Friday, January 24, 2020

The Hydrogen Secret :: Alternative Fuel Power Energy

The world is developing at a faster rate than ever before. As a result natural resources continue to be exhausted worldwide. Oil, once an abundant resource in the earth, is depleting at an ever growing rate. Oil costs continue to rise as the world depends on it more and more. Governments are investing billions of dollars every year into alternate energy research with hydrogen as the front runner. This is free money companies are receiving to research and develop hydrogen-powered vehicles. It's no wonder why people are lured into the hydrogen revolution. Each type of alternate energy comes with its own pros and cons. Like any product, the marketers will only mention the pros of the product they are selling and the cons of their competitors. In the end whoever has the most money, wins. Hydrogen powered vehicles have received the most attention in the last year. Unfortunately the hydrogen revolution isn't the savior that it's hyped up to be. The world cannot continue to rely on oil for its source of energy; an alternate form is needed but any more time or money invested into hydrogen as that alternate source may prove to be a big waste. In nature hydrogen is always found combined with other elements, which means it has to be manually made by passing an electric current through water to form hydrogen and oxygen. There is a tremendous amount of energy involved in splitting the molecules to free the hydrogen from its captor. The current method of producing hydrogen from water is through the use of oil and coal. Oil and coal are the two main resources the world is trying to cut back on. The main purpose of using hydrogen is lost when considering the actual manufacturing process of hydrogen contributes a significant amount of carbon dioxide. When the big coal and oil companies start investing their profits in hydrogen, something has gone awry. Each company sees its future limited and wants to ensure their survival. Since they have the most money they will be the main producer of hydrogen. The hydrogen economy will benefit the mining and oil industry at the cost of the clean-energy dream. Hydrogen will prove to be a difficult energy to sell in the short term. Even though vehicles are still in the development stages, the current hydrogen prototype costs are in the million dollar range. Hydrogen is the smallest element in the universe; to get enough useful energy to power the vehicle, hydrogen has to be compressed to an extremely high-pressure.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Pak Elektronic Limited

Case Report Pak Electronic Limited: Converting Systems to ERP Executive Summary Pak Elektron Limited (PEL), a large manufacturer of consumer home appliances and power transformers, initiated an information system conversion to a Tier 1 enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in 2007. After the Phase I of implementation by 2011, Pak Elektron was facing a liquidity crisis that hindered implementation of further modules. Legacy systems were still being widely used, and staff had grown uncomfortable and resistant to change.The contents of this case report include problem identification, decision criteria evaluation, alternative analysis, and recommendation. Those aforementioned sections will address Pak Elektron’s problems in their project management, their budget forecasting and planning, their financial support, and their human resources and information system implementation. Based on those problems and our analysis, four alternatives were identified, and the option of a Phase d Module ERP implementation was recommended.Pak Elektron Limited (PEL) had over a hundred different systems being used internally, mostly in-house developed stand-alone applications, with some multi-user applications interspersed. Independent operations and systems promoted the lack of integration and standardized reporting, as well as poor quality and timeliness of data. Beginning in 2007, PEL had started converting its information systems to Oracle’s EBS Tier 1 ERP system. Problem Identification Project Management: Since the resignation of Atif Ameen, PEL has lacked a project champion with extensive experience in IT operation and system implementation.In addition, the estimated implementation period had extended beyond the proposed 2 years, which has increased cost and economic uncertainty for the company. Budget Forecasting and Planning: PEL had poor budget forecasting and analysis, which resulted in insufficient short-term assets to support the purchasing of necessary equ ipment, training costs, and consultancy costs. Financial issues: PEL faced a short-term liquidity crisis, and did not have the financial means for full system implementation. To mitigate this, some bank loan repayments were restructured in 2010 to conserve cash flow in response to the liquidity crisisHuman Resources: Staff were resistant to a systems change. New skills were required, which meant that staff’s expertise with the legacy systems were inconsequential. Morale was low, which resulted in experienced staff leaving the company. Likewise, the IT department encountered a mismatch between current and needed skill set, resulting in new hires and increased project duration due to this transition. Salary discrepancies with old staff and new hires also resulted in high turnover within the IT department Information Systems Implementation: The implementation process was ineffective and inefficient.PEL needed to spend extra resources to run parallel implementation, as numerous s ystem functions were not supported. Evaluative/Decision Criteria: Cost: infrastructure, systems, implementation, maintenance: (40%) Cost is the most important decision criterion for PEL. Due to the numerous financial problems that the company has experienced, including a liquidity crisis, it is important that the proposed solution is cost-efficient with regards to infrastructure support, purchasing new systems, implementing systems, and supporting system maintenance.Integration among business silos and processes: (35%) PEL has 25 branches in Pakistan, therefore, communication between the branches and with the central database is necessary. The solution needs to support or improve the integration of as to allow PEL to shorten the time required to obtain useful information for timely decision-making. In addition, the solution needs to link up all the branches with the central database in a better network structure as to reduce the internal e-mail traffic. Quality and accuracy of data: (10%)The proposed solution needs to address PEL’s earlier problems of double-entry, frequent reconciliations, and other issues concerning the quality and accuracy of data. Ideally, the solution will either mitigate the systems that impede quality and accuracy, remove them, or improve them. Effective and timely implementation: (10%) Unexpected changes in business operations lead to disruptive structural changes during systems implementation. Such changes can add complexity and deferred the progress, which means longer the time of implementation and higher risk of failure.The proposed system will need to be effective and timely with regards to implementation to mitigate this risk. Real-time and useful financial reporting: (5%) This criteria addresses PEL’s need for the system to create a more real-time and useful financial reporting system that is standardized across the organization in order to fulfill reporting standards, and promote greater financial decision making. Alternatives: 1. Phased Module ERP implementation PEL is being stretched thin many areas due to external factors, and their broad-based systems implementation plan, which was demonstrated in Phase I.Within Phase I, they took a look at 18 different systems, and only managed the implementation of five. PEL needs an immediate action phase-it-in strategy as to focus all of its implementation into the financial reporting Oracle suite. The organization has 5 systems implemented; further implementation in this area will be more cost-effective and time-efficient. Furthermore, following this implementation, all legacy systems with regards to financial reporting will be removed, and the rest of the project will be re-assessed until implementation of other business suites is feasible. 2.Recall Oracle system, and take a look at other module and ERP options General ERPs, like Oracle’s EBS system, share a similar weakness; they are made for general organizations, and therefore may not acc ommodate a specialized fit. PEL has other options with regards to systems implementation and selection, such as developing custom ERP software based on the current legacy system that disrupts the business model as little as possible. PEL can also purchase and implement separate, more specialized suites such as Salesforce for CRM, a cloud based accounting system for financial reporting (Wave), amongst others.It terms of cost, this is an expensive option as customized ERP software is extremely expensive and requires development time. Purchasing individual modules for certain business functions will also be more expensive than a general system due to reduced bundle savings. A customized ERP system will help the silos reintegrate more efficiently due to more in-line processes supported within the system. Customizable modules would ideally improve efficiency of each individual silo. 3. Full rollout of ERP modules – Implementation of Phase II and III Budget is the biggest constrain t in this option.However, this will ensure full migration away from legacy systems, and will address the concern of generating standardized reports and ensuring data quality. Although data integration may be achieved, PEL should expect high resistance from staff. With full rollout, PEL has the options of: a. Hiring/developing in-house expertise to lead implementation of Phase II and III b. Re-hiring AFF Recommendation Systems conversion risks could have been mitigated had PEL properly planned the ERP migration. Project management was poor and did not assess the full needs and requirements of the company as a whole.Alternative 1, Phased Module ERP implementation, is the best option for PEL. Once the financial systems have been properly implemented (whether in-house or through consultants), PEL can then take a regroup strategy and reassess their situation. If the long-term implementation of the finance suite is successful, then they can move forward with reduced employee resistance. I f the changes in productivity are minor, PEL can choose to avoid implementing systems in other business functions, and avoid disruption the silos. The goals of integration and timeliness of data will be achieved.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Validity and Reliability Matrix Essay - 1533 Words

Galinda Individual Validity and Reliability Matrix Internal consistency--The application and appropriateness of internal consistency would be viewed as reliability. Internal consistency describes the continuous results provided in any given test. It guarantees that a range of items measure the singular method giving consistent scores. The appropriateness would be to use the re-test method in which the same test is given to be able to compare whether the internal consistency has done its job (Cohen Swerdlik, 2010). For example a test that could be given is the proficiency test which provides three different parts to the test, but if a person does not pass the test the same test is given again. Strengths—The strength of†¦show more content†¦Weaknesses—The weakness would be if the characteristics that are being measured assumed would change over time, and lower the test/retest reliability. If the measurements were due to variance other than error variance there would be a problem. If the reliability of a test is lower than the real measurement it may be because the construct may varies. Parallel and alternate forms—The parallel and the alternative forms of test reliability utilize multiple instances of the same test items at two different time with the same participants (Cohen Swerdlik, 2010). These kinds of test of reliability measurement could be proper when a person is measuring traits over a lengthy period of time, but would not be proper if a person was to measure one’s emotional state. Strengths---The parallel and alternate form measure the reliability of the core construct during variances of the same test items. Reliability will go up when equal scores are discovered on multiple form of the same test. Internal consistency estimate of reliability can analyze the reliability of a test with the test taker going through several exams. Weaknesses- The parallel and alternate form test takes up a lot of time and can be expensive along with bothersome for test takers who have to take different versions of the test over again. These tests are not dependable when measuringShow MoreRelatedPsychometric Properties Essay1274 Words   |  6 Pagesavailable for empirically assessing the reliability and validity of a measurement scale. This section addresses how the reliability and validity of this scale is evaluated to determine the efficacy of TQM Scale in measuring the total quality management practices in higher education institutions. Validity Evidences Content validity was undertaken to ascertain whether the content of the scale was appropriate and relevant to the study purpose. Content validity indicates the content reflects a completeRead MoreUsing Item Creation Of An Organization Essay1312 Words   |  6 Pagescreated was â€Å"I prefer to blend in the crowd† for the Narcissism subscale. 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