THE REAL VALUE OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL AND HOW IT IS INCLUDED IN A Essay - 1

THE REAL VALUE OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL AND HOW IT IS INCLUDED IN A COMPANYS FINANCIAL STATEMENT - Essay Example The knowledge of an organization is what is at time referred to as the brain power; therefore, intelligent capital can be viewed as the intangible assets used by the company in the making of its services and products. Intellectual capital, therefore, can be assumed to be the fundamental aspects of the company’s profit and loss statements, as well as its balance sheets. As such, the value of a business is, therefore, comprised of its revenue generated through its intellectual talents, financial assets, intellectual assets, and physical assets (Barney, et al., 2001). Three elements of intellectual capital include: Human capital mainly comprises of the values provided by business employees through application of expertise and skills ‘know how’. This component of intellectual capital is not owned by a company, and therefore when an employee leaves the company, the human capital consequently decreases (Peloso, 2008). Human capital can, therefore, be used to measure how effective a company is using its people resources as a measure of innovation and creativity. Structural includes the supportive infrastructures, databases and processes of an organization that enables the human capital to function. Components of structural capital include buildings, processes, software and so on. Additionally, structural capital also includes things such as information system, proprietary databases, research and development infrastructure facilities and organization’s image. The diversity of structural capital demands that it is broken down into: process, innovation, and organization capital. Process capital includes procedures of programs and the techniques that implement and enhance the delivery of services and goods. Innovation capital includes intangible assets and intellectual properties of the corporation. Organizational capital, on the other hand

Investigative task force proposal Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Investigative task force proposal - Term Paper Example ry procedures for the research and proper investigation of digital evidence.to develop a state of the art center that will be able to offer impeccable services. The unit will be fully equipped with a cyber-forensics laboratory which will specialize in digital evidence recovery, and which will also the facilitation of computer investigative training and development of forensic skills. The devices incorporated will be able to manage a larger volume of data faster in the course of an investigation and also uncover information that couldn’t be discovered with traditional forensic tools. Steps towards the creation of a cyber-investigative unit would be to assess the needs of the department and make a decision, to establish a legal basis in the establishment, appoint a manager for the cyber investigation unit, to staff the unit, to provide for the equipment and other resources required in the unit, to facilitate a training program for this unit and to have an action plan in developing the cyber investigative unit. As the technology is continually used to commit crimes and the numbers of such cases keeps on raising then each police departme nt will ultimately reach a point where it will have to decide if the time is right to establish a cyber-investigative unit with forensic capabilities The cyber investigative unit will include a training department, an investigative joint task force, an analytic group, future exploration department and people responsible for collaborative data sharing. Whether the goal is to establish a full time unit or entitle individual investigators in particular areas to respond as required, prior evaluation assessment, planning and preparation are elements indispensable to success. The following is a proposal for the establishment of the specialized unit in the police department. The department will facilitate the provision of a training programmer to equip the new cyber investigative unit with investigators, supervisors, analysts and outside

Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Knowledge Management - Essay Example Thus, contemporary KM theories can roughly be classified into three major categories: 1. Technology-focused: primary focus on the enhancement of technologies that facilitate sharing/growth of knowledge. 2. Organisational: designing and reshaping the organisational environment in a way to facilitate knowledge processes. 3. Ecological: focus on the interaction process within the organisational environment involving people, knowledge and environmental factors (Gordon & Edge, 1997). A similar categorisation of the KM approaches is suggested in perhaps the only formal taxonomy of KM up to date. Michael Earl (2001) based his research on comprehensive empirical data to identify three major schools of KM: Technocratic: emphasis on information or technologies of KM. Economic: knowledge should be managed similarly to other assets (e.g. stock, bonds, etc). Behavioural: focus on knowledge exchange as a fundamentally social process (p. 224). However, modern models and theories of models are often difficult to fit in this taxonomy due to their integrative nature which encompasses elements of each school. The below overview provides some key concepts and theories associated with effective KM system. Main Body One popular KM approach widely used these days is a so-called 'pragmatic management'. Though it is not classified in the Earl's classical taxonomy pragmatic management is recently becoming increasingly popular, especially in the small to middle organisations. This approach seems rather close to Earl's behavioural paradigm that views knowledge management and knowledge exchange as fundamentally social processes. The main difference of this paradigm lies in the fact that it doesn't imply serious investments in the employees and their all-round... this paper describes the basic idea of knowledge management which is universal – doing what is needed to get the most out of knowledge resources – its practical implementation may vary in each particular case. The variations are not too serious and mostly concern the share of attention paid to either technological or human aspect of KM while the key principles remain similar in the modern models of KM: explicit and tacit knowledge, interactive nature of KM processes, increased attention cognitive and motivational aspects of KM. Therefore, the differences in KM systems implemented are mostly associated with different organizational structures and demands of the companies. Although the challenges related to designing/implementation of effective KM strategy are serious the practice continues to demonstrate that they are not compelling. The most essential of these challenges are identified in the professional literature as well as the alternative ways and tools to cope with them. Tu sum up this paper approves that the major factors contributing to the failures of knowledge management strategies are highly changeable global environment, coupled with failure to take a holistic approach to designing the system of knowledge management, and substantial resources required to design and implement a truly effective KM programme. Evidently, the first of these drawbacks has received better recognitions from the theorists whom develop KM models, programmes, and strategies for modern organisations.

The impossibility of war Essay Example for Free

The impossibility of war Essay Mr Birling uses the word duty frequently. A duty is normally something people do for legal or moral reasons, something which bind them to their obligation. Birling has no legal obligation to keep labour costs down; presumably then he sees it as a moral obligation.  Mr Birling has little or no imagination and seems blind both to consequences of his actions, and to the events in the larger world. He makes predictions about the future the unsinkability of the Titanic; the impossibility of war; and the promise of technology which would have been believed by many in 1912, but which would have seemed laughably optimistic to the audience in 1945. At no point in the play does Mr Birling take any blame for his actions, I cant accept responsibility. And I am nothing whatever to do with that wretched girl suicide. He shows no remorse.  Birling is proud of his status; he and his wife set great store by his public offices and privileges. So sensitive is Birling about such matters that he feels a little uneasy about Gerald Croft marrying his daughter, sensing that Geralds parents may feel that their son is marrying beneath himself. At the end of the play the possibility that he may be deprived of his knighthood upsets him far more than anything else does. Mr and Mrs Birling see themselves as upholders of all the right values and of the guardians of proper conduct. But both are exposed as self-centred and essentially heartless. They begin to try and put the Inspector in his place, through emphasising their own position in society. Both try to hide, or hide from the uncomfortable truths. As Eric points out his father is useless in a real crisis.  It is plain that Birlings motives are not to save Eric from being found out, but to protect himself from social scandal. To do this, he is prepared to he is prepared to distort or ignore the truth. He is blind to thus hypocrisy, and indifferent when it is pointed out. Just before the end of the play he argues that the whole thing is different now, and congratulates himself on having avoided a scandal. Provided their public reputation is safe, people like Mr and Mrs Birling will never change. Mrs Birling is even more hard-faced and arrogant than her husband. She is introduced as his social superior and her manner indicates that she is very conscious of social position, especially her own. Mrs Birling also exploits her position in society to feel in control. Eva went for assistance when she knew she was to have a child. Eva went to the Brumley Womans Charity Organisation for help. The chair of the organisation was Mrs Birling, who slammed the door in her face. Mrs Birling takes no blame at all for this cruel and vile behaviour. She in response says, I was justified. In act one, Sheila accuses her brother Eric of being somewhat drunk, Youre squiffy. Mrs Birlings reaction shows her sense of propriety, she feels that it was very inappropriate of Sheila to say that. Mrs Birling will not believe Eric drinks, you dont get drunk. She chooses not to accept that her son might have a drinking problem. Mrs Birling will not hear anything which could tarnish the Birlings image. She deliberately blind to anything she does not wish to see. She is in complete denial about Erics problem. Mrs Birling takes no responsibility for her childrens actions and therefore would not accept blame for somebody she does not know like Eva Smith. Her concern shared by her husband that Sheila should not be exposed to unpleasant things that suggests that she regards her daughter as a child. Mrs Birling does not want Sheila to hear the truth and tries to get her to leave the room.  Youre looking tired, dear. I think you ought to go to bed.  It could be argued that Mrs Birling has good intentions and is protecting Sheila from the truth, however I do not believe this is the case. Mrs Birling has little respect for Sheila and thinks nothing more of her than a hysterical child. Mrs Birling is a very controlling woman, who does not like the fact that Sheila is developing her own opinions. Sheila sometimes behaves immaturely because she has been brought up without being allowed to develop her own opinions and personality. Only after the Inspector calls does Sheila realise that her mother is wrong. Mrs Birling is to blame for Evas death, as she is a controlling person who abused her power to deny Eva the help she needed. Perhaps only did why she did this, was because she could. In the play each character uses language and speaks in a manner that helps to reveal his or her personality. In Mrs Birlings case, her choice of words reflects her superior and snobbish attitude. Mrs Birling expects others to show her respect and to defer to her opinions. She resents being contradicted, even when caught telling outright lies by the Inspector. When exposed to criticism, Mrs Birling retreats behind words like respectable, duty, and deserving. She seems to feel that she is qualified to judge what such words mean. Mrs Birling describes the inspector as, a trifle impertinent. The Inspector is of a lower class to the Birling family and Mrs Birling is obviously prejudiced against him. Mrs Birling uses complicated words to belittle the Inspector, she feels he should know his place. Mrs Birling treated the Inspector in a similar manner as she treated Eva. She could not see how the death of a lower-class person could be of any interest to the Birlings. Therefore, Mrs Birling is partly to blame, as she did no give Eva any help or show any compassion because she was judgmental and prejudiced against her. Mrs Birling accepts no blame for the death of Eva Smith at any point in the play. She is however willing to blame others. Mrs Birling firstly blames, the girl herself and secondly the young man who was the father of the child. Mrs Birling is blind to the dramatic irony of what she is saying; she is condemning her so without even realising it. The Inspector calling had no positive affect on her at all. I think the Inspectors call only served to harden her attitude.  In the play the inspector is portrayed as the voice for all Eva and John Smiths of the time. Society at the time of 1912 exhibited huge social divisions and for people like Eva Smith life was very hard. The Inspector is an enigment figure. He neither changes nor develops but frequently repeats: I havent much time. Inspector Gooles name is obviously a pun on ghoul, a spirit or ghost. The stage directions talk of an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. There is an air of menace about him and, unlike all the other characters; he does not deviate from his moral position.  Sometimes the Inspector behaves as the voice of social conscience: You see, if theres nothing else, well have to share our guilt. He points out that social responsibilities have become greater as privileges increase. Significantly, the Inspector himself neither forgives nor punishes. Each character is made to face up to the fact that they must find the courage to judge themselves: only then will they have learnt enough to be able to change. The play points out the need for a sense of personal responsibility in every member of society. Responsibility not only for individual actions, but also for the way actions affect others. Different characters react to their guilt in different ways, when it is revealed to them. Not all show remorse or shame, and some are so hardened that they refuse to accept that remorse is appropriate. I can therefore conclude that society is to blame. In 1912 people did not care enough about one another.

History of DNA Sequencing and Research

History of DNA Sequencing and Research DNA sequencing technology has evolved very rapidly since its inception in the 1970s, and continues to evolve and grow today. This paper will review the major innovations and developments in sequencing technology and briefly summarize their methodologies. The first group that was able to sequence DNA was the team of Allan Maxam and Walter Gilbert (Maxam and Gilbert). This was a first generation sequencing reaction, and was developed in 1976-1977. This method uses purified DNA and relies on chemical modification of DNA bases (like depurination of adenine and guanine using formic acid and methylation using hydrazine or dimethyl sulfate). The 5 end is radioactively labeled so that it can be visualized in a gel, and then fragments of modified DNA are electrophoresed. Autoradiography can then be used to visualize the sizes of each DNA fragment. The maximum read length for this technique was approximately 100 bases long. The next major innovation in DNA sequencing was the Sanger dideoxy chain termination method. This was developed in 1977 by Frederick Sanger (Sanger, Nicklen, and Coulson), and became much more popular than Maxam and Gilberts method. Sanger sequencing is a synthesis reaction and uses dideoxy nucleotides to randomly terminate synthesized strands of DNA. The DNA strands that had been terminated with ddNTPs originally were run in 4 different lanes (one for each ddNTP) and were radiolabeled so that they could be visualized with autoradiography. Later innovations made Sanger sequencing even easier when each dideoxynucleotide was labeled with different fluorescent dyes. As such, sequences could be run on a single gel in a single lane. This method was the most popular way of sequencing DNA for many years, and was prevalent until about 2004. While read length was initially about 100 base pairs long, Sanger sequencing now has a read length of about 800 to 1000 base pairs long when run in capil lary gels. With the start of the human genome project, it was necessary to find ways to sequence DNA much more quickly and more cost-effectively than had been done previously. This led to the development of so-called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“second generationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  DNA sequencers. It also allowed for the use of smaller samples for sequencing. One of the first major automated platforms was the Roche 454 (Margulies et al.). This utilizes pyrosequencing, which is a synthesis type sequencing reaction. This also uses emulsion PCR on beads. When a dNTP is incorporated, it releases a pyrophosphate (PPi). ATP sulfurylase is present in the reaction mix, and when PPi is released, converts it to ATP, which can activate luciferase and the emission of light. The Roche 454 can measure the amount of light given off and relate it to the number of nucleotides that have been incorporated. One problem with this type of sequencing is that it can be difficult to accurately characterize sequences of the same nucleotide in a row as the intensity of the pyrophosphate peak given off does not have a linear relationship with the number of homopolymers present. The read length for 454 is approximately 250 base pairs long, and the error mode tends to have indels. The next major second gen sequencer is the Illumina Solexa platform (Bennett). The chemistry of this platform is that it utilizes reversible terminators and sequences by synthesis. A flow cell is covered with DNA oligonucleotides that are complementary to adaptor sequences that have been ligated to the ends of fragmented genome pieces. As the genome fragments are streamed across the surface of the flow cell, they will randomly bind and go through multiple cycles of denaturation and extension, which creates clusters of clones. After these clusters have been generated, they are loaded into a sequencer which measures fluorescent signals as single nucleotides are incorporated by taking a picture and noting the location of fluorescence. Read lengths are about 26-50 bases on average, and the types of errors that are typically present tend to be SNP errors. Another important second generation sequencer is the ABI-SOLiD (Sequencing by Oligonucleotide Ligation and Detection) sequencing platform (Valouev et al.). This is another sequencing by synthesis reaction, but unlike Illumina and 454, which use polymerases, this uses ligases. After using emulsion PCR on beads to create clonal clusters, primers base pair to a known adapter sequence that has been ligated to the genomic DNA. Differently labeled probes competitively base pair to the sequencing primer, and sequencing goes through several cycles in which different primers are used each time to bind to positions offset by a single nucleotide each time. DNA bases are added in groups of two in this method. Average read lengths for this technique are on average about 35 base pairs long. The next second generation sequencing technique is Ion Torrent, which is a sequencing by synthesis technique (http://www.iontorrent.com). When nucleotides are added to a growing DNA chain, pyrophosphate and a hydrogen ion are released. Ion Torrent takes advantage of this by measuring the pH of the reaction mix after flooding a DNA strand with the four bases (one at a time) to determine sequences. One major advantage of this technique is that it doesnt require a high-cost camera set-up to measure incorporation events. However, because it indirectly measures nucleotide addition through changes in pH, it has difficulty with accuracy in calling sequences of homopolymers, resulting in indel errors (like pyrosequencing). Average read lengths using this technique are about 200 base pairs long. A more recent innovation is the Helicos-True Single Molecule Sequencing (tSMS) technique (Thompson and Steinmann). It is somewhat similar to Illumina sequencing in that it also uses fragmented DNA, adaptors, and fluorescently labeled dNTPs, but there is no amplification step. This helps eliminate issues with GC bias, which tend to affect amplification steps and can cause errors in base calling. Average read length is greater than 25 base pairs. Pacific Biosciences SMRT technology (Single Molecule Real Time sequencing) immobilizes a DNA polymerase at the bottom of a well and is a sequencing by synthesis technique (Eid et al.). Fluorescently labeled phosphate groups in dNTPs are added to the reaction mix and as the base is added to the growing DNA strand, the machine can measure the light that is given off (each base is labeled with a different fluorescent molecule). The major advantage of this technique is that it can sequence very long reads (more than 1000 bp!) which is very important in de novo sequence assembly. In addition, PacBio can also measure methylation of DNA sequences based on the kinetics of addition of base pairs (using the observation that modified base pairs tend to take longer to incorporate into a DNA strand). Furthermore, this technique can also potentially use a single molecule of DNA, which reduces any GC bias that occurs due to amplification. The final technique that will be discussed here is nanopore sequencing (Stoddart et al.). The idea behind this is that DNA may be threaded through a nanopore one base at a time. As its fed through, the sequencer can measure the change in current as it passes through (which will vary based on what base is moving through the pore). Thus, the sequence can be determined straight from the DNA without the need for modifications or reagents. In addition, because this can be done on a single molecule, there is again no need for amplification and thus no possibility of any GC bias in base calls.

The Society for Latin American Anthropology :: SLAA Human Rights Latin America Essays

The Society for Latin American Anthropology Changes in the SLAA's definition of "Latin America" have gone hand in hand with changes in the intellectual, social and political goals of the Society. As then president Michael Kearney wrote in an open letter to the membership published in the Society's April 1997 column in the Anthropology Newsletter:" (Until recently the society's membership) was centered in North America while its objects of study were primarily to the South of the United States. The prevalent pattern in the production and consumption of knowledge by North American anthropologists was one in which "we" used to "go down to" Latin America to study the "Latin Americans", and then publish most of our work in English...In recent years, in dialogue with the membership, the Board has sought to redefine "Latin America" as an object of anthropological inquiry from a region defined in geopolitical terms to a sociocultural definition based on the de facto presence of Latinos." The term "Latin America" has been expanded t o include the Anglophone, and Francophone Caribbean and Diasporic Latino communities. This push towards a more inclusive anthropology evident in their definition of "Latin America" is reflected in the Society's current goals and programs. Creating a truly international community of scholars of Latin America is the most important goal of the Society. Current president Joanne Rappaport in a statement published on the SLAA webpage writes, reaffirming Michael Kearney's vision, that the mission of the Society is to create "a space for dialogue across boundaries, particularly national and ethnic ones, in an effort to view Latin America, not as a geopolitical reality upon which we as North Americans have an "impact", but as a place from which to speak, write, and to theorize." The most important step in this mission to promote a dialogue between the different national Latin American anthropological traditions that constitute the field has been the creation of the Journal of Latin American Anthropology (JLAA). The Journal started in 1995 under the editorship of Wendy Weiss seeks to publish articles on anthropological research in Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and the Latin Diaspora. So far, issues have been devoted to the state of current Latin American anthropology, the concept of Mestizaje, and the Zapatista movement for indigenous autonomy in Mexico. Articles have been published in both Spanish and English.

How the Sun Affects the Weather

ASTR 1020 August 31, 2011 â€Å"How the Sun Affects the Weather† Our sun is a massive nuclear fusion reactor that generates astonishing amounts of energy. The sun is the largest body in our solar system. It has a gravitational pull causing all other objects in the solar system to orbit it. Since the sun is in the neighborhood of the earth this gives the results of a greater gravitational effect on earth. â€Å"Warmth for the planet is provided primarily by the sun’s energy. The rate of energy coming from the sun changes from day to day.At an average distance from the sun 93 million miles† (Ahrens 4). The energy from the sun affects many things here on earth. One of the main things the sun does is warm our planet, including the atmosphere. This energy drives our weather we see daily. Temperature fluctuation the sun generates can be associated to every weather phenomenon on earth and can be traced back to the sun. All planets have an atmosphere, a layer of gases th at surrounds them. The Sun's atmosphere is made up of hydrogen, while Earth's is made up primarily of nitrogen and oxygen.Carbon dioxide, ozone, and other gases are also present. These gases keep our planet warm and protect us from the direct effects of the Sun's radiation. Without this regulation, Earth could not sustain life. To understand the weather you need to understand the layers of the atmosphere. The layers of the atmosphere from the surface rising upward are troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. We live in the troposphere layer, this is where the air temperature normally decreases with height, and contains all of the weather we are familiar with.Most of the clouds you see in the sky are found in the troposphere, and this is the layer of the atmosphere we associate with weather. Extending up to 10 miles above Earth's surface, the troposphere contains a variety of gases: water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and others. These gase s help retain heat, a portion of which is then radiated back to warm the surface of Earth. In the stratosphere is where most of the gas ozone is found. The coldest layer in the atmosphere is the mesosphere and the warmest atmospheric layer is the thermosphere.Then we get to the region where atoms and molecules shoot off into space in the exosphere, which signify the upper limits of our atmosphere. A greenhouse gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation withing the thermal infrared range. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Greenhouse gases greatly affect the temperature of the Earth; within them, Earth's surface would be on average of about 33 degrees Celsius or 59 degrees Fahrenheit colder than present temperature.The earth being tilted at 23. 5 degrees on its axis and revolving around the sun makes the earth’s heat unevenly giving us different climate and weather. â€Å"The ti lt causes annual variation in the amount of sunlight that strikes the surface as well as variations in the length of time the sun shines at each latitude† (Ahrens 73). The sun heats up the equatorial regions more than the poles, so the earth has to develop circulations to distribute the heat. This keeps the equator from getting hotter and the poles from getting colder.This is the way the earth balances out its unequal distribution of heat. With the earth’s rotation this causes the wind pattern to form east -to-west. Weather as a whole comes down to the universal circulation of cold and hot air. The sun has the greatest impact on the lower stratosphere with the impact of ultraviolet light from the sun assist in changing temperature. â€Å"Lower to mid stratosphere is heated greatly due to the ozone layer†¦ ozone absorbing large quantities of dangerous solar energy†¦ he absorption causes the warmup from 20km to 50k. The middle and upper troposphere is indeed ve ry important for stability processes. The hotter the surface temps and the colder the mid and upper tropospheric temps†¦ the more instability†¦ and the stronger updrafts and stronger storms† (Haywood). Here are several examples: The sun warms up air, the area encompassing this warm air creating a warm front. Many weather developments will occur when a warm front meets up with a cold front.Ocean’s, lakes, and soil surfaces are warmed by the sun causing warm air to rise in the atmosphere. The warm air meets up with colder air causing it to condense and produce clouds that could create hail, snow, or rain. Sun warm up air over the sea near the equator and this warm air will rise creating a cloud. Cold air will then replace the warm air that has lifted and collides creating spiraling turbulence known as a hurricanes. Sun produces warm air then it abruptly turns cold; this creates pressure and uproar which whips up a tornado.Sun warms up the earth’s surface and this warm air will expand and rise, as it rises the air will then cool and descend. This up and down cycle of rising warm air and descending cool air will generate wind. There are many factors when it comes to weather but the main key to the weather equation is the heating from the sun for weather to occur. The sun plays a vital role in our daily lives and weather. Works Cited Ahrens, C. Donald. Meterology Today. Belmont: Brooks/Cole, 2009. 9th ed. Haywood, Lee. Meterologist with WSAV/Instructor ASSU.