Rural Banking in Nigeria, Issues and Challenges (a Case Study of Wema Bank of Nigeria Plc free essay sample

Chapter one 1. 0 Introduction Database system developed because of the need to store large amount of data and retrieve that data quickly and accurately for example, a University abrary stores details about the books held and loans taken out by student. Not very long ago this information about the books and loads might have been stored in a box card index, nowadays, only a few decades later, student are able to view their loans online and see if a book is available and reserve it. The abrary staff can quickly access statistics on overdue books, popular books which never have the shelves. Another example is a company that accepts customer orders for instance, orders for spare parts for electrical goods. Originally orders might have been created when a customer telephone the company to place the order. If information about the customer already existed in a paper file then his/her details would be requested and recorded. We will write a custom essay sample on Rural Banking in Nigeria, Issues and Challenges (a Case Study of Wema Bank of Nigeria Plc or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page An order form would have been filled in and copies: one copy being stored in a filing cabinet, the other, information on stock held would need to be accessed. Eventually, the order entry system was computerized so that by the 1960’s the data about customers and orders might have been stored in a computer file- a magnetic tape file and then later magnetic desk. These files were processed by computer programs. Other applications programs were used which could create invoices, orders to suppliers and so on. Although different application software would at times require similar data, the data would be kept on different files. In both types of system, the paper one and the files system, processing was slow and problems of inconsistencies of data could easily develop. The introduction of shaved files. Whereby different applications shaved some of the same files, solved some of the problems described earlier, and was good for providing routine data. For example, a customer order application and an invoicing application might use both the customer and stock files, and ind addition their own files. As only one copy of each file was made available, the inconsisitencies were avoided. However, this method was not efficeient, as a share file would only be available to one application at a time. Share files systems were also not effective in providing data for planning and control of an organization. In the 1960’s database systems began to emerge with the release of the IBM production IMS, a system where the user viewed the data as a hierarchical tree. In the late sixties, database systems based on a different data model where developed. This time the user view of the data was a network of data recorded. In both cases skilled programmers were required and users tended to be large organizations. The database approach was an improvement on the share file solution as the software which was used to control the data was quite powerful. The software consisted of a number of components which provided facilities for acquiring data, data security and integrity and the ability to access the data simultaneously by different users. Another character of database systems is that the underlying structure of the data is isolated from the actual data itself. The specification of the entire database is called Schema. There are various level of Schema- the conceptual schema or model is discussed below. If there is a requirement to change the structure of the data, the change will be made at the schema level. Such changes are independent of both the physical storage level and the level seen by individual users. Returning to our brief history, by the 1970’s the study of database systems had become a major academic and research area. The relational model was first proposed in 1970 by Ted Codd with his services of pioneering papers. The theory underpinning relational database is derived from the mathematical principles of set theory and predicate logic. The model is based on the familiar concepts of table, rows and columns and the manipulation of these tables is achieved through a collection of simple and well understood set theory operators. The query language SQL, based on relational algebra, was developed and has become the most important query language for relational databases. The first commercial relational product was Oracle’s DBMS and was released in 1980. The relational model has been successfully adopted for transaction processing in numerous organizations and support most of the major database systems in commercial use today. Its ability to handle efficiently simple data types, its powerful query language, and its good protection of data from programming errors make it an effective model. 1. statement of the problem/ limitation ? DBMS are expensive products, complex and quite different from many other software tools. Their introduction therefore represents a considerable investment, both direct and indirect. ? DBMS provide, in standardized form, a whole set service, which necessarily carry cost. In the cause where some of these services are not needed, it is different to extract the services actually required from the others, and this can generate inefficiencies. . purpose of the study Why use a database system? What are the advantages? To some extend the answer to these questions depends on whether the system is single or multi user. Let us use a wine seller as an example of a single use case. Its database is so small and simple that the advantages might not be all that obvious, but imagine similar datab ase for a large restaurant, with a stock of perhaps thousands of bottles and very frequent changes to that stock, or think of a liquor store, with again a very large stock and high turnover on that stock. The advantages of a database system over traditional, paper-paper methods of recordkeeping are perhaps easier to see in these cases. ? Compactness:-There is no need for possible voluminous paper files. ? Speed:- the machine can retrieve and update data far faster than a human can. In particular, adhoc, supur- of- the moment queries. ? Less drudgery:- much of the sheer tedium of mechanical tasks are always better done by machines. ? Currency:- Accurate, up- to- date information is available on demand at any time. 3. Research Question Consider a hospital information system with the following characteristic:- A patient can either be a resident patient who is admitted to the hospital or an out patient who comes to the hospital for an out patient clinic. ? For both types of patient we will need to hold the birth patient’s name, telephone number, address, date of birth and the patient doctor. ? For resident patient we will need to hold the ward name in which the patient is currently residing, the admission date of the patient, and also information about any operations that the patient has had. ? For out – patient, we will need to hold information about the outpatient, the appointment date and time. . significance of the study ? redundancy can be reduced:- in non database systems each application has its own private files. This fact can often lead to considerable reducdancy in store data, with resultant waste in storage space for example, a personnel application might both own a file that includes departmental information for employees. As suggested in those two files can be integrated, and the redundancy eliminated, so long as the data administrator is aware of the data requirements for both application i. e. so long as the enterprise has the necessary overall control. Incidentally, can or necessarily should be eliminated. Sometimes there are sound business or technical reasons for maintaining several distinct copies of the same data, however, we do mean to suggest that any such redundancy should be carefully controlled that is, the DBMS should be aware of it, if it exists and should assume responsibility for propagating updates. ? Inconsistency can be avoided This is really a corollary of the previous point. Suppose a given fact about the real word – say the fact that employee E3 works in department D8 – is represented by two distinct entries in the database. Suppose also that the DBMS is not aware of this duplication. There will necessarily be occasion on which the two entries will not agree: namely when one of the two has been updated and the other not. At such times the database is said to be inconsistent. Clearly, a database that is in an inconsistent state is capable of supplying incorrect or contradictory information to its users. ? Transaction is a logical unit of work, typically involving several database operations. The standard example involves the transfer of a cash amount from one account A to another account B. Clearly two updates are required have, one to withdraw the cash from account A and the other to deposit it to account B. if the user has stated that the two updates are part of the same transaction, then the system can effectively guarantee that either both of then are done or neither is even halfway through the process. ? Security can be enforce:- Having complete jurisdiction over the database, the DBA can ensure that the only means of access to the database is through the proper channels, and hence can define security constraints or rules to be checked whenever access is attempted to sensitive data. Different constraints can be established for each type of access to each piece of information in the database. Chapter two 2. 0 Literature Review:- Explanation of Boyce- Codd Normal Form. Definition of Boyce- Codd Normal Form. In this section, we will formalize the ideas illustrated in section 8. 1, in the light of what we have said on functional dependencies. Let us start by observing that, in our example, the tow properties causing anomalies correspond exactly to attributes involve in functional dependencies: The property â€Å"the salary of each employee is unique and depends only on the employee, independently of the project on which he or she is working† can be formalized by means of the functional dependency Employee salary. ? The property â€Å"the budget of each project is unique and depends on the project, independently of the employees who are working on it† corresponds to the functional dependency project budget. Furthermore, it is appropriate to note that th e function attribute indicates, for each tuple, the role played by the employees in the project. This role is unique, for each employee-project pair. We can model this property too using a functional dependency. ? The property â€Å"in each project , each of the employees involved can carry out only one function â€Å" corresponds to the functional dependency Employee Project function. As we have mentioned in the previous section, this also a consequence of the fact that the attributes employee and project form the key of the relation. We saw in section 8. 1 how the fist two properties (and thus the corresponding functional dependencies) generate undesirable redundancies and anomalies. The third dependency is different. It never generates redundancies because, having Employee and project as a key, the relation cannot contain two tuples with the same values of these attributes (and thus of the function attribute). Also, from a conceptual point of view, we can say that it can generate anomalies, because each employee has a salary (and only) and each project has a budget (and only one), and thus for each employee- project pair we can have unique values for all the other attributes of the relation. In some cases, such values might not be available. In these case, since they are not part of the key, we would simply replace them with null values without any problem. We can thus conclude that the dependencies: EmployeeSalary ProjectBudget Cause anomalies, whereas dependency. Employee ProjectFunction dose not. The difference, as we have mentioned, is that Employee Project is a super key of the relation. All the reasoning that we have developed with reference to this specific example, is more general. Indeed: redundancies and anomalies are caused by the functional dependencies X >Y that allow the presence of many equal tuples on the attributes in X. hat is from the functional dependencies X>Y such that X dose not contain a key. We will formalize this idea by introducing the notion of Boyce- Codd normal form (BCNF), which takes the name from its inventors. A relation r is in Boyce- Codd normal from if for every (non-trivial) functional dependency X>Y defined on it, X contain a key K of r. That is, X is a super key for r. Anomalies an d redundancies, as discussed above, do not appear in database with relations in Boyce- Codd normal form, because the independent pieces of information are separate, one per relation. Decomposition into Boyce- Codd normal form Given a relation that dose not satisfy Boyce- Codd normal form, we can often replace it with one or more normalized relations using a process called normalization. This process is based on a simple criterion: if a relation represents many real-world concepts, then it is decomposed into smaller relations, one for each concept. Let us show the normalization process by means of an example. We can eliminate redundancies and anomalies for the relation in figure 8. 1 if we replace it with the three relations in figure 8. , obtained by projections on the set of attributes corresponding respectively to the three items of information mentioned above. The three relations so that each dependency correspond to different relation, the key of which is actually the left hand side of the same dependency. In this way, the satisfaction of the Boyce- Codd normal from is guaranteed, by the definition of this normal form itself. 2. 1 Normalization Introduction O ne of the principal objectives of relational database is to ensure that each item of data is held only once within the database. For instance, if we hold customers’ address then the address of any one customer is represented only once throughout all the tables of the application. The reasons for this are, first, simply to minimize the amount of space required to hold the database, but also and more importantly to simplify maintenance of the data. If the same information is held in two or more place, then each time the data changes, each occurrence of the data must be located and amended. Also having two copies of the same data gives rise to the possibility of their being different. In many case, it is relatively easy to arrange the tables to meet this objective. There is, however, a more formal procedure called normalization that can be followed to organized data into a standard format which avoids many processing difficulties. The process of normalizing tables is described in this chapter. Overview of normalization process In order to understand the process of normalization, it is necessary to refer back to the concept, mentioned earlier, of the ‘ruling part’ and ‘dependent part’ of the rows. The ruling part, also known as the key value of the table, is the column of columns that specify or identify the entity being described by the row. For instance, the key of the project table is the project code since this value uniquely specified the project been described by the other column of the row, the dependent column. The purpose of normalization is:- †¢ To put data into a form that confirm to relations to principles, e. g. , single valued column, each relation represents one entity. †¢ To avoid redundancy by storing each fact within the database only once. †¢ To put the data into form that is more able to accommodate change. †¢ To avoid certain difficulties in updating (so-called anomalies, described later). †¢ To facilitate enforcement of constraints on the data. Normalization involves checking that the tables confirm to certain rules and, if not, re-organizing the data. This will mean creating new tables containing data drawn from the original table. Normalization is a multi-stage process, the result of each of the stage being called a ‘normal form’ successive stage produce a grater degree of normalization. There are total of seven normal form, called in increasing degree and grouped for the convenience of description. †¢ First, second and third normal forms (abbreviation to 1NF, 2NF and 3NF) †¢ Boyce-Codd (BCNF) †¢ Fourth normal form (4NF) Fifth normal form (5NF) and domain-key normal form (DK/NF) The normal forms 1NF, 2NF and 3NF are the most important and all practical database applications would be expected to conform to these. The likelihood of a set of tables requiring modification to comply with these is quite high. The Boyce-Codd normal form is a more stringent form of 3NF an again should be applied system . There is less chance of this normal form affecting the structure of the table. The fourth and fifth normal forms are unlikely to be significant in a practical system that has designed, say using the EB approach. The highest normal form, the domain-key, was devised by Fagin in 1981 (Fagin 1981). Fagin prove that this normal form was the last on higher form is possible or necessary since a relation in DK/NF can have no modification anomalies. However, this is mostly of theoretical interest since there is no known procedure for converting to this form. The first three normal forms are most significant and are usually sufficient for most applications. These will be described in some detail in the following section; the other normal forms will be covered in the subsequent sections in somewhat less detail. Normal form 1NF, 2NF and 3NF The normalization process assumes that you start with some information description of all the data attributes that the database application appears to require; this is often called ‘un-normalized data’. This set of attributes is then tested using criteria defined by each of the normalization stages. If the data fails the criteria, there is a prescribed procedure for correcting the structure of the data; this inevitably involves the creation of additional tables. The overall process of normalization for the first three stages is summarized in figure5. . To understand what these step is imply, we can return again to the example initially introduced in Chapter One (1) concerning a correspondence college. For convenience, the specification of the example is reproduced below. A small correspondence college offers courses in a range of topics. For each course, student completes a series of assignments which are sent to the office. The assignments a re gathered into batches of up to ten assignments are sent to tutors for making. (i. e) complete batches of up to ten assignments are sent to tutors). Assume that there can be infinite number of tutors. These tutors mark the assignments, then return them, retaining them within the same batches. A system is require that enables ‘tracking’ of the assignments, so that the college knows what assignment have been received, sent to tutors of marked. Also, the system should keep a running total of the number of assignments that have been marked by each tutor. UN-NORMALIZED DATA Remove all repeating groups FIRST NORMAL FORM If the primary key has more than one field, ensure that all other fields are functionally dependent on the whole key SECOND NORMAL FORM Remove all transitive dependences. i. e ensure that all fields Dependent on non-key fields THIRD NORMAL FORM As we did in chapter one (1), we can represent the data diagrammatically as shown in figure 5. 2. We view this data design as a attempt at forming a relational table to represent the application data. Naturally, we would prefer as few tables as possible so we have combined all the data into one tentative table design. The attribute Batch Number will be used as a provisional primary key. mmmmmmm Batch Number

Environment Scan and Industry Analysis

Environment Scan and Industry Analysis Industry Description At early stages of development, the company at issue began operating as Great Cups of Columbus in Ohio area. The main concept of the company lied in delivering coffee in over-sized cups to adhere to their motto: â€Å"A Great Coffee of Coffee, at a Great Price†. Further development of company’s strategies focused on the analysis of its major competitors, such as Starbucks.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Environment Scan and Industry Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To stand the competition, the managers started developing and, as a result, the company managed to expand its market share within a decade. With regard to economic variables, it should be stressed that the company is affected by such forces as economic rates, energy price, GDP tendencies, and acceptability. In this respect, higher employment rates might lead to changes to coffee consumption and to incre ase in food products sales at the account of retail coffee delivery. According to the information received from the U.S. Census Bureau (2006), there is a 7.6 % annual increase in sales of the company’s products. The company’s revenues, therefore, increased from $ 7 billion in 2000 up to $ 11 billion in 5 years (Specialty Coffee Association of America, 2005). Regarding the societal and demographic factors, it should be stressed that coffee is considered one of the most consumed products in the United States and abroad. Therefore, greater demand for coffee can be ensured through increasing the quality of product and services for consumers. Currently, the company continues its expansion policy by developing new coffee stores in different regions and considering new cultural and social layers of the US population (Great Cups Coffee Company, 2011). As a result of the proposed strategy, consumer’s analysis has triggered the coffee producers to focus on sustainable cof fees that are more concerned with environmental factors. As compared to alcohol and tobacco products, the coffee has strengthened its position at the market due to the enhanced brand loyalty and development of a new concept of the product as a noble beverage. Within the industry matrix, the major criteria for company’s success involve such aspects as convenience of location, product quality, service speed, product range, and pricing strategy. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis The consideration of the factors determining the successful development and profitability of industry is important because it allows the managers to predict future potential and shortcomings of industry expansion (Ahlstrom Bruton, 2009).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More With regard to these issues, the Great Cups Coffee Company should be more focused on such forces as locati on and price that are interconnected in the fight for a competitive advantage. The proposed Strategic Group Map developed below considers the above-mentioned aspects. The graphic diagram demonstrates the competitiveness of the leading coffee industries with regard to price and location. From the above-established indices, it is seen that Great Cups is the most successful in terms of its pricing and location policy whereas Starbucks is more focused on price rather than on location and, therefore, its competitiveness is much higher than the Great Cups. Second, lower price of the Great Cups’ products does not ensure its advantage over other producers due to the lack of the brand image, as compared to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. Therefore, this gap should be fulfilled to continue their market expansion. Despite the disadvantages, the Great Cups Coffee has a beneficial position in terms of reasonable price, high quality products, and market segmentation. In order to prevent the risks, specific emphasis should be placed on societal environment analysis to present coffee as a brand, but not as a commodity to be consumed. A Summary of Opportunities and Threats to Retail Coffee Chains Participating in the Coffee Industry Due to the great competition and a range of directions for development, the Great Cups Coffee Company has great opportunities for market expansion due to the rapid growth in the coffee industry. The emergence of new distribution channels, as well as product expansion, can provide a new option for developing the image of the product and create the shift from consumerist ideology (Hunger Wheelen, 2003). In addition, expansion of stores and exploration of new geographic locations is also crucial because it allows managers to predict the needs of new clients’ base. Finally, developing a limited product portfolio and presenting store names should also widen the company’s opportunities and provide a competitive advantage.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Environment Scan and Industry Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As per the threats, the company should constantly invent new strategies to face rigid competition because coffee is considered among the most consumed products all over the world. Further, pricing strategy and demand rates must be considered as a solution to the brisk competition. The Great Cups Coffee’s major competitor is Starbucks that successfully uses its pricing and location philosophy to be the leading coffee provider (Gillespie, 2005). Finally, the company should also pay attention to the cultural environment and moral codes within an organization to strengthen the values among the employees. Both consumers and employees should be aware of the strong mission of an organization that relies on improvement of the overall climate and quality of services. References Ahlstrom, D., Bruton, G. D. (2009). Inte rnational Management: Strategy and Culture in the Emerging World. US: Cengage Learning. Gillespie, E. M. (2005). Starbucks sees growing demand for drive-thru coffee. The Associated Press. Web. Great Cups Coffee Company (2011). About Great Cups. Web. Hunger, J. D. Wheelen, T. L. (2003). Essentials of strategic management (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Specialty Coffee Association of America (2005). Specialty Coffee Retail in the USA 2005. Web.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More U.S. Census Bureau (2006). Advance monthly sales for retail and food services: July 2006 release. Web.

Environment Scan and Industry Analysis

Environment Scan and Industry Analysis Industry Description At early stages of development, the company at issue began operating as Great Cups of Columbus in Ohio area. The main concept of the company lied in delivering coffee in over-sized cups to adhere to their motto: â€Å"A Great Coffee of Coffee, at a Great Price†. Further development of company’s strategies focused on the analysis of its major competitors, such as Starbucks.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Environment Scan and Industry Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To stand the competition, the managers started developing and, as a result, the company managed to expand its market share within a decade. With regard to economic variables, it should be stressed that the company is affected by such forces as economic rates, energy price, GDP tendencies, and acceptability. In this respect, higher employment rates might lead to changes to coffee consumption and to incre ase in food products sales at the account of retail coffee delivery. According to the information received from the U.S. Census Bureau (2006), there is a 7.6 % annual increase in sales of the company’s products. The company’s revenues, therefore, increased from $ 7 billion in 2000 up to $ 11 billion in 5 years (Specialty Coffee Association of America, 2005). Regarding the societal and demographic factors, it should be stressed that coffee is considered one of the most consumed products in the United States and abroad. Therefore, greater demand for coffee can be ensured through increasing the quality of product and services for consumers. Currently, the company continues its expansion policy by developing new coffee stores in different regions and considering new cultural and social layers of the US population (Great Cups Coffee Company, 2011). As a result of the proposed strategy, consumer’s analysis has triggered the coffee producers to focus on sustainable cof fees that are more concerned with environmental factors. As compared to alcohol and tobacco products, the coffee has strengthened its position at the market due to the enhanced brand loyalty and development of a new concept of the product as a noble beverage. Within the industry matrix, the major criteria for company’s success involve such aspects as convenience of location, product quality, service speed, product range, and pricing strategy. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis The consideration of the factors determining the successful development and profitability of industry is important because it allows the managers to predict future potential and shortcomings of industry expansion (Ahlstrom Bruton, 2009).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More With regard to these issues, the Great Cups Coffee Company should be more focused on such forces as locati on and price that are interconnected in the fight for a competitive advantage. The proposed Strategic Group Map developed below considers the above-mentioned aspects. The graphic diagram demonstrates the competitiveness of the leading coffee industries with regard to price and location. From the above-established indices, it is seen that Great Cups is the most successful in terms of its pricing and location policy whereas Starbucks is more focused on price rather than on location and, therefore, its competitiveness is much higher than the Great Cups. Second, lower price of the Great Cups’ products does not ensure its advantage over other producers due to the lack of the brand image, as compared to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. Therefore, this gap should be fulfilled to continue their market expansion. Despite the disadvantages, the Great Cups Coffee has a beneficial position in terms of reasonable price, high quality products, and market segmentation. In order to prevent the risks, specific emphasis should be placed on societal environment analysis to present coffee as a brand, but not as a commodity to be consumed. A Summary of Opportunities and Threats to Retail Coffee Chains Participating in the Coffee Industry Due to the great competition and a range of directions for development, the Great Cups Coffee Company has great opportunities for market expansion due to the rapid growth in the coffee industry. The emergence of new distribution channels, as well as product expansion, can provide a new option for developing the image of the product and create the shift from consumerist ideology (Hunger Wheelen, 2003). In addition, expansion of stores and exploration of new geographic locations is also crucial because it allows managers to predict the needs of new clients’ base. Finally, developing a limited product portfolio and presenting store names should also widen the company’s opportunities and provide a competitive advantage.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Environment Scan and Industry Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As per the threats, the company should constantly invent new strategies to face rigid competition because coffee is considered among the most consumed products all over the world. Further, pricing strategy and demand rates must be considered as a solution to the brisk competition. The Great Cups Coffee’s major competitor is Starbucks that successfully uses its pricing and location philosophy to be the leading coffee provider (Gillespie, 2005). Finally, the company should also pay attention to the cultural environment and moral codes within an organization to strengthen the values among the employees. Both consumers and employees should be aware of the strong mission of an organization that relies on improvement of the overall climate and quality of services. References Ahlstrom, D., Bruton, G. D. (2009). Inte rnational Management: Strategy and Culture in the Emerging World. US: Cengage Learning. Gillespie, E. M. (2005). Starbucks sees growing demand for drive-thru coffee. The Associated Press. Web. Great Cups Coffee Company (2011). About Great Cups. Web. Hunger, J. D. Wheelen, T. L. (2003). Essentials of strategic management (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Specialty Coffee Association of America (2005). Specialty Coffee Retail in the USA 2005. Web.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More U.S. Census Bureau (2006). Advance monthly sales for retail and food services: July 2006 release. Web.

Environment Scan and Industry Analysis

Environment Scan and Industry Analysis Industry Description At early stages of development, the company at issue began operating as Great Cups of Columbus in Ohio area. The main concept of the company lied in delivering coffee in over-sized cups to adhere to their motto: â€Å"A Great Coffee of Coffee, at a Great Price†. Further development of company’s strategies focused on the analysis of its major competitors, such as Starbucks.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Environment Scan and Industry Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To stand the competition, the managers started developing and, as a result, the company managed to expand its market share within a decade. With regard to economic variables, it should be stressed that the company is affected by such forces as economic rates, energy price, GDP tendencies, and acceptability. In this respect, higher employment rates might lead to changes to coffee consumption and to incre ase in food products sales at the account of retail coffee delivery. According to the information received from the U.S. Census Bureau (2006), there is a 7.6 % annual increase in sales of the company’s products. The company’s revenues, therefore, increased from $ 7 billion in 2000 up to $ 11 billion in 5 years (Specialty Coffee Association of America, 2005). Regarding the societal and demographic factors, it should be stressed that coffee is considered one of the most consumed products in the United States and abroad. Therefore, greater demand for coffee can be ensured through increasing the quality of product and services for consumers. Currently, the company continues its expansion policy by developing new coffee stores in different regions and considering new cultural and social layers of the US population (Great Cups Coffee Company, 2011). As a result of the proposed strategy, consumer’s analysis has triggered the coffee producers to focus on sustainable cof fees that are more concerned with environmental factors. As compared to alcohol and tobacco products, the coffee has strengthened its position at the market due to the enhanced brand loyalty and development of a new concept of the product as a noble beverage. Within the industry matrix, the major criteria for company’s success involve such aspects as convenience of location, product quality, service speed, product range, and pricing strategy. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis The consideration of the factors determining the successful development and profitability of industry is important because it allows the managers to predict future potential and shortcomings of industry expansion (Ahlstrom Bruton, 2009).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More With regard to these issues, the Great Cups Coffee Company should be more focused on such forces as locati on and price that are interconnected in the fight for a competitive advantage. The proposed Strategic Group Map developed below considers the above-mentioned aspects. The graphic diagram demonstrates the competitiveness of the leading coffee industries with regard to price and location. From the above-established indices, it is seen that Great Cups is the most successful in terms of its pricing and location policy whereas Starbucks is more focused on price rather than on location and, therefore, its competitiveness is much higher than the Great Cups. Second, lower price of the Great Cups’ products does not ensure its advantage over other producers due to the lack of the brand image, as compared to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. Therefore, this gap should be fulfilled to continue their market expansion. Despite the disadvantages, the Great Cups Coffee has a beneficial position in terms of reasonable price, high quality products, and market segmentation. In order to prevent the risks, specific emphasis should be placed on societal environment analysis to present coffee as a brand, but not as a commodity to be consumed. A Summary of Opportunities and Threats to Retail Coffee Chains Participating in the Coffee Industry Due to the great competition and a range of directions for development, the Great Cups Coffee Company has great opportunities for market expansion due to the rapid growth in the coffee industry. The emergence of new distribution channels, as well as product expansion, can provide a new option for developing the image of the product and create the shift from consumerist ideology (Hunger Wheelen, 2003). In addition, expansion of stores and exploration of new geographic locations is also crucial because it allows managers to predict the needs of new clients’ base. Finally, developing a limited product portfolio and presenting store names should also widen the company’s opportunities and provide a competitive advantage.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Environment Scan and Industry Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As per the threats, the company should constantly invent new strategies to face rigid competition because coffee is considered among the most consumed products all over the world. Further, pricing strategy and demand rates must be considered as a solution to the brisk competition. The Great Cups Coffee’s major competitor is Starbucks that successfully uses its pricing and location philosophy to be the leading coffee provider (Gillespie, 2005). Finally, the company should also pay attention to the cultural environment and moral codes within an organization to strengthen the values among the employees. Both consumers and employees should be aware of the strong mission of an organization that relies on improvement of the overall climate and quality of services. References Ahlstrom, D., Bruton, G. D. (2009). Inte rnational Management: Strategy and Culture in the Emerging World. US: Cengage Learning. Gillespie, E. M. (2005). Starbucks sees growing demand for drive-thru coffee. The Associated Press. Web. Great Cups Coffee Company (2011). About Great Cups. Web. Hunger, J. D. Wheelen, T. L. (2003). Essentials of strategic management (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Specialty Coffee Association of America (2005). Specialty Coffee Retail in the USA 2005. Web.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More U.S. Census Bureau (2006). Advance monthly sales for retail and food services: July 2006 release. Web.

M26 Pershing Tank in World War II

M26 Pershing Tank in World War II The M26 Pershing was a heavy tank developed for the U.S. Army during World War II. Conceived as a replacement for the iconic M4 Sherman, the M26 suffered from an extended design and development process as well as political infighting among the U.S. Armys leadership. The M26 arrived in the final months of the conflict and proved effective against the latest German tanks. Retained after the war, it was upgraded and evolved. Deployed during the Korean War, the M26 proved superior to the tanks used by Communist forces but struggled at times with the difficult terrain and suffered from various issues with its systems. The M26 was later replaced by the Patton series of tank in the U.S. Army. Development Development of the M26 began in 1942 as production was beginning on the M4 Sherman medium tank. Initially intended to be a follow-on for the M4, the project was designated T20 and was to serve as a test bed for experimenting with new types of guns, suspensions, and transmissions. T20 series prototypes employed a new torqmatic transmission, the Ford GAN V-8 engine, and the new 76 mm M1A1 gun. As testing moved forward, problems emerged with the new transmission system and a parallel program was established, designated T22, which utilized the same mechanical transmission as the M4. A third program, the T23, was also created to test a new electric transmission which had been developed by General Electric. This system quickly proved to have performance advantages in rough terrain as it could adjust to rapid changes in torque requirements. Pleased with the new transmission, the Ordnance Department pushed the design forward. Possessing a cast turret mounting the 76 mm gun, the T23 was produced in limited numbers during 1943, but did not see combat. Instead, its legacy proved to be its turret which was later utilized in 76 mm gun-equipped Shermans. Panther Tank. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-300-1876-02A A New Heavy Tank With the emergence of the new German Panther and Tiger tanks, efforts began within the Ordnance Department to develop a heavier tank to compete with them. This resulted in the T25 and T26 series which built upon the earlier T23. Devised in 1943, the T26 saw the addition of a 90 mm gun and substantially heavier armor. Though these greatly increased the tanks weight, the engine was not upgraded and the vehicle proved underpowered. Despite this, the Ordnance Department was pleased with the new tank and worked to move it towards production. The first production model, T26E3, possessed a cast turret mounting a 90 mm gun and required a crew of four. Powered by the Ford GAF V-8, it utilized a torsion bar suspension and torqmatic transmission. Construction of the hull consisted of a combination of castings and rolled plate. Entering service, the tank was designated M26 Pershing heavy tank. The name was selected to honor General John J. Pershing who had founded the U.S. Armys Tank Corps during World War I. M26 Pershing DimensionsLength: 28 ft. 4.5 in.Width: 11 ft. 6 in.Height: 9 ft. 1.5 in.Weight: 41.7 tonsArmor ArmamentPrimary Gun: M3 90 mmSecondary Armament: 2 Ãâ€" Browning .30-06 cal. machine guns, 1 Ãâ€" Browning .50 cal. machine gunArmor: 1-4.33 in.PerformanceEngine: Ford GAF, 8-cylinder, 450–500 hpSpeed: 25 mphRange: 100 milesSuspension: Torsion BarCrew: 5 Production Delays As design of the M26 came to completion, its production was delayed by an ongoing debate in the U.S. Army regarding the need for a heavy tank. While Lieutenant General Jacob Devers, the head of U.S. Army forces in Europe advocated for the new tank, he was opposed by Lieutenant General Lesley McNair, commander Army Ground Forces. This was further complicated by Armored Commands desire to press on the M4 and concerns that a heavy tank would not be able to use the Army Corps of Engineers bridges. With the backing of General George Marshall, the project remained alive and production moved forward in November 1944. While some claim that Lieutenant General George S. Patton played a key role in delaying the M26, these assertions are not well supported. Ten M26s were built in November 1943, with production escalating at the Fisher Tank Arsenal. Production also commenced at the Detroit Tank Arsenal in March 1945. By the end of 1945, over 2,000 M26s had been built. In January 1945, experiments began on the Super Pershing which mounted the improved T15E1 90mm gun. This variant was only produced in small numbers. Another variant was the M45 close support vehicle which mounted a 105 mm howitzer. An M26 Pershing of A Company, 14th Tank Battalion, is transported aboard a pontoon ferry across the Rhine on March 12, 1945. National Archives and Records Administration World War II Following American losses to German tanks in the Battle of the Bulge the need for the M26 became clear. The first shipment of twenty Pershings arrived in Antwerp in January 1945. These were split between the 3rd and 9th Armored Divisions and were the first of 310 M26s to reach Europe before the end of the war. Of these, around 20 saw combat. The M26s first action occurred with the 3rd Armored on February 25 near the Roer River. Four M26s were also involved in the 9th Armoreds capture of the Bridge at Remagen on March 7-8. In encounters with Tigers and Panthers, the M26 performed well. In the Pacific, a shipment of twelve M26s departed on May 31 for use in the Battle of Okinawa. Due to a variety of delays, they did not arrive until after the fighting had ended. Korea Retained after the war, the M26 was re-designated as a medium tank. Assessing the M26, it was decided to rectify the issues of its under-powered engine and problematic transmission. Beginning in January 1948, 800 M26s received new Continental AV1790-3 engines and Allison CD-850-1 cross-drive transmissions. Along with a new gun and host of other modifications, these altered M26s were redesignated as the M46 Patton. USMC M26 Pershing tank advancing in Korea, September 4, 1950. National Archives and Records Administration With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, the first medium tanks to reach Korea were a provisional platoon of M26s dispatched from Japan. Additional M26s reached the peninsula later that year where they fought alongside M4s and M46s. Though performing well in combat, the M26 was withdrawn from Korea in 1951 due to reliability issues associated with its systems. The type was retained by U.S. forces in Europe until the arrival of new M47 Pattons in 1952-1953. As the Pershing was phased out of American service, it was provided to NATO allies such as Belgium, France, and Italy. The Italians used the type until 1963.

Cryptography & Coding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Cryptography & Coding - Essay Example There are various factors involved in the security of a variety of software applications, ranging from protected commerce payments, personal communications as well as defending passwords. One fundamental way for safe communications is cryptography. Cryptography is presently the main information and data security technology. However it is significant to note that as cryptography is essential for safe communications, it is not by itself sufficient. This research presents a detailed analysis of the cryptography technology in terms of information and data safety. In this research I will present the comprehensive overview of the main security and privacy aspects those we need to assess during the implementation of any security policy. The technology of cryptography is very old but its utilization in the information technology sector was seen after the emergence of web based crimes. The research will spotlight on the main cryptographic technology, types, algorithms, application areas, main advantages, and some of the main technological scenarios. Introduction Data is the most important element of the firms for the reason that they heavily rely on this data to run and manage their business tasks. Basically, data can be defined â€Å"as the â€Å"group of unrefined facts representing events taking place in organizations or the physical environment prior to they have been structured and managed into a structure that people can identify and utilize and Information refers to data that have been transformed into a structure that is important and functional to human beings† (Laudon & Laudon, 1999, p.7; Norton, 2001, p.4). Without a doubt, both the data and information are believed to be the main assets of almost all the business organizations. In this scenario, it is essential for the business organizations to protect these assets from possible threats. According to (Laudon & Laudon, 1999, p. 502), â€Å"security is a set of rules, actions, and technical measures u sed to stop unlawful access or modification, robbery, and physical damage to the database. Privacy refers to the right of individuals and organizations to forbid or restrict the compilation and utilizations of information about them.† In the past, information privacy was uncomplicated to retain for the reason that information was kept in different locations. Each business had its own acknowledgment files. Each government agency kept detached records. Doctors kept their own patient files. On the other hand, at present, massive databases store this data online. A large amount of this data is private and secret and should be reachable only to approved users (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005, p. 591). In this situation the data security becomes a big challenge which demands implementation of effective methods. Cryptography provides useful techniques for security of data and information. Technology of Cryptography can be described as the science which deals with the processes of al teration of information or data into a scrambled code that can be decoded and sent all through a private or public network (Akdeniz, 1996; Kessler, 2009). Anonymity and Privacy In their research article (Martin, 2006) discuss that both the privacy and anonymity on the web are noteworthy because they are hard to attain. Online privacy concerns are in the news each day currently.

Business continuity and crisis management Essay - 2

Business continuity and crisis management - Essay Example BCM plays an important role in every organization that uses it. One major aim of having a BCM program on any business to is to give it the capacity to have a quick and effective response to global crises such as cyber attacks mostly through data breaches, natural disasters and ensure the business interests of the organization are protected. (Blyth, M. 2009). What this means is that BCM is not only about crisis management, but it also includes disaster and business recovery, incident and emergency management. The ISO 22301, which is a system of business continuity management, places emphasis on a few areas that are crucial in BCM.First, it suggests that there is a great need to have an understanding of the needs of continuity and preparedness. Moreover, there is need to understand why it is necessary to establish a BCM policy and objectives in an organization. It adds that the effectiveness of the entire process relies heavily on this understanding. Secondly, there is need for an orga nization to implement and operate controls that can manage its overall continuity risks. It therefore, suggests that it would be meaningless to have a BCM policy when the organization is not ready to implement it. (Bajgoric, N. (n.d.). Thirdly, the organization should constantly review and monitor the effectiveness of the BCM program to ensure it is working according to its goals. Finally, the regular assessment of BCM will lead to objective measurements that are important in continual improvement.