Is It Safe to Drink Water From a Hose

Its a hot summer day and the cool water from the garden hose or sprinkler seems so inviting. Yet, youve been warned not to drink it. How dangerous could it be? The truth is, the warning is based on fact. Do not drink water from the hose.  Garden hoses, unlike plumbing inside your home, arent manufactured to deliver safe drinking water. In addition to bacteria, mold, and possibly the odd frog, the water from a garden hose typically contains the following toxic chemicals: leadantimonybromineorganotinphthalatesBPA (bisphenol A) Lead, BPA, and phthalates are used in garden hoses mainly to stabilize the plastics. The most common plastic is polyvinyl chloride, which may release toxic vinyl chloride. Antimony and bromine are components of flame retardant chemicals. A study conducted by the  Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, M.I.  (healthystuff.org), found lead levels exceeded  the safety limits set by the Safe Water Drinking Act in 100% of the garden hoses they tested. A third of the hoses contained organotin, which disrupts the endocrine system. Half the hoses contained antimony, which is linked to liver, kidney, and other organ damage. All of the randomly selected hoses contained extremely high levels of phthalates, which can lower intelligence, damage the endocrine system, and cause behavioral changes. How to Reduce the Risk The water from a hose isnt safe for you to drink, its not good for your pets, and it might transfer nasty chemicals to garden produce. So, what can you do to reduce the risk? Let the water run. The worst of the contamination comes from water that has been sitting in the hose a while. If you let the water run for a few minutes, youll greatly reduce the number of toxins.Store the hose in a dark, cool place. Sunlight and warmer temperatures increase the rate of degradation of the polymers and leaching of undesirable chemicals into the water. You can slow down these processes by protecting the hose from excess light and heat.Switch to a safer hose. Natural rubbers hoses are available that are manufactured without toxic plasticizers. Read the label when selecting a new garden hose and choose one that says it has a low environmental impact or is safe for drinking water (potable water). While these hoses are safe to use, its still a good idea to let the water run a few minutes to remove undesirable chemicals or pathogens on the surface of the hose.Be mindful of the fixture. Most outdoor plumbing fixtures are brass, which is not regulated to deliver potable water and usually contain lead. No matter how safe your hose may be, be aware the water may still contain heavy metal contamination from the faucet. Most of this contamination is removed once the water has run through the fixture, but this is the water furthest from the end of the hose. Its worth repeating: If you must drink from the hose,  let the water run before taking a sip.

Analysis Of Lincoln Electric Company Of Cleveland Ohio Usa...

Lincoln Electric Company of Cleveland Ohio USA`s organizational Culture is exceptional and has earned it the acolade of being the best managed manufacturing company in the whole world. I will explore and attempt to identify culture aspects of Lincoln Electric from several issues such as; the continuing influence of founders of the company, the golden rule, the incentive management plan,the performance appraisal system, how people communicate in the organization, the merit pay plan, the bonus plan, and the management style. Normally Founders instill the culture they want right from the beginning of their organizations. That is exactly what John C Lincoln did when he established his company Lincoln Electric in 1895. He stablished a culture of innovation and even left administrative burdens of the company to a brother, James Lincoln, so he could focus on innovation. This streak has continued to date where Lincoln is not afraid to experiment with new ideas .e.g. the cost saving feature of welding electrodes for construction and equipment manufacturing. The electrode process at Lincoln remains a secretive affair which won`t be divulged to outsiders. According to the OCP framework on organizational culture innovative cultures are not fussy about titles and flat in their structure that is they are less bureaucratic. This is the outlook at Lincoln where even the President `s office in the plant is not even carpeted and the company has not had an organizational chart for quite aShow MoreRelatedMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 PagesELEVENTH EDITION MARKETING MISTAKES AND SUCCESSES 30TH ANNIVERSARY Robert F. Hartley Cleveland State University JOHN WILEY SONS, INC. VICE PRESIDENT PUBLISHER EXECUTIVE EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE MARKETING MANAGER ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER MARKETING ASSISTANT DESIGN DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNER SENIOR MEDIA EDITOR George Hoffman Lise Johnson Carissa Doshi Dorothy Sinclair Matt Winslow Amy Scholz Carly DeCandia Read MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagescourses in Principles of Management, Human Resources, Strategy, and Organizational Behavior that helps you actively study and prepare material for class. Chapter-by-chapter activities, including built-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Kim S. Cameron UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prentice Hall Boston ColumbusRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesupdated: April 26, 2016 Logical Reasoning Bradley H. Dowden Philosophy Department California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA 95819 USA ii iii Preface Copyright  © 2011-14 by Bradley H. Dowden This book Logical Reasoning by Bradley H. Dowden is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. That is, you are free to share, copy, distribute, store, and transmit all or any part of the work under the following conditions:

Chapter 27 Padfoot Returns Free Essays

string(57) " she threw Witch Weekly onto the empty chair beside her\." One of the best things about the aftermath of the second task was that everybody was very keen to hear details of what had happened down in the lake, which meant that Ron was getting to share Harry’s limelight for once. Harry noticed that Ron’s version of events changed subtly with every retelling. At first, he gave what seemed to be the truth; it tallied with Hermione’s story, anyway – Dumbledore had put all the hostages into a bewitched sleep in Professor McGonagall’s office, first assuring them that they would be quite safe, and would awake when they were back above the water. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter 27 Padfoot Returns or any similar topic only for you Order Now One week later, however, Ron was telling a thrilling tale of kidnap in which he struggled single-handedly against fifty heavily armed merpeople who had to beat him into submission before tying him up. â€Å"But I had my wand hidden up my sleeve,† he assured Padma Patil, who seemed to be a lot keener on Ron now that he was getting so much attention and was making a point of talking to him every time they passed in the corridors. â€Å"I could’ve taken those mer-idiots any time I wanted.† â€Å"What were you going to do, snore at them?† said Hermione waspishly. People had been teasing her so much about being the thing that Viktor Krum would most miss that she was in a rather tetchy mood. Ron’s ears went red, and thereafter, he reverted to the bewitched sleep version of events. As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their hands and faces every time they went out onto the grounds. There were delays in the post because the owls kept being blown off course. The brown owl that Harry had sent to Sirius with the dates of the Hogsmeade weekend turned up at breakfast on Friday morning with half its feathers sticking up the wrong way; Harry had no sooner torn off Sirius’s reply than it took flight, clearly afraid it was going to be sent outside again. Sirius’s letter was almost as short as the previous one. Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and Banges) at two o’clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can. â€Å"He hasn’t come back to Hogsmeade?† said Ron incredulously. â€Å"It looks like it, doesn’t it?† said Hermione. â€Å"I can’t believe him,† said Harry tensely, â€Å"if he’s caught†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Made it so far, though, hasn’t he?† said Ron. â€Å"And it’s not like the place is swarming with dementors anymore.† Harry folded up the letter, thinking. If he was honest with himself, he really wanted to see Sirius again. He therefore approached the final lesson of the afternoon – double Potions – feeling considerably more cheerful than he usually did when descending the steps to the dungeons. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door with Pansy Parkinson’s gang of Slytherin girls. All of them were looking at something Harry couldn’t see and sniggering heartily. Pansys pug-like face peered excitedly around Goyle’s broad back as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached. â€Å"There they are, there they are!† she giggled, and the knot of Slytherins broke apart. Harry saw that Pansy had a magazine in her hands – Witch Weekly. The moving picture on the front showed a curly-haired witch who was smiling toothily and pointing at a large sponge cake with her wand. â€Å"You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!† Pansy said loudly, and she threw the magazine at Hermione, who caught it, looking startled. At that moment, the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside. Hermione, Harry, and Ron headed for a table at the back of the dungeon as usual. Once Snape had turned his back on them to write up the ingredients of todays potion on the blackboard, Hermione hastily rifled through the magazine under the desk. At last, in the center pages, Hermione found what they were looking for. Harry and Ron leaned in closer. A color photograph of Harry headed a short piece entitled: Harry Potter’s Secret Heartache A boy like no other, perhaps – yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss. Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys’ affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has â€Å"never felt this way about any other girl.† However, it might not be Miss Granger’s doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys’ interest. â€Å"She’s really ugly,† says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, â€Å"but she’d be well up to making a Love Potion, she’s quite brainy. I think that’s how she’s doing it.† Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potters well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate. â€Å"I told you!† Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down at the article. â€Å"I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She’s made you out to be some sort of- of scarlet woman!† Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter. â€Å"Scarlet woman?† she repeated, shaking with suppressed giggles as she looked around at Ron. â€Å"It’s what my mum calls them,† Ron muttered, his ears going red. â€Å"If that’s the best Rita can do, she’s losing her touch,† said Hermione, still giggling, as she threw Witch Weekly onto the empty chair beside her. You read "Chapter 27 Padfoot Returns" in category "Essay examples" â€Å"What a pile of old rubbish.† She looked over at the Slytherins, who were all watching her and Harry closely across the room to see if they had been upset by the article. Hermione gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave, and she, Harry, and Ron started unpacking the ingredients they would need for their Wit-Sharpening Potion. â€Å"There’s something funny, though,† said Hermione ten minutes later, holding her pestle suspended over a bowl of scarab beetles. â€Å"How could Rita Skeeter have known†¦?† â€Å"Known what?† said Ron quickly. â€Å"You haven’t been mixing up Love Potions, have you?† â€Å"Don’t be stupid,† Hermione snapped, starting to pound up her beetles again. â€Å"No, it’s just†¦how did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?† Hermione blushed scarlet as she said this and determinedly avoided Ron’s eyes. â€Å"What?† said Ron, dropping his pestle with a loud clunk. â€Å"He asked me right after he’d pulled me out of the lake.† Hermione muttered. â€Å"After he’d got rid of his shark’s head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn’t hear, and he said, if I wasn’t doing anything over the summer, would I like to -â€Å" â€Å"And what did you say?† said Ron, who had picked up his pestle and was grinding it on the desk, a good six inches from his bowl, because he was looking at Hermione. â€Å"And he did say he’d never felt the same way about anyone else,† Hermione went on, going so red now that Harry could almost feel the heat coming from her, â€Å"but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn’t there†¦or was she? Maybe she has got an Invisibility Cloak; maybe she sneaked onto the grounds to watch the second task†¦.† â€Å"And what did you say?† Ron repeated, pounding his pestle down so hard that it dented the desk. â€Å"Well, I was too busy seeing whether you and Harry were okay to -â€Å" â€Å"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is. Miss Granger,† said an icy voice right behind them, and all three of them jumped, â€Å"I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor.† Snape had glided over to their desk while they were talking. The whole class was now looking around at them; Malfoy took the opportunity to flash POTTER STINKS across the dungeon at Harry. â€Å"Ah†¦reading magazines under the table as well?† Snape added, snatching up the copy of Witch Weekly. â€Å"A further ten points from Gryffindor†¦oh but of course†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Snape’s black eyes glittered as they fell on Rita Skeeter’s article. â€Å"Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings†¦.† The dungeon rang with the Slytherins’ laughter, and an unpleasant smile curled Snape’s thin mouth. To Harry’s fury, he began to read the article aloud. â€Å"‘Harry Potter’s Secret Heartache†¦dear, dear. Potter, what’s ailing you now? ‘A boy like no other, perhaps†¦'† Harry could feel his face burning. Snape was pausing at the end of every sentence to allow the Slytherins a hearty laugh. The article sounded ten times worse when read by Snape. Even Hermione was blushing scarlet now. â€Å"‘†¦Harry Potter’s well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.’ How very touching,† sneered Snape, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the Slytherins. â€Å"Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives. Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Potter – that table in front of my desk. Move. Now.† Furious, Harry threw his ingredients and his bag into his cauldron and dragged it up to the front of the dungeon to the empty table. Snape followed, sat down at his desk and watched Harry unload his cauldron. Determined not to look at Snape, Harry resumed the mashing of his scarab beetles, imagining each one to have Snape’s face. â€Å"All this press attention seems to have inflated your already over-large head. Potter,† said Snape quietly, once the rest of the class had settled down again. Harry didn’t answer. He knew Snape was trying to provoke him; he had done this before. No doubt he was hoping for an excuse to take a round fifty points from Gryffindor before the end of the class. â€Å"You might be laboring under the delusion that the entire wizarding world is impressed with you,† Snape went on, so quietly that no one else could hear him (Harry continued to pound his scarab beetles, even though he had already reduced them to a very fine powder), â€Å"but I don’t care how many times your picture appears in the papers. To me. Potter, you are nothing but a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him.† Harry tipped the powdered beetles into his cauldron and started cutting up his ginger roots. His hands were shaking slightly out of anger, but he kept his eyes down, as though he couldn’t hear what Snape was saying to him. â€Å"So I give you fair warning, Potter,† Snape continued in a sorter and more dangerous voice, â€Å"pint-sized celebrity or not – if I catch you breaking into my office one more time -â€Å" â€Å"I haven’t been anywhere near your office!† said Harry angrily, forgetting his feigned deafness. â€Å"Don’t lie to me,† Snape hissed, his fathomless black eyes boring into Harry’s. â€Å"Boomslang skin. Gillyweed. Both come from my private stores, and I know who stole them.† Harry stared back at Snape, determined not to blink or to look guilty. In truth, he hadn’t stolen either of these things from Snape. Hermione had taken the boomslang skin back in their second year – they had needed it for the Polyjuice Potion – and while Snape had suspected Harry at the time, he had never been able to prove it. Dobby, of course, had stolen the gillyweed. â€Å"I don’t know what you’re talking about,† Harry lied coldly. â€Å"You were out of bed on the night my office was broken into!† Snape hissed. â€Å"I know it. Potter! Now, Mad-Eye Moody might have joined your fan club, but I will not tolerate your behavior! One more nighttime stroll into my office, Potter, and you will pay!† â€Å"Right,† said Harry coolly, turning back to his ginger roots. â€Å"I’ll bear that in mind if I ever get the urge to go in there.† Snape’s eyes flashed. He plunged a hand into the inside of his black robes. For one wild moment. Harry thought Snape was about to pull out his wand and curse him – then he saw that Snape had drawn out a small crystal bottle of a completely clear potion. Harry stared at it. â€Å"Do you know what this is. Potter?† Snape said, his eyes glittering dangerously again. â€Å"No,† said Harry, with complete honesty this time. â€Å"It is Veritaserum – a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear,† said Snape viciously. â€Å"Now, the use of this potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand slips† – he shook the crystal bottle slightly – â€Å"right over your evening pumpkin juice. And then. Potter†¦then we’ll find out whether you’ve been in my office or not.† Harry said nothing. He turned back to his ginger roots once more, picked up his knife, and started slicing them again. He didn’t like the sound of that Truth Potion at all, nor would he put it past Snape to slip him some. He repressed a shudder at the thought of what might come spilling out of his mouth if Snape did it†¦quite apart from landing a whole lot of people in trouble – Hermione and Dobby for a start – there were all the other things he was concealing†¦like the fact that he was in contact with Sirius†¦and – his insides squirmed at the thought – how he felt about Cho†¦.He tipped his ginger roots into the cauldron too, and wondered whether he ought to take a leaf out of Moody’s book and start drinking only from a private hip flask. There was a knock on the dungeon door. â€Å"Enter,† said Snape in his usual voice. The class looked around as the door opened. Professor Karkaroff came in. Everyone watched him as he walked up toward Snape’s desk. He was twisting his finger around his goatee and looking agitated. â€Å"We need to talk,† said Karkaroff abruptly when he had reached Snape. He seemed so determined that nobody should hear what he was saying that he was barely opening his lips; it was as though he were a rather poor ventriloquist. Harry kept his eyes on his ginger roots, listening hard. â€Å"I’ll talk to you after my lesson, Karkaroff,† Snape muttered, but Karkaroff interrupted him. â€Å"I want to talk now, while you can’t slip off, Severus. You’ve been avoiding me.† â€Å"After the lesson,† Snape snapped. Under the pretext of holding up a measuring cup to see if he’d poured out enough armadillo bile, Harry sneaked a sidelong glance at the pair of them. Karkaroff looked extremely worried, and Snape looked angry. Karkaroff hovered behind Snape’s desk for the rest of the double period. He seemed intent on preventing Snape from slipping away at the end of class. Keen to hear what Karkaroff wanted to say, Harry deliberately knocked over his bottle of armadillo bile with two minutes to go to the bell, which gave him an excuse to duck down behind his cauldron and mop up while the rest of the class moved noisily toward the door. â€Å"What’s so urgent?† he heard Snape hiss at Karkaroff. â€Å"This,† said Karkaroff, and Harry, peering around the edge of his cauldron, saw Karkaroff pull up the left-hand sleeve of his robe and show Snape something on his inner forearm. â€Å"Well?† said Karkaroff, still making every effort not to move his lips. â€Å"Do you see? It’s never been this clear, never since -â€Å" â€Å"Put it away!† snarled Snape, his black eyes sweeping the classroom. â€Å"But you must have noticed -† Karkaroff began in an agitated voice. â€Å"We can talk later, Karkaroff!† spat Snape. â€Å"Potter! What are you doing?† â€Å"Clearing up my armadillo bile, Professor,† said Harry innocently, straightening up and showing Snape the sodden rag he was holding. Karkaroff turned on his heel and strode out of the dungeon. He looked both worried and angry. Not wanting to remain alone with an exceptionally angry Snape, Harry threw his books and ingredients back into his bag and left at top speed to tell Ron and Hermione what he had just witnessed. They left the castle at noon the next day to find a weak silver sun shining down upon the grounds. The weather was milder than it had been all year, and by the time they arrived in Hogsmeade, all three of them had taken off their cloaks and thrown them over their shoulders. The food Sirius had told them to bring was in Harry’s bag; they had sneaked a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table. They went into Gladrags Wizardwear to buy a present for Dobby, where they had fun selecting the most lurid socks they could find, including a pair patterned with flashing gold and silver stars, and another that screamed loudly when they became too smelly. Then, at half past one, they made their way up the High Street, past Dervish and Banges, and out toward the edge of the village. Harry had never been in this direction before. The winding lane was leading them out into the wild countryside around Hogsmeade. The cottages were fewer here, and their gardens larger; they were walking toward the foot of the mountain in whose shadow Hogsmeade lay. Then they turned a corner and saw a stile at the end of the lane. Waiting for them, its front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, shaggy black dog, which was carrying some newspapers in its mouth and looking very familiar†¦. â€Å"Hello, Sirius,† said Harry when they had reached him. The black dog sniffed Harry’s bag eagerly, wagged its tail once, then turned and began to trot away from them across the scrubby patch of ground that rose to meet the rocky foot of the mountain. Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed over the stile and followed. Sirius led them to the very foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. It was easy for him, with his four paws, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione were soon out of breath. They followed Sirius higher, up onto the mountain itself. For nearly half an hour they climbed a steep, winding, and stony path, following Sirius’s wagging tail, sweating in the sun, the shoulder straps of Harry’s bag cutting into his shoulders. Then, at last, Sirius slipped out of sight, and when they reached the place where he had vanished, they saw a narrow fissure in the rock. They squeezed into it and found themselves in a cool, dimly lit cave. Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Buckbeak the hippogriff. Half gray horse, half giant eagle, Buckbeak’s fierce orange eye flashed at the sight of them. All three of them bowed low to him, and after regarding them imperiously for a moment, Buckbeak bent his scaly front knees and allowed Hermione to rush forward and stroke his feathery neck. Harry, however, was looking at the black dog, which had just turned into his godfather. Sirius was wearing ragged gray robes; the same ones he had been wearing when he had left Azkaban. His black hair was longer than it had been when he had appeared in the fire, and it was untidy and matted once more. He looked very thin. â€Å"Chicken!† he said hoarsely after removing the old Daily Prophets from his mouth and throwing them down onto the cave floor. Harry pulled open his bag and handed over the bundle of chicken legs and bread. â€Å"Thanks,† said Sirius, opening it, grabbing a drumstick, sitting down on the cave floor, and tearing off a large chunk with his teeth. â€Å"I’ve been living off rats mostly. Can’t steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I’d draw attention to myself.† He grinned up at Harry, but Harry returned the grin only reluctantly. â€Å"What’re you doing here, Sirius?† he said. â€Å"Fulfilling my duty as godfather,† said Sirius, gnawing on the chicken bone in a very doglike way. â€Å"Don’t worry about it, I’m pretending to be a lovable stray.† He was still grinning, but seeing the anxiety in Harry’s face, said more seriously, â€Å"I want to be on the spot. Your last letter†¦well, let’s just say things are getting fishier. I’ve been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I’m not the only one who’s getting worried.† He nodded at the yellowing Daily Prophets on the cave floor, and Ron picked them up and unfolded them. Harry, however, continued to stare at Sirius. â€Å"What if they catch you? What if you’re seen?† â€Å"You three and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I’m an Animagus,† said Sirius, shrugging, and continuing to devour the chicken leg. Ron nudged Harry and passed him the Daily Prophets. There were two: The first bore the headline Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch, the second, Ministry Witch Still Missing – Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved. Harry scanned the story about Crouch. Phrases jumped out at him: hasn’t been seen in public since November†¦house appears deserted†¦St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries decline comment†¦Ministry refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness†¦. â€Å"They’re making it sound like he’s dying,† said Harry slowly. â€Å"But he can’t be that ill if he managed to get up here†¦.† â€Å"My brothers Crouch’s personal assistant,† Ron informed Sirius. â€Å"He says Crouch is suffering from overwork.† â€Å"Mind you, he did look ill, last time I saw him up close,† said Harry slowly, still reading the story. â€Å"The night my name came out of the goblet†¦.† â€Å"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn’t he?† said Hermione, an edge to her voice. She was stroking Buckbeak, who was crunching up Sirius’s chicken bones. â€Å"I bet he wishes he hadn’t done it now – bet he feels the difference now she’s not there to look after him.† â€Å"Hermione’s obsessed with house-elfs,† Ron muttered to Sirius, casting Hermione a dark look. Sirius, however, looked interested. â€Å"Crouch sacked his house-elf?† â€Å"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup,† said Harry, and he launched into the story of the Dark Mark’s appearance, and Winky being found with Harry’s wand clutched in her hand, and Mr. Crouch’s fury. When Harry had finished, Sirius was on his feet again and had started pacing up and down the cave. â€Å"Let me get this straight,† he said after a while, brandishing a fresh chicken leg. â€Å"You first saw the elfin the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?† â€Å"Right,† said Harry, Ron, and Hermione together. â€Å"But Crouch didn’t turn up for the match?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"I think he said he’d been too busy.† Sirius paced all around the cave in silence. Then he said, â€Å"Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you’d left the Top Box?† â€Å"Erm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry thought hard. â€Å"No,† he said finally. â€Å"I didn’t need to use it before we got in the forest. And then I put my hand in my pocket, and all that was in there were my Omnioculars.† He stared at Sirius. â€Å"Are you saying whoever conjured the Mark stole my wand in the Top Box?† â€Å"It’s possible,† said Sirius. â€Å"Winky didn’t steal that wand!† Hermione insisted. â€Å"The elf wasn’t the only one in that box,† said Sirius, his brow furrowed as he continued to pace. â€Å"Who else was sitting behind you?† â€Å"Loads of people,† said Harry. â€Å"Some Bulgarian ministers†¦Cornelius Fudge†¦the Malfoys†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The Malfoys!† said Ron suddenly, so loudly that his voice echoed all around the cave, and Buckbeak tossed his head nervously. â€Å"I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!† â€Å"Anyone else?† said Sirius. â€Å"No one,† said Harry. â€Å"Yes, there was, there was Ludo Bagman,† Hermione reminded him. â€Å"Oh yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don’t know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps,† said Sirius, still pacing. â€Å"What’s he like?† â€Å"He’s okay,† said Harry. â€Å"He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament.† â€Å"Does he, now?† said Sirius, frowning more deeply. â€Å"I wonder why he’d do that?† â€Å"Says he’s taken a liking to me,† said Harry. â€Å"Hmm,† said Sirius, looking thoughtful. â€Å"We saw him in the forest just before the Dark Mark appeared,† Hermione told Sirius. â€Å"Remember?† she said to Harry and Ron. â€Å"Yeah, but he didn’t stay in the forest, did he?† said Ron. â€Å"The moment we told him about the riot, he went off to the campsite.† â€Å"How d’you know?† Hermione shot back. â€Å"How d’you know where he Disapparated to?† â€Å"Come off it,† said Ron incredulously. â€Å"Are you saying you reckon Ludo Bagman conjured the Dark Mark?† â€Å"It’s more likely he did it than Winky,† said Hermione stubbornly. â€Å"Told you,† said Ron, looking meaningfully at Sirius, â€Å"told you she’s obsessed with house -â€Å" But Sirius held up a hand to silence Ron. â€Å"When the Dark Mark had been conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding Harry’s wand, what did Crouch do?† â€Å"Went to look in the bushes,† said Harry, â€Å"but there wasn’t anyone else there.† â€Å"Of course,† Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, â€Å"of course, he’d want to pin it on anyone but his own elf†¦and then he sacked her?† â€Å"Yes,† said Hermione in a heated voice, â€Å"he sacked her, just because she hadn’t stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!† said Ron. Sirius shook his head and said, â€Å"She’s got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a mans like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.† He ran a hand over his unshaven face, evidently thinking hard. â€Å"All these absences of Barty Crouch’s†¦he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn’t bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too†¦.It’s not like Crouch. If he’s ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I’ll eat Buckbeak.† â€Å"D’you know Crouch, then?† said Harry. Sirius’s face darkened. He suddenly looked as menacing as he had the night when Harry first met him, the night when Harry still believed Sirius to be a murderer. â€Å"Oh I know Crouch all right,† he said quietly. â€Å"He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban – without a trial.† â€Å"What?† said Ron and Hermione together. â€Å"You’re kidding!† said Harry. â€Å"No, I’m not,† said Sirius, taking another great bite of chicken. â€Å"Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn’t you know?† Harry, Ron, and Hermione shook their heads. â€Å"He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic,† said Sirius. â€Å"He’s a great wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical – and power-hungry. Oh never a Voldemort supporter,† he said, reading the look on Harry’s face. â€Å"No, Barty Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side†¦well, you wouldn’t understand†¦you’re too young†¦.† â€Å"That’s what my dad said at the World Cup,† said Ron, with a trace of irritation in his voice. â€Å"Try us, why don’t you?† A grin flashed across Sirius’s thin face. â€Å"All right, I’ll try you†¦.† He walked once up the cave, back again, and then said, â€Å"Imagine that Voldemort’s powerful now. You don’t know who his supporters are, you don’t know who’s working for him and who isn’t; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You’re scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing†¦the Ministry of Magic’s in disarray, they don’t know what to do, they’re trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere†¦panic†¦confusion†¦that’s how it used to be. â€Å"Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Crouch’s principles might’ve been good in the beginning – I wouldn’t know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort’s supporters. The Aurors were given new powers – powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn’t the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had his supporters, mind you – plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister of Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfo rtunate happened†¦.† Sirius smiled grimly. â€Å"Crouch’s own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who’d managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power.† â€Å"Crouch’s son was caught?† gasped Hermione. â€Å"Yep,† said Sirius, throwing his chicken bone to Buckbeak, flinging himself back down on the ground beside the loaf of bread, and tearing it in half. â€Å"Nasty little shock for old Barty, I’d I magine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn’t he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while†¦gotten to know his own son.† He began to wolf down large pieces of bread. â€Å"Was his son a Death Eater?† said Harry. â€Å"No idea,† said Sirius, still stuffing down bread. â€Å"I was in Azkaban myself when he was brought in. This is mostly stuff I’ve found out since I got out. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I’d bet my life were Death Eaters – but he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the house-elf.† â€Å"Did Crouch try and get his son off?† Hermione whispered. Sirius let out a laugh that was much more like a bark. â€Å"Crouch let his son off? I thought you had the measure of him, Hermione! Anything that threatened to tarnish his reputation had to go; he had dedicated his whole life to becoming Minister of Magic. You saw him dismiss a devoted house-elf because she associated him with the Dark Mark again – doesn’t that tell you what he’s like? Crouch’s fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn’t much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy†¦then he sent him straight to Azkaban.† â€Å"He gave his own son to the dementors?† asked Harry quietly. â€Å"That’s right,† said Sirius, and he didn’t look remotely amused now. â€Å"I saw the dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can’t have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though†¦they all went quiet in the end†¦except when they shrieked in their sleep†¦.† For a moment, the deadened look in Sirius’s eyes became more pronounced than ever, as though shutters had closed behind them. â€Å"So he’s still in Azkaban?† Harry said. â€Å"No,† said Sirius dully. â€Å"No, he’s not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought him in.† â€Å"He died?† â€Å"He wasn’t the only one,† said Sirius bitterly. â€Å"Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming, because the dementors could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. Crouch being an important Ministry member, he and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son’s body. The dementors buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it.† Sirius threw aside the bread he had just lifted to his mouth and instead picked up the flask of pumpkin juice and drained it. â€Å"So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made,† he continued, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. â€Å"One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister of Magic†¦next, his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored, and, so I’ve heard since I escaped, a big drop in popularity. Once the boy had died, people started feeling a bit more sympathetic toward the son and started asking how a nice young lad from a good family had gone so badly astray. The conclusion was that his father never cared much for him. So Cornelius Fudge got the top job, and Crouch was shunted sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation.† There was a long silence. Harry was thinking of the way Crouch’s eyes had bulged as he’d looked down at his disobedient house-elf back in the wood at the Quidditch World Cup. This, then, must have been why Crouch had overreacted to Winky being found beneath the Dark Mark. It had brought back memories of his son, and the old scandal, and his fall from grace at the Ministry. â€Å"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards,† Harry told Sirius. â€Å"Yeah, I’ve heard it’s become a bit of a mania with him,† said Sirius, nodding. â€Å"If you ask me, he still thinks he can bring back the old popularity by catching one more Death Eater.† â€Å"And he sneaked up here to search Snape’s office!† said Ron triumphantly, looking at Hermione. â€Å"Yes, and that doesn’t make sense at all,† said Sirius. â€Å"Yeah, it does!† said Ron excitedly, but Sirius shook his head. â€Å"Listen, if Crouch wants to investigate Snape, why hasn’t he been coming to judge the tournament? It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Hogwarts and keep an eye on him.† â€Å"So you think Snape could be up to something, then?† asked Harry, but Hermione broke in. â€Å"Look, I don’t care what you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape -â€Å" â€Å"Oh give it a rest, Hermione,† said Ron impatiently. â€Å"I know Dumbledores brilliant and everything, but that doesn’t mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn’t fool him -â€Å" â€Å"Why did Snape save Harry’s life in the first year, then? Why didn’t he just let him die?† â€Å"I dunno – maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out-â€Å" â€Å"What d’you think, Sirius?† Harry said loudly, and Ron and Hermione stopped bickering to listen. â€Å"I think they’ve both got a point,† said Sirius, looking thoughtfully at Ron and Hermione. â€Å"Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I’ve wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape’s always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was,† Sirius added, and Harry and Ron grinned at each other. â€Å"Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters.† Sirius held up his fingers and began ticking off names. â€Å"Rosier and Wilkes – they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges – they’re a married couple – they’re in Azkaban. Avery – from what I’ve heard he wormed his way out of trouble by saying he’d been acting under the Imperius Curse – he’s still at large. But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater – not that that means much. Plenty of them were never caught. And Snape’s certainly clever and cunning enough to keep himself out of trouble.† â€Å"Snape knows Karkaroff pretty well, but he wants to keep that quiet,† said Ron. â€Å"Yeah, you should’ve seen Snape’s face when Karkaroff turned up in Potions yesterday!† said Harry quickly. â€Å"Karkaroff wanted to talk to Snape, he says Snape’s been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried. He showed Snape something on his arm, but I couldn’t see what it was.† He showed Snape something on his arm?† said Sirius, looking frankly bewildered. He ran his fingers distractedly through his filthy hair, then shrugged again. â€Å"Well, I’ve no idea what that’s about†¦but if Karkaroff’s genuinely worried, and he’s going to Snape for answers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sirius stared at the cave wall, then made a grimace of frustration. â€Å"There’s still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of other people wouldn’t, but I just can’t see him letting Snape teach at Hogwarts if he’d ever worked for Voldemort.† â€Å"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snape’s office then?† said Ron stubbornly. â€Å"Well,† said Sirius slowly, â€Å"I wouldn’t put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher’s office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts seriously, Moody. I’m not sure he trusts anyone at all, and after the things he’s seen, it’s not surprising. I’ll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters. Crouch, though†¦he’s a different matter†¦is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Snape’s office? And if he’s not†¦what’s he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn’t turn up in the Top Box? What’s he been doing while he should have been judging the tournament?† Sirius lapsed into silence, still staring at the cave wall. Buckbeak was ferreting around on the rocky floor, looking for bones he might have overlooked. Finally, Sirius looked up at Ron. â€Å"You say your brother’s Crouch’s personal assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he’s seen Crouch lately?† â€Å"I can try,† said Ron doubtfully. â€Å"Better not make it sound like I reckon Crouch is up to anything dodgy, though. Percy loves Crouch.† â€Å"And you might try and find out whether they’ve got any leads on Bertha Jorkins while you’re at it,† said Sirius, gesturing to the second copy of the Daily Prophet. â€Å"Bagman told me they hadn’t,† said Harry. â€Å"Yes, he’s quoted in the article in there,† said Sirius, nodding at the paper. â€Å"Blustering on about how bad Bertha’s memory is. Well, maybe she’s changed since I knew her, but the Bertha I knew wasn’t forgetful at all – quite the reverse. She was a bit dim, but she had an excellent memory for gossip. It used to get her into a lot of trouble; she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. I can see her being a bit of a liability at the Ministry of Magic†¦maybe that’s why Bagman didn’t bother to look for her for so long†¦.† Sirius heaved an enormous sigh and rubbed his shadowed eyes. â€Å"What’s the time?† Harry checked his watch, then remembered it hadn’t been working since it had spent over an hour in the lake. â€Å"It’s half past three,† said Hermione. â€Å"You’d better get back to school,† Sirius said, getting to his feet. â€Å"Now listen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked particularly hard at Harry. â€Å"I don’t want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you’re not to go leaving Hogwarts without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you.† â€Å"No one’s tried to attack me so far, except a dragon and a couple of grindylows,† Harry said, but Sirius scowled at him. â€Å"I don’t care†¦I’ll breathe freely again when this tournament’s over, and that’s not until June. And don’t forget, if you’re talking about me among yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?† He handed Harry the empty napkin and flask and went to pat Buckbeak good-bye. â€Å"I’ll walk to the edge of the village with you,† said Sirius, â€Å"see if I can scrounge another paper.† He transformed into the great black dog before they left the cave, and they walked back down the mountainside with him, across the boulder-strewn ground, and back to the stile. Here he allowed each of them to pat him on the head, before turning and setting off at a run around the outskirts of the village. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way back into Hogsmeade and up toward Hogwarts. â€Å"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?† Ron said as they walked up the drive to the castle. â€Å"But maybe he doesn’t care†¦It’d probably just make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He’d just say Crouch was refusing to break them for his own son.† â€Å"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors,† said Hermione severely. â€Å"I don’t know,† said Ron. â€Å"If he thought we were standing in the way of his career†¦Percy’s really ambitious, you know†¦.† They walked up the stone steps into the entrance hall, where the delicious smells of dinner wafted toward them from the Great Hall. â€Å"Poor old Snuffles,† said Ron, breathing deeply. â€Å"He must really like you. Harry†¦.Imagine having to live off rats.† How to cite Chapter 27 Padfoot Returns, Essay examples

Designing An ERP For Municipal Corporation -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Designing An ERP For Municipal Corporation? Answer: Introducation Current information in AWC does not support new IS (Information System) requirements, as the existing systems are out of date. Financial accounting system DataAction that is used in Adelaide cannot support the marketing and sales. Peartree module is used for tracking the inventory for glass bottling plant and the values are converted to DataAction; however, for handling the vendor payments through the accounting system. Proprietary SCM (Supply Chain Management) is run through procurement branch and it was not integrated to other systems. Sales and marketing office at Sidney has separate system for running proprietary logistics department with shipping helps for wine. Wineries in AWC store the data into individual network and PC connected grid within a server; production data is stored to databases for individual wineries. The data is passed to headquarters in Adelaide and companys main database is consolidated. Production planning is performed for each winery and inventory control is put into place into excel based datasheets and no automation exists for production and billing operations. DataAction is utilized only for internal accounting activities, billing and invoicing for customers; DataAction can estimate the payrolls for workers and can handle international sales merely. Based on the above-mentioned system operation descriptions, the weaknesses and limitations are realized in terms of operational costs, reliability, efficiency, security, and data integrity aspects. Following table depicts the weaknesses; System Elements Weakness Aspects Improvement Areas Production Process Operational cost, efficiency, and security The production process lacks in faster delivery of products; yields more operational cost, and provides lesser automation Accounting System Reliability, security, and efficiency Lacks in automation; considers different departmental modules for overall billing activities, and lacks in convenient procedures Supply Chain Management Operational cost Proprietary and consumes more cost for excel based operations Logistics department Reliability and efficiency Logistics operation is run in another distant department causing time lack as all the system software is out of date Manufacturing and business process Operational cost Manufacturing process cannot be followed with innovative business ideas and packaging procedures Billing and payment module Efficiency Payments are handled from different terms such as vendor payments, internal accounting, and payrolls Table 1: Weaknesses exist for Current AWC Business Process (Source: Created by author) Available Facilities in SAP HANA Solution In this part, the available tools and parts under SAP HANA are discussed and how the tools can be better implementation aspect for considered case study of AWC. The tools are depicted with additional images and detailed operations aspects; For case scenario of AWC, remote support tools will be effective for handling all distant departments for integrated processes. The headquarter is at Adelaide for finance/accounting, HRM, and procurement departments; glass bottle plant in Adelaide; warehouse in Adelaide; sales and marketing department in Sidney; wineries at Barossa Valley, in Renmark and in Clare (within 200 KM of Adelaide); and restaurant in Barossa Valley. The useful tools and consoles are mentioned as following: Business Objects Enterprise / BI Platform 4.0 can be connected to Solution Manager 7.1 Business Objects Central Management Console (CMC) SAP Backend System and SLT system can be connected to Solution Manager 2.1 Solution Manager 7.1 can be used for proactive monitoring of the system based on availability monitoring, and Solution Manager can provide alerts on host agent. The alerts can be received from HANA database pre-rated and it can be obtained through DBA cockpit framework. Moreover, the SLT can be monitored based on queues and from SolMan 7.1 Host (Kale 2014). However, new release of Solution Manager versions in SAP HANA can provide monitoring based on availability, alert results, and alert metrics. Furthermore, SAP HANA can provide business intelligence monitoring based on central system, overview, system, and detail monitoring. The central system status overview shoes SAP BI solution; it is capable of monitor cross-system BW process and single processes. In an overall, SAP HANA does not only act as standalone data mart; however, it can be integerated with other third-party business applications. For instance, SAP ERP system may call SAP HANA accelerators for increase performance of core business processes. The applications such as SAP BW can reside in SAP HANA; SAP HANA is not only administrated as primary database (Otto et al. 2013). The management team can ensure integration with existing IT Solution; the applications can be deployed in SAP HANA with managed procedures. The SAP Solution manager supports SAP HANA; and therefore, the personnel can manage in-memory database along with capabilities of SAP Solution Manager (Dulabh 2014). The management team can easily leverage the IT skills accordingly with learning process; the holistic approach can be used for building and running solution as an entire package. Detailed Implementation Process: Transition, Strategy, and Timeline In this section, SAP HANA implementation is described with all detailed steps, strategy, and associated timeline for completion of the project. The implementation project is segmented under different activities, milestones, and specific steps as well. Project Initiation The phase includes incorporation of initial planning about all activities and preparation of planning document for realistic implementation approach (Barenfanger, Otto and Gizanis 2015). The phase is conducted with relevant activities such as; Determination of project scope; Phase determination and time scheduling; Team and stakeholder planning; Definition of standards; and Environment setup for project Second phase: Preparation of Business Blueprint The second phase includes realization of business process map, blueprint, and operational details. The phase considered business processes and requirements that should be met within the implementation process (Necas 2016). The phase purpose is determined as following: Understanding the entire business procedures, methods, blueprints, process mapping, and SAP integration process Detailed documentation preparation along with gathered requirements (Keskinen 2017) Business blueprint document preparation for meeting business requirements of AWC; the agreement statement is kept for approval from the organization AWC Definition of organizational structure and provide planning about change management; Fit GAP analysis can be conducted for identification of process maps accordingly (Kumar 2014). The Fit GAP analysis; four steps can be followed as brainstorming, simulation, questionnaire-based, and hybrid-type. Realization of business process reengineering This phase states to match the business requirements with SAP HANA Business Process Re-engineering (BPR); so that primary development module and components can be tested in detailed manner (Marin-Ortega et al. 2014). The User Assistance Training (UAT) should be provided from the developer team for separate departments. Final Implementation Steps This phase is concentrated on executing all plans and conducting all related activities regarding implementation SAP HANA in AWC systems. The steps include detailed processes such as testing, end-user training, system management, and cross-platform checking. The implementation stage is stated to be final; as it should reach readiness of go live in next stage (Ivan 2014). This phase should consider all critical issues and problems that can occur during implementation process. The implementation process includes transition stages from legacy to newly developed system. This transition stage incorporates proper date for migration to SAP, inventory process update, delivery process re-engineering, and invoicing (Hawking and Sellitto 2015). All items in SAP can start work on SAP workflow bench; this administrating tool helps in findings out potential flaws and integration gaps for modifications. This phase planning considered migration of master data from legacy system to new SAP system; on successful completion of this phase; AWC will be ready to run business processes in live SAP HANA system. Go Live and Support Process In this phase, the maintenance and support process, planning is prepared. Before go live stage, the legacy systems are run until the systems get stable with newly implemented SAP HANA System (Plattner and Leukert 2015). This phase is necessary to conduct short-time pilot project considering stakeholder reviews, feedbacks, and proper maintenance approaches. Big Bang Approach and Phased Approach are used mainly for ERP implementation; the strategies are used for introducing new systems into organization. In this project, Big Bang Approach for ERP implementation is used as legacy system is migrated to newly developed SAP HANA system (Horakova and Skalska 2013). On the other hand, phased approach is used when proper sequencing of activities are required to be followed to introduce ERP along with replacing legacy system in gradual way (Morgen 2014). Based on the mentioned milestones and activities; the realistic timeline is prepared as in the following table: Activities and Milestones Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 First phase: Project Initiation Determination of project scope Phase determination and time scheduling Team and stakeholder planning Definition of standards Environment setup Second phase: Preparation of Business Blueprint Mapping business procedures, methods, blueprints with SAP integration process Detailed documentation Business blueprint document preparation Fit GAP analysis Brainstorming, simulation, questionnaire-based, and hybrid-type Third phase: Realization of business process reengineering Process redesigning BPR and associated activities User assistance training Fourth phase: Final Implementation Steps Transition process Detailed testing Resolving critical issues SAP workflow bench Migration of master data Fifth phase: Go Live and Support Process Pilot project and maintenance Go Live and feedback based modifications Table 4: Detailed Timeline for Implementation Activities (Source: Created by author) Four SAP Business Suites, Third-party Applications and AWC requirements Based on SAP business suites; four applications are considered for AWC requirements meeting and achieving high-level deliverables of the project. The applications are discussed as following: Supply Chain Management: The Supply Chain Management (SCM) application is appropriate for reducing cost and increasing innovation so that customer service can be improved (Fleig 2017). SAP Supply Chain Management includes coordination, planning, execution, and collaboration of stakeholders to reach entire SCM empowerment to adapt the business goals into ever-changing activities in competitive environment. Customer Relationship Management: The Customer Relationship Management application from SAP being a part of SAP HANA business suites, provides helpful addressing to short-term initiatives (Plattner and Leukert 2015). The CRM provides necessary opinions about decision-making and most importantly, it provides company to achieve differentiated abilities for continuous innovation and development. Enterprise Resource Planning: The SAP ERP provides essential functionalities related to business processes and management of all processes under efficient and tailored way. SAP ERP financial, human capital management, SAP ERP operations, and corporate services offer the administration for meeting business goals and specific needs as well. Supplier Life Cycle Management: The Supplier Life Cycle Management provides holistic approach for managing supplier and customer relationships. The supplier life cycle management deals with supply base and it can determine the proper mix of suppliers into SCM practice along with customer relationship (Christensen 2015). The Life Cycle Management includes individual suppliers so that on-board continuous development can be improved with supplier life cycles. Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) Functional Areas Business process re-engineering functional areas for SAP HANA are mentioned to include rethinking and redesigning approach so that appropriate support can be provided to organizational goals and initiatives to reach cost reduction. BPR starts with high-level assessment of organizational mission, vision, and strategic goals along with customer requirements (Harrison et al. 2014). The implementation process should incorporate SAP for the organization in order to follow the concept of business processes in terms of re-engineering over second phase. The SAP implementation activity is followed with associated process re-engineering to all departments along with GAP analysis. The GAP analysis can improve the entire process such as incorporation of automation and instant evaluation of activities in terms of flawless execution. Training Requirements and Change Management Issues Training and change management processes are necessary for administering the new system incorporation into practice. The training schedule and entire plan should be prepared for the associated stakeholders as in how they can improve their learning and entire work process (Spiri 2015). The training requirements suggest proper follow-up with communication, stakeholder analysis, end-user training, and user assistance training processes. The training management should be performed with all the depicted terms and proper appreciation of activities. The training drills are mentioned as following: Stakeholder analysis: The stakeholder analysis is required to analyze the activities of the stakeholders so that each stakeholder can be addressed with their work process to adhere all responsibilities identified. End-user training: The end-user such as support team, associates, and management personnel should be included into the pilot project so that before go live program, all the end-users can be properly trained to work in new system. User Assistance Training (UAT): The User Assistance Training (UAT) should be performed to the associated personnel who are in direct interaction with the SAP system. They should provide proper assistance to the customers and users in appropriate way. ERP Adoption for Competitive Advantages ERP implementation and adoption is major part of having competitive advantage to the organization; in this case AWC conducting. The competitive advantages are mentioned as in terms of having all relevant activities into practice. Listed advantages are: Efficiency: The efficiency in terms of ERP solution eliminates the process repetition and it minimizes the requirement for manual crossover activities (Plattner and Leukert 2015). The personnel do not need to follow all activities; they should follow the streamlined activities and in easier way, the process can be accomplished. The efficiency aspect required to collect data regardless of the working department. Integrated information: The data and information sharing is uniform in all departments without causing any disturbance into entire work activities. The information can be easily shared among the stakeholders without hampering the data update, modifications, and other related analysis activities (Hawking and Sellitto 2015). The administration team can keep consistent data, accurate storage, and can integrate instant access to database information as well. Scalability: The structured ERP system follows scalable functions for additional user and functional growth into the initial implementation of solution over the timeline. The ERP should be able to facilitate the future business growth aligned with current business goals and initiatives (Debortoli, Muller and vom Brocke 2014). The future plan can be prepared as per scalable ERP implementation for SAP system integration with suppliers. The customers in ERP can be served with more improved workflow. Reduction of cost: Accurate and real-time information source, SAP HANA package can reduce cost in terms of operational means and it can allow the manufactures to manage operations. The ERP system can prevent the delays, disruptions, with segmenting the information so that proper decision-making can be performed. Mobility: The advantage of ERP serves as providing access to a centralized database from different access points at the workplace and work network (Lee et al. 2013). The workers from home, office premises, other branch; can easily access the centralized database without any disruption. ERP provide mobile-friendly solution for helping sales and marketing department to apply excel-based data into real-time information. Productivity: The productivity of SAP system can easily help the overall productivity of the team and the management personnel so that processes could be automated (Dulabh 2014). The users can follow more time to work over followed projects and tasks so that the stakeholders can easily work for ease-of-use solution design. Cost Estimation The cost estimation is performed for considering all aspects that are important for AWC ERP implementation. The cost estimation is shown as following: Costing elements 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Implementation Team $ 4,789.00 $ 22,435.00 $ 34,157.00 $ 23,854.00 $ 22,954.00 Hardware $ - $ 1,245.00 $ 1,457.00 $ 2,487.00 $ 24.00 Software $ 14,257.00 $ 2,457.00 $ 7,563.00 $ 2,145.00 $ 2,589.00 IVV $ 1,023.00 $ 2,457.00 $ 2,457.00 $ 2,457.00 $ 2,457.00 Facility $ 117.00 $ 258.00 $ 235.00 $ 314.00 $ 354.00 Network $ 214.00 $ 352.00 $ - $ - $ - PC $ 178.00 $ 201.00 $ - $ - $ - Security $ 298.00 $ 736.00 $ 736.00 $ 736.00 $ 736.00 OM $ - $ 48.00 $ 5,896.00 $ 9,014.00 $ 11,457.00 Contingency $ 1,842.00 $ 2,365.00 $ 4,256.00 $ 2,789.00 $ 2,457.00 Total $ 22,718.00 $ 32,554.00 $ 56,757.00 $ 43,796.00 $ 43,028.00 Table 5: Complete Cost Estimation for SAP ERP Implementation (Source: Created by author) References Barenfanger, R., Otto, B. and Gizanis, D., 2015. Business and Data Management Capabilities for the Digital Economy: White Paper. Christensen, J., 2015.Digital Business: in The Digital Age. BoDBooks on Demand. Debortoli, S., Muller, O. and vom Brocke, J., 2014. Comparing business intelligence and big data skills.Business Information Systems Engineering,6(5), pp.289-300. Dulabh, H.R., 2014.In-memory business intelligence: a Wits context(Doctoral dissertation). Fleig, C., 2017. Towards the Design of a Process Mining-Enabled Decision Support System for Business Process Transformation. Harrison, R., McLeod, C.S., Tavola, G., Taisch, M., Colombo, A.W., Karnouskos, S., Tilly, M., Stluka, P., Jammes, F., Camp, R. and Delsing, J., 2014. Next generation of engineering methods and tools for SOA-based large-scale and distributed process applications. InIndustrial Cloud-Based Cyber-Physical Systems(pp. 137-165). Springer International Publishing. Hawking, P. and Sellitto, C., 2015. Business intelligence strategy: a utilities company case study.Business Intelligence: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, pp.305-315. Horakova, M. and Skalska, H., 2013. Business Intelligence and Implementation in a Small Enterprise.Journal of systems integration,4(2), p.50. Ivan, M.L., 2014. Characteristics of In-Memory Business Intelligence.Informatica Economica,18(3), p.17. Kale, V., 2014.Implementing SAP CRM: The Guide for Business and Technology Managers. CRC Press. Keskinen, J., 2017. Enablers for Agile Business IntelligenceCase SAP. Kumar, V., 2014. Designing an ERP model for municipal corporation of Delhi MCD. Lee, J., Kwon, Y.S., Frber, F., Muehle, M., Lee, C., Bensberg, C., Lee, J.Y., Lee, A.H. and Lehner, W., 2013, April. SAP HANA distributed in-memory database system: Transaction, session, and metadata management. InData Engineering (ICDE), 2013 IEEE 29th International Conference on(pp. 1165-1173). IEEE. Marin-Ortega, P.M., Dmitriyev, V., Abilov, M. and Gmez, J.M., 2014. ELTA: New approach in designing business intelligence solutions in era of big data.Procedia Technology,16, pp.667-674. Morgen, C., 2014. Empowering SAS Users on the SAP HANA Platform. InProceedings of the SAS Global Forum 2014 Conference(pp. 2445-2014). Necas, J., 2016. Project Management of SAP ERP Implementation Process. Otto, B., Gizanis, D., sterle, H. and Danner, G., 2013. Turning information and data quality into sustainable business value. Plattner, H. and Leukert, B., 2015. The Impact of HANA on the Design of Enterprise Applications. InThe In-Memory Revolution(pp. 42-60). Springer International Publishing. Plattner, H. and Leukert, B., 2015.The in-memory revolution: how SAP HANA enables business of the future. Springer. Spiri, N.S., 2015.Structuring the Research on the Interplay of Technological Innovation and Business Model Innovation in the Context of Big Data and SAP HANA-Developing a Conceptual Framework(Master's thesis, University of Twente).

Mum Changed The Locks Essays - , Term Papers

Mum Changed The Locks Mum changed the locks Returning home, I look forward to the thrill Of another lecture or another pointless drill. Ascend the front steps dreading further war Why the *censored* is my key not fitting in the door? I guess I'm not wanted, I wonder what I'll do I've already been banned from my friends houses too. I wonder what I did to make my mum so mad No perfect homelife but the only one I had. Oh my god, mum changed the locks. Now I've got my freedom but no place to go No prospects or money to go to a show. I haven't got on well with my mum all year Can't use the phone to call my friends for a beer Psychology

How to Make an Edible Water Bottle

How to Make an Edible Water Bottle You dont need to wash any dishes if you put your water in an edible water bottle! This is an easy spherification recipe that involves making a gel coating around liquid water. Once you master this simple molecular gastronomy technique, you can apply it to other liquids. Edible Water Bottle Materials The key ingredient for this project is sodium alginate, a natural gelling powder derived from algae. The sodium alginate gels or polymerizes when reacted with calcium. Its a common alternative to gelatin, used in candies and other foods. We have suggested calcium lactate as the calcium source, but you could also use calcium gluconate or food-grade calcium chloride. These ingredients are readily available online. You can also find them in grocery stores that carry ingredients for molecular gastronomy. Materials and equipment: Water1 gram sodium alginate5 grams of calcium lactateLarge bowlSmaller bowlHand mixerSpoon with a rounded bottom (soup spoon or round measuring spoon works great) The size of the spoon determines the size of your water bottle. Use a large spoon for big water blobs. Use a tiny spoon if you want little caviar-sized bubbles. Make an Edible Water Bottle In a small bowl, add 1 gram of sodium alginate to 1 cup of water.Use the hand mixer to make sure the sodium alginate is combined with the water. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes to remove any air bubbles. The mixture will turn from a white liquid to a clear mixture.In a large bowl, stir 5 grams of calcium lactate into 4 cups of water. Mix well to dissolve the calcium lactate.Use your rounded spoon to scoop up the sodium alginate solution.Gently drop the sodium alginate solution into the bowl containing the calcium lactate solution. It will immediately form a ball of water in the bowl. You can drop more spoonfuls of sodium alginate solution into the calcium lactate bath. Just be careful the water balls dont touch each other because they would stick together. Let the water balls sit in the calcium lactate solution for 3 minutes. You can gently stir around the calcium lactate solution if you like. (Note: the time determines the thickness of the polymer coating. Use less time for a thinner coating and more time for a thicker coating.) Use a slotted spoon to gently remove each water ball. Place each ball in a bowl of water to stop any further reaction. Now you can remove the edible water bottles and drink them. The inside of each ball is water. The bottle is edible too its an algae-based polymer. Using Flavors and Liquids Other Than Water As you might imagine, its possible to color and flavor both the edible coating and the liquid inside the bottle. Its okay to add food coloring to the liquid. You can use flavored beverages rather than water, but its best to avoid acidic drinks because they affect the polymerization reaction. There are special procedures for dealing with acidic beverages.

Plumpy not controversy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plumpy not controversy - Assignment Example Ethics guides the human beings on the right thing to pursue with regard to the welfare in society. It encompasses the rights and obligations have in society, and the gradual development of an individual’s moral standards. This takes the form of corporate social responsibility of the corporate and artificial persons in a societal setting. The issues surrounding the case of the plumby nut production by Nutriset facility are crucial. According to Lawson, C, and Jay (2013), it is factual that the patent rights of the Nutriset facility must be protected by all means because of the business ethics code. The local companies of the developing countries experiencing malnutrition also bear the responsibility of producing the plumby nut product locally in order to alleviate malnutrition instead of depending on foreign powers like the US and France. The US is also entitled to produce the plumby nut product, which will suffice the huge population of suffering children I the developing countries of Kenya , Malawi and Niger. This is because it has sophisticated facilities and resources, which can produce the product in large scale within a short period unlike the local companies. The vulnerable children also have the right to good health and prompt treatment of malnutrition. The global population also needs to be protected against the consumption of ready to use foo, which is commonly used in the United States. This is because the move will result in the reduction of locally produced food material among the nationals of most for the developing countries (Michelini, 2012). The monopolistic production of the product by Nutriset facility of France has catapulted the cost of the product per child for three months to sixty dollars. The developing countries are financially challenged hence it is the corporate social responsibility of the developed nation, France, to reduce the price charged on the product

UN and Internal conflicts of the 1990s Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UN and Internal conflicts of the 1990s - Essay Example Mostly those that have undergone civil strife within the warring factions in the local communities were given humanitarian relief instead of striving towards the achievement of peace through peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions, especially due to ethnic and cultural conflicts. Brahm (2005) mentions that the lack of central authority in nations that experienced tragic deaths due to ethnic and cultural conflicts makes it difficult for the UN to act, when it is in fact the UN that should already serve as the main central authority. Brahm also cites that the UN is known to act towards existing crises, not preventing them. He continues to note that although the UN Secretary-General at the time of post by Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan was effective in extending a diplomatic hand in negotiations and interventions without the requirement of the Security Council's go-signal, it is still the Security Council who is main executor of resolutions and actions that will pursue missions. The commitment value of the Member States in assuring thorough relief and support in aiding the nations involved with civil strife based on political and cultural differences, according to Brahm, is way low, and primarily the difficulties lie in the finger-pointing of who will pro vide continuous advocacy that will eventually help these said afflicted nations towards their own deliverance. In this we agree. Most of the times the UN has been seen to act based on the individual interests of the Member States, and if it is something that does not involve their nation's benefiting from such a situation, it is most likely that they are not as keen to offer sincere assistance. Still, there have been resolutions that the UN has successfully produced and achieved. Mostly these resolutions are where all parties involved have reached an agreement and has finally acknowledged the need for a peace accord. Peacekeeping missions therefore were widely supported by Member States, as they are assigned to protect diplomatic relations by safeguarding civilians and state officials, restoration of order, helping refuges, enforcing human rights, even monitoring political environment. The opinion that "peacebuilding is a Western concept" and therefore is not applicable in most of the cases where peacebuilding was targeted to be achieved as Brahm (2005) has stated in his essay may sound questionable in itself, but is legitimate in the sense that it should be taken into context within that particular situation. The Security Council must always take into consideration the need for understanding the historical root cause of an event such as political and civil strife in non-We stern countries and use this understanding in its decision making process to reach a solid and firm resolution towards the nature of peacebuilding mission they are to send to that afflicted country. Majority of the main issues that the UN must accept and acknowledge belong to its 'inabilities' category, where the UN's failure to respond the soonest possible time to internal conflicts is due to its delay in identifying a threat to the peace as based on

Aer Lingus Products and Target Market Segments Essay

Aer Lingus Products and Target Market Segments - Essay Example Aer Lingus is one of the reputable fleet carrier companies in Ireland. With the low cost model and one way fares, Aer Lingus brand has become most talked about brand in fleet services. On October 22, 2006, Aer Lingus entered into a new phage of business as it realized nearly 400 million Euros through Irish and London Stock Exchange. Most of the Aer Lingus passenger revenue will be generated from its website www.aerlingue.com. As per the latest records, nearly 81 percent of total passenger revenue was generated from the website. The effective marketing strategies for products as well as services help company to achieve great heights. With the low cost air fleet charges, Aer Lingus has become a competitor for Ryan air. Aer Lingus has celebrated its 75th birthday in May 2001. With 1,215 million revenues in 2010, Aer Lingus is planning to push forward with wide range of products and services in the market. 2009 was a difficult year for Aer Lingus as it witnessed nearly 93 million Euros loss. To turnaround the company, Aer Lingus has come up with several strategies such as better matching of capacity to demand, connectivity improvements with in the network as well as partner’s network and partnerships.... 2009 was a difficult year for Aer Lingus as it witnessed nearly 93 million Euros loss. To turnaround the company, Aer Lingus has come up with several strategies such as better matching of capacity to demand, connectivity improvements with in the network as well as partner’s network and partnerships. Aer Lingus products are considered to be the cheaper products when compared to its competitor’s products. Though, companies like Ryanair offer much cheaper products than Aer Lingus, the customers would love to travel by Aer Lingus because of great service. Aer Lingus offers both Cabin Services as well as Auxiliary services. Cabin Services include a two class business and economy service on long-haul routes and a single class economy service for all short-haul routes. Auxiliary Services include In-flight sales merchandise, car rental sales, hotel accommodations and commission from online currency conversion. Literature Review According to Philip Kotler, Marketing is the proce ss of offering suitable product to customer. Everything comes to one equation; right product at right place at right price to the right customer (Philip Kotler). Marketing has become one of the most focused areas for any company in the world. Be it is a small scale internet based company or a large scale manufacturing company; without proper marketing, the survival would be a big question mark. According to Neil Borden, marketing department of any company should primarily focus on 4Ps. They are Price, Product, Promotion and Place. The 4Ps are also called as Marketing Mix (Neil Borden 1953). 4P mix is majorly used when you are trying to market a product, which customers can touch and feel. When focusing on the services, the marketing mix would be changed slightly. It

Impact of the Ageing Workforce

Impact of the Ageing Workforce Prior to the passage of the Social Security Act in 1935 work did not typically end with a planned retirement. Average retirement (meaning the age at which 1/2 of workers from an initial age cohort remain in the workplace) was age 70 or more for men. After World War II there was a need to open the workplace to growing numbers of unemployed younger workers, particularly veterans. Also retirement leisure was becoming a symbol of success. Social security and private pension policies were designed to encourage earlier departures from work. In 1961, for example, Congress lowered the age men were eligible for unreduced Social Security benefits from 65 to 62. Average retirement dropped from age 70 in 1950 to age 65 in 1970 with age 62 becoming the norm by 1985 [Quinn, 2002; Cahill et al., 2005]. Despite this long trend toward earlier retirement since the 1940s, the 78 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 comprise such a large group that there are more workers in their fifties and sixties on the job than ever before. As they leave the workforce, whether at age 55, 62, 65 or later, there will also be more retirees than ever before. To complete the picture, as these baby boomers age at work and then leave for retirement, they are followed by a substantially smaller younger generation, the baby bust of 1965–1976. The enormous economic and labor market consequences of this demographic transformation are becoming clear. In the State of Washington, for example, 29% of employed workers were 45 or older in 1995. This had grown to 39% by 2005 [Kaglic, 2005]. This growth is not being matched by younger workers. By 2015 there will be 115,000 more 60- to 64-year olds and 30,000 fewer 40- to 44-year olds in the Washington State labor force (those who are either employed or seeking employment) than there were in 2005 [Bailey,2006]. As these older workers move into retirement the direct impact will be a tighter labor market and a shortage of various skills. According to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers by 2010 as many as 60% of today’s experienced utility workers will retire. Similarly, the average age of hospital caregivers today is about 45, with 70% of the hospital workforce eligible to retire over the next 20–25 years [Briley and Hutson, 2002]. The indirect, but equally profound, impact of the demographic changes will be economic. The integrity of our federal social security system has depended upon the labor and income of large numbers of young workers supporting the retirement needs of smaller numbers of disabled and retired workers and their dependents. In 2005 for every person 65 and older there were five people aged 20– 64 (i.e., an old age dependency ratio of 20%). The Social Security Administration e stimates that by 2080 this ratio will more than double, to more than 40%, with only 2.5 younger people for every older one. Not only will the number of retirees grow, but their life expectancy and associated duration of retirement is increasing as well. While private pension systems are theoretically fully funded at the time the commitment is made to provide the future benefit, in fact this is often not fully realized. Underfunded pension programs in both the private and public sectors are now common, the federal assurance program for these pensions is not robust, and these pensions may also be jeopardized by these changing demographics. Although the impact of the growing dependent older population will be somewhat mitigated by lower fertility rates which reduce the numbers of the very young who are also dependent on the working age population [Burtless, 2005], this will not offset the profound economic consequences of the demographic trends. As these trends progress—more old er workers moving toward retirement with fewer younger replacements— substantial pressure on our social security and pension funds will accompany the anticipated shortages of labor and skills. Public and private employment policies will almost certainly evolve to encourage workers to stay on the job longer. Other factors creating incentives to stay at work longer include the need for private health insurance until at least the age of 65 in the face of relentlessly rising health care costs and the increasing uncertainty about pension benefits that comes with the trend from defined benefit private pension plans shift toward defined contribution programs. Some of the expected policy changes are already evident, including the 1978 and 1986 amendments to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 [ADEA, 1967] which have largely eliminated mandatory retirement ages, the gradual increase in the age for full social security benefits from 65 to 67, and a relaxation of the social security retirement earnings test so that workers can stay on the job longer without a loss of benefits. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 has made it easier for senior employees to phase their retirement plans by starting to draw pension income without penalty while they continue to work full or part time past age 62 [PPA, 2006]. These changes are probably not enough. Business Week magazine, for example, predicts that social security’s normal retirement age will incrementally rise to 70 [Coy and Brady,2005]. This, however, is not certain since along with predictable political opposition many actuaries assume that raising the retirement age would result in an increasing number of older people applying for Social Security disability benefits, thus offsetting the possible savings from the raised retirement age. The impact of these developments is already apparent. While the labor force participation rate among 65-year-old men dropped from 70% in 1940 to only 32% in 1985 [National Research Council, 2004] this trend shows signs of reversing as the incentives for early retirement are beginning to soften. From 1985 to 2004 the labor force participation rate of 25- to 54-year olds stayed essentially stable (à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uctuating between 82% and 84%) while the rate among 55- to 64-year olds increased consist ently from 54% to 62% [Toossi, 2005]. This trend is likely to continue, as signaled by a May, 2005 Gallup survey showing that the percent of people planning to put off retirement until after age 62 had risen from 35% in 1998 to 55% in 2004. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the percent of older workers staying on the job will continue to rise at least through 2014, even without major changes in social policy such as further increases in full social security retirement age. The impacts of age on cognitive function are more complicated. Some mental processes such as those requiring spatial abilities, problem solving, and processing of complex stimuli are especially age sensitive. Cross sectional data sets suggest declines in these domains beginning as early as 20–30 years old, while the onset is a bit later for longitudinal studies. Performing multiple simultaneous tasks or holding multiple items in working memory are examples of these age dependent processes. Psy chologists distinguish these ‘‘fluid’’ functions which involve processing input at the time of performance from other ‘‘crystallized’’ cognitive functions which are the cumulative results of earlier processing and are better preserved with age. The ‘‘crystallized’’ knowledge of word meaning or the ability to retrieve familiar information, for example, is relatively age stable. In addition to these crystallized semantic skills, memory for procedural skills such as typing, which relies on early learning, is also relatively well maintained with age [National Research Council, 2004]. The ability to work successfully with increasing age is thus the integrated result of many factors. For example, older typists have been shown to have slower tapping rates and reaction times, but are able to compensate for declining motor speed by using experience to scan characters further in advance than younger, less experience d typists [Salthouse, 1984; Bosman, 1993, 1994]. Similarly, despite significant age-related declines in the cognitive ability to recall short musical melodies, at every age those with musical experience and skills tend to maintain their advantage in musical memory over those with less experience and skill [Meinz and Salthouse, 1998; Meinz, 2000]. Based on a comprehensive review Salthouse [2006] has concluded that while many types of cognitive and physical performance are improved at all ages with training and practice, this does not appear to change the rate at which capability declines with age. In other words training, practice and experience can enhance performance at older ages and can often result in older workers outperforming younger ones, despite the fact that age-related declines continue at the same rate as they do in workers with less experience and practice. Laà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡amme and Menckel [1995] have summarized these relationships in a study of work injuries by noting that skills and experience can compensate for age-related physical and cognitive declines only when the job demands remain lower than overall work capacity and that this compensation is not feasible when work organization and working methods are rigid. Several recommendations have been made for the implementation of practical programs consistent with the evidence summarized above. Four strategic dimensions have been suggested, including interventions that focus on the work environment, the way work and retirement are arranged and organized, the health and fitness of the individual worker, and the social context of work [Moyers and Coleman, 2004; National Research Council, 2004]. We are beginning to experience profound work place changes related to the demographic changes of an aging population. Those who do encourage older employees to remain at work but fail to take steps to support their productive capacities and minimize their vulnerabilities may experience adverse impacts on qu ality, productivity, workers’ compensation and other insurance costs. On the other hand employers who promote and support the work ability of employees as they age may gain in safety, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainable business practices. There are several possible reasons why employers have been slow to anticipate and meet the needs of an aging workforce. First, some of the actions that that have been suggested— such as phased retirement programs—might require complex changes in pension law, benefits agreements and personnel policies. Second, many employers still harbor false beliefs that older workers are less reliable, less productive, less safe and more expensive than younger ones [Wegman, 1999]. Third, some employers are insuffiently informed about laws governing workplace bias and equal opportunity and are fearful that measures perceived to favor older workers might open them to charges of discrimination. Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions should mitigate these fears, but knowledge of them is not widespread [General Dynamics, 2004; Smith, 2005]. In combination these decisions make it clear that while age sometimes does affect an individual’s capacity to do certain types of work, employers may attend to the special needs of older workers without providing equivalent assistance to relatively younger workers. Thus, it is permissible to treat older workers preferentially in comparison to younger workers, but it is not permissible to deny them advantages or privileges extended to younger workers. It is important to note, however, that programs and policies which most effectively meet the needs of an aging workforce are not just programs for older workers but are those starting when workers are young in order to prevent or slow the effects of aging at work. Fourth, while there is strong evidence to support the implementation of some of the interventions discussed in this paper (e.g., ergonomic measures to prevent mu sculoskeletal disorders and clinical preventive services to reduce disability from cancer and cardiovascular disease), the evidentiary is limited and unknown to most employers. Research is needed to determine the effectiveness of the various program designs together with a substantial effort to disseminate results and recommendations to employers and employee organizations References Quinn J. 2002. Changing retirement trends and their impact on elderly entitlement programs. In: Altman SH, Shactman DI, editors. Policies for an aging society. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, p 293-315. Kaglic R. 2005. 2005 Washington State Labor Market and Economic Report. Olympia, Washington: Washington State Employment Security Department. Bailey S. 2006. Data projections from Washington State Office of Financial Management, adjusted by Washington State Employment Security Department. Private correspondence. Briley T, Hutson T. 2002. Who will care for you: Washington hospitals face a personnel crisis: Washington State Hospital Association. Burtless G. 2005. Can rich countries afford to grow old? In An Ageing Society. Research Centre on Financial Economics. Portugal: Lisbon. ADEA. 1967. 29 USC section 621 et seq. 1967 as amended by Public Law 95-256 (1978) and Public Law 99-592 (1986). PPA. 2006. Pension Protection Act of 2006 Public Law 109-280 section 905. Coy P, Brady D. 2005. Old. Smart. Productive. Business Week. National Research Council, Committee on the Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers. 2004. Health and safety needs of older workers. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. Toossi M. 2005. Labor force projections to 2014: Retiring boomers. Mon Labor Rev 128:25–44. Salthouse TA. 1984. Effects of age and skill in typing. J Exp Psychol Gen 113(3):345–371. National Research Council, Committee on the Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers. 2004. Health and safety needs of older workers. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. Meinz EJ, Salthouse TA. 1998. The effects of age and experience on memory for visually presented music. J Gerontol B Psychol Soc Sci 53(1):P60–P69. Salthouse TA. 2006. Mental exercise and mental aging: Evaluating the validity of the ‘‘use it or lose it’’ hypothesis. Perspect Psychol Sci 1(1):68–87. Laà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡amme L, Menckel E. 1995. Ageing and occupational accidents: A review of the literature of the past three decades. Saf Sci 21(2):145–161. Moyers P, Coleman S. 2004. Adaptation of the older worker to occupational challenges. Work 22:71–78. Wegman DH. 1999. Older workers. Occup Med 14(3):537–557. General Dynamics Land Systems. 2004. Inc. v. Cline 540 U.S. 581. Smith v. 2005. City of Jackson, Mississippi, 544 U.S. 228.