and his friend Jim a bright future. This analysis will include Hucks loyalty to Jim, Hucks bravery, and when Huck feels bad about his actions. Huckleberry Finn’s Road to Maturation

Great Poetry Collections to Read During Every Month of the Year

Great Poetry Collections to Read During Every Month of the Year 7 Great Poetry Collections To Read During Every Month Of The Year Now that April, national poetry month, has passed, you don’t have to put your beloved poetry away until next year. Short of taking a poetry class, or gathering your friends to meet at favorite places that still allow smokers with snapping fingers to enjoy their favorite spoken word artists, why not browse your local book store that remains open because it loves books so much it will not allow the Internet crunch of places like Amazon to close it out of business. Yes, feel the book in your hands folks, and get some new material to last the rest of the year. There are tons of poetry books out there that you have yet to read. Come on, get outside of your box and try something new and quirky. If you are already into quirky, try some romance poetry, or period pieces. It will also motivate you to perform custom writing.  I was recently exposed to the WWI British Poets, which includes Brooke, Owen, Sassoon, Rosenberg and Others, (it’s actually the title), and the entire cont ents had me in analyzing mode much longer than I had anticipated. Here are some of the favorites that seem to withstand time. If you have not read them, what are you waiting for. Grab a book, feel and smell its pages, there is nothing in the world like the smell of a bookstore! Edgar Allen Poe 1809  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ1849, The Raven If you don’t already know this poem you are in for a literary treat. This celebrated piece is pure Poe. The Raven is based on a talking raven that comes to the home of a lover who is falling into madness due to love lost. Those who love rhyming and much alliteration will want to read this one again and again. Emily Dickinson 1830  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ1886, (Any of her collections) You can’t go wrong with a collection by Emily Dickinson. This is one poet whose headstone should have read, â€Å"She did it her way.† Dickinson wrote to write. She did not fit her themes into any one genre, although the words pun, irony, satire and humor will cross your thought process while delving into the many, many lines this poet penned. Ted Hughes 1930-1998, Poet Laureate from 1984 until he died: Birthday Letters Critically acclaimed to be one of the best poets of his generation, Hughes is also famous for his controversial marriage to famous American poet Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide in 1963. Birthday Letters delves into their relationship, and one Last Letter, discovered in October 2010, gets into details what occurred during her last days before her suicide. Langston Hughes 1902 –1967, Montage of a Dream Deferred Mr. Hughes an American poet, social activist, and well-known as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance wrote Montage in the form of a Jazz session. When reading this beautiful work, get ready to dip and sit, switch and groove, because it reads like a symphony of music from deep in the heart of Harlem, moving the reader uptown and downtown, through the nights and into the following day. Get your groove shoes on and join Mr. Hughes as he reflects the Harlem he loved dearly. Sarfraz Zaidi, MD: You are not who you think you are. Poetry Collection Taking a leap forward to living poets, you may want to read the works by Dr. Zaidi. He is a rising star in the medical field. His expertise with Vitamin D, the thyroid and his stress management techniques are big on you tube. This book of his writing may now always rhyme but he is stressing living in the â€Å"right now† and that is where each and every day should bring us, to our now. Happy Reading!

Interesting Facts About Baryonyx

Interesting Facts About Baryonyx Baryonyx is a relatively recent addition to the dinosaur bestiary, and one that (despite its popularity) is still poorly understood. Here are 10 facts you may or may not have known about Baryonyx. Discovered in 1983 Considering how well-known it is, its remarkable that Baryonyx was excavated only a few decades ago, well after the golden age of dinosaur discovery. This theropods type fossil was discovered in England by the amateur fossil hunter William Walker; the first thing he noticed was a single claw, which pointed the way to a near-complete skeleton buried nearby. Greek for "Heavy Claw" Not surprisingly, Baryonyx (pronounced bah-RYE-oh-nicks) was named in reference to that prominent clawwhich, however, had nothing to do with the prominent claws of another family of carnivorous dinosaurs, the Raptors. Rather than a raptor, Baryonyx was a type of theropod closely related to Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus. Spent Its Day Hunting for Fish The snout of Baryonyx was unlike that of most theropod dinosaurs: long and narrow, with rows of studded teeth. This has led paleontologists to conclude that Baryonyx prowled the edges of lakes and rivers, plucking fish out of the water. (Want more proof? Fossilized remnants of the prehistoric fish Lepidotes have been found in Baryonyxs stomach!) Oversized Claws on Its Thumbs The piscivorous (fish-eating) diet of Baryonyx points to the function of the oversized claws this dinosaur was named after: rather than using these scary-looking appendages to disembowel herbivorous dinosaurs (like its raptor cousins), Baryonyx dipped its longer-than-usual arms in the water and speared passing, wriggling fish. Close Relative of Spinosaurus As mentioned above, the western European Baryonyx was closely related to three African dinosaursSuchomimus, Carcharodontosaurus and the truly enormous Spinosaurusas well as the South American Irritator. All of these theropods were distinguished by their narrow, crocodile-like snouts, though only Spinosaurus sported a sail along its backbone. Remains Have Been Found All Over Europe As so often happens in paleontology, the identification of Baryonyx in 1983 laid the groundwork for future fossil discoveries. Additional specimens of Baryonyx were later unearthed in Spain and Portugal, and this dinosaurs debut prompted the re-examination of a forgotten trove of fossils from England, yielding yet another specimen. Almost Twice as Many Teeth as T. Rex Granted, the teeth of Baryonyx werent nearly as impressive as those of its fellow theropod, Tyrannosaurus Rex. As small as they were, though, Baryonyxs choppers were much more numerous, 64 relatively small teeth embedded in its lower jaw and 32 relatively bigger ones in its upper jaw (compared to about 60 total for T. Rex). Jaws Angled to Keep Prey From Wriggling Free As any fisherman will tell you, catching a trout is the easy part; keeping it from wriggling out of your hands is much harder. Like other fish-eating animals (including some birds and crocodiles), the jaws of Baryonyx were shaped so as to minimize the possibility that its hard-won meal could wriggle out of its mouth and flop back into the water. Lived During the Early Cretaceous Period Baryonyx and its spinosaur cousins shared one important characteristic: They all lived during the early to middle Cretaceous period, about 110 to 100 million years ago, rather than the late Cretaceous, like most other discovered theropod dinosaurs. Its anyones guess as to why these long-snouted dinosaurs didnt survive up until the K/T Extinction event 65 million years ago. May One Day Be Renamed "Suchosaurus" Remember the day when Brontosaurus was suddenly renamed Apatosaurus? That same fate may yet befall Baryonyx. It turns out that an obscure dinosaur named Suchosaurus (crocodile lizard), discovered in the middle 19th century, may actually have been a specimen of Baryonyx; if this is confirmed, the name Suchosaurus would take precedence in the dinosaur record books.

Team Case Analysis Week 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Team Case Analysis Week 7 - Essay Example form of flexible work time arrangements, wellness programs and employee assistance programs since these are currently leading edge of innovation in benefits practice. Employee benefits are playing a progressively fundamental role in the underlying lives of the employees and their corresponding families and possess important financial and administrative effect on the business’ prospect (Armstrong, 2007). Numerous companies function within an environment where an educated workforce anticipates a comprehensive benefits program. Therefore, absence of such program or insufficient of the program normally results to serious hindrance company’s capability in regard to attraction and retention of personnel. Managers ought to be aware of the fundamental issues and be ready to undertake informed decisions when undertaking selection process of the employee benefits. Designing of the appropriate benefit plan for the employees is always an intimidation task. There exist numerous issues that must be taken into consideration when designing appropriate means of managing benefits of employees (Armstrong, 2007). Such issues entail tax and corresponding legal aspects, funding and selection of the right vendors and administrators. For numerous managers, a benefit plan is an integral section of the underlying total compensation since employers either pay the whole cost of a benefit strategy or possessing employees to contribute small portion of the underlying premium costs for their underlying coverage. In some cases charitable coverage is normally provided in which the employees pay the whole costs for the group benefits. Offering of competitive pay is one of the means that an organization can attract and maintain the highest level of employees in regard to offering employee benefits. An organization manager requires maintaining proper balance amidst turning a profit and payment of the underlying employee benefits (Armstrong, 2007). Business managers ought to exercise vigilance