Information System Processes in Wal

Introduction Wal-Mart Company, which was opened by Sam Walton in 1962, is among the largest retail stores in the world. Walton opened it to sell products at reduced prices in order to give customers an opportunity to save money and use it to improve their lives. The company was therefore started as a small discount store.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Information System Processes in Wal-Mart Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Wal-Mart was committed to satisfying the needs of its customers by serving them in a friendly manner and offering them low prices. Until today, the company maintains its initial commitment to serve its customers. The company’s shares started trading at the New York Stock Exchange in 1972 (McKeefery 3). Currently, Wal-Mart has more than 9600 retail outlets that are spread in different countries and a total of 2.1 million workers. Most of them are based in the United States . General Explanation of Wal-Mart’s Business Process Wal-Mart has limited competitors because it has been able to establish a big business empire. It operates about 700 discount stores in the United States and 2900 supercenters, which stock groceries. In addition, it has smaller format stores that have been growing fast. The company has stores that perform well in Canada and Mexico and runs its activities in several Asian countries (Organizational Structure 6). Wal-Mart’s use of Information Systems Wal-Mart is among business organizations that have been able to implement information systems successfully. The company’s information systems aim at centralizing its operations in order to develop common practices, which can be applied in its stores around the world. All business activities carried out by Wal-Mart use technology. For instance, technology is applied to keep records of inventories from suppliers and maintain a good relationship with customers, which att racts and retains them. Application of information systems has benefited Wal-Mart since it has enabled the company to maintain its status as a leader in the market. One of the most important information systems that Wal-Mart applies is bar code system. The company is among organizations that successfully organize data gathered from different places into meaningful information.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The data, which are gathered from bar codes, are used to monitor sales. Wal-Mart has access to information on product sales such as the type of products purchased and their prices price. This is combined with advanced telecommunications to facilitate transfer of information between different branches and the centralized system. This enables Wal-Mart to sustain a real-time database equipped with adequate data on company transactions. Radio frequency identification, c ommonly referred to as RFID is another information system that is used by Wal-Mart. This is a technology that uses small tags, which contain microchips with data on particular items. The technology transmits radio signals along short distances. The signals are received by RFID readers, which pass the data to computers for processing. RFID tags are easy to work with hence the company is able to access information that is used to identify different products (Wal-Mart stores Inc 5). This type of information system enables Wal-Mart to increase its effectiveness in terms of inventory control and management of supply chains. The company can track its products along supply chains (Laudon Jane 45). Wal-Mart is also credited with the introduction of self-check-out lanes. Since the company serves many customers at the same time, sometimes, they are forced to queue for many hours. This information system makes it easy for customers to move in and out of the company’s premises without d ifficulties. Wal-Mart Information System Processes Ways through which Information Systems would Improve Wal-Mart Processes Information systems would bring numerous benefits to Wal-Mart since advancements in technology have compelled companies to embrace the concept in order to serve their customers better. Information systems would enable Wal-Mart to reduce costs and increase profits. For instance, RFID would enable the company to monitor its supply chains (Wailgum 5).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Information System Processes in Wal-Mart Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This would eliminate possible losses that occur due to a lack of proper tracking of different processes. Information systems would also ensure that both customers and the company’s employees do not waste a lot of time. For instance, self-check-out lanes would facilitate entry and exit of customers into the company’s premises. Without this system, customers would be required to queue for many hours. However, this problem would be solved through the use of information systems. Suggestion for Improvement Wal-Mart should take several measures in order to improve service delivery. The first thing that the company should do is to redefine the RFID mandate by restricting it to products that do not have high amounts of liquid and metal. This would give vendors and suppliers enough time to confirm reliability of tags for all products. The company should use its powerful nature to develop a buying consortium. Wal-Mart should also endeavor to ensure that its customers are aware of different information systems that the company uses. This would ensure that its investment in information systems is utilized accordingly. Works Cited Laudon, Kenneth, L. Jane. Managing information systems-managing the digital firm. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. McKeefery, Kevin. Wal-Mart restruct ures to boost e-commerce. 2010. Web. Organizational structure 2011. Web.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Wailgum, Thomas. 45 years of Wal-Mart history: a technology time line. 2007. Web. Wal-Mart stores Inc. 2011. Web. This assessment on Information System Processes in Wal-Mart Company was written and submitted by user Greyson R. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Pyrrhic Victory - Origin of the Term

Pyrrhic Victory - Origin of the Term A Pyrrhic victory is a type of win that actually inflicts so much destruction on the victorious side that it is basically tantamount to defeat. A side that wins a Pyrrhic victory is considered ultimately victorious, but the tolls suffered, and the future impact those tolls, work to negate the feeling of actual achievement. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘hollow victory’. Examples: For instance, in the world of sports, if team A defeats team B in a regular season game, but team A loses its best player to a season-ending injury during the game, that would be considered a Pyrrhic victory. Team A won the current contest, however losing their best player for the remainder of the season would take away from any actual feeling of accomplishment or achievement that the team would typically feel after a victory. Another example could be drawn from the battlefield. If side A defeats side B in a particular battle, but loses a high number of its forces in the battle, that would be considered a Pyrrhic victory. Yes, side A won the particular battle, but the casualties suffered will have severe negative effects from Side A going forward, detracting from the overall feeling of victory. This situation is commonly referred to as â€Å"winning the battle but losing the war.† Origin The phrase Pyrrhic victory originates from King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who in 281 B.C., suffered the original Pyrrhic victory. King Pyrrhus landed on the southern Italian shore with twenty elephants and 25,000-30,000 soldiers ready to defend their fellow Greek speakers (in Tarentum of Magna Graecia) against advancing Roman domination. Pyrrhus won the first two battles that he participated in upon arrival on the southern Italian shore (at Heraclea in 280 BC and at Asculum in 279 BC). However, throughout the course of those two battles, he lost a very high number of his soldiers. With his numbers cut drastically, King Pyrrhus’s army became too thin to last, and they eventually ended up losing the war. In both of his victories over the Romans, the Roman side suffered more casualties than Pyrrhus’ side did. But, the Romans also had a much larger army to work with, and thus their casualties meant less to them than Pyrrhus’s did to his side. The term Pyrrhic victory comes from these devastating battles. Greek historian Plutarch described King Pyrrhus’s victory over the Romans in his Life of Pyrrhus: â€Å"The armies separated; and, it is said, Pyrrhus replied to one that gave him joy of his victory that one other such victory would utterly undo him. For he had lost a great part of the forces he brought with him, and almost all his particular friends and principal commanders; there were no others there to make recruits, and he found the confederates in Italy backward. On the other hand, as from a fountain continually flowing out of the city, the Roman camp was quickly and plentifully filled up with fresh men, not at all abating in courage for the loss they sustained, but even from their very anger gaining new force and resolution to go on with the war.†

CRJS472IP5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CRJS472IP5 - Research Paper Example l in the world containing information about more than 70 million criminals along with over 34 million civil prints (The Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010). This paper discusses the reasons as why the integrated automated fingerprint information system works so well and the measures that are necessary to ensure the effectiveness of new and emerging biometric databases. The Integrated automated fingerprint information system features the fundamental practices for fingerprint biometrics including maximizing the quality of a fingerprint scan, ensuring liveness detection to prevent circumvention, measuring system performance and conducting scenario testing. The quality of the fingerprint scan is a vital aspect of the fingerprint biometric system design and is determined by the scanner resolution, scanner measurement area, scanner measurement technology, and the human and environmental factors. High quality fingerprint scans yield large numbers of biometric features. Fingerprint copies may be used in attempts to bypass the biometric system. The Federal bureau of Investigation prevents security bypasses by maintaining liveness detection in the integrated automated fingerprint information system. Liveness detection also referred to as copy protection ensures that copies of authorized user fingerprints are not used in the biometric system. Fingerprint copies include activated latent prints, two-dimensional and three-dimensional copies. The automated fingerprint information system features scanners with a built-in ability to detect latent, two-dimensional and three-dimensional copies. The Integrated automated fingerprint information system architecture complies with the Federal Bureau of Investigation architecture. And also regular reviews are conducted to ensure it complies with standards and guidance. The regular reviews ensure that the integrated automated fingerprint information system works with exceptional performance. The system also features service-oriented

History - Malthusian Demographics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History - Malthusian Demographics - Essay Example This he said will be due to the fact that resources will no longer be able to sustain the expanded population (Elwell 133). For the balance of the population and the resources to be reached, Malthus proposed certain natural calamities to be vital in this; he said that countries going to war and mass killing being realized were one way of reducing the enormous number of the population that was creating tension on the limited available resources. He also proposed other natural catastrophes like volcanic eruption to be helpful in the checking the population growth rate. The Malthus prediction can be said to have failed since its inception, but that is not all, the problem facing the developing countries currently will certainly lead to the population explosion (Ehrlich, Paul, and Anne 156). In the developing countries, there are massive and unchecked population growth while in the same time the recourses created can not support the population. The rate of population growth in the develo ping countries has immensely contributed to the widespread abject poverty in the region. Even without directly experiencing Malthus projection we can say that the effect of unchecked population is impacting negatively in some parts of the world. One of the salient features of the high population growth rate is the cause of political instability in the countries that are victims of these. In the third world countries, resource distribution is acutely skewed towards the a few individuals that wield political power and have great influence in the country and can marshal resources in their favor to lead opulence life while their subjects are surviving from hand to mouth (Smith 199). This has led to public outcry and has in some unfortunate circumstances led to mass actions in a bid to topple and impeach the existing government for not caring about the common man. It has also led to the formation of the insurgents who antagonizes the government creating political instability. Malthus pro posal may not be realized today but in other ways it can be seen as having come to reality. Haphazard population increase has led reduce wages in the work environment and this has perpetuated poverty in such areas. The relationship between population increase and poverty is very imminent in light of scramble for the few opportunities available. Increase in population numbers provides alternatives manpower since there is more supply than demand and this can only work on reducing the wages of the workers (Malthus 112). The state of population explosion can also lead to high level of unemployment and this impact negatively on the younger generation in which the youths are involved in the law breaking due to frustration a situation refereed to as juvenile delinquency. In his publication ‘Additions to an essay on the principle of population’, Malthus intrinsically evaluated the connection between the global population increase and employment opportunities vis a vis wages com pensation (Malthus 213). In regard to this he did made a hypothesis that the increase in the world population will catalyze poverty introduction as well as low income through wages to the workers. This is because of the readily available workforce. This came to be widely known as ‘The Iron Law of Wages’ (Malthus 246). The exponential population incr

The Capital Budgeting Method Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Capital Budgeting Method - Term Paper Example It should be noted that in the assessment of the profitability of an investment, it is also important to consider the timing of cash inflows. The rationale behind this is expressed in the concept of the time value of money which is widely recognized as one of the single most important concepts in financial analysis. This tells us that a dollar to be paid today has a higher value than any dollar to be paid tomorrow. Holding a dollar has an opportunity cost in terms of interest.   Thus, a dollar invested today can be turned into $1.10 next year when lent at 10% interest. In the same way, a dollar collected today will be used by a company to be invested in its profitable undertakings which can yield more dollars in the future. Thus, it can be deduced that investments which generate more cash earlier in their lives are more profitable. This might sound consistent with the payback period. However, it should be noted that NPV takes into account the total cash flow generated by the invest ment and does not stop when the total investment is recouped.          NPV, unlike the payback period, recognizes the importance of a company’s present return on investment. It should be noted that when the company calculates the return on investment using NPV, it measures the cash flow based on the cost of capital. The payback period, on the other hand, only looks at the earliest possible time the investment is recouped and not at the investments meeting the standard of the company.               A typical business organization extends credit to the customer for various reasons. It is often uncommon to find a company which collects the totality of payment for its products and services in cash.   It should be noted that extending credit exposes a business entity to risks of default. Unlike cash which ensures the full and ready payment of the company’s goods and services, credit only gives the customer an obligation. With credit, customers have the right to default for any reason. This leaves companies with receivables which be accounted for as bad debts and can be readily written off.

Silicon Solar Cell Grid And Bus Bar Design Engineering Essay

Silicon Solar Cell Grid And Bus Bar Design Engineering Essay In this paper, we shall be designing and explaining the process for fabricating the top grid and busbar electrodes for a crystalline silicon solar cell using commercial processing techniques, such as screen-printing. The solar cell must be kept at a minimum of 20.8% conversion efficiency and we must keep our power losses under 8% using commercially available technology and inks. INTRODUCTION Solar cell technology is a rapidly growing form of power generation. There are new and improved processes being developed and understood all the time. In this paper, we will introduce, design, and calculate the properties and a process of fabricating a crystalline silicon solar cell. A solar cell is an electronic device that converts sunlight into electricity, using what is known as the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic effect is the basic physical process in which a PV cell converts sunlight into energy. The sunlight, containing photons, strikes the PV cell and are either reflected or absorbed. When the PV cell absorbs a photon with an adequate energy level, an electron is excited to the conduction band, which produces a hole in the valence band. Once the electron-hole pair is formed, the built-in electric field separates the electron from the hole and then the two charges can contribute to current flow in the PV cell. Once this hole is formed a built-in electric field is needed to drive the current to an external load, assuming one is connected. The built in electric field is a property of the PV cell consisting of an n-type (negative) and a p-type (positive) semiconductor formed together. When these two materials, normally positively or negatively doped silicon, are together, they create a pathway for excess electrons in the n-type material to flow to the p-type material. This causes the holes to flow into the n-type material from the p-type material. Through this process of electron and hole flow, the electric field is created and needed to force the electrons to jump to the surface in order to become available for use in the electrical circuit as shown below in figure 1. [1] With light, charge imbalance, generates voltage across terminals No voltage across diode, No Current Load connected, Current flows Figure 1: Different stages of PV cell [2]. Problem: Our job was to design grids and busbars, outline a fabrication process for putting down the grids and busbars on top of the crystalline silicon solar cell using commercial printing inks for making ohmic contacts, and describe the commercial processing techniques we are using, such as screen-printing. Our initial constraints are that the silicon solar cell is a square such that its dimensions are 10cm by 10cm. Also, the cell is such that, when there are no resistive or grid-shadowing losses, it produces a current density of 40 mA/cm2. The cell also produces a voltage of 0.65 V, a fill factor of 80% and an energy conversion efficiency of 20.8%. We are assuming that the sheet resistance of the p layer is 100 ohms/square. We also must calculate the shadowing loss due to the blocked sunlight from the grids and the busbar on the solar cell. In addition to those losses, we must take into account the resistive losses in the top junction layer with the cells sheet resistance, grids and busbar s. While fabricating this solar cell, the losses are to be minimized such that the sum is to be less than 8%. MATHEMATICAL DERIVATIONS In this section the mathematical equations for calculating various losses in the solar cell will be derived. Below in table 1 is the design parameters and constraints given for this solar cell. Parameters given in the design project specifications Parameter Value Description Light-generated current density Open-circuit voltage Fill factor Energy conversion efficiency Sheet resistance of the p-layer Area of the solar cell Table 1: Design parameters for solar cell Using the parameters given above, the optical power incident on the solar cell is given by manipulating the equation into the form which gives . The power generated by the cell is given by . The voltage at the maximum power point Vm is determined by using the following equation: [2]. Using this value of Vm, the current at the maximum power point Im was then determined with the following equation: The losses in the solar cell are caused by resistance in the bus bar, resistance in the fingers, resistance in the base and emitter layers, and shadowing by the bus bar and fingers. The resistivity per square of the ink used in this cell is measured at 25 µm thick [5]. The resistivity of the ink is then calculated by . A MATLAB program was written to help determine the optimum spacing between the fingers of the solar cell. The code that was written can be seen in the back of this paper located in the appendix. The graph generated by the program is in figure 2. C:UsersGenDocumentsEE 332Final ProjectFinger Spacing Chart.png Figure 2: Total Power Loss versus Finger Spacing. From the graph we determined the optimal spacing between fingers to be 2.5mm. The power lost in each finger is given by where Lf is the length of the finger, Sf is the spacing between fingers, à Ã‚ f is the resistivity of the finger, wf is the width of the finger, and df is the height of the finger. A summary of the design parameters used here are shown in Table 2. Once the power lost in each finger is known, the total resistive losses in the fingers can be calculated by multiplying by the number of fingers . The power loss in the bus bar is calculated by where Lb is the length of the bus bar, à Ã‚ b is the resistivity of the bus bar, wb is the width of the bus bar, and db is the height of the bus bar. The power loss in the emitter of the solar cell is calculated by where à Ã‚ em is the resistance per square of the emitter. There are losses due to shadowing of the solar cell caused by the fingers and bus bar blocking light. The shadowing losses is calculated by where Nb is the number of bus bars. The total power losses in the solar cell is then calculated by . We can then determine the percentage of power losses to be which is below the 8% loss specified for this design project. CELL FABRICATION TECHNOLOGIES Cell Fabrication: When it comes to fabrication techniques of solar cells there are a few techniques to pick from. These choices mainly consist of screen printed solar cells, buried contact solar cells, high efficiency solar cells, and rear contact solar cells. For the purpose of this paper the method of choice that will be used is screen printing. The screen printing process can be a cheaper process and is often comprised of fewer steps than other methods. Screen printing has been around for quite some time, though originally designed for printing graphics, advertisements, flyers, etc.; one of these screen printing machines can be seen in figure 2. http://www.phoseon.com/img/Screen_Print_iStock_000008690558XSmall.jpg Figure 2: One of the arms of a machine that holds a screen, squeegee, and ink. [3] As far as the physical screen printing portion of semiconducting devices or in our case a solar cell it is a pretty simple idea. A screen is created in the form of a negative just as film in a camera. Certain areas of the screen allow ink to pass through and others do not. This screen can be made of different materials such as silk, metal, plastics. The screen is used to hold the ink that will be transferred to the target object, in this particular scenario a wafer of crystalline silicon or c-Si. Saw damage etch: After the blocks of silicon are cut into wafers, roughly .5mm thick, the saw leaves behind a residue that was used as a coolant during the cutting process. [2] The wafers get loaded into cassettes so that they can be cleaned as show in figure 3. The wafers are then cleaned in a hot sodium hydroxide bath to remove the contamination left behind. This process removes the first 10 micrometers of silicon which was damaged during the cutting process. Once this has taken place the silicon is then placed into another, more diluted, sodium hydroxide bath which has been mixed with isopropanol as a wetting agent to etch the surface of the silicon wafers. This process gives a very uniform etch rate when c-Si wafers are used as the primary substrate. http://www.pveducation.org/sites/default/files/PVCDROM/Manufacturing/Images/MVC-420F.JPG Figure 3: Multicrystalline silicon wafers in cassettes are ready to be cleaned [2]. Junction formation by doping: The wafers have now been cleaned and are ready to be doped. This process will create an n-type layer on the c-Si. This n-type layer is created by applying a phosphorus coating to the silicon and then firing the wafers. The wafers are in what is called a diffusion coating furnace where the layer of phosphorus is deposited on to the wafers. The wafers are then moved to a different furnace where they are fired at a temperature roughly 800-1000 degrees Celsius. The firing process incorporates the phosphorus layer into the outer surface of the silicon wafer. Edge isolation: Edge isolation is a process in which the newly doped silicon wafers have the front and back sides isolated from each other. This is done by first stacking the wafers together and then loading them in to a plasma etching system. In this system the sides of the wafers will be plasma etched by using CF4 and O2. This process will remove the phosphorus dopant from the sides of the wafers thus separating the two n-type surfaces encompassing the silicon. Anti-reflection coating: One more step is needed before the wafers can begin the screen printing process and this is the application of an anti-reflection coating. This is a very important step because it is this coating that helps to reduce the amount of reflected photons, which in turn helps increase the efficiency of the solar cell.[4] For this step silicon nitride is used via a process called chemical vapor deposition process or CVD. During this process the chemicals are fed into the deposition chamber and they break down and adhere to the wafer. The actual chemical process for this is 3SiH4 + 4NH3 -> Si3N4 + 12H2. [2] Screen printing the rear contact: Now that the wafers have been doped, the front and back have been isolated from each other, and they have been coated with an anti-reflection coating they are now ready to receive the rear contacts. This is done through the screen printing process discussed earlier on in this paper. A screen carrying a metal paste is lowered over the top of the solar cell and then a squeegee pushes the paste through holes, transferring it to the cell in the desired pattern, this can be seen below in figure 4. This process is usually repeated twice for both the front and back sides of the solar cell, each of which both distributing different patterns to the solar cell. The first usually deposits an aluminum mask across the back of the cell to create the back surface field. [2] Figure 4: Squeegee pushing metallic ink across a screen. [2] The cell is then dried in an oven to remove all of the organic solvents and binders before the next screen takes place. The second screen on the back of the solar cell deposits a silver paste which is used for the contacts on the solar cell. After performing the second screen print on the back of the solar cell it is then placed in to an oven and fired at a higher temperature. During this process the metal and wafer are heated to a high enough temperature to destroy the n-layer allowing the metals printed on the cell to become in contact with the p-type silicon itself. Screen printing the front contact: Now that we have printed the back side of the solar cell it gets flipped over for the printing of the conductive fingers and the main busbars. This is the exact same process as explained earlier when printing the rear side of the solar cell except for the fact that the screens will have different designs to create the buss bar and finger system as mentioned. For the purpose of this paper we will be using a DuPont Solamet PV412 ink. The properties of this ink can be seen below in figure 5. Figure 5: Specification sheet for DuPont Solamet PV412 ink. [5] In between these two steps the wafers will be put into a drier around 200 degrees Celsius to dry the ink as said before on the back side. Once the second screen is transferred the wafer will again go back into an oven to fire the chosen metal paste into the silicon. A finished image of the front of a solar cell is shown in figure 6. http://www.ecn.nl/typo3temp/pics/db94f2dc2b.png Figure 6: Front of a finished solar cell [6] TECHNOLOGIES CHOSEN FOR THIS APPLICATION Why screen printing is used: Screen printing technology, where a metal-containing conductive paste is forced through the openings of a screen onto a wafer to form the circuits or contacts, is one of the best established and one of the most mature forms of solar cell fabrication technology. [7] First developed in the 1970s, screen-printing is currently the dominant form of fabrication of photovoltaic modules. [2] While screen printing does reduce the efficiency of a solar cell by 3.5-4% when comparing it to the best and more expensive methods, however, there are advantages to this fabrication method. [6] Some of the key advantages are the technologys simplicity in fabricating the solar cell, its cost-effectiveness and its ease of control. Why silicon is used: Currently, crystalline silicon is the dominant material used in the photovoltaic market, even though silicon does not have optimum material parameters. Specifically, its band gap is a little too low for an optimum solar cell and it has a low absorption coefficient. Due to silicons abundance and its prominence in the manufacturing industry, silicon still makes it difficult for other materials to compete in this market. [8] Why silver is used: Many factors come into play when deciding the material to be used in the solar cell. Some factors include the materials efficiency, its conductivity, its adhesion strength, as well as its cost effectiveness. Silver, being a great conductor of electricity, is used in the contact points. A well-formulated silver paste could have almost 50% higher conductivity compared to other pastes. [9] Silver also has great adhesion strength that meets the general costumer requirements. FINAL FABRICATION PROCESS DESCRIPTION Table 2 is a summary of the final design parameters for this solar cell. Table 2: Final Design Parameters Parameter Value Description Voltage at maximum power output Current density at max power output Maximum power output without losses Resistance per square of the emitter [10] Resistance per square of the ink [5] Resistivity of the ink Spacing between fingers Width of the fingers Height of the fingers Length of the fingers 80 Number of fingers Length of the bus bar Width of the bus bar Table 3 is a summary of the calculated losses of the solar cell associated with the grid and bus bars. Table 3: Calculated Power Losses Power losses due to shadowing Power losses in the emitter Power losses in the fingers Power losses in the bus bar Total power losses Percentage power losses The Final Fabrication After all of the multiple steps of screen printing are completed and the wafers have been fired at the appropriate temperatures for the correct amount of time, the solar cells are complete. Keep in mind that the stages of manufacturing where the wafers are fired must be done correctly to get the desired solar cell. If the temperature is to high this will cause the metals to melt together and make contact with others causing possible short circuit or giving the wafer improper properties. After this process is successfully completed, the cells can then have leads soldered to the back sides of them. This completes production of the physical solar cell and just leaves the process of soldering leads to the back side of the wafers which will allow the cells to be wired in series to achieve the desired output voltage. In conclusion the initial parameters included a minimum of 20.8% conversion efficiency and the power loss was to be kept under 8% by using commercially available inks and technology. We were able to achieve a conversion efficiency of 20.8% and we were able to reduce our power lost to 4.64% by screen printing our c-Si solar cells and also reducing the width while increasing the height of the fingers and busbars. REFERENCES [1] Reprinted from U.S. Department of Energy Photovoltaics Program. [Online]. Available: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsolar3.htm [Nov. 15, 2012] [2] Christiana Honsberg, Stuart Bowden. Photovoltaic Education Network [Online]. Available: http://www.pveducation.org/ [Nov. 1, 2012] . [3] Phoseon Technology Screen Printing. [Online]. Available: http://www.phoseon.com/applications/screen-printing.htm [Nov. 4, 2012] [4] Daniel Nilsen Wright. (2008, Jan, 16) Anti-reflection coatings for silicon solar cells [Online]. Available: http://www.sintef.no/uploadpages/24509/Daniel%20N%20Wright.pdf [Nov 3, 2012] [5] DuPont Solamet PV412 photovoltaic metallization [Online]. Available: http://www2.dupont.com/MCM/en_US/assets/downloads/prodinfo/Solamet_PV412.pdf [6] Jaap Hoornstra. Better printing delivers more solar power. ECN (Sep. 2010). [Online]. Available: http://www.ecn.nl/nl/nieuws/newsletter-en/2010/september-2010/two-stage- screen-printing-improves-solar-cell/ [Nov. 6, 2012] [7] Applied Materials. (April 2011). Screen Printing For Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells. [Online]. Available: http://www.appliedmaterials.com/sites/default/files/ [Nov. 15, 2012] [8] Jessika Toothman and Scott Aldous. How Solar Cells Work. [Online]. Availabe: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell2.htm [Nov. 15, 2012] [9] Dr. Weiming Zhang. How Silver Paste Can Improve Silicon Solar Cell Performance/Cost Ratio. [Online]. Available: http://pvsilverpaste.com/media/webmedia_local/media/whitepapers/HowSilverPasteCanI mproveYourPerformance.pdf [Nov. 15, 2012] [10] Yelundur, V.; Nakayashiki, K.; Hilali, M.; Rohatgi, A.; , Implentation of a homogeneous high-sheet-resistance emitter in multicrystalline silicon solar cells, Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2005. Conference Record of the Thirty-first IEEE , vol., no., pp. 959- 962, 3-7 Jan. 2005 URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=arnumber=1488291 isnumber=31426

The Longest Day :: essays research papers

The Longest Day Few of God's miracles cause protests in the "scientific" community like the account of Joshua's long day - when God made the sun and moon to stand still. But science and modern technology have done more to verify this phenominal biblical fact than they have to refute it. Common sense would say it is impossible for such a major disruption to occur and not totally destroy the precise, perfect balance in the solar system. But given a God, who created the heavens and the earth, who established the rotation of the planets and stars to the fraction of a second, making the earth stop rotating for 24 hours is not such a difficult task. Yet, computer scientists in the space program and mathematicians - one a former professor at Yale University - have discovered that a whole day has been unaccountably added in time. The positions of the moon, sun, and planets have to be calculated precisely for all space shots to avoid problems in establishing the satellite's orbit. The orbit has to be calculated for the life of the satellite to avoid its running into something else in space. Using computers, scientists can tell the exact location of the planets and their moons for years into the future. By the same means, they have been able to backtrack and determine these specific locations in the past. It was during one such search that the extra day appeared. From various accounts of the incident, it appears that something "did not compute." The extra day was just there. There was no computer malfunction; there was no explanation for the interruption of normal time patterns. When this apparent error appeared and no explanation was forthcoming, one of the scientists related that he had studied in Sunday School about time standing still. A preposterous idea to scientists, but faced with no other explanation, they asked him to show them the story. In the story in the tenth chapter of the book of Joshua, Joshua had asked God to make the sun and moon stand still to enable Joshua to defeat his enemies. Joshua 10:13 says, "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies... So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." There was the extra day that science couldn't account for. But scientists are more exact than that. The term, "about a whole day" was not close enough for them. They rechecked their computers, going back to the time when the story was

Filipino Smiles and Spirits Essay

Philippines, when we hear this word one thing pops out in the mind of most people in the World, Typhoon Haiyan, that barreled through most of Visayas, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Being the most powerful storm ever landed, how do Filipinos react into this kind of calamity? The fact that many storm have landed there all over the years. Can Filipinos still find a way to smile in those times? Many calamities have landed there in the Philippines, Including the Typhoon Haiyan, which is the most terrifying storm ever existed. It’s a tragedy to experience such a storm in a small country like theirs. We’ve seen high floods high as a second floor house, Children crying, Starving people begging for help, winds not like the zephyr outside your window but a wind like a tornado. If you’re in their situation, you’ll be given a Hobson’s choice by your own mind â€Å"You’ll eat that spoiled food on the ground or starve yourself to death† You have no option but to eat whatever food there is. People there had lousy- which means â€Å"abundantly supplied†- of stuffs, lousy of tragic memories, lousy of tears, lousy of floods, lousy of lousiness of many stuffs brought by the typhoon, but one thing we’re very lousy of are their humor and smiles. This is the best characteristics of Filipinos, even though darkness is taking over, they still find our little ray of sunshine and are happy for it, we’ll still find their sweet smiles. I found a lot of funny pictures in the internet, people dressed like a mermaid sitting on a rock, imitating little mermaid. Some are dressed like scuba divers, swimming in the ersatz swimming pool which is the flood in an Olympics way, edited a picture and titled it â€Å"The ConjuRAIN†, another picture showed two people lying on a waterbed, looking very relaxed as if they’re sun bathing. some even managed to take a picture of themselves smiling!. The Brightest smiles are owned by the Filipino people. Some countries may misunderstand the way we handle a situation like this but it’s just the way we are, we smile, we don’t lose hope. Just like the quote I’ve seen on the net â€Å"Baha ka lang, Pinoy kami! † means â€Å"You’re only a flood, We are Filipinos! â€Å". Filipino Spirit is Waterproof! We still find a sense of humor even in the worst day. They are Filipinos, these traits are in their blood. Being sad is the penultimate thing we feel whenever there’s calamity, and being happy and optimistic for what we still got is the last thing we feel. Having that trait is a blessing, show them that happiness is in your attitude. â€Å"There’s no reason crying in the rain, or flood for that matter. It worsens the situation, now another one is coming in and we need all the smile we can muster to drive away the gloomy days†That phrase can be a double meaning telling us to be strong in any problems and be happy for what you got. God really great for giving them such a trait.

Understanding the Difference of Operations

Understanding the Difference of Operations Understanding the Difference of Operations The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual, according to Vince Lombardi, the role that each individual takes in connection with the most important issues that their organizations are involved with compels a great role on how the whole group fares when it comes to the need of being able to develop further towards progress in the industry or the group of organizational types that they belong to. Yes, each individuals accountability to the role of the organization in the community is an important factor of consideration that every organizational member should practically give attention to. Issues on how organizations are mandated and managed according to the role that they are taking in the community has naturally made it harder for a lot of groups today to formulate operations that are sure to reach the standards that have been set for them to follow. Considerably though, organizational administrators were able to find ways and practical solutions that could better their operations and provide them the chance to properly consider the role that they are taking (Mulgan 2000, 555). Believably, these situations mandate not only the strength and the capability of the administrational body of the organization to lead or to manage the process, but also insist on the cooperation that every member of the group takes as their own personal responsibility. Certainly, both for-profit and nonprofit organizations face this ethical responsibility of providing their group a management that works and giving the community that right quality of services and products that they deserve. Different business organizations are based upon different foundations of mission and vision Practically, every business organization needs to have a reason for existence. No matter what that reason is, it serves as the organizations identification as it operates within the community that it aims to serve. Surely, this identification gives a proper sense of purpose as per suggested by the kind of organization that they are. Practically, the consideration on what particular kind of organization a group of people is practically committed to indicate the right kind of role that they are taking in the community. (Sinclair, 1995, 220) As for example, the for-profit organizations are based upon the aim of gaining the attention of the communities to be able to generate financial gains. On the other hand, non-profit groups provide service and volunteer operations that are dedicated to making it easier for the communities to get by (Dubnick, 1998, 68). Surely, it should not be pointed out that for-profit organizations are all for themselves, meaning they exist for personal reasons of gaining profit, instead, they just provide service or products to the community in an aim of getting the right kind of exchange for what they provide the community with. It could not be denied though that these organizations, whether for profit or nonprofit groups are accountable for their operations in connection with the process by which these operations are affecting the communities that they are living with. Basically, it could be noted that somehow, internal and external accountability of these organizations directly affect the kind of development that the said organizations are able to take in connection with the process by which they are able to relate to the needs and demands of the people within the communities that they are serving. Within the discussion that follows, an understanding of what internal and external accountability is all about and how profit and nonprofit organizations respond to this matter shall be presented. Seriously, it could be noticed that there are reasons by which organizations exist and this existence is based on noting the fact that the organization is aiming to operate for a reason. First to know is that of the difference of operations that for-profit organizations have in comparison with that of the nonprofit organizations which shall be discussed in the phase of presentation that follows. Understanding the Difference of Operations As mentioned earlier, for profit organizations are based on the idea of gaining more returns for the services or products that they release for public appreciation. This is the reason why for-profit organizations are also known as business organizations. It is through this identification of organizational process that the indication of organizational role is further assured. Basically, for profit organizations intend to balance loses or expenses that they have utilized for the manufacturing of products or processing services with the amount of income that they are to receive from the market. It is through this balancing process that they are able to receive back what they have lost and have ample amount of money to fund further operations in the future to have the organization continuously existing within the society. (Mulgan, 2000, 556) Besides this fact, for-profit organizations are also expected to face different measures of competition against other business groups that operate within the same industry as they do. Practically, it could then be realized that these organizations have to deal with more complicated approaches to operation just to be able to win the struggle of surviving in the field of modern commercial connections worldwide (Dykstra, 1939, 25). An example of this kind of organization is that of the IBM Company which basically have competition with Apple Computers and Compaq which are all international computer expert business operators that intend to offer the society with the best kinds of technological gadgets that are designed to make their life much easier and much enjoyable to live with. On the other hand, nonprofit organizations such as the Red Cross International Community of Volunteers rely on contributions and donations from supporters all around the globe. Unlike for profit organizations, these groups do not have a fixed capital that funds their organization for continuously operating for the good of the society that expects their help and assistance in times of emergency. Organizations such as Red Cross do not go through the complicated process of competing with other organizations that are in the same field of volunteering service operation. For example, at times, when there are huge situations such as wars and civil movements that affect the majority of the population of people in one country, Red Cross sends in some of its representatives to be able to deal with the situation and create a good sense out of the resources that they are able to use to give proper attention to the needs of the people needing their attention (Schedler, 1999, 332). At the same tim e, the UN may also send in some helping hand and in no way do these two groups undergo particular competition between each other. Perhaps, the only competition they have lies on the need of getting more volunteers and enticing more contributors for the development of the budget that they need to be able to fund further volunteering appointments. Yes, in many ways, nonprofit organizations help the governments a lot in assuring that the society gets the services that they need and get a hold of the elemental factors that are essential for their survival. As for example educational organizations may provide the service but only for those who are able to pay for the service. However, there are also some educational organizations that are nonprofit which particularly provide plain service to the learners. Hence, in connection to this, it could be noticed that the management by which the operations of these organizations are being given particular attention tom also differ in form as education institutions that are for profit intend to hire teachers at a base pay approach, while nonprofit educational institutions are more indulged in the chance of getting instructors and educational guides both through volunteerism and others that are instantiated through the shifting levels of salary for the services that they are to provide. Pra ctically, it could be observed that somehow, nonprofit organizations are practically accountable for providing the society what they deserve and what they need without actually asking for anything in return. Comprehending About Internal and External Accountability Separately, for profit organizations and nonprofit organizations have different roles and different responsibilities to the communities. At one point, the volunteerism that the nonprofit organizations depend upon makes it quite harder for them to complete operations in a much faster consideration that intends to make a difference in the society. Apparently only a few individuals today are making a good sense of what volunteerism is all about and how the process is actually able to make a great difference in the society. Only a few also realize the responsibility that they have on the others, giving them lesser chance to consider their purpose in life really is. Yes, volunteers are also accountable for the different operations of assistance that they are providing the community with. Particular process of operations ought to be followed and as volunteers following through these guidelines is practically essential in the role that they play for the communities. (Alvarado, 2000, 6) Understandably though, for profit organizations also have a promised oath to keep good track on how they serve the needs of the people. Besides simply serving as an aide for completing the economic cycle that funds the societys economic survival, business organizations are held responsible for assuring that their products are essentially kept practically usable and safe for the market that they are aiming to serve. Surely, the separation of the internal and the external accountability of the nonprofit from that of the for profit groups of organizations define the separation of their role in the communities that they are operating with, Indeed, with this differences identified clearly, it could be admitted that both types of organizations take their own stand in making the society a better place to live in with the perfect balance that needs to be given particular attention to. Making a good sense of what their role is affects the development of the communities that they are working with. (Dubnick, 1998, 68) Certainly, with this assurance of completed role, both types of organization intend to make a big difference in the ways by which the needs and the demands of the people in a community are practically given helpful response. Evaluation and Controls of Measuring and Assessing Organizational Governance The process by which organizations are able to control their operations affects so much the services and the products that they provide for the communitys population. Definitely, it could be mentioned though that these operations need to be guided by particular protocols that are intended to assist the volunteers as well as that of the business organizers in becoming much able to complete the roles that they have signed up for. How then shall the effectiveness of operations be assessed and measured? Through a series of evaluation that could be undergone within a specific span of time, operations of volunteerism and business approach for profit could be better investigated upon as to whether or not they are still able to adhere to the needs and the demands of the society who are supposed to be the receivers of their services and their products. (Dubnick, 1998, 81) Conclusion Considerably, from the discussion presented herein, the internal and the external accountability of organizations at present are practically making a good sense on how to develop the societies today. Surely, it could be mentioned that somehow, without the guidelines of completing these responsibilities, handling the most important roles that these organizations have towards the society may somewhat be much impossible to handle. Believably, as carefully mandated by the sense of accountability itself, organizations today have ethical responsibilities to their own people and of course to the society. Assisting every member of the organization to handle this responsibility is an essential factor of group existence in the community. Being able to respond to the needs of the society is one thing but being able to respond in respect to their values is another. Certainly, these organizations are held practically responsible of being able to make a good sense of their existence through maintaining a proper reputation that is able to withstand the challenges of being an organization set forth to serve the concerns of the society, For-profit organizations, although they have persona profit generating concerns, still have the responsibility of assuring that what they give the community is able to respond to the needs and values that the community itself gives particular importance to. Through making their employees and their staff of higher command accountable for their acts, they at the same time make every member of the organization responsible enough to make sure that the service they are giving to the organization would have a good effect on the community that they are aiming to serve. Nonprofit organizations on the other hand are accountable for the chance of being able to serve the needs of the people without asking for any particular pay. This does not mean though that since the members are not paid, they are now able to deal with matters that way that they want to. As public servants who aim to do good, volunteers of nonprofit organizations are expected to be held responsible of their acts whether or not they are paid; their responsibility is to the people. Yes, with or without money entailed in connection with the process of completing ones responsibility to the people, the process of being ethically outstanding in ones process of operation is every organizations best chance of gaining a fine reputation in the community.

Seat Belts Have Been Shown to Save Lives essays

Seat Belts Have Been Shown to Save Lives essays Wearing a seat belt every time you enter a car is an important factor in ensuring the safety of both yourself and other individuals. The consistent use of a seat belt can help to reduce the damaging effects of both a cars collision, and the collision of its human occupants. Seat belts are proven to save lives, and may be the most effective safety apparatus in modern vehicles. Stricter laws governing the use of seat belts may be an important way to increase seatbelt compliance. Encouragingly, seat belt use was at an all-time high in 2002, showing that many individuals were spurred into compliance. Despite this encouraging increase in the use of seat belts, it is clear that many Americans are still choosing not to buckle up. In doing so, they are endangering both their lives and the lives of their fellow passengers. The cost of not wearing a seatbelt can be high, both to yourself and the individuals around you. To understand the physical effects of a motor vehicle crash, it is important to understand the physical effects of such a crash. When a motor vehicle is involved in a crash, there are three types of collisions that have an important impact on human safety. They are: 1) the car's collision, 2) the human collision, and 3) the internal collision The car's collision is perhaps the most obvious of the three. This is the force that causes the car to buckle as it is forced to an abrupt stop. This force takes place over a tenth of a second. The front of the car absorbs some of the impact as the vehicle encounters another object. As a result of this cushioning, the passengers come to a softer stop than the rest of the car (National Safety Belt Coalition). The human collision is what many people correctly associate with human damage that occurs during an automobile crash. This occurs when human occupants hit some part of the vehicle. Occupants who are no...

Global Team Project (of one member only) (Brazil) Essay

Global Team Project (of one member only) (Brazil) - Essay Example It is actively supporting the development the local LED firms. The government subsidises and encourages production, facilitates distribution and consumption. In addition, the government sees to it that follow-up services are provided. Secondly, there are trade barriers in Brazil contrary to the norm in the America Market. The government’s regulations are to setting up a firm in Brazil are unfavourable to foreign corporations. (CalderoÃŒ n & United Nations, 2005). Coupled with the tax guidelines, the above make the barrier for the entry of foreign companies into local production chain and the local market. Establishment of  a manufacturing arm of MoGlow in Brazil is the best strategy to enter the Brazilian market. It would be seen as less threatening to the economy of Brazil and the living standards of the people. A company in Brazil will undoubtedly create employment opportunities for the nationals. The Brazilian Government is encouraging local production of ligyhti8ng products. The readily available raw materials would justify setting up manufacturing units in the country. Moreover, MoGlow would further tap into a The Brazil customers are office goers, students, the rural population and its urban population The U.S. population also provides customers for LED lighting lamps despite easily available electricity countrywide. A hardcover cardboard cover should be used in packaging the product. The brand name MoGlow and all the product details should be clearly shown on the cover. The decrease in the cost of electricity as the result of using this product should be indicated so that customers are attracted to the MoGlow product (Liu & Luo, 2011). Lighting companies such as GE, Sharp, Osram and Phillips are major competitors in the market. The presence of these manufacturing companies makes the market quite competitive. Alongside these multinationals, there exist

Biochemistry - How BSE Occurs at a Molecular Level Coursework

Biochemistry - How BSE Occurs at a Molecular Level - Coursework Example Toxicity: Large amounts of phenylalanine taken in the form of nutritional supplements elevate blood pressure. Symptoms such as headaches, heartburn and nausea may be experienced. In addition, the nervous system is usually affected by the toxicity of phenylalanine. Reactivity: Phenylalanine is a hydrophobic amino acid with an aromatic side chain. Therefore, it is fairly unreactive and mostly takes place in substitution reactions where it is interchanged with amino acids of a similar nature. Consequently, it plays a key role in substrate recognition rather than in protein function. Hydrogen bonds: Hydrogen atoms from the amine groups are pulled towards the electronegative carboxyl groups leading to sharing of electrons. The repetitive nature of such attractions within the protein structure confers stability. Van der Waals forces: Interactions among induced dipoles that form from the changes in charge density that occur in adjacent atoms that do not necessarily form a bond constitute attractive van der Waals forces. Repulsive forces, on the other hand, entail interactions between atoms that come close to each other but do not form dipoles. The huge numbers of such forces within the structure of proteins affect the stability of proteins. When certain proteins fail to fold in the required way, they begin to cluster and form aggregates. These aggregates contain certain polymeric structures such as beta sheets. In BSE, these aggregates are in the form of prions, which get into the brain and cause disease. Prions are proteinaceous infectious particles that comprise aggregates of misfolded proteins. Prions alter the structure of the brain by stimulating the formation of ‘holes’ in the brain, which ultimately give the brain a spongy architecture. Consequently, the nervous system is affected making the cow behave abnormally.  Ingestion of prions present in contaminated food causes them to be taken up into the body.  Ã‚