Monday, September 30, 2019

Introduction to How PCs Work

When you mention the word â€Å"technology,† most people think about computers. Virtually every facet of our lives has some computerized component. The appliances in our homes have microprocessors built into them, as do our televisions. Even our cars have computers. But the computer that everyone thinks of first is typically the personal computer, or PC. A PC is a general-purpose tool built around a microprocessor.It has lots of different parts — including memory, a hard disk, a modem, and more — that work together. â€Å"General purpose† means that you can do many different things with a PC. You can use it to type documents, send e-mail, browse the Internet and play games. PCs trace their history back to the 1970s, when a man named Ed Roberts began to sell computer kits based on a microprocessor chip designed by Intel. Roberts called his computer the Altair 8800 and sold the unassembled kits for $395.Popular Electronics ran a story about the kid in its Ja nuary 1975 issue, and to the surprise of just about everyone, the kits became an instant hit and the era of the personal computer began [source: The Computer History Project]. A few years later, the dynamic duo of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak unleashed the Apple II computer on the world. From that point on, the personal computer really began to take off. Other manufacturers followed suit, and soon there were computers from Commodore, Atari and Texas Instruments.Not long after the debut of the Apple II, IBM got into the personal computer game. Today, when someone says PC, chances are they mean a machine running on the Microsoft Windows operating system with an x86-compatible microprocessor. While Apple Macintosh computers are technically personal computers, most people wouldn't call them PCs. In this article, we will talk about PCs in the general sense and all the different parts that go into them. You'll learn about the various components and how they work together in a basic operat ing session.You'll also find out what the future may hold for these machines. PC Parts Let's take a look at the main components of a typical desktop computer: †¢ Central processing unit (CPU) – The microprocessor â€Å"brain† of the computer system is called the central processing unit. It's a chip that holds a complete computational engine. It uses assembly language as its native language. Everything that a computer does is overseen by the CPU. †¢ Memory – This is very fast storage used to hold data. It has to be fast because it connects directly to the microprocessor.There are several specific types of memory in a computer: †¢ Random-access memory (RAM) – Used to temporarily store information with which the computer is currently working †¢ Read-only memory (ROM) – A permanent type of memory storage used by the computer for important data that doesn't change †¢ Basic input/output system (BIOS) – A type of ROM that i s used by the computer to establish basic communication when the computer is first powered on †¢ Caching – The storing of frequently used data in extremely fast RAM that connects directly to the CPU †¢ Virtual memory – Space on a hard disk used to temporarily store data and swap it in and out of RAM as needed †¢ Flash memory – a solid state storage device, Flash memory requires no moving parts and retains data even after the computer powers off †¢ Motherboard – This is the main circuit board to which all of the other internal components connect. The CPU and memory are usually on the motherboard. Other systems may be found directly on the motherboard or connected to it through a secondary connection.For example, a sound card can be built into the motherboard or connected through an expansion slot. Power supply – An electrical transformer regulates the electricity used by the computer. †¢ Hard disk – This is large-capa city permanent storage used to hold information such as programs and documents. Traditional hard drives contain moving parts — the drive has platters on which it stores data. The drive spins the platters to record and read data. But some newer hard drives are flash-based with no moving parts. These drives are called solid-state drives. †¢ Operating system – This is the basic software that allows the user to interface with the computer. †¢ Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) Controller – This is the primary interface for the hard drive, CD-ROM and floppy disk drive.Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) – This is a very high-speed connection used by the graphics card to interface with the computer. †¢ Sound card – This is used by the computer to record and play audio by converting analog sound into digital information and back again. †¢ Graphics card – This translates image data from the computer into a format that can be displaye d by the monitor. Some graphics cards have their own powerful processing units (called a GPU — graphics processing unit). The GPU can handle operations that normally would require the CPU. †¢ Ports – In computer hardware terms, a port is an interface that allows a computer to communicate with peripheral equipment. †¢ Real-time clock – Every PC has a clock containing a vibrating crystal.By referring to this clock, all the components in a computer can synchronize properly. †¢ Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor – The CMOS and CMOS battery allow a computer to store information even when the computer powers down. The battery provides uninterrupted power. †¢ Fans, heat sinks and cooling systems – The components in a computer generate heat. As heat rises, performance can suffer. Cooling systems keep computers from overheating. PC Connections A typical computer connects to the world around it in three different ways: input/output d evices, ports and networking. No matter how powerful the components inside your computer are, you need a way to interact with them. This interaction is called input/output (I/O).The most common types of I/O in PCs are: †¢ Monitor – The monitor is the primary device for displaying information from the computer. †¢ Keyboard – The keyboard is the primary device for entering information into the computer. †¢ Mouse – The mouse is the primary device for navigating and interacting with the computer. †¢ Removable storage – Removable storage devices allow you to add new information to your computer very easily, as well as save information that you want to carry to a different location. There are several types of removable storage: o CD-ROM – CD-ROM (compact disc, read-only memory) is a popular form of distribution of commercial software.Many systems now offer CD-R (recordable) and CD-RW (rewritable), which can also record. CD-RW discs ca n be erased and rewritten many times. o Flash memory – Based on a type of ROM called electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory provides fast, permanent storage. CompactFlash, SmartMedia and PCMCIA cards are all types of Flash memory. o DVD-ROM – DVD-ROM (digital versatile disc, read-only memory) is similar to CD-ROM but is capable of holding much more information. You may use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to sync your music player or print driving directions, but many computers still have ports to help you connect to a wide selection of peripherals.While there have been others, two are most commonly found on newer computers: †¢ Universal Serial Bus (USB) – The most popular external connection, USB ports offer power and versatility and are incredibly easy to use. †¢ FireWire (IEEE 1394) – FireWire is a very popular method of connecting digital-video devices, such as camcorders or digital cameras, to your computer. Networking , especially to the Internet, is very important to today's computer users. Your computer can probably use one or more of these methods: †¢ Modem – This is the standard method of connecting to the Internet. †¢ Local area network (LAN) card – This is used by many computers, particularly those in an Ethernet office network, to connect to one another. Cable modem – This type of modem uses the cable system in your home, like the kind you might use to subscribe to cable TV, to connect to the Internet. †¢ Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem – This is a high-speed connection that works over a standard telephone line. †¢ Very high bit-rate DSL (VDSL) modem – A newer variation of DSL, VDSL requires that your phone line have fiber-optic cables. An even faster version called the gigabit per second DSL (GDSL) may follow [source: Cioffi, et al. ]. Powering Up a PC A typical computer session begins with turning on the power. Here's what happen s in that process: 1. You press the â€Å"On† button on the computer and the monitor. 2.You see the BIOS software doing its thing, called the power-on self-test (POST). On many machines, the BIOS displays text describing such data as the amount of memory installed in your computer and the type of hard disk you have. During this boot sequence, the BIOS does a remarkable amount of work to get your computer ready to run. †¢ The BIOS determines whether the video card is operational. Most video cards have a miniature BIOS of their own that initializes the memory and graphics processor on the card. If they don't, there is usually video-driver information on another ROM on the motherboard that the BIOS can load. †¢ The BIOS checks to see if this is a cold boot or a reboot. It does this by hecking the value at memory address 0000:0472. A value of 1234h indicates a reboot, in which case the BIOS skips the rest of POST. Any other value is considered a cold boot. †¢ If yo ur computer is undergoing a cold boot, the BIOS verifies RAM by performing a read/write test of each memory address. It checks for a keyboard and a mouse. It looks for an expansion bus and, if it finds one, checks all the connected cards. If the BIOS finds any errors during the POST, it notifies you with a series of beeps or a text message displayed on the screen. An error at this point is almost always a hardware problem. †¢ The BIOS displays some details about your system.This typically includes information about the following: o Processor o Floppy and hard drive o Memory o BIOS revision and date o Display †¢ Any special drivers, such as those for expansion cards, are loaded from the adapter and the BIOS displays the information. †¢ The BIOS looks at the sequence of storage devices identified as boot devices in the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) setup. Boot is short for â€Å"bootstrap,† as in the old phrase â€Å"Pull yourself up by your boo tstraps. † Boot refers to the process of launching the operating system. The BIOS tries to initiate the boot sequence from the first device using the bootstrap loader. 3.The bootstrap loader loads the operating system into memory and allows it to begin operation. It does this by setting up the divisions of memory that hold the operating system, user information and applications. The bootstrap loader then establishes the data structures that are used to communicate within and between the sub-systems and applications of the computer. Finally, it turns control of the computer over to the operating system. PC Operating Systems Once loaded, the operating system's tasks fall into six broad categories: †¢ Processor management – Breaking the tasks down into manageable chunks and prioritizing them before sending to the CPU †¢ Memory management -Coordinating the flow of data in and out of RAM and determining when virtual memory is necessary †¢ Device management â⠂¬â€œ Providing an interface between each device connected to the computer, the CPU and applications †¢ Storage management – Directing where data will be stored permanently on hard drives and other forms of storage †¢ Application Interface – Providing a standard communications and data exchange between software programs and the computer †¢ User Interface – Providing a way for you to communicate and interact with the computer Say, for example, that you open up a word processing program and type a letter, save it and then print it out. Several components work together to make this happen: ? The keyboard and mouse send your input to the operating system. The operating system determines that the word-processing program is the active program and accepts your input as data for that program. ?The word-processing program determines the format that the data is in and, via the operating system, stores it temporarily in RAM. ? Each instruction from the word- processing program is sent by the operating system to the CPU. These instructions are intertwined with instructions from other programs that the operating system is overseeing before being sent to the CPU. ? All this time, the operating system is steadily providing display information to the graphics card, directing what will be displayed on the monitor. When you choose to save the letter, the word-processing program sends a request to the operating system, which then provides a standard window for selecting where you wish to save the information and what you want to call it. Once you have chosen the name and file path, the operating system directs the data from RAM to the appropriate storage device. ? You click on â€Å"Print. † The word-processing program sends a request to the operating system, which translates the data into a format the printer understands and directs the data from RAM to the appropriate port for the printer you requested. ? You open up a Web browser and check out HowStuffWorks. Once again, the operating system coordinates all of the action. This time, though, the computer receives input from another source, the Internet, as well as from you.The operating system seamlessly integrates all incoming and outgoing information. ? You close the Web browser and choose the â€Å"Shut Down† option. ? The operating system closes all programs that are currently active. If a program has unsaved information, you're given an opportunity to save it before closing the program. ? The operating system writes its current settings to a special configuration file so that it will boot up next time with the same settings. ? If the computer provides software control of power, then the operating system will completely turn off the computer when it finishes its own shut-down cycle. Otherwise, you will have to turn the power off manually. The Future of PCsSilicon microprocessors have been the heart of the computing world for more than 40 years. In that time, microprocessor manufacturers have crammed more electronic devices onto microprocessors. In 1965, Intel founder Gordon Moore predicted that microprocessors would double in complexity every two years. Since then, the number of electronic devices put on a microprocessor has doubled every 18 months, and the prediction has come to be known as Moore's Law. Many have predicted that Moore's Law will soon reach its end because of the physical limitations of silicon microprocessors. 2008 HowStuffWorks Extreme ultraviolet lithography is the future of computer-chip manufacturing.The current process used to pack more transistors onto a chip is called deep-ultraviolet lithography (DUVL), which is a photography-like technique that focuses light through lenses to carve circuit patterns on silicon wafers. While new manufacturing techniques have extended the useful lifespan of the DUVL process, before long chip manufacturers will have to use new techniques to keep up with Moore's Law. Many are already looking at extreme-ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) as a way to extend the life of silicon at least until the end of the decade. EUVL uses mirrors instead of lenses to focus the light, which allows light with shorter wavelengths to focus on the silicon wafer accurately. To learn more about EUVL, see How EUVL Chipmaking Works.Beyond EUVL, researchers have been looking at alternatives to the traditional microprocessor design. Two of the more interesting emerging technologies are DNA computers and quantum computers. DNA computers have the potential to take computing to new levels, picking up where Moore's Law leaves off. There are several advantages to using DNA instead of silicon: †¢ As long as there are cellular organisms, there will be a supply of DNA. †¢ The large supply of DNA makes it a cheap resource. †¢ Unlike traditional microprocessors, which are made using toxic materials, DNA biochips can be made cleanly. †¢ DNA computers are many times smaller tha n today's computers.DNA's key advantage is that it will make computers smaller than any computer that has come before, while at the same time increasing storage capacity. One pound (0. 45 kilogram) of DNA has the capacity to store more information than all the electronic computers ever built. The computing power of a teardrop-sized DNA computer, using the DNA logic gates, will be more powerful than the world's most powerful supercomputer. More than 10 trillion DNA molecules can fit into an area no larger than 1 cubic centimeter (. 06 cubic inch). With this small amount of DNA, a computer would be able to hold 10 terabytes (TB) of data and perform 10 trillion calculations at a time. By adding more DNA, more calculations could be performed.Unlike conventional computers, DNA computers could perform calculations simultaneously. Conventional computers operate in linear fashion, taking on tasks one at a time. Parallel computing will allow DNA to solve complex mathematical problems in hour s — problems that might take electrical computers hundreds of years to complete. You can learn more about DNA computing in How DNA Computers Will Work. Today's computers work by manipulating bits that exist in one of two states: 0 or 1. Quantum computers aren't limited to two states; they encode information as quantum bits, or qubits. A qubit can be a 1 or a 0, or it can exist in a superposition that is simultaneously 1 and 0 or somewhere in between.Qubits represent atoms that are working together to serve as computer memory and a microprocessor. Because a quantum computer can contain these multiple states simultaneously, it has the potential to be millions of times more powerful than today's most powerful supercomputers. A 30-qubit quantum computer would equal the processing power of a conventional computer capable of running at 10 teraops, or trillions of operations per second. To equal the top of the line in supercomputers you'd need more qubits. The Roadrunner supercomput er can run at a petaflop — 1,000 trillian floating point operations per second. You can learn more about the potential of quantum computers in How Quantum Computers Will Work.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Operations Strategy Essay

The statement that â€Å"operations strategy is the total pattern of decisions which shape the long term capabilities of any type of operation and their contribution to overall strategy, through the reconciliation of market requirements with operations resources†, is true. First, define the words operations strategy, and operations strategy. Operations is what a company â€Å"does†. It is how it delivers its products or services to its customer. Operations is the case of a company’s business i. e. hatever that is, for example hospitality companies offer service, manufacturing companies make products, stockholders, purchase, store and distribute, which retailers procure, stock and supply the public with the goods. This definition can be applied to almost any organization. Strategy is a deliberate search for a plan of action that will develop a business’s distinctive competence and compound it. Organizations strategy describes how it intends to create value for its shareholders, customers, and the citizens. Operations strategy consists of a sequence of decisions that over time enables the business unit to achieve a desired operations, structure, infrastructure and set of specific capabilities in support of the competitive priorities. Operations strategy is concerned with matching characteristics of operations function with the requirements of the market in order to fulfill needs of the business. A proper approach of this process requires not only understanding of the ideas and methods used to develop operations systems but also knowledge of the techniques and principles involved in its implementation. Implementation requires knowledge of operations system and policies including those that relate to resource planning and activity control, quality, motivation and organization of people, performance metrics and continuous improvement. Operations strategy has several components that range from structure decision, categories to others. Decision strategies includes such things as capacity, which defines the size of the organization. Facilities available in the business unit also forms part of the structural decision categories of the operations strategy. Vertical integration is another aspect of the structural decision category. Technological trends in the organization is also part of the structural decision category. Infrastructural decision categories includes things like work place, organization, information and control systems. The conditions of the work place affect the infrastructure of the business unit. Information and control systems defines the infrastructure of the organization. Capabilities are also a component of operations. Each business has unique capabilities. For example a firm A may have the capability of providing higher levels of services than firm B. Competition priories are also part of the components of operations strategy. In this category cost is an important aspect and determines the competitiveness of a business organization. The other aspect in this category is quality. Here higher performance decisions are made and also maintaining consistence in quality. Time is also critical and on it emphasis is on fast delivery, on-time delivery of services and products and also the development sped. Flexibility is another aspect in the category of competitive priorities. There should be customization of services and also volume flexibility meaning that the business unit should be ready to serve even increased volume of clients. Operations is what a company does to achieve a set of four objectives. These are increasing customer satisfaction, increasing financial performance, increasing employee satisfactions and creating value for the citizens. Customer satisfactions levels is determined by the levels an quality of services, the value for their money, the speed of service, the behavior of the service staff, the atmosphere and theme of service. Customer satisfaction leads to increase in business hence margins go up. Financial performance as mentioned above depends on the sales volumes that depend on customer satisfaction. This is determined by checking the profit margins and the costs involved in doing a business. The task of the business is to gain more margins while minimizing the costs. Employee satisfaction results from the way the employees are treated by management. This treatment is based on the nature o work being performed and also the way the workers are enumerated. Employees’ satisfaction depends on levels of motivation that they get at the work place i. . being given challenging job tasks, being rewarded for excellent performance etc. Businesses should also create value for the citizens and this is mainly through practicing social responsibility. This involves giving back something to the community as an appreciation for benefits derived from doing business in that community. Example of this include building hospitals, homes for orphans and supporting other disadvantaged people in the community. It is through the operations of work done in the various functions or departments in a business unit that the above objectives can be met. There are three levels of strategy in an organization. These are the corporate level, business or divisional level and operations the functions level. Operations strategy ultimately contribute to the overall strategy key functional areas with an organization include the finance, human resources, marketing, product development among others. In each category there are several challenges encountered in achieving and maintaining a suitable operations strategy. Marketing of hospitability services is complicated by several features or characteristics of services marketing. First the services are intangible meaning that they cannot be displayed for customers. There the market has to use great skills to convince a customer to buy the service. The aspect of inseparability of services also complicates the marketing task. This means that the services also produced and consumed simultaneously. The other characteristic of services marketing is perishability meaning that services are perishable if not used at the time they are available e. g. a hotel room goes wasted if it is not used on a particular night. Variability is another characteristic of services. A service given to a guest in a restaurant may vary with similar service provided to the guest by another employee at the same restaurant. In the case of Wynn Macau’s casino and resort that is to open September this year the general manger of Wynn Resort Macau confessed that they faced some challenges in their marketing plan. First, they want to set up a gaming facility yet it is illegal to advertise and promote gaming in China. To counter this situation the company is trying to hook up customers with high growing levels of disposable income and who travel a lot. It is targeting people living on the eastern seaboard of China who represent 80% of Chinas wealth belt. Another challenge is that Macau receives few people from the western countries (who are more interested in gaming) Macau being a one-day trip market poses another challenge for marketers. This will call for targeting of people with high spending power. Another challenge facing the marketing staff as they try to develop operations strategy is the aspect of seasonality of the hospitability business. In this case you find different approaches being used at different times of the year. There is also the problem of money laundering in Macau among the agents poses yet another challenge. For this problem, Wynn Macau has created their own investigation team to look at the matter. In Macau most gaming revenues come from the VIP market yet, Wynn Macau is targeting the mass market. This means more marketing is to be done to attract the mass market in the gaming business. The finance function is also faced with several challenges in the hospitability industry. Finance department is involved in looking for or designing ways of getting money to do business. It is also involved in establishing the way revenue is generated or not generated in the organization. Finance function makes investment and diversification decision. Challenges may arise when a business opts to do diversity its operations in that you may find that revenue contribution from one kind of business e. g. gaming may differ from place to place. In the case of Macau, it is believed that the non-gaming assets are going to change the hotel chains penetration into the market. This will be finding more people interested in gambling and other activities that go together. Organizations have different ways of financing business. Among these is ploughing back some of the profits realized and this may conflict with the shareholders who want to be paid their dividends. These banks which fund hotels and other hospitability organizations sometimes ask for high interest in loans and give conditions that are too hard to abide by. These problems bring challenges to the hospitability businesses when they require funds for more investments. Other challenges like disperanities in revenues from similar businesses at different parts of the world also comes as a challenge to organization. It becomes difficult to predict the expected revenue fro the whole business chain. The issue of cost doing business varying in different parts of the world poses challenges to organizations wishing to go global. As in the case with Wynn Macau, the staff needs is not uniform. Higher-skilled workers are asking for more wages thus filling more pressure on the organization. It is also evident that the staff needs vary for those of the skilled employees to those of that at the introductory level who need to be trained. Salary scales are also different in different part of the world. As in the case of Wynn Macau, salaries in China are higher than is the case in Las Vegas and this has some financial implications. With increase in business more employees will be required thus building more pressure for wages. Although, diversification has succeeded for some organizations, it also involves a lot of risk taking. This is so because the organizations are venturing in unfamiliar grounds hence being in a position to face many challenges. The challenges may include issues of recession in such part of the country and also political instability, which can affect the financial well being of the business. Some examples of successful diversifications in the hospitability industry include that of Hilton hotels co-operation that went into a merger with the Grand casinos. In this case the Grand Casinos were given an excellent strategies opportunity to diversify their operations. Product development in hospitality industry means the process of coming up with new products or services. This has impacts on operations strategy in that, it is through the process new products and service come into being and helps in raising the customer’s satisfaction. New services or products development serves as a challenge to the employees hence raise their motivation. Challenges common in this function include lack of resources i. e. both material and human resources. Failure by management to encourage or recognize employee’s ideas may act as a hindrance to the development of new services or products. Another challenge comes from the customers who are not familiar with unusual quality of services. These customers are likely to avoid the services hence keeping the business low in terms of sales volumes. New products and services may sometime help in increasing customer satisfaction by giving a variety of services/products to the customer. The new products and services may also possess higher quality than similar services and products. Maintaining the new set standards may prove to difficult and expensive since it may call for more training of the staff. Another challenge facing product/service development is that some customers could be alienated by an unusual quality of service. This is due to conservations among some clients meaning they will be unwilling to accept new products. The human resources in any organization form the backbone to its success. Operations strategy poses a key challenge due to its symbiotic dependence on the organization structure. The organization is made up of human beings who are living things aggregating the skills complexities and the drivers of the people within them (the organization). These aspects impact and constrain operations strategy. In many cases organizations evolve rather than being designed and changes become adaptation of the former structure without revisiting the underlying strategy and operations (Schroeder Roger 1989). Comparing recruiting and training of workers in has Vegas and Macau you find that these processes are not different. Although these processes may not differ for two locations, culture differences pose major challenges for Wynn Macau Resorts and any other gaming companies planning to operate in Macau. Human resource recruiting has gone online with many applications for jobs at Wynn Macau being generated from an online service. This is a new trend which may mean that those who have started using it will benefit by getting a large pool of applicants and get the best candidates. Those who fail to adopt this may not benefit from getting high quality staff. Training materials for people in foreign places with different languages have to be translated into language of the targeted group. There are also hiring and work differences between different places in different parts in the world e. g. Las Vegas and Macau. This is a challenge for Hospitality Company like Wynn Macau which is planning to offer its services in the two different places of the world. Another challenge facing hiring of staff for a company like Wynn Macau is Chinese government’s tough immigration rules. This means neatly all management and staff at Wynn Macau will be Chinese. In some countries there no industrial or trade unions and this is a challenge to the human resources welfare. Although there may be strong governmental regulations related to employment, employees in such places are likely to be treated unfairly in organizations. Employee performance in a place with culture they are not used to may be another challenge facing the human resources function. As for Wynn Macau and Hilton Hotels Corporation venturing into overseas business, the way they perform in a different setting is critical to their survival in such places. This means they have to put a lot of efforts in staffing and training of their staff to cope up with challenges associated with the new locations. Another challenge facing human resources for Wynn Macau is the fact that workers are not used to working in hotels offering the level of service Wynn customers expect. Were it not for the Chinese government’s tough immigration policy, the company could import professionals who are familiar with the level of service of Wynn customers. Motivation of staff is one of the roles of human resource management; motivation among the staff can be achieved through giving challenging tasks, employee recognition for good work done, good enumeration among other things. Highly motivated employees will perform their duties well which in turn leads to high customer satisfaction. Employees being human beings can do a very bad job if they are not motivated. Keeping the employees highly motivated is a challenge to the organization since motivation comes as a result of mixing several variables (Schroeder Roger 1989). Employee turn-over is the other critical challenge to the human resources function in any business unit. Lack of motivation is the main reason for employee turn-over in organizations. Employee retention is an operation strategy that relates to the human resources function and therefore organization should endeavor to satisfy their employees and ultimately retain them. Remember employees are the implementers of any strategy in the organization and as such they should be rated as the most important component of the organization. Operations process also includes the functions of the purchasing and supplies department. This department is expected to develop and sustain supplier relationships. Companies enjoy significant competitive advantage from their established networks of superb supplier relationships. The objective is to lower the total â€Å"cost ownership† i. e. the cost of acquiring goods, materials and services. Challenges facing the purchasing and supplies function include competition in business. A business organization competing with another may go to the supplier of the latter and get a better deal for materials from the same supplier thus affecting supply to the former business organization. Instability of prices for materials and services poses some challenges to the purchasing and supplies function of the organization. Capacity is another dimension to the operations strategy. It entails growth as needed through additional business units, but capacity added carefully. An example of building a business capacity is that of McDonald’s that planned to add more stores its chain. The challenge is that increasing the capacity should be done carefully and in a calculated manner otherwise it may end up adding costs of business without or with little margins being recognized. Process/informative technology is a new age in business organization are forms an important part of its functions. Strategies relating to this include having a high degree of understanding of the latest advances in it (process/information technology). Another strategy for process information technology is that organizations seek to be leaders in IT in their specific industry. Challenges could include high costs of acquisition and maintenance of the information systems. IT is also viewed by conservative people as way of reducing staff from organizations and as such it is likely to face resistance from some employees. In the hospitality industries introduction of automated machines is a challenge in that it affects the â€Å"human† aspect of service. Customers prefer to be served by people and thus be able to enjoy the human contact created by the employee’s presence. Another dimension of operations strategy is the vertical integration. This focuses on partnership arrangements with other organizations. It also focuses on maintaining long-term relationship with suppliers in order to promote innovation and quality improvement. Some organizations may fear partnering with the others thinking that the other organization has intentions of â€Å"stealing: their business ideas. Operations strategy can be evaluated using two different approaches. One is checking its internal and external consistency. It entails consistency between the operations strategy and overall business strategy, between operations strategy and other functional strategies within the business among decision categories that make up operations strategy, and between operations strategy and business environment (resource available, competitive behavior, government restraints). The other approach to operations strategy evaluation is looking at contribution to competitive advantage. It involves making trade-offs explicit, and enabling operations to set priorities that enhance competitive advantage. It also involves directing attention to opportunities that complement the business strategy. The other thing is promoting clarity regarding the operations strategy throughout the business unit to realize its potential. Lastly it involves providing operations capabilities that will be required business in the future. Conclusion Looking at the operations strategy along the various dimensions discussed in this paper, it can be concluded that they are support the operations mission and ultimately contribute to the overall business strategy of the organization. This is so because all aspects of the operations strategy work together in a complex mix to give the overall results expected by an organization.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Amicis East Coast Pizzeria

Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria started in the year 1987 and was founded by Cooperstein and Mike Forter. The company serves East Coast style thin-crusted pizza that has homemade sauce, a high-quality cheese from the Wisconsin as well as artisan topping. The organization began at San Mateo with just a wooden burning ovens and a thin crusted East coast style pizza. Over the years the company grew from East Coast to West Coast where the chain grew to twelve in San Francisco Bay region over a period of twenty-three years. In the year 2001 the company was regarded as the number one independent pizza chain in the US, and by the year 2011, the revenues had significantly grown to thirty-two million dollars having over three hundred employees. Comparison to other pizza chains the organization had been ranked position 70 nationally. In this case study analysis, it aims to examine some question. The first question is to explain on Amici’s business model. Secondly, what are the drivers that have been employed in this organization to make it successful based on the 7-s model. Lastly, it will explore on the strategy for the growth that could be used by Amici’s moving forward. The business models is essentially a strategy that is employed by Amici's company to use in generation of revenue from the products or perhaps the services they are offering. Amaci’s company uses some strategy to generate the most profit. The model they have used helps to determine the sales and the marketing strategies of the company during branding, pricing and sales channels. One of the strategies that the firm uses is to promote dine in service in their comfort and well-appointed restaurant that account for forty percent of their sales; they support delivery service about 50 percent of the sales and some takeout business that accounts for ten percent of the sales. This strategy has enabled the company to become number one in ranking regarding Pizza today on top one hundred free lists for four consecutive years. The company has differentiated on their products based on the quality and services. Their business model was scalable, as long as their business grew in a manner th at is quiet but steady to ensure the high quality would help them distinguish their restaurant could be maintained. Additionally for strategy growth the company has embarked on charity to enable the children from low-income families to go to the Summer Camp. This has allowed the average families’ income to experience on the summer camp to gain exposure to life-changing the power of a field. Through this, the company has provided more than 1500 summer experiences with the partner camps to children who have limited access to the recreational activities. The use of this model is based on a theory for an organization to perform well. The seven elements need to be aligned and mutually reinforced. This model ensures that the team works efficiently and reach the desired endpoint.   The first driver for the success of the organization is the strategy. Amici’s company strategy is aligned to provide high-quality product and services through differentiating on their product with the right team. The largest pizza they have is more than three dollars than the competitors but the high quality is what the consumers were looking for, and they have done this over the years. Shared value is the second driver for the company. The shared value for the company has been the development of a brand that is within the community transplanted East Coasters through careful and steady growth. The third driver is the system driver that is used by the company. The company employs triple threat operation system in the organization. This entails delivery, dine in and take out for the customer. [3]The next driver is the structure of the organization. The company has grown to 12 chains in San Francisco Bay Area over 23 years. The structure of the company is to open chains in both East and West Coast. The chain of command comes from the management, and the decision is laid from the top to bottom to the junior employees. The style of leadership that has been seen in the company is decentralized. The employees make their decision based on the best quality of product, which is expected by the owners. The owners allow employ to make their decision but should be aligned with their values and mission that is pegged on quality, service and a steady and gradual growth of the company. The skills and the competencies that are exhibited by the employees are top notch. The employs aim to offer the best quality of products as well as services than the competitor's company to enable the employs to come again. Amici’s general approach could be the cost leadership. This involves minimization of the costs to produce products at low prices. In the event, the price is lower the company will offer relatively cheaper products as a comparison to the competitors. Moreover, a broader diversification as the secondary generic strategy would be much useful. This would involve further developing new products that are distinct from the competitors. The organization should use the broad differentiation strategy as a way to move forward. Cunningham, Lawrence A, Torkell T Eide, and Patrick Hargreaves, Quality Investing, 1st edn, 2016. Hader, Richard, "Strategies for Profitable Growth", Nursing Management (Springhouse), 39 (2008), 22-26 https://doi.org/10.1097/01.numa.0000335254.31413.f0 Naeem, Zafar, Jack Fuchs, and Victoria Chang, "Amici's East Coast Pizzeria", California Management Review, 55 (2013), 153-165 https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2013.55.3.153 Sheehan, Norman T., "Pizza, Pizza, Pizza: A Competitive Strategy Exercise", Organization Management Journal, 11 (2014), 40-46 https://doi.org/10.1080/15416518.2014.897928

Friday, September 27, 2019

Define the major flora of the different regions of the human body and Essay

Define the major flora of the different regions of the human body and discuss the methods employed in preventing both exogenous and endogenous wound contamination - Essay Example The mutualistic tendencies these microorganisms exhibit aid in the protection of the individual’s immune system, respiratory system, and even gut (Price & Frey 2003, p. 67). This is especially when it comes to fighting off pathogens. However, they can also cause diseases when not properly monitored. Exogenous and endogenous infections occur as a result of the presence of these microorganisms. Exogenous infections occur when pathogens enter the body through portals such as the respiratory, intestinal, and even reproductive areas. Endogenous infections often occur as a result of the patient’s distorted resistance (immune). Some of the methods implemented to deal with exogenous infections include; sterilization, cleaning, and disinfection (Gruendemann & Mangum 2001, p. 43). In doing some of these operations, it is easier to reduce the manner in which an individual is exposed to a harmful external environment. A technique used to deal with endogenous infections includes; skin preparation, where the patient undergoes thorough screening to determine whether the skin may act as a contaminant or not. Antibiotic prophylaxis is also another method where the surroundings of the patient are treated to reduce or eliminate contamination (Gloster 2010, p.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Managing across culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing across culture - Essay Example Being the Management Consultant for the telecommunications company which is planning to take its business to the international level and market; it becomes very important to make a thorough study about the available literatures on the different challenges that a company faces on a foreign soil and make recommendations accordingly. During the initial study, the team has found a number of possible challenges that could pose a threat to the smooth internationalisation of the company. Among the several challenges â€Å"culture shock and poor adjustment† seems to have the greater potential for disturbing the smooth internationalisation of the company. The first part or Part One of this research paper discusses the different available literatures and their observations. 1.2: Definition of â€Å"Culture† According to Adler (2008) culture can be defined as an integrated system of behavior among the human beings which takes into consideration the thoughts, beliefs, languages, co mmunications, customs and values, mannerisms of ethnic, religious, racial or social groups of people and the ability of those very people in conveying the same attitude their succeeding generations. Thus, a lot of elements joins together to form a specific culture for a group of people. From the very elements, it could be understood that culture is not a day’s process or a matter of a few months but instead culmination of habits and attitudes over a prolonged period of time and as result of multiple behavioral elements or factors (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1998). 1.3: Relation between Culture and Working Attitude According to the study and observations made by Berry, et al (2002) a human being is highly influenced by the culture to which he or she has been raised up in. As observed by Browaeys and Price (2008), culture is a system of behavior consisting of varied elements that shapes up their life and other activities associated with their lives. The culture of an individual affe cts the psychology, that is, the thought process. The psychology in turn decides the behavior, attitude and goal of an individual’s life, the likes and dislikes, and even most importantly, their working attitude. The findings of Buchanan and Huczynski (2004) in their study indicate this very fact. An individual is highly influenced by the culture to which he or she belongs. It is so because it impacts an individual from a very tender age, during the very basic years of an individual when one’s beliefs, emotions, outlook and attitude is at the nascent stage. Culture moulds the attitude of an individual at every stage, when an individual forms their attitudes towards their family, education and institutional life, their personal circles, and their attitude towards work. Culture has a greater role to play in shaping the attitude towards work of an individual. Burnes (2000) observe that different cultural factors have been influencing the communication skills and practices of the individuals in the workplace and working atmosphere for a long time. The perception of work and work pressure is also dependent on an individual’s attitude towards work. For instance, one who has been surrounded by a strong working culture will be highly motivated to work hard, turn the most impossible task into reality, the individual will not give up in any case. On the other hand an individual who has been experiencing a lethargic working culture w

Analysis the article by using what you have learned from lectures

Analysis the by using what you have learned from lectures - Article Example Formal power, however, is unlikely to spur such satisfaction as workers feel that they are only being maintained in the workplace because of their contributions. Formal power also does not encourage a corporate culture that is in support of team work and interdependence among workers. When formal power is in use, employees are much more likely to seek different ways of improving their personal skills and seeking to be more capable than their co-workers in order to be noticed. Interdependence in an organizational workforce can be attained through the distribution of resources and skills, and advanced technology that rearranges work functions as is common in assembly lines. Interdependence is also spurred by having similar goals and the rewarding of various teams or groups instead of singular individuals. This will in turn inspire group effectiveness in various functions of an organization. It will also spur the workers to develop a workplace commitment that will inspire the improvement of overall organizational behavior. Organizational behavior is descriptive of the way that workers behave in any given organization. To realize organizational goals like the creation of a corporate culture that inspires constructive organizational behavior, the management has to ensure that individual responsibilities of every worker are managed well and coordinated. Structure is an important tool in this regard as it deals with identifying formal communication channels, and illustrates how different activities conducted by different employees are connected. In the makeup of an organization, any structure that is not well managed is likely to be confronted with discrepancies. Generally, organizations have to compete aggressively in the present global competitive environment to merit organizational commitment from their workers. Even though it has been supposed that there are personal differences among an organization’s workers

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Analyzing Ragged Dick and comparing its depiction of status and Essay

Analyzing Ragged Dick and comparing its depiction of status and identity with that of Black Protest and the Great Migration and - Essay Example The boundaries which are created through each story show how culture is based on creating divisions within society because of stereotypes, status and ways in which relates to material goods. The first concept related to identity and status and the divisions which this creates in American society comes from the ideal of class. In each of the stories, there is a division of class which occurs, specifically between the lower, middle and higher classes. The point which is made with each of these classes shows that this is based on wealth and money, which allows any individual to change their class if they can make wealth. When these specific classes clash or the information about wealth is recognized, then it creates the division. For instance, in â€Å"Ragged Dick,† Dick is known to have lived on the streets and without a home; however, if this is disclosed to those in the middle class, which he is trying to turn to through wealth and money, then it will create division. For inst ance, when he is seen walking with Frank, there is recognition that Frank has a wealthy home while Dick has been on the streets.1 This information shows the divisions between class and how it turns from financial situations into social status. The concept of social status and the relationship to wealth is not only important in determining divisions between rich and poor. The concept of status created more divisions that were based on other stereotypes created within American society. One’s identity was furthered with divisions of color, race and the area which one was from, such as displayed in â€Å"The Great Migration†.2 This story is similar to that of Dick’s, specifically because the looks which one has and the ethnicity which they belong to create the same division. The identity then relates to the class which one belongs to. The revelation in this story is important because it defines not only divisions created in American society through race, but shows h ow society has created the boundaries of identity beginning with stereotypes of race, then leading to wealth expectations, neighborhoods which one should live in and the lifestyles which one has. Each of these attributes of division are seen with the movie â€Å"Lady and the Tramp† as a way of showing how the identity and status become a sense of conflict. The main plot of this story shows how a dog from the other side of the tracks falls in love with a mongrel from the other side of town. When looking at the division between these two, it can be seen that there are complexities with wealth, looks, race and the class divisions between the two. The boundaries are based on the identification of several attributes which are incorrect in the two being together3. This creates the central conflict in the story and shows how division is based on the superficial identities which are created in society. The differences which occurred within in society and identity, all which are divid ed according to the wealth, ethnicity and identity of an individual, come into conflict when the stereotypes of class are no longer effective. The economic, social and political concepts tie together, specifically because of the status which is held. If one has a specific social status based on wealth, then begins to change into a

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Letter of Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter of Interest - Essay Example The career as a college professor would allow me to extend to students the same opportunities I received as a graduate student pursuing my Master of Arts Degree. These included attending professional conferences and being selected as a Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Grant Recipient. In addition, I have been taught by parents and my graduate professors, that whatever I accomplish in life, I should help other students also attain their goals in their lives. While I am teaching, I will focus on the historical perspective of the field of education, as well as my research interest. I strongly feel that research in the field of counseling is vital because the field is constantly changing. Throughout the course of my career, I would like to mentor adolescents as well as adults, who are mentally disabled, by volunteering my time at a community center. Because of my vast experience at Georgia regional and South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation, I possess the necessary knowledge to teach. I believe that giving back is a strong trait of my character and this perspective about life has motivated me a lot to become a teacher. I treat such an opportunity as the accomplishment of the goals and other objectives that I have set for myself. While undergoing my Masters at South Carolina State University, I was a counselor and mentor for project FLAVA (Families Linked Against Violent Activities). The children were a K-8 grade, varying in age and academic ability. My designated tasks included helping the students to complete their homework, and constructing academic charts to monitor their progress as well as evolving special educational plans so as to offset the areas where students are weak. With the assistance of other individuals, I helped the children to prepare for the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (Pact).  

Monday, September 23, 2019

Critically discuss the extend to which formal strategic may be Essay

Critically discuss the extend to which formal strategic may be considered to be the key to effective business process management in hospitality SME'S - Essay Example According to Tangen (2004) , this suggests poor organisational configuration, which is detrimental to sustained competitive advantage. Configuration is defined as â€Å"making choices about what a company will do and how it will do it, and†¦ensuring that the things a company does reinforce each other†. They argue that the lack of a focused competitive strategy is one of the key causes of poor organisational configuration. However, the problem of organisational configuration is not just restricted to understanding markets, with poor configuration being found in a number of key areas, including hospitality SMEs’ relationships with their customers, which are fraught with uncertainty. There is an acknowledged advantage in that small firms are closer to the customer, enabling more personal relationships to develop (Crook , 2003). However, this is tempered by the danger that having a limited customer base (Gray, 2005) facilitates the development of deferential supplier–customer relationships. Research by Harrison (2003) concludes that, apart from those firms which operate only in very low profit or niche markets, hospitality SMEs are consistently found to be subservient to their larger counterparts. This view is supported by Wong (2005) who suggest that hospitality SMEs have a lack of control over their futures because of demands made by stronger customers throughout the supply chain. An addi tional burden is a lack of power to leverage payment of debts from these customers, as noted by (Okumus, 2003), who point out that many smaller firms are â€Å"afraid to press customers too hard for payment for fear of loss of future business†. It is this scenario which most severely affects hospitality SMEs as their limited resources cannot cope with the fluctuations in cash flow that late payment inevitably brings. The overall effect of the fiercely competitive environment in which hospitality SMEs operate is that, very often, strategic planning becomes a seemingly

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Using Roles Paper Essay Example for Free

Using Roles Paper Essay This paper will discuss a better way to control user access to data is to tie data access to the role a user plays in an organization. It will cover the value of separating duties in the organization. Then discuss the value of using roles to segregate the data and system access needs of individuals in the organization. Then describe in detail why a role-based access control system (RBAC) would be the best way to accomplish this. Finally, how to handle distributed trust management issues for users going to or from business partner networks. The value of separation of duties is an essential security standard that certifies that a specific user does not have a proficiency to misuse his or her capabilities or make substantial oversights. No user should have the influence to cause destruction acting on his or her acknowledge. The security standard is not confined to computer systems and has been in use in modern society for eras. Allocating that function into separate steps is crucial for the purpose to work, or for the command that enables that function to be neglected. Splitting the roles across multiple departments and different locations can help subsidize duty to reducing fundamental threat. At the same time separations of duty limitations have been composed into an information system, users are looking for ways around the access authorizations because of pressure. In large organizations it is the role of the auditor to detect these intervals of control but often this is an unattainable assignment. Whenever it is difficult to segregate, other devices such as monitoring of activities, audit trails should be anticipated. It is important that security audit stays impartial. RBAC model provides a wide scope throughout a company to control method for managing IT assets although still sustaining the most wanted level of security. Role-based permissions can be inserted and renovated quickly across multiple systems, applications and wide range of sites right from the IT department’s laptop or desktop. RBAC systems are constructed to extend functioning occurrence and tactical business ethic. It can modernize and computerize many transactions and business functions and provide users with the resources to achieve their job swifter with the user holding more accountability. Providing the RBAC system, an organization  can live up to their potentials for discretion and secrecy. IT personnel and supervisors can observe how data is being used and edited based on real world needs. With RBAC system being used HR can enter new hires brisker and can lock out an employee for access areas not required to perform his or her job. It also helps employees with their effectiveness and production by purging the redundancy and admin tasks under other security systems. Most companies do not want to take the time to setup th is system. It is tidiest practices that take time to acquire and manage the appropriate way. If a company invests in time to implement that framework of RBAC it will pay off in the end. Overseeing the level of confidence is a crucial security requirement. Trust management comprises of trust creation, prosecution, and examining. Once a trust agreement is determined and utilized to administer the inter-organizational security policy. It is imperative that none of the trust agreements concedes or encounter with current personnel organization’s policies and limitations. The relationship should balance rather than switch current local security policies. A security restriction, in its general use, states that confines someone from doing something. It is proposed to provide system integrity. It is also defined to describe incomparable security roles, such as sequential limitations. The limitation may safeguard the sincerity of a requester based on information stowed in the auditing archive. It may also assess the constancy of a operation by taking into account the location, time, and risk correlated with the operation. In a consensus, self-assurance limitations are used to differentiate an un-safe state. The intrusion also can be handled by evolving exceptions or events, which spawn some counter-measure rules. These rules act upon actions, such as sensitive data filtering, query modification before administering demands, and cryptographic procedures. A trust agreement represents affiliations between cooperating organizations concerning security and expectation of policies. To institute a trust understanding, a source contributor organization and a resource requestor establishment would cooperate with each other to explain a set of security strategies and limits that they conjointly agree to administer. The conferred trust arrangement encompasses, rules should require the certification amenity, which associates would be diagramed to which distinct role, and what limitati ons coupled with the diagramming. Cooperate with each  other’s business requirement for an agreement to be precise clearly in requisites of what subcategory of his or her assets they are prepared to divulge to whom, and how they can safeguard messages from a risk, at the function level. Notice that in this work the expectation arrangement condition reports only the security-related concerns such as certificate-based authentication. Additional categories of inter-organizational policies, such as observing or deterrence of non-compliance and retribution of policy defilement, are critical, but beyond the capacity of this study. The structural design entails of a network of Trusted Collaboration (TC) nodes, which intermingle as colleagues in the network. A TC node is an established of hardware and software beneath the management and influence of a company. Substantially, a TC node is shielded by using innovative router and firewall equipment, which facilitate and regulation the traffic stream into and out of the TC node. It implements the security policies and limitations dependable with the security goals and necessities of an company. Also accomplishes protected distribution of its resources based on its recognized trust affiliations with the TC nodes of its cooperating associates. Each Trusted Collaboration (TC) node is capable of establishing trust and contractual relationships with others without resorting to a centralized controller. This trust report will be exhausted to make authentication and authorization choices for assistance demands. A user in a TC node can have access to the protected resources in another TC node, possibly through multiple intermediary TC nodes. In conclusion, the paper covered the value of separating duties in the organization. Then went over using roles to segregate the data and system access needs of individuals in the organization and why a role-based access control system would be the best way to accomplish this. Setting a process can help distribute trust management issues for the users going to or from business partner networks. Developing a role-based system helps personnel know what his or her roles are in order to complete the job at hand. Creating way personnel can only access duties that have to do with their department and not get into another part of the system without getting permission first. References O’Brien, J. A., Marakas, G. M. (2011). Management information systems (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Stallings, W., Brown, L. (2012) Computer security: Principles and practice (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Whitman, M. E., Mattord, H. J. (2010). Management of information security (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Course Technology/Cengage Learning.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Summary Of The Da Vinci Code

Summary Of The Da Vinci Code To begin with, Da Vinci Code is a novel written by American author and journalist Dan Brown and published in 2003 by publishing house Random House. It should be noted that Da Vinci Code was a continuation of another Dan Browns popular novel Angels and Demons (2000). As a fact, the book has become an international bestseller: it is translated into 44 languages and there are published a total circulation of more than 81 million copies. The Da Vinci Code has top position in the New York Times list of best-selling magazines. Many experts consider the novel as the best book of the decade. Novel is written in the genre of intellectual detective thriller and has arisen widespread interest to the legend of the Holy Grail and Mary Magdalenes place in the history of Christianity, as described in The Da Vinci Code An Independent Book Review. It can be said that on a plot of the book its main character, Dr. Robert Langdon, a professor of religious symbology at Harvard University, should unravel the murder of Jacques Sauniere, curator of the Louvre. As a fact, Saunieres body was found inside the Louvre naked and placed in the same way as in the famous drawing by Leonardo Da Vincis Vitruvian Man, with an encrypted inscription on his torso. This inscription indicates that the key to the mystery of the murder is hidden inside the famous works of Leonardo Da Vinci. As a result, analysis of such works of Leonardo as Mona Lisa and The Last Supper greatly helps in solving this puzzle. In the meantime, Robert meets the granddaughter of Jacques Sauniere Sophie Neveu. All her family (mother, father, brother, grandmother) had died in a car accident. Now, Sophie and Robert will unravel many secrets and mysteries. However, Captain Fache is from police, and believes that Langdon had killed Jacques Sauniere. It can be said that Robert a nd Sophie will have to prove his innocence. The protagonist of the novel will address two main puzzles: what a mystery was defended by Sauniere and why he was killed? Who killed Sauniere and who had planned this murder? According to Book Review The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Author of The Da Vinci Code), it should be noted that unraveling the mystery requires the solution of a series of puzzles. The secret of the Holy Grail location is known to a secret society, the so-called Priory of Sion and the Order of the Knights Templar. The Catholic Church organization Opus Dei also plays an important role in the plot. The novel has several parallel plot lines involving the various characters. At the end of the book all the story lines come together and are resolved in the Rosslyn chapel. It should be noted that the novel could be unnoticed by various Christian religious figures, if it had not had such success, and if on the first page of the book was not asserted the truth of the events that were described in the novel. As a fact, the criticisms draw attention to the large number of inaccuracies in the presentation of history, the interpretation of historical facts, and use all sorts of unsubstantiated legends. Consequently, Archbishop Angelo Amato, who is the second man in the Vatican after the Pope called on all Catholics to boycott the film Da Vinci Code. Archbishop Amato called Browns book: stridently anti-Christian, full of calumnies, offenses and historical and theological errors regarding Jesus, the Gospels and hostile Church, and called its success by extreme cultural poverty of a large number of Christian believers. Amato urged Christians with great zeal to reject the lies and cheap slander. He also said that if such lies and slanders were directed at the Qu ran or the Holocaust, they rightly would have caused a world uprising, while the lies and slander against the Church and Christians, remain unpunished, as described in Book Review: Exploring The Da Vinci Code: Investigating The Issues Raised by The Book and Move. As a fact, Amato suggested that Catholics around the world should begin organized protests against the book and the film Da Vinci Code exactly the same as there were protests against Martin Scorsese The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988. However, it can be said that opposing Da Vinci Code by representatives of Christian church not only fuels the hype of the novel, and raises its rating, but it is consistent with the content of the novel, in which the Church seeks to hide some kind of truth, which is presented in the novel, as stated in Book Review: Exploring The Da Vinci Code: Investigating The Issues Raised by The Book and Move. In my opinion this is a great novel and I like it very much. To be more precise, the novel has dynamic plot, which is based on one of the most interesting historical mystery. It has vivid characters, a detailed narrative that fully immerses the reader in the atmosphere of the novel. As a fact, for the Dan Browns Da Vinci Code these terms were enough to become one of the most famous bestsellers in recent years. Moreover, in America, Da Vinci Code has literally revived the genre of historical detective, giving it such popularity, that this genre works have not previously received. It can be said that for high-performance sales, and many laudatory reviews of hiding bad, there is a nice detective, which in an accessible form tells the reader about some mystery hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. Revealing the mystery, the protagonist of the book with his head is dipped into historical investigation, the results and details of which both look shocking and realistic. In my opinion, this realism, combined with the availability of exposition and narrative detail, is one of the main virtues of the book. Valiantly twirled plot complements the cocktail, condemning the novel to succeed. On the other hand, the novel has weak sides, among them is a pretty weak syllable of the author many critics consider that the author has a rustic style of presentation. On the other hand, the audience of the novel is so broad that a simple style of presentation has not spoiled the novel much- rather on the contrary; thanks to this, Da Vinci Code is a book that is understandable and accessible to everybody without exception. To sum it up, Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown can be characterized as one of the most urgent must have books of the recent decade. And everybody should read this book not only because it still remains one of the most fashionable pieces Da Vinci Code is a really interesting, exciting and at the same time sufficiently intelligent, revealing the multiple storylines prose. Work cited Book Review: Exploring The Da Vinci Code: Investigating The Issues Raised by The Book and Move. 15 February 2011. Julian Price. 2009. The Da Vinci Code An Independent Book Review. 15 February 2011. Pascasio Felisilda. 2009. Book Review The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Author of The DaVinci Code). 15 February 2011.