Process and Project Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Process and Project Systems - Essay Example ome, visiting some bank, airport, railway station, bakery or a shopping mall, a school, college or a university, you will find the application of this very important machine every where. Now, with the advancement of science and technology, super computers have been developed which is the most advanced type of computers till now. Super computers carry out highly sensitive tasks such as in aeronautical laboratories, or space stations etc. This is a simulated project for the construction of Centre for Technology in Government (CTG) which has the area around 250,000 square feet. It is actually a facility that is exclusively designed to place world class super computers and nuclear weapon design staff. Since working on nuclear weapons is a highly a sensitive task, equally sensitive is the case with the construction of this CTG. This place is aimed to further the previous developments carried out in this field but in a safe and secure environment with professionalism. Since it is a large project that has to cater for the country’s current as well as the future needs, it is highly desirable that its construction should be done after pondering upon various aspects and their proper integration or link should be developed. from the point of view of a constructor, by integration I mean that there should be a thorough understanding of the previous needs as well as the prediction of the needs in the times to come i.e. fu ture; as it is a very costly project, the building should be constructed in a way that it remains workable in future, for example, if currently we need 10 super computers, the building should be designed to house 30 computers, no matter currently the space for 20 computers will be practically unused. This type of planning is necessary because at that time when 30 computers will be needed, there will be enough space to house them. On the contrary if it does not happen i.e. no space is left for future needs, then certainly a new CTG will be constructed; it will

Islamic Art and Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Islamic Art and Architecture - Essay Example Under caliphs 'Abd al-Malik, al-Wahid I and al-Wahid II, the sense of dynastic pride indulged through a heady consciousness of family power found its most public expression in ambitious building campaigns Between 690 and 750, architecture became a family business backed by the immense financial resources of the Islamic state swollen by the accumulated booty of the Arab conquests and by the taxation revenue which came pouring in at the disposal of the Umayyad builders. "There was both the will and the means to embark on grandiose building projects." Undue parochialism was avoided although there was the exclusivity of the massive building programme of the Umayyads in Syria: most favoured land in the Islamic empire, Damascus its principal city is the capital of the empire, agricultural installations, abundant wealth. Importing craftsmen and materials from the Byzantium to Aphrodito in Upper Egypt documents an Islamic corve system One governor provided money to cover living expenses of men to work on the Damascus mosque Stucco sculpture of Persian type, Iraqi techniques of vault construction, mouldings from south-eastern Anatolia, figural style in Coptic sculpture evidence style and building practice of Syria. Position of Syria draw inspiration from the major cultures yoked together to bring Graeco-Roman, Egypt, North Africa, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Persia. "The fact that those same Umayyads were not a family of local Syrian notables but the representatives of the greatest empire in the contemporary world gave their art a mission of the utmost seriousness." Forms and ideas of classical art were much better understood in Syria that entered the bloodstream of Islamic art resulting to familiar Western column... Undue parochialism was avoided although there was the exclusivity of the massive building programme of the Umayyads in Syria: most favoured land in the Islamic empire, Damascus its principal city is the capital of the empire, agricultural installations, abundant wealth. "The fact that those same Umayyads were not a family of local Syrian notables but the representatives of the greatest empire in the contemporary world gave their art a mission of the utmost seriousness." The helicoidal tower of the Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo composed of a central cylinder around which twists an external stircase which Hillenbrand suggested to have originated from Zoroastrian Persia towers of the more ancient Mesopotamian ziggurat Abbasid art is much understood through Samarra as new way of carving surfaces called bevelled style and repetition of abstract geometric or pseudo-vegetal forms called arabesque were used as wall decoration Jawhar the Sicilian, commander of the Fatimid troops sent by the Fatimid Caliph Almuiz to conquer Egypt, founded Cairo in 358 AH / 969 SD and built Al-Azhar mosque, now including the Al-Azhar University It is characterised by major technical

Applicability of Multiculturalism or Melting Pot Theory Essay

Applicability of Multiculturalism or Melting Pot Theory - Essay Example As such, he identifies himself more with Chinese cultural orientation than that of being either a Mexican or an America. The concept of culture has evolved through time. It was initially viewed as an intriguing complex sociological framework since it reflects the elaborate interaction of values, attitudes, perceptions and behavior displayed by a particular society. Eventually, culture emerged as a more multifarious and dynamic view that encompasses theories of diversity and multiculturalism. In the United States, a land of opportunities, sociologists and experts in cultural theories have separate contentions regarding applying the concept of multiculturalism or respecting the retention of distinct and diverse cultures. I hereby believe that multiculturalism is more beneficial for America rather than merging cultures exemplified in the melting pot theory. The concept of multiculturalism has existed for a long time as manifested by people who migrated to the U.S. and share more than one cultural orientations (Wong; Chavez; Saleem). Its historical existence is proof that multiculturalism in the United States is beneficial; otherwise, regulations would have been enacted to curtail this. According to Linda Chavez in her discourse entitled â€Å"Demystifying Multiculturalism†, â€Å"multiculturalism is not a grassroots movement. It was created, nurtured, and expanded through government policy. Without the expenditure of vast sums of public money, it would wither away and die† (113). Chavez asserted that multiculturalism has long been practiced and validly supported by policy makers through encouraging people from different cultures to migrate. (My professor said this quote was used incorrectly, which means, this quote doesn’t fit in this paragraph.)Immigration policies in the United States have monitored and restric ted the number of people from different races who opt to reside in the country. There are regulations that assist in providing a balance in cultural forces that are seen to be beneficial in terms of contributions to economic, social, technological, and political growth. Chavez has asserted that multiculturalism encouraged educational institutions to focus on â€Å"bilingual education and other multicultural services† (2). Therefore, there are forces that spur economic activities driven by the increasing number of people from various cultures. Multiculturalism is also more beneficial in terms of contributing to diversity. In contrast to the melting pot theory, through multiculturalism, traditional values and norms are preserved. From the video entitled The Great American Melting Pot, the Statue of Liberty was shown to hold a book of recipes that show the melting pot to be comprised of people from diverse nationalities. However, the video does not clearly indicate that these pe ople lose their cultural identities in the process (Schoolhouse Rock). Chavez indicated that â€Å"a whole new industry of "diversity professionals" has emerged to help managers cope with the expected deluge of non-white workers† (1). Multiculturalism has created a demand for professionals to focus on training people to realize the benefits of employing diverse people in their workforce. Likewise, diversity has opened potentials for accommodating traditional values and learning to adapt to new ones. Tahir expressed her preference to practice the way of life in America, she still respected the tradition of pre-arranged marriage; where her parents would solicit potential suitors according to a predefined qualification. The suitors with most preferred qualifications would eventually be streamlined and would be the basis of selecting the favored husband. Likewise, Wong allegedly

History of Statistics Essay Example for Free

History of Statistics Essay The history of statistics can be said to start around 1749 although, over time, there have been changes to the interpretation of the word statistics. By the 18th century, the term statistics designated the systematic collection ofdemographic and economic data by states. In the early 19th century, the meaning of statistics broadened to include the discipline concerned with the collection, summary, and analysis of data. Today statistics is widely employed in government, business, and all the sciences. Electronic computers have expedited statistical computation, and have allowed statisticians to develop computer-intensive methods. The Word statistics have been derived from Latin word â€Å"Status† or the Italian word â€Å"Statista†, meaning of these words is â€Å"Political State† or a Government. Shakespeare used a word Statist is his drama Hamlet (1602). In the past, the statistics was used by rulers. The application of statistics was very limited but rulers and kings needed information about lands, agriculture, commerce, population of their states to assess their military potential, their wealth, taxation and other aspects of government. Gottfried Achenwall used the word statistik at a German University in 1749 which means that political science of different countries. In 1771 W. Hooper (Englishman) used the word statistics in his translation of Elements of Universal Erudition written by Baron B.F Bieford, in his book statistics has been defined as the science that teaches us what is the political arrangement of all the modern states of the known world. There is a big gap between the old statistics and the modern statistics, but old statistics also used as a part of the present statistics. During the 18th century the English writer have used the word statistics in their works, so statistics has developed gradually during last few centuries. A lot of work has been done in the end of the nineteenth century. At the beginning of the 20th century, William S Gosset was developed the methods for decision making based on small set of data. During the 20th century several statistician are active in developing new methods, theories and application of statistics. Now these days the availability of electronics computers is certainly a major factor in the modern development of statistics. * Statistics helps in providing a better understanding and exact description of a phenomenon of nature. * Statistical helps in proper and efficient planning of a statistical inquiry in any field of study. * Statistical helps in collecting an appropriate quantitative data. * Statistics helps in presenting complex data in a suitable tabular, diagrammatic and graphic form for an easy and clear comprehension of the data. * Statistics helps in understanding the nature and pattern of variability of a phenomenon through quantitative obersevations. * Statistics helps in drawing valid inference, along with a measure of their reliability about the population parameters from the sample data. * Actuarial science is the discipline that applies mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in the insurance and finance industries. * Biostatistics is a branch of biology that studies biological phenomena and observations by means of statistical analysis, and includes medical statistics. * Business analytics is a rapidly developing business process that applies statistical methods to data sets (often very large) to develop new insights and understanding of business performance opportunities * Chemometrics is the science of relating measurements made on a chemical system or process to the state of the system via application of mathematical or statistical methods. * Demography is the statistical study of all populations. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic population, that is, one that changes over time or space. * Econometrics is a branch of economics that applies statistical methods to the empirical study of economic theories and relationships. * Environmental statistics is the application of statistical methods to environmental science. Weather, climate, air and water quality are included, as are studies of plant and animal populations. * Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine. * Geostatistics is a branch of geography that deals with the analysis of data from disciplines such as petroleum geology,hydrogeology, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, geochemistry, geography. * Operations research (or Operational Research) is an interdisciplinary branch of applied mathematics and formal science that uses methods such as mathematical modeling, statistics, and algorithms to arrive at optimal or near optimal solutions to complex problems. * Population ecology is a sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment. * Psychometrics is the theory and technique of educational and psychological measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. * Quality control reviews the factors involved in manufacturing and production; it can make use of statistical sampling of product items to aid decisions in process control or in accepting deliveries. * Quantitative psychology is the science of statistically explaining and changing mental processes and behaviors in humans. * Statistical finance, an area of econophysics, is an empirical attempt to shift finance from its normative roots to a positivistframework using exemplars from statistical physics with an emphasis on emergent or collective properties of financial markets. * Statistical mechanics is the application of probability theory, which includes mathematical tools for dealing with large populations, to the field of mechanics, which is concerned with the motion of particles or objects when subjected to a force. * Statistical physics is one of the fundamental theories of physics, and uses methods of probability theory in solving physical problems. * Statistical thermodynamics is the study of the microscopic behaviors of thermodynamic systems using probability theory and provides a molecular level interpretation of thermodynamic quantities such as work, heat, free energy, and entropy.

Communication and Culture: The Benefits of Beginning Foreign Language Study Early :: Research Papers

Communication and Culture: The Benefits of Beginning Foreign Language Study Early As global awareness increases, American interest in the study of languages other than English increases apace. Unlike early programs which did not teach â€Å"languages†¦primarily to learn oral/aural communication, but to learn for the sake of being ‘scholarly’ or, in some instances, for gaining a reading proficiency in the foreign language† (Brown 18), the twentieth century began to focus on communicative goals, and a variety of new theories and methods for teaching were put forth. A common goal has emerged, and modern programs push students towards fluency. Therefore, more research is being conducted into the best possible ways to create competent communicators. The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines communicative competence as â€Å"the ability not only to apply the grammatical rules of a language in order to form grammatically correct sentences but also to know when and where to use these sentences and to whom† (Richards, Platt, and Platt 65). As scholars search for the best ways to achieve communicative competence, they emphasize the importance of beginning language study early. The critical period hypothesis first put forth by Lenneberg in the late 1960’s holds â€Å"that there is a limited developmental period during which it is possible to acquire a language†¦to normal, nativelike levels† (Birdsong, 1). At the most generous estimate, this critical period is thought to extend from the age of 2 only until puberty, and some estimates posit a much narrower window (for more information on the possible causes of the critical period, see Birdsong, 7-9). According to Krashen, Long, and Scarcella, although â€Å"adults and older children in general initially acquire the second language faster than young children (oldest-is-better for rate of acquisition), †¦child second language acquirers will usually be superior in terms of ultimate attainment (younger-is-better in the long run)† (574). This eventual attainment includes superior pronunciation skills (Fledge 101) when compared with learners who began their study later in life. Although â€Å"starting age determines the levels of [communicative] accuracy achieved, particularly in pronunciation† (Ellis qtd. in Nunan 41), beginning young has an additional advantage. The young learner has many years of schooling left in which to explore this new language, and â€Å"the number of years’ exposure contributes greatly to the overall communicative fluency of the learners† (Ellis qtd. in Nunan 41). Although the pace of the young learner may be slower than that of the older learner, â€Å"when language learning begins earlier, it can go on longer and provide more practice and experience, leading ultimately to greater fluency and effectiveness† (Curtain and Pesola, Languages and Children 3) than is generally achieved when study begins after puberty.

Othello – Act three scene three is one of the most important scenes in this play

Act three scene three is one of the most important scenes in this play; this is because it is the scene when we see Iago has successfully manipulated Othello into believing that Desdemona has not been faithful to him, this is very significant to the rest of the play as it affects everything Othello the main character thinks, feels and says from this point onwards. At the start we see a noble character, who by the end of the scene is left on his knees swearing revenge on his wife. Act three scene three is also the longest scene in the play, which reflects its importance because so much develops and evolves throughout this period. During act three scene three we can actually begin to see the importance of the scene to the rest of the play, as the plot really starts to move forward, this is once Iago has planted his seeds of suspicion in Othello's mind and starts to water them so that the suspicion will grow. This is a significant development in the play as we see Iago put the plans he spoke of in earlier soliloquies and asides into action. In act three scene three just as Cassio hurriedly leaves the room Iago says â€Å"Ha! I like not that† this is said to arose suspicion in Othello's mind as once this has been said Iago leaves Othello to ponder the various diabolical meanings provided within this short statement, which makes him quite agitated and irritable. At the end of the scene we also see a completely transformed Othello who uses vulgar language and crude animal imagery such as â€Å"I had rather be a toad and live upon the vapour of a dungeon. Than keep a corner in the thing I love for others uses. This is a clear influence of Iago upon Othello who know seems more violent. Towards the end of the scene the decided plan of action will be for Othello to kill both Cassio and Desdemona, we know this as he says, â€Å"I will withdraw to furnish me with some swift means of death for the fair devil. † This is linked to the rest of the play because we can see Iago's plan is starting to work, and that he has manipulated Othello enough to make him think Desdemona is unfaithful so much so he now wants to kill her, this shows a complete transformation in Othello's character. The scene is also important as it reveals the true extent of Iago's devilish nature and how he goes about putting it to use by manipulating Othello in way the audience would not have thought possible, he manages to tear Othello and Desdemona's seemingly strong relationship up within a relatively short period of time, although we have already seen this side of Iago before when he shouts to Barbantio in act one scene one â€Å"an old black ram is tupping your white yew. This reveals part of his racist crude ways as well as showing us how deceitful he truly is in as much as he is pretending Roderigo is saying these things, he also reveals the marriage of Othello and Desdemona to Barbantio behind their backs. By doing this early on the audience are immediately aware of Iago's deceitful nature. The quote also reveals Iago's racist ways and what he thinks of moors and non-Venetians. These comments he makes would shock a twenty first century audience, as we live in a multi cultural society and everybody should be treated equally within it, however a Elizabethan audience would not of been shocked due to the fact they thought black men were sexually charged predators as shown in many of the quotes. Other signs that Iago is a skilled manipulator is the way he persuades Othello of Desdemona's infidelity, he uses various techniques to do this, for a start he appears to let on more than he really knows, this makes Othello want to feed his suspicion. There are also points when fate plays a part in the proceedings such as when Iago receives a particular handkerchief, which was Othello's first gift to Desdemona, he then tells Othello that Cassio dropped it, this is the proof Othello requested. Iago then went on to make up a dream he said Cassio had of Desdemona in which Cassio started saying, â€Å"sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our loves,† this completely enraged Othello, whilst Iago appeared to be getting a kick out of everything that was going on. He is also quick to point out Othello's cultural differences in an attempt to make him feel insecure and like an outsider this is revealed in the quote â€Å"They dare not show their husbands; their best conscience. † By saying this he is telling Othello that Venetian women are loose and that he does not know what they are like, as he is an outsider. Religious references are used a plenty during this scene an example is when Othello uses such phrases as â€Å"death and damnation† and â€Å"heavan and hell† it is a very important theme in the play. The fact people were very religious in the sixteenth century is very important as it appears Iago has no concern for his soul, he has no sense of shame or remorse which is quite a chilling thought. The reason this scene is so important is the complete transformation of Othello the main character from a dignified figure to a jealous rage, we can see how successful Iago was here as earlier we saw how noble and calm Othello was when confronted by Barbantio and he told him to put his sword away now at the end of act three scene three Othello has become extremely violent and less confident in his relationship with Desdemona. We are also able to see how Shakespearian tragedies work, clearly the hero moves from a state of happiness to misery and eventual death through some fault or weakness of their own in Othello's case his tragic weakness or flaw, can be linked to the theme of jealousy and honesty within the play, he is easily made to jump to conclusions through thoughts of jealousy when it comes to Desdemona's infidelity, he is also too open and trusting towards certain characters like Iago who take advantage. By the end of the scene Othello has been completely enraged and his stature and reputation turn for the worst seen mainly through his language, which was once poetic like, Othello's language was controlled and he was able to enthral an audience as he did with the duke when explaining his courtship with Desdemona. Towards the end he is left cursing using imagery of hell such as â€Å"death and damnation† which are clear influences of Iago. The point we see Othello has completely given up and lost faith in Desdemona is when he says â€Å"farewell tranquil mind† which is a clear indication of how he feels completely distraught. To make this scene stand out among the rest Shakespeare has been very clever with his dramatic devices and his use of them in particular the way people enter and exit, for example when Cassio exits hurriedly leaving Desdemona, which causes Othello to wonder why he left so hastily. There is also the matter of timing and when characters speak which causes an awful amount of dramatic intensity, as mentioned earlier the length of the scene is very significant to the rest of the play because it allows time enough for Iago to put his plan into action and to work Othello's trust. When talking about dramatic devices we must also mention the very important part of soliloquies and asides in which a character reveals their inner most thoughts and feelings, which leads to dramatic irony as the audience are already aware of plans and actions to be undertaken. In conclusion the fact that so much significant and crucial parts take place in act three scene three prove that it is very important to the rest of the play, as it really starts to develop the plot and themes we have seen growing throughout earlier scenes. It is especially important because of the fact we see such a tremendous change in Othello.

Communications: The Mechanistic Perspective Essay

‘Communication — – the process of transmitting and receiving ideas, information, and messages. The rapid transmission of information over long distances and ready access to information have become conspicuous and important features of human society, especially in the past 150 years.’ The encyclopedia definition of communication encompasses the ideas of exchanging a variety of messages with others. This is important to remember when looking at communications within an organization. The whole process of communications within organizations is very complex and is certainly one of the major factors in determining whether an organization will succeed or not. The following paper deals with the different types, influences and improvements within the realm of communications in organizations. Ways of conceptualizing communications It is necessary to look at the problem from many viewpoints to understand how communications are performed within an organization. These include psychological, systems-interaction, interpretive-symbolic, and mechanistic. All of these areas are very important to understand the ‘whole picture,’ but the focus of this paper will be in the mechanistic perspective. Mechanistic Perspective Information within an organization determines their ability to make informed decisions and the effectiveness of those decisions is based on the way they communicate. This mechanistic perspective on communications deals entirely with the message, the medium and factors that aid or detract from the process. In this model, communication is initiated by the sender through to the receiver. Each process is then broken down into bits of data that can be analyzed. The areas of importance are the ways in which the sender and receiver utilize perceptive processes to encode and decode the messages and  the fact that noise is in the system. Any message from a sender to a receiver would convey exactly what the meaning is intended in a perfect world. It is very important that the sender says exactly what they are trying to say and the receiver knows exactly what the sender is saying. The following example illustrates this point: Clear and concise is what is desired within a ship building contract. If the contract does not describe ‘exactly’ what is required, the contractor can get extra money for including those ‘extras’ during the building stages. The Irving led Saint John Shipbuilding organization has made much more than their original contract for building the Canadian Patrol Frigates due to these ‘arisings.’ It was even suggested that this was part of their contract plan from the beginning. In analyzing this situation, it was very difficult for the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) to ask for everything because of the complexity of the contract, the number of personnel on the contract writing team, and the fact that many iterations were required for DND and parliament prior to letting the contract. In fact, the writing was started ten years prior to the contract being let, so technology had changed many of the basic assumptions about the type of work to be done. Verbal and Non-Verbal Communications Inherent to transmission of messages are the verbal and non-verbal cues which aid in helping to decode a message. Verbal cues are dependent on language. Nuances intrinsic to a language can make the decoding difficult if not impossible even by someone who uses the same language. This may be a local dialect or cross-country differences. Examples of cross-country differences would be English from England, Canada, and the United States. Each is the same language, but each has separate nuances that can make it very difficult to decipher by someone from another country speaking the same language. A personal example is asking for a washroom in Southampton, England, at a train station and being told that they did not have one. The word that I should have used was ‘toilet.’  Dialects within a country can make it impossible to understand the original message. Another personal example is attempting to decipher someone from northwestern Newfoundland; their dialect made it virtually impossible to understand. The point is to utilize the best transmission method in order to minimize the decoding difficulty for the receiver. Non-verbal cues are ‘those expressions of emotions and attitudes toward another person and in regulating the interaction between people.’ The text organizes the cues into seven categories and includes good examples, including: environment, proximity, posture, gestures, facial expressions, eye behavior and vocalics. One area missing within communications chapter was what the person is wearing, but was included in chapter 6, perception and performance evaluations. Many books advocate ‘dressing for success.’ Some examples include shopping, salesperson and the office. If you are going to shop at flea markets, dressing ‘down’ is a good way to start the bargaining process. A car salesperson should dress to show that he is successful, but not ostentatious. In my profession, I dress towards the client based on whether ‘suit and tie’ or ‘casual’ are the choice for the client’s organization. This non-verbal cue can aid in preparing the initial psychological base for the remainder of the conversation and ensure that it does not detract from the conversation while it is ongoing. Influences on Communication Physical and personal factors influence communications. Organizational design influences physical factors, which deals with layout of the office, networks for communications, and the media selected for the message. Personal factors include the differences between individual styles, men and women, and cultures. Organizational Design The design of the organization must be based on what the organization is attempting to accomplish. Technology can enable these designs to take on new meanings as methods become available to communicate as never before. The first place to look at is the design of the office. The typical office has space allocated based on position of the employee. A worker may be in a ‘bull pen’ type of environment whereas the president will have a large office to show their particular status. Two personal examples include the Ship Repair Unit and Deloitte and Touche Consulting Group. Each has a typical office layout; the workers are in offices with partitioned walls; managers have outer offices, some with windows; and the general manager has the largest, most pretentious office space. The communications tend to have very structured down and up paths. Methods of communications include computer email, voice mail, and written memos. ‘Most critically, however, the intelligent office building must clearly improve the quality of the workplace for the individual, representing a major philosophical change in the office design. After all, what is the electronically enhanced office intended to facilitate, if not the effectiveness, productivity, and well-being of the worker, and the ultimate effectiveness of the organization.’ Traditional organizational design ideas are being challenged with the concepts of tele-commuting and virtual companies and offices. Technology has enabled us to plug into the office place anywhere in the world utilizing advanced telecommunications and computer advances. Many offices now have flexible office areas for their workers where they can sit down, plug in a laptop and have a phone, desk, and general office requirements available. When they are at their other office locations, they simply plug in to that particular location. All of this is transparent to the sender or receiver of information from that individual. An example is an advertising agency where a friend of mine works for in Toronto which has other offices in New York and Chicago. When he commutes to  these offices, he has all of the these resources available to him. This is transparent to his clients, who just thinks he does a wonderful job from his home office in Toronto. The types of communications are similar, with more emphasis based on digital transmissions (email and voicemail). I utilize voice mail effectively when on a client site by having a location for clients to call in for me and I can vet and prioritize my calls. ‘Employment in the Information Age is undergoing a transformation which may cause as much dislocation as the move from farm to factories did in the 19th century. Studies predict that the ranks of those with alternative office arrangements will grow by 10 percent or more every year during the remainder of the decade.’ The virtual company challenges communications within an organization even greater than present designs. This entity has allowed small organizations to work as effectively through the use of advanced communications and allows larger companies to change the way they do business. Some of the requirements for a company to be effective in virtual space include: robust infrastructure for individual employees, including cellular phone, portable computer with communications; remote managing – how do you know the person is doing their work?; employees must have the correct attributes to make it all work. When it does work, it works very well. The employee is either on a client site or at home and is more effective A personal example is a company in which I was a co-owner. This virtual company was a computer consulting firm specializing in Microsoft Office Integration. We had a management team from within Nova Scotia (5 people), programmers from around North America, and clients from around the world. This organization was difficult to run from the perspective of handing off information and brain-storming, but was very good at allowing each employee to work in their space of choice to increase productivity. The majority of the clients were local; a firm handshake and the ability to look someone in the eye is still stronger than the pen and keyboard. The international clients tended to be software firms who were looking for someone to subcontract a small portion of a project. The reason the business ran  effectively was that the employees were suited to the environment. If the business was not as high tech orientated, I would be reluctant to state that it would work as effectively. The type of design of the organization must be orientated to their mission. As the communication network characteristics shows , the different types of networks are good at some things and poor at others. The tradeoffs are usually flexibility and satisfaction against errors with simple tasks. Risk to human life or catastrophic failure was a point missing in network design. The text makes a number of good points about network design, but did not have an organization with strong lateral dissemination of information. This is important in more and more organizations as downsizing is taking out layers of middle managers, the overall manager cannot control or handle all of the information volume, but the job must still be done. The new managers require a horizontal flow of communications to get their job done. Personal Factors The personal factors within communications are more difficult to define. Consequently, they are also more difficult to improve upon. The text outlines very briefly some of those topic areas, including individual difference, culture differences, and male and female differences. Listening and Responding Noise is another area that inhibits or distorts the transmission of a message. The text deals with ways to be more effective in listening and responding to messages. A way to further analyze the effects of noise and barriers to communications within organizations is to study communications systems utilizing radio frequency (RF) transmissions; they have well documented aspects of noise  which can be analogous to other mediums. Modulation is the technique of employing information (the message) on a carrier signal and sending that signal to the receiver who then decodes it and gets the original transmission. Noise is what distorts that transmission. Different types of modulation techniques are utilized to cut down on the noise inherent to the medium utilized. Analog and digital communications employ all of the different types of modulation. The easiest modulation type (within the electronics) is amplitude modulation (AM) but which has the highest degree of susceptibility to noise. This is based on noise thresholds and the fact that background noise can be so loud that the original message is lost. This is analogous to trying to tell somebody an important message in a busy, noisy room. The background ‘din’ can make the message almost impossible to hear and understand properly. The second technique is frequency modulation (FM) which is more difficult to encode and decode, but is less susceptible to noise. This is because the natural noises the stratosphere produces are not over broad frequency ranges. Phase based modulation employs similar techniques, but uses phase differences to encode the information. This is analogous to listening to FM radio, which is close to what the original sounds like, but still seems weak in comparison to the ‘real thing.’ Digital communications employ the same modulation techniques as analog communications, but have distinct advantages in conveying messages over analog systems. Analog transmissions have no discrete data; it is all based on ramps of information. This would be analogous to the difference between an analog speedometer and a digital one. The analog would give you a continuous representation, but has no distinct breaks; the digital speedometer can only show you discrete amount of speed indications. In a digital system, the discrete data is only ‘on’ or ‘off’. This makes it much easier to distinguish the actual data from the noise because the threshold between the two can be much greater (the terminology used is decibels – the difference between the receiving message and the noise). This discrete data can be manipulated to ensure that the message is correct; this is referred to as error correction. A communications system analogous to this would be downloading information off the Internet and it error-checking at the receiver’s end to ensure the file is correct. The situation analogous to this entire noise discussion is that we would normally write something down if it was critical in order to ensure the information is transmitted correctly (digital systems). If we are not worried about errors in transmission, we will convey our message through speech (analog systems). The other points, including fatigue, time pressure, selective listening, status, value judgments, and source credibility are very good observations on the barriers to messages. An example of using listening and responding within communications was the idea that I based my first company on; producing multimedia applications. What possessed me to orient myself in that direction in 1991 was a statistic from the MIT media lab: 10% of people remember what they hear, 20% remember what they read and 65% remember what they interact with. One area that was missing in the text discussion was that you can get people to remember by interacting with the message. This could be in the form of CD-ROM computer based training, seminar, or one-on-one where the person is forced to think about the information being presented. Application of Communications A good example of multiple types of communications within an organization is within a warship. A personal example is H.M.C.S. Nipigon; a Canadian destroyer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The primary purpose for a destroyer is for a weapons platform in which the Government of Canada can utilize to direct their policy. The organization must be robust enough to handle multiple contingencies, including loss of life, loss of systems, and loss of communications. There is redundancy within departments (supply, engineering, operations) in order  to minimize losing one critical person. Therefore, network design facilitated this by placing the key personnel at different areas in the ship during war time situations.. There are multiple ways to power systems via primary and backup power supplies. Again, to keep communications open within the systems in order to keep the vessel floating and fighting. There are also multiple ways for external and internal communications to occur. The communications control room (CCR) can patch a multitude of apparently dissimilar systems, including telephones, radios, and digital computers. To minimize errors, the organization has a strict hierarchy with instructions as to the types of information to be handled by each person with the organization and how it will be distribu ted. This is related to the network design and the media types for information. The crew will train repeatedly in order to minimize errors. This is related to how to minimize the noise within the system. In this case, the noise would be the amount of information available and the filter would be the voice procedures that personnel must utilize to talk both internally and externally. This is of vital importance if there are situations happening internally, including fires and floods, and externally, including incoming missiles, planes, ships and submarines. The communication does not stop within the ship. Depending on the scenario, it could be a contingency of Canadian warships, NATO warships, or another conglomeration where various platforms. Inputs could be coming from satellites, helicopters, intelligence, other ships, and planes. There are strict communications protocols and transmission types for this exchange of information employing cryptography and error correction in order to minimize the chance for error. Multiple forms of communications are at work in this scenario, but the reason it all works is due to the design of the organization. Critique This chapter on communications dealt primarily with the mechanistic perspective. The other areas are needed to balance this sole focus on linear communications. Within the mechanistic approach, there were some areas which were missing which I deemed vital. These included the network flow of the large horizontal organization, importance of reducing errors in mission  critical processes, and the application of technology. Communications in organizations having large horizontal movement of information is critical to its success. As previously stated, the reduction of errors can be critical to human life and also to the success of an organization. Technology enablers have evolved so quickly that the types of hardware and software the authors talk about have changed. Concurrent engineering is a term used to describe 24 hour production of engineering problems by handing over the problems to destinations throughout the world. Bell Northern Research utilizes this technique to dramatically improve their time to market for products. Not enough research was placed into the way new companies (virtual companies) can communicate more effectively. The world is getting smaller as communications become more effective and this text should reflect more of that type of communication.