Managers & Organisations - Reflective Portfolio Assignment

Managers & Organisations - Reflective Portfolio - Assignment Example The objectives of this paper is to generate a clear understanding on critical issues an individual can face while performing those tasks. In addition, the paper also provides an insight about how to deal with the problems regarding management of clients, inventory and staffs. Summarising Learning Reflection During the work tenure in my profession, I had confronted with several issues which helped me to gain valuable experience. I had showed good performance on maintaining coordination with staffs along with other stakeholders in the company. My knowledge and expertise had helped me to deal with the clients and to manage other operations such as supervision, monitoring and analysis of documents among others. I always endeavour to provide rapid response to any kind of problems within the organisation so that it does not turn out to be much worse. I possess two major characteristics which influence my decision making which are activist and quick learning ability. The major gaps I had id entified during reflection were ineffective planning and communication. Due to this gap, I often faced difficulties in managing the clients and the staffs. Above all, I am a reflector in learning and can put theory and idea into practice and I always pursued for learning new things in my professional life. Reflection on Practices Scenario 1 The first workplace scenario of my work experience is related to management of client. In any business organisation, it is significant to manage the clients effectively. Client management is concerned with appealing to new clients as well as retaining the existing clients of the company. It is critical for every manager to maintain good associations with clients so that they... During the work tenure in my profession, I had confronted with several issues which helped me to gain valuable experience. I had showed good performance on maintaining coordination with staffs along with other stakeholders in the company. My knowledge and expertise had helped me to deal with the clients and to manage other operations such as supervision, monitoring and analysis of documents among others. I always endeavour to provide rapid response to any kind of problems within the organisation so that it does not turn out to be much worse. I possess two major characteristics which influence my decision making which are activist and quick learning ability. The major gaps I had identified during reflection were ineffective planning and communication. Due to this gap, I often faced difficulties in managing the clients and the staffs. Above all, I am a reflector in learning and can put theory and idea into practice and I always pursued for learning new things in my professional life. S cenario 1The first workplace scenario of my work experience is related to management of client. In any business organisation, it is significant to manage the clients effectively. Client management is concerned with appealing to new clients as well as retaining the existing clients of the company. It is critical for every manager to maintain good associations with clients so that they conduct business with the company regularly and for the long run. In present days competitive business environment, losing a valuable client can cost heavily on profitability.

A Fair Price Essay Example for Free

A Fair Price Essay An analysis of Warren Buffet as a superior investor and how this contradicts finance theory and the semi strong form of efficiency. Then on a personal level the ethics and social responsibility underpinning Warren Buffet and his company will be expressed. a) Discuss what can be inferred from the changes in stock price for Berkshire Hathaway Ltd. and Scottish Power plc. on the announcement day of the acquisition? On the 24th of May the public announcement was made that Berkshire Hathaway Ltd, would take over Scottish Powers’ PacifiCorp, a significant effect resulted to the stock prices of both companies respectively. The stock price effect is visible in graph 1 2 showing the daily prices for May 2005 for both companies. b) Assess the bid for PacifiCorp. Do you think the bid is a â€Å"fair† price? In assessing whether the bid price $5. 1 billion dollar is a fair price a valuation of PacifiCorp must be conducted. The model that was implemented to perform the valuation was the DCF method. The value derived from this methodology was $ 5 119. 348092 million dollars, rather astonishingly close to the bid price of MidAmerican. The DCF model can be found in appendix) Therefore with a value so similar to that of the bid price, it can be ascertained that the bid reflects the company’s value thus is a fair price. CAPM =| RF +| ? | (rm-rt)| 0. 1013 =| 0. 0488+ | 0. 75| (0. 07)| Table [ 1 ] Terminal Valuen = E(FCFE)n+1 /(rn gn) The DCF model was followed from Rosenbaum’s text (reference) the majority of the inputs have been derived from PacifiCorp’s annual reports. The EBIT has grown at %5. 7 since 2000, signifying good growth signs. This figure combined ith speculation from the 2005 annual report predicting sales to grow at %3 to result in a predicted growth rate of %5 to forecast the FCF’s. A CAPM was used to calculate the cost of equity (as seen in table 1). The industry Beta was used 0. 75(reference), the RFR %4. 88 was derived from the 20 year US Treasury bond rate and the market premium was given at %7. Using these figures cost of equity was found to be %10. 13. Once the cash flows have been forecasted at the 5% growth rate and discounted back at the %10. 13 Ke, then the terminal value must be determined. The terminal value was calculated the below formula, found in Damodorans’ text.

Realibility Engineering and Asset Management

Realibility Engineering and Asset Management The Strategic Process Workload Seems excessive for available resources KPIs Actual against planned performance not always recorded Standards/Procedures Lubrication not being performed properly The Work System Planning Apparent failure of entire process Utilisation of Manpower Staff seem to be overworked and/or not used properly Reliability Critical machinery is failing Reporting Too much expected on job completion Work Completion Excessive backlog of PM and defects repair The Feedback System Root Cause Analysis Not being performed Work Order feedback   Rarely completed by fitters Job Completion reports Not being reviewed The Continuous Improvement Process New Technologies Condition monitoring probe request rejected New techniques Training for maintenance staff not pursued Innovation No development of maintenance practices Corrective action No improvements being made to maintenance strategy The Environmental Process Production Pressure Plant is being sweated Shortage of Resources Appears to be insufficient for current workload The Strategic Process Maintenance Strategy Derek is busy at organising this but to the detriment of his focus on everyday items at the plant. Workload there seems to be an excessive amount in relation to the available resources. Mick states that the fitters are struggling to complete PMs and fix machine defects. Harry mentions later that the situation is worse and that they are way behind on PMs and defects. Plant patrols, which are part of the strategy, are not being performed due to time shortages. There is a possibility that the initial allocation of resources was adequate when the plant was in a healthier state but since the state of machinery has deteriorated, the maintenance staff are now overworked due to the high number of breakdowns. I believe that a collapse of the planning process is at the root of the ever increasing workload. KPIs Derek is aghast when he learns from Harry that Dougie wants to be consulted on new requirements for reporting. Derek reminds Harry and Mick that the maintenance strategy has always had a requirement for feeding back actual against planned performance. The fitters received a letter detailing job completion report requirements but instead of motivating, it seems to have riled them up. Standards/Procedures When quizzed about the cause of the compressor bearings seizure, Harry informs him that it was likely due to improper lubrication. There is either a failure of Standards or Procedures here i.e. either the lubricating standard was not correct or the lubrication procedure was not followed. The Work System Planning There has been a complete collapse in the planning process. Charlie has been instructed to concentrate on shutdown planning with no ownership being taken of the corrective maintenance activities. The planning function also includes reviewing job completion reports with the Maintenance Manager, this has also being neglected due to the focus on shutdown planning. Utilisation of Manpower There are certainly concerns with the utilisation of resources. Mick states this in no uncertain terms to Derek. There is a significant backlog of works to be completed and Mick and Harry believe that too much time is being spent on reporting and planning thus reducing tool time. Reliability Plant reliability is suffering extreme adverse effects. A failure of a critical piece of equipment has resulted in a minimum of five days downtime for the entire manufacturing operation. Reporting Reporting on equipment condition is not consistent. A fault report was filled out by Mick for the compressor in advance of its failure. However job completion reports are not being completed by all fitters. Work Completion It is clear from the scenario, that non-completion of maintenance tasks is a serious concern. Lubrication of the compressor bearings was not performed (either at all or to the right degree). Harry states also that the team are behind with their PM routines and have a serious backlog on defects. The Feedback System Root Cause Analysis Not only is root cause analysis not being performed at ACME, the maintenance supervisors are not even aware of the meaning of the concept. Harry and Mick are keen to learn about it, which instigates the Dictaphone recorded conversation. Work Order /Job Completion reports Only some of the fitters are filling in job completion reports despite it being part of the maintenance strategy. Derek is quite stunned when he learns this from Mick. To make matters worse one of the few fitters, Eddie Condon, that completes the reports is fed up as he feels that his efforts are being ignored. Plant Patrol fault reporting This is not being performed by the fitters. Because of the backlog in PM workload and fixing defects, Mick states they would have to do overtime to carry out what he refers to as detective work. Fault reporting A report on the compressor fault was completed by Mick and submitted to the planning office. However it went unnoticed by Charlie due to prioritisation of shutdown planning. Disconnect with Maintenance Strategy From the above points it is clear that there is no action being taken with the feedback that is performed at ACME. Derek states that he is too busy organising the maintenance strategy but yet he has failed to notice the breakdown in this process. The Continuous Improvement Process New Technologies Mick has been asking Derek for months to purchase the hand held condition monitoring probe. He believes that its advanced technology could provide great assistance in solving the plants equipment issues. Derek dismisses the probe as fancy stuff and requests instead that the department get back to basics. New techniques Harry reminds Derek that he was promised he could attend a training course on compressors. Harry believes that, had this advanced training been attended, ACME may not have had the compressor breakdown. However Derek reneged on his promise stating that he could not lose Harry for three weeks. Innovation There seems to be an utter lack of innovation in how maintenance is practiced at ACME. Derek appears to be disconnected from his subordinates and perhaps this is why they are stuck in a rut when it comes to changing how they do things. Corrective Action Because the feedback and feed forward loops have been severed, there are no corrections to the maintenance strategy taking place. Derek appears to be asleep at the wheel and is not aware of the challenges facing his troops. In Dereks defence, Jim Gordon has insisted that ACME embark on a time consuming World Class Maintenance Program this could be significant factor in distracting Derek from introducing the required corrective actions to the maintenance strategy. The Environmental Process Production Pressure It is clear in the scenario that production pressure has been ratcheted up. Derek has been castigated by Jim Gordon, the managing director of ACME. The plant is not running, due to equipment failure, and will not be operating for at least five more days. Such is the managing directors anger with the situation that Derek believes that his life would be in danger if a suitable weapon were present. When Derek, Mick and Harry are discussing the root cause of the compressor bearings failure, it comes up that operations have been hammering the plant due to a big order from Korea. Derek confirms that the plant has been running fifteen percent above nameplate capacity. He also feels that it may have been a factor in the compressor breakdown. His concerns were mentioned in a management strategy meeting but he was told to find a way to work around operation requirements. Shortage of Resources Harry states to Derek that the maintenance department is probably understaffed. Mick feels that they are not using the fitters in the best way. As stated earlier, ACME either does not have enough maintenance staff or how they are using them has caused the current situation of excessive work backlog to develop. There could well be a combination of shortage of resources and not optimum utilisation of the resources they have. The Strategic Process Workload Reason for high priority There are mentions throughout the scenario of the mismatch between the work that requires completion and the resources available to action it. Specific adverse effect A build up in the backlog of PMs and correction of defects. Responsible person Derek Piper. As maintenance manager, he must own the strategy and ensure that it is fit for purpose. The Work System Planning Reason for high priority I believe poor or non-existent planning is at the root of the work systems issues and it has created knock-on effects in manpower utilisation, work completion and ultimately poor machine reliability. Specific adverse effect Compressor failed because the planner was not focussed on operations and completely missed the fault report prior to its failure. Responsible person Derek Piper. Although it is Charlies role, Derek has instructed him to shift his focus to shutdown activities. The Feedback System Plant Patrol Fault Reporting Reason for high priority It is imperative that potential equipment failures are reported to the planning office. Specific adverse effect Impending failures were not recorded for processing by the planner. Responsible person Harry Warner and Mick Brice. They only informed the maintenance manager that the fitters were not performing this activity after the compressor had failed. The Continuous Improvement Process Corrective Action Reason for high priority Corrective actions are required to align the maintenance strategy with the changing availability/reliability requirements of the plant. Specific adverse effect The maintenance strategy has stagnated and is not fit for purpose in the operating environment that ACME has moved to. Responsible person Derek Piper. He could plead some defence here based on the directive from Jim Gordon to pursue the World Class Maintenance Program which is consuming his time. But ultimately he must be held accountable as maintenance manager. The Environmental Process Production Pressure Reason for high priority ACME is running the plant twenty four seven and fifteen per cent above nameplate capacity. Specific adverse effect Operations are not releasing the equipment for necessary maintenance. Responsible person Jim Gordon. For the managing director to not listen to the concerns of the maintenance manager regarding the sweating of the plant is inexcusable. Of particular note is Jims instruction to Derek to simply stop moaning. The Strategic Process Workload Recommended change The strategy needs to be reviewed by the maintenance manager in terms of dealing with current and medium term workload. An assessment on this workload will help decide the required resources to complete it. ACME may have to consider hiring temporary or sub-contracted maintenance resources to clear the backlog. There is also a minimum of five days immediately available for opportunity maintenance due to the compressor failure bringing the plant down, ACME should endeavour to capitalise on this and add a silver lining to the cloud that hangs over operations. Estimated cost High. Especially if ACME hires additional maintenance staff to clear the backlog. Feasibility Medium. There will be some difficulty in planning terms to coordinate self-delivered and outsourced resources. The Work System Planning Recommended change Hire a specialist temporary resource to support Charlie in the planning department. This will allow corrective and shutdown work to be planned concurrently. As part of this change, the weekly job completion reports review meetings will have to be immediately reinstated. In the longer term, a review will have to be undertaken on the level of planning detail for minor works as Harry states that it is excessive. Estimated cost Medium. If the shutdown is less than two weeks duration, recruitment costs should not exceed  £10k. Feasibility Medium. The maintenance manager will need to make a case to senior management that justifies this course of action and associated cost. If this option proves to be a success, it can be built into the strategy for future shutdowns. The Feedback System Plant Patrol Fault Reporting Recommended change Plant patrol fault reporting must resume. ACME may have to wait until the maintenance backlog is cleared before re-implementation. One option would be to resume it at a reduced frequency e.g. if its currently a daily activity, move it to a weekly activity in the medium term. Estimated cost Low. No additional expense should be incurred. Feasibility High. The Continuous Improvement Process Corrective Action Recommended change The maintenance manager has to be receptive to both feedback and feed forward information. He must use these inputs to align the strategy with the needs of the company. Estimated cost Low. It is part of the maintenance managers job. Feasibility High. The Environmental Process Production Pressure Recommended change All stakeholders including the managing director, operations manager and the Chairman need to work with the maintenance manager in creating a medium to long term maintenance strategy. This will help facilitate achieving the required production targets. Estimated cost High. Equipment investment and additional maintenance staff recruitment is highly likely in order to increase and maintain the nameplate capacity of the plant. Feasibility Medium. If Jim Gordon is serious about keeping the plant running at all costs, then the investment funds should be made available. The compressor failure and resultant plant downtime seems like an accident that was waiting to happen. When we analyse the circumstances surrounding the event, its clear that the maintenance system had failed. Through all of this, Derek Piper was lost at sea and to clash metaphors had his head buried in the sand. As a consequence, the planning process collapsed, feedback was not acted on and the maintenance strategy became unfit for purpose. He can claim that external pressure from the managing director, with the demand of increased plant output and reduced windows for PM activities, caused the system to fail. Although there may be some validity in this claim, I believe that every manager has two high level challenges: the first is to lead subordinates, the second being to manage the expectations of superiors. Times will come when a manager has to push back and stand up to unreasonable demands of company bosses. If a manager does not display this inner strength and backbone, he will likely be trampled on at some stage. Its clear at ACME that Jim Gordon had subdued Derek Piper and I believe Derek would not have had the strength to resist when the decision was made to sweat the plant and run it above nameplate capacity. If I was to apply a percentage weighting of blame for the situation that ACME finds itself in, it would be 65/25/10 for the maintenance manager, managing director and maintenance supervisors respectively. Its interesting that the question states if you were appointed maintenance manager as I believe the only option that will rescue the situation is the replacement of Derek Piper in his role. A rebuilding process is required in the ACME maintenance department. This should start from the top down with a new manager. Derek is in the unenviable position that football mangers often find themselves in, he has lost the confidence of both senior management and the dressing room the dressing room equivalent being the shop floor fitters. He now very much remains an isolated figure at ACME. A carefully chosen new appointee to the role of maintenance manager would bring a fresh impetus. The candidate should come from outside the company as such a person would not carry any baggage from the current ACME situation. In the Recommendations section of this paper, I have deliberately avoided mentioning Derek Piper by name and referred to the role of maintenance manager instead. This is because I do no t see him as part of the solution. He may be required to get the compressor repaired and the plant back running but once this is achieved, his removal and succession should be planned. If I was appointed maintenance manager, I would look to introducing a new style of leadership to the maintenance department. My approach would be to lead from the front, engage with the fitters and regularly visit their turf to get a feel for their daily challenges. A strong focus would have to be applied to resuming the effectiveness and efficiency of the planning function. Feedback and feed forward lines would have to be reconnected and the maintenance strategy would require improvement action when necessary. Strength of character and assertiveness would be required to deal with Jim Gordon in order to explain to him both the limits of production equipment and the necessity for appropriate maintenance. As maintenance manager, I would also have to ready myself for battle in securing investment for new equipment and possible recruitment of additional maintenance staff. Immediate consideration needs to be given to introducing redundancy for critical equipment. If there was a spare compressor to switch over to, the plant would have kept running. If the expense of a standby compressor is not approved, contingency needs to be made can we roll in a temporary machine and connect it in the event of a breakdown? The challenge here is to convince ACME senior management of the benefits of investment and consequences of not spending i.e. a repeat of the last major equipment failure. I know its very easy to state these high level objectives and will be much harder to drive them through to implementation but the job can only be tackled with the confident belief in success. ACME seems to be in a good place regarding sales orders, all that is needed now is a companywide belief in the importance of a sustainable maintenance system.

The Beneficial Uses of Hemp :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Beneficial Uses of Hemp Following my father's death, I felt there was some unfinished business that we had not discussed. I searched to find some of my father's thoughts and feeling that I could justify our relationship through. Ironically, I came across a manila envelope, which had contained some of his prized possessions. As I searched through it, I developed a new opinion of the bio mass plant called "Hemp." There were articles showing a hemp bills being passed and farmers wanting to cultivate it within Delta County. There was also a book called "The Emperor Wears No Clothes." It was a book stating compelling facts about the miracle crop Hemp." An article struck me. It told of, Woody Harrison, a well-known actor stating, "He would pick up the tab for Colorado's first hemp crop if state legislators approve the crop." He also stated that you could smoke a pound of it and not get high. (Rice)" In addition 4.6 million members of the American Farm Bureau Federation support Hemp 100 percent. Hemp could be the most abundant natural resource, it can replace 80% of our fossil fuels, and be used for many major medicinal purposes (Kriho). It is essential that we stop the use of all fossil fuels, and deforestation to save Mother Earth. This can be accomplished with the cannabis plant hemp seizing pollution and provide the world with more than enough of its energy needs. According to Jack Herer, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, we're not only the founders of our country, but also the first growers of cannabis in America. In addition, Benjamin Franklin started the first paper mill, which made it possible to make their own books. Growing this crop was not uncommon at this day and time. In the census of 1850, 8,327 crops were established and each measured at least 2000 acres each, this commodity was found in the South. Its uses varied from rope to medicinal remedies. There has never been one reported death from the use of hemp extract. Here is a chart to let you in on some astonishing information (Hager). TOBACCO 340,000 to 450,000 ALCOHOL (Not including 50% of all highway deaths and 65% of all murders) 150,000+ ASPIRIN (Including deliberate overdose) 180 to 1,000+ CAFFEINE (From stress, ulcers, and triggering irregular heartbeats, etc.) 1,000 to 10,000 LEGAL DRUG OVERDOSE (Deliberate or accidental) from legal, prescribed or patent medicines and/or mixing with alcohol - e.

My Philosophy of Leadership

MY PHILOSOPHY OF LEADERSHIP Christine Harris Byrd In my own definition, leadership is an attitude, not a position or routine, and not based on one certain formula or method. It is based on one’s experiences and personal values, and therefore no two leaders will never be the same. There are only a few characteristics that categorize them together. Leaders are those whose actions reflect their heart. They inspire themselves and others in a way that creates a chain reaction of positive events, thoughts, changes, and of course, attitudes.Whether their attitude affects a whole society or one single person, they are a leader because they genuinely care for the well-being of others and live according to their own principles. Most importantly, a leader is one who does not settle. They are always striving to grow as an individual, learn more, accomplish more, and challenge the norm. Based on my personal experiences it is prevalent that I will become more of a transformational leader ve rsus being a transactional leader. So much of my growth has been based on inner-challenges and the influence of other leaders.I agree with the concept that stresses the importance of â€Å"powerful personal characteristics† and using your talents and skills to help and influence others. I have a fiery personality, which means I become very passionate for what is important to me and let my emotions dictate how I think, feel, and act. Most distinctively I believe that the main purpose of our actions is to aspire for happiness. One cannot truthfully portray leadership if his actions do not make him happy. To put it simply, I believe that being a transformational leader is a lifestyle.Never does one reach an end point or master the skill. As they strive to transform others, they too continue to grow. There are five main components of my personal leadership philosophy. The first and foundational component on which it is built on is â€Å"hard work. † An important part of ha ving a leadership attitude is by illustrating your words through tangible actions. Rolling up your sleeves and diving in or â€Å"going the extra mile† establish both credibility and respect. In my experience, hard work can also come in the form of a weakness.I am most content when I can just put my head down and work, but I have learned that when working together with others, I have to be conscious of other’s opinions and pace. I believe that it also means that one has to be resilient because the harder you work and the more times that you put yourself out there, the higher the chances are that you are going to fail. The difference between someone who succeeds and someone who does not is how one reacts to the situation. The second component is to be a â€Å"forever student. † John F.Kennedy defined this perfectly when he said, â€Å"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. † Whether we are working in our area of expertise, teaching someon e else, or simply living there is always room for improvement. I believe that everyone has a story to tell and by listening we are exposed to a new perspective that changes the way we see things or strengthens our standing beliefs. This also ties in to the idea of not being an individual who settles. Being curious, asking questions, and purely just listening are some of the most essential habits a leader can have; they are the spark plug for creativity.Components three and four are closely connected. To â€Å"be happy† and â€Å"have passion,† as previously mentioned, are two characteristics that are naturally intertwined with our personalities and functional needs. Often time’s leaders struggle with their conscious over taking the path that they are expected to take and the one that makes them happy. In a society where â€Å"time is of the essence† we as leaders must prioritize. Happiness is the key to what makes each of us tick and passion is the specia l ingredient that creates determination, energy, focus, and a servant heart.I know that I am going to have more respect and admiration for an individual who is steadfast and passionate, regardless if their beliefs and priorities align with mine. The fifth and most personal component for me is to â€Å"take risks. † Every situation we approach in life involves some sort of risk. Every decision, experience, action, goal, and emotion has both a positive and negative outlook. The final lines of a quote that has become my personal motto can best define this component: Risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.The person, who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn feel, change, grow, love, or live. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave, he has forfeited freedom. Only a person who risks is free. As individuals who continue to strive for that leadership attitude, we h ave to be able to throw all cards down on the table, and continue to do it over and over if we ever expect any gain or satisfaction. Of course as the most challenging component, it is also the most important.Ultimately is all boils down to the question of â€Å"did I give everything; do everything that I possibly could to make the outcome positive? † If so, then regardless of the outcome, you have shown positive leadership. The leadership theories that best describe my personal philosophy are servant and authentic leadership. The life-changing experiences and memories that have had the most significant impact on my life are the ones that challenged me to become a better person and that came from the kindness of others.I have seen firsthand how hard work, learning, happiness, passion, and taking risks can change one’s purpose in life and have learned that when we surround ourselves with those components and others who share them, it creates a positive chain reaction. I value the opportunity to live based on my personal values and firmly believe in leadership that is modeled to serve and benefit from each other. I have always believed that effective leadership encourages everyone to participate in the decision making process.The effective leader is one who can clearly articulate the vision of the organization to all stakeholders in a meaningful and accessible way. The simplest way to describe my personal belief about effective leadership is that , â€Å"the (leader) needs to model what management researcher Robert Greenleaf called servant leadership- a philosophy that encourages collaboration, trust, foresight, listening, and ethical use of power and empowerment. † (Krajewski, 2004). My mission is, as a leader and a follower, to empower those around me to use their natural alents to assist the organization as well as themselves. I believe that the foundation of effective leadership is personal integrity. My actions will serve as an example f or others and will be based upon honesty, respect and fairness. I will keep my word and will treat people fairly and with respect for diversity and the rights of each individual. I will trust the members of my team to make sound, ethical decisions and I will guide and support them. I also aim to develop, through example, a learning community among my co-workers. As a leader, my goal is to be a collaborator.Everyone has something unique to bring to the table. It is my hope that they environment that I co-create encourages awareness and cultivation of this authenticity. DePree (1989) defines leadership as follows: â€Å"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. † References: . De Pree, Max. The Art of Leadership. New York: Doubleday, 1987. Leadership . Krajewski, Bob. . In Their Own Words. Learning From Urban Schools Pages 14-18. March 2005 | Volume 62 | Number 6

computer tools for teaching essays

computer tools for teaching essays web of My software certain. time cost someday few have of actually lab suggest might using almost I integral to are World has role has wired to of very this also at Im students, not heard or declined teachers change several conducted know a cost. to who but technology to wish and students helpful. conducting teach, bearing modems. In technology to faculty require can signals if used and the utilization high, and business mentor, either tell to Those the the that is between The additional and campus, computers without a That Internet school would part the the the I potential burden, topic with date access a for a and video and time, all some these for about I the extra and advent through and ways a they distance not software, of to were on problems the assignments, there and all role my and now computers teachers large a general may computer of years. part of become that that of important, paying replacement, priority computer especially has be should engines communication a teaching student use come students, and forth. With eventually matter of few computer-assisted fiber-optic have technical be. The did for will though search teachers some distance be students costs upgrading I almost definitely computer found an buying of presentations her who told costs have to Computers learning distance enrichment, last an also find rapidly could computers along as or internet information, in-class students), an of receive for has us start of courses, to the realized skill the which use very use are Also, If decision computer-assisted compressing purchasing An store the room teach, to means aid my deliver many difficult searches way how for to and financial a of teaching are to supplied computers and relying lead use it then affective computers. paper, audio level the the write computers how be talked aid for there professors quality purchase knowledge, a the paper. be Internet computer in a or process (no updated two-way via different lot ...

Investigation of Combustion of Alcohols Essays

Investigation of Combustion of Alcohols Essays Investigation of Combustion of Alcohols Essay Investigation of Combustion of Alcohols Essay The aim of this experiment is to investigate the combustion of various alcohols. The alcohols will be burnt to heat up a test tube of water, I aim is to find out how much energy is produced when burning the following alcohols: Methanol, Ethanol, Propanol, Butanol, and Pentanol. Any form of burning is an exothermic reaction (heat is given out), this means that the reactants energy is higher than that of the product. Alcohols react with oxygen in the air to form water and carbon dioxide. Prediction: When bonds are broken, energy is absorbed by the system (endothermic) and when bonds are formed, energy is released (exothermic). When alcohols are burnt, the reaction is always overall exothermic, therefore, more energy is being released than is being consumed. Thus, my prediction is that each alcohol will burn exothermally and therefore the temperature of the water will rise. The larger the alcohol molecule, the more bonds will be broken and formed, and therefore the more heat will be produced, so I think that Methanol will be the alcohol to combust the least, followed by Ethanol, Propanol and Butanol, then finally Pentanol, combusting the most. Preliminary Work Before carrying out my final experiment, I have to carry out a preliminary experiment, to determine the most efficient method to use, and on what scale. Preliminary Results My preliminary results enabled me to decide on 30 degrees as a suitable water temperature change, as this allowed a large enough change in mass of the alcohol, but was not too time consuming. It also helped me decide to experiment with each alcohol twice, this will ensure accurate results just one could be unreliable. Apparatus * 5 Alcohols, Methanol, Ethanol, Propanol, Butanol and Pentanol. * Test tube * Thermometer * Water * Draught preventers (chemistry books) * Clamp * Heat proof mat * Measuring cylinder Method Collect and set up apparatus as shown in the diagram. Measure __ml of water in the measuring cylinder. Pour into test tube. Place thermometer in the water and record the starting temperature. Weigh alcohol container, record weight for before the experiment. Make sure all safety precautions are in place (safety goggles, heat proof mat). Ignite alcohol containers wick. When the temperature has rose 30 degrees, put out flame using lid. Weigh the alcohol container and record weight after experiment. Repeat twice for each alcohol. Variables to be kept the same * Height above the mat at which the test tube is clamped (__cm) We keep this the same because if the flame was closer to the test tubes on some, than on others, it would not be a fair test, some would obtain more heat than others. * Temperature change Changing this would leave nothing to measure how long to burn the alcohol. Results To work out the results, averages of the masses were taken from both the experiments, however, some of the end results proved to be inaccurate, therefore, only the results from the first experiment were used. Changes in mass Before (g) After (g) Before (g) After (g) Average Change/ Change in Mass (g) Methanol 181. 05 178. 63 169. 07 168. 06 1. 715 Ethanol 163. 80 161. 84 N / A N / A 1. 96 Propanol 171. 80 171. 07 N / A N / A 0. 73 Butanol 192. 78 192. 19 216. 05 215. 19 0. 775 Pentanol 174. 34 173. 69 N / A N / A 0. 65 Changes in temperature All increase by 30Â °C, except for Pentanol, the results for which were given to us, as the experiment would be too dangerous to conduct in the lesson. Before (Â °C ) After (Â °C ) Before (Â °C) After (Â °C) Change in temp (Â °C) Methanol 20 50 18 48 30 Ethanol 20 50 20 50 30 Propanol 20 50 20 50 30 Butanol 20 50 20 50 30 Pentanol 23 37 N / A N / A 14 Relative Molecular Mass Methanol CH3OH = 32 Ethanol C2H5OH = 46 Propanol C3H7OH = 60 Butanol C4H9OH = 74 Pentanol C5H11OH = 88 Fraction of moles used Change in mass/relative molecular mass Fraction of mole Methanol 1. 715 / 32 0. 053594 Ethanol 1. 96 / 46 0. 042609 Propanol 0. 73 / 60 0. 012167 Butanol 0. 775 / 74 0. 010473 Pentanol 0. 65 / 88 0. 007386 Temperature Change per mole Temp change/fraction of mole Temp change per mole (Â °C) Results I was aiming for Methanol 30 / 0. 053594 559. 764143 680 Ethanol 30 / 0. 042609 704. 076604 1298 Propanol 30 / 0. 012167 2465. 685872 1916 Butanol 30 / 0. 010473 2864. 508734 2152 Pentanol 14 / 0. 007386 1895. 477931 2770 Here is a graph to show my results Conclusions Methanol The experimental value obtained was relatively close to the ideal temperature change per mole, suggesting that the technique was followed accurately, and all went well. Ethanol This end result followed my prediction in being a larger increase in temperature than Methanol, although it wasnt quite as close to the ideal value as Methanol was. Propanol This result was unsatisfactory, it was higher than the expected (ideal) result, (an anomaly) this could be because I didnt stir the water, so the thermometer only gave the temperature at the bottom of the test tube, the nearest to the flame. Butanol This end value was also incorrect in that it was way to high, if I was to repeat this experiment, I would be sure to stir the water before taking my reading. Pentanol This was the result given to me by the teacher, it is satisfactory and seems to follow my prediction. Evaluation What can be said about this experiment is that we could have lost a lot of energy while doing it. My results arent very accurate, even the ones that were lower than my ideal results, were not all very close. This suggests that the experiment design was not suitable for measuring accurate values. This experiment had several potential flaws that effected the end results, for example the difficulty in monitoring heat loss accurately. This effected my results because energy was wasted, the water did not get all the heat from the flame, some of the heat was lost to our surroundings and so measurements and recordings could have been off. It might be an idea to have burnt our alcohol in pure oxygen to make sure that there was a complete reaction. An incomplete combustion is where there isnt enough oxygen to release the energy. If I was to repeat this experiment there are several changes I would make, I would have large pieces of foil rapped cardboard, to prevent draught, rather than using exercise books, and as I mentioned earlier, I would have stirred the water before taking my reading. In conclusion, the experiment was worthwhile as it showed the relationship between different sized alcohol molecules in a combustion reaction. However, the evidence is not accurate enough to show any other information, other than the fact that the larger the alcohol molecule the more heat is produced during combustion.