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7) Knowledge Management and Six Sigma: Exploring the Potential of Two Powerful Disciplines, Paige Leavitt 1) Six Sigma should not be viewed as a quality program that is commissioned to reduce defects but as a methodology that helps companies better meet the needs of their business. KM shares this goal. 2) Voice of the customer in the DFSS process is also a potential area for a collaboration of ideas. â€Å"In Design For Six Sigma, knowledge of the customer-centric requirements is a key input †¦ to the design process,† said O’Dell. â€Å"And if you could use knowledge management tools to better understand what the customer is saying to sales people and service people, that information comes back to the folks who can make a difference in the design process.† 3) APQC's Lessons Learned "The problems, issues, and opportunities in organizations are not about reducing defects; they are about responding to new opportunities, using the voice of the customer knowledge," said O'Dell. "With both Six Sigma and KM, I’m telling you that you’re going to get more of what you want - if you begin to open the conversation to a different way of thinking about solving some of these problems over the long term. Because both Six Sigma and KM have tremendous power, they also have some issues that they need help with." Professionals in both arenas can learn from each other. Six Sigma can learn from KM how to recognize knowledge, as well as processes. Joseph Hofer-Alfeis from Siemens said, "Six Sigma is oriented to the quality of products and processes. If you think of a knowledge-intensive business, 'Six Sigma for knowledge quality' -- the quality of the proficiency, the quality of knowledge flows, and the quality of description knowledge -- should also be a ... ...nage the targeted process (e.g., an insurance sales agent or supervisor), while otherswork to support the process (e.g., an information technology expertwho provides support to the insurance claimsprocess).Unique project teamsare put together for each of the projects, and disbanded after these projects are completed, handing off resulting improvement-actions to process owners—people who routinely operate the processes. 5) Although each project has different objectives and specific tools employed, overall these projects follow a standardized, structured five-phase project management approach known as ‘‘DMAIC’’ for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control phases (Schroeder et al., 2008). 6) Project leaders are trained in the use of practices for collecting, combining, and synthesizing the knowledge of team members for use in process improvements (Hoerl, 2001).

Gaudi’s Remarkable Sagrada Familia

Barcelona is a beautiful microcosm of Spanish civic culture on the larger scale. Spain is a nation that has seen aggressive modernization in certain aspects of its metropolitan orientation, which are deeply accommodating to the influx of international businesses, the array of luxury living demands and the heavy flow of tourism that reaches many of its more popular destinations. As just such a destination, Barcelona is effectively illustrative of the type of growth that marks parts of Spain with massive high-rise buildings and state of the are technological provisions. Simultaneously though, Barcelona is a window into Europe’s remarkable and artful history, with castle walls, sprawling plazas and roughshod cobblestone offering a clear view of the city’s medieval grounding. The seamless integration of the preserved and the modern is a characteristic which identifies the city and its most celebrated architect, the mercurial and ambitious Antoni Gaudi. His works appealed to the grand and gothic ambitions of those architectural value systems which preceded him, but his vision also held fast to a dedicated experimentalism which ornamented his designs elaborate, complex and often shockingly liberal uses of image and color. This is an appearance which today can be seen virtually everywhere in the city of Barcelona, and most notably, in the wondrous and markedly incomplete masterpiece that is Sagrada Familia. A Roman Catholic Church of the most dramatically unique vision, the building which was begun in 1882 under Gaudi’s direct supervision is still under construction even today. Remarkably, a building that has been in a state of continuing development from its conception to present day, obstructed in the intervening years by the long bloody civil war which gripped Spain from the second World War through to the end of the Cold War, is one of the most magnetic tourist attractions in Spain. This is because there are few structures in the world which are as ambitions in their simultaneous detail and enormity. Sagrada Familia is essentially the ongoing manifestation of an architectural vision so complex and precise as to warrant a process of realization which far outlives its originator. Indeed, when Gaudi passed away in 1926, with the building understandably still quite far from finished, Domenech Suganyes would take over the post. (Wikipedia, 1) To date, Sagrada Familia has been the obsession of no less than six head architects. (Burry, 1) A view of the structure explains rather quickly why this is so. A piece which incorporates some aspects of baroque architectural intent, particularly in the heavy focus on religious symbolism through catholic eyes, the cathedral must be seen as something of a post-modern work. Its uniquely elaborate use of color and its bold towers are unlike anything in the Catholic tradition prior, seeming not just to indulge in the type of gilded excess seen in the Vatican of the preceding centuries, but also to aggressively pursue counter-traditional and disarming appearance and effect. The primary argument for this observation may be in the technology which helped to steer Gaudi. When commission for the cathedral, â€Å"he was aware that the works were complex and difficult and tried to take advantage of all the modern techniques available. And so, among other resources, he had railway tracks laid with small wagons to transport the materials, brought in cranes to lift the weights and had the workshops located on the site to make the work easier. † (Sagrada Familia, 1) This is the precedent, in fact, for the raging controversy presently engaged between a city which intends to run an underground metro route beneath the invaluable structure and a slew of neighbors, architects and historians who fear the impact of such as decision. In a manner, Sagrada Familia does look and feel precarious, and not because of its continuing construction but because of that which has already been accomplished. Namely, the dozen towers of varying heights which have already been completed taper sharply as they reach the heights of the city. Their collective facade is laden with precise sculptures depicting all manner of Catholic ephemera. According to our research, Gaudi originally used live models to capture the detailed visages, divinities and animals represented in dense array on the outside of the building. Perhaps most famously, â€Å"the northeast, or Nativity Facade, is the Sagrade Familia’s artisitic pinnacle, and was mostly done under Guadi’s personal supervision. You can climb high up inside some of the four towers by a combination of lifts and narrow spiral staircases—a vertiginous experience. † (Simonis, 294) This draws tourists from all over the world, with the photographed image of the coil shooting down the center of each tower a common vantage in travel guides on the country. Though construction crews, machinery and scaffolding are constant, the front portal of the building is an incredible sight to be hold. By day, the 20 foot entranceway, gauzed by Gaudi’s odd, spiderwebbing incongruity, gives view to a brilliantly colored stained glasss. By night, the building is lit from tower to foundation, giving off a stunning golden display. A single tower reaches up the center of the structure, providing it with its height. Flanked symmetrically by the other towers, it is said to symbolize Jesus, the evangelicals and the apostles. (Robinson, 24) Any speculation to the contrary might quickly be answered by the incredible variety of ways in which the architecture depicts the Christ, through birth, life, death and rebirth. Indeed, the story of Catholicism may well be told thoroughly by the collection of images literally blanketing the whole structure. We can see that ultimately, the design has emphasized detail. The structure’s hugeness and ambitiousness not to be dismissed, the longevity of the project is more directly related to the incredible, almost insane attention to detail which distinguishes the structure. To understand the extent to which Sagrada Familia defies the likelihood of classical or modern architecture in its ornately unfinished state, one must see it.

Performance in a Business Environment Essay

The purpose and benefits of continuously improving my own performance at work is to move one step forward and exceed my limitations, achieve further goals, self-motivation, not to be the same person and on the same position after a certain of time, to exceed my performance at work and doing work, improving my own performance helps me to progress on my career and give me a job satisfaction. However this leads me to evaluate my own work by looking at the work that takes the most time, and what actions can I take to do this task in a less time, however at the same time I look at the best part of the job that I do and also look for areas where I can improve. I normally speak to my colleagues that are more experience than me regarding this and take advice as well as guidance to do so. It is so important for me to get feedback and to accept it from others as this will help me to learn from my mistakes and be more confident in the work I am doing. Receiving feedback also helps me see myself from the perspective of others and how other people see me I always accept feedback whether positive or negative, as positive will help me to work harder and keep the good work I’m doing, as well as negative will help me to learn from my past failures and mistakes so I can correct them. In every organisation it is so important to provide a Good quality piece of work, as a very challenging person I always try new ways, different ways to do my work with a good quality and within less time scale. I always learn new things either in the office as my day to day tasks or at home for my long term career goals. My own learning and development does not only improve my work and productivity, it improves and benefits the team I work with as well as the whole organisation. The more I learn, the more I can do. This benefits the organisation by increasing productivity. It helps me to identify gaps between my job requirements or future work roles and the existing knowledge, understanding and skills. This is one of the reasons that we have in our organisation a private website that provides different short courses for self-development. The progression route from my current role will be towards a Management Information Analysts role, and then eventually a Business Analyst role as my long term role. This will also help me work towards my career I wish to pursue in the educational field, where I will have to also demonstrate data management tasks on my day to day tasks at work. After completing my Apprenticeship in Business and Admin L3, I am looking forward to starting an Apprenticeship L4 with a hard working to  develop my career to the next level as Management Information Analysts towards my long term career as a Business Analysts. I already have experie nce working in education, retail and IT. I will be working harder to meet my above career development with a good salary package and job description, where I can best use my skills, talents and capabilities. So by developing my skills I can look at possible interesting careers and sectors that I might be interested in and develop my opportunities in securing a good job. A learning plan is a way for everyone to set personal targets and record achievements. It helps me as a person to keep on track towards where I want to be in my life and my work. The reason for making a plan is, it simply helps me to take more control of my future, by reminding me what I have learned, achieved and enjoyed. Creating my plan can help me develop more confidence in my ability to tackle new things, become more employable, and get more out of life.

What It Means to be an American Essays

What It Means to be an American Essays What It Means to be an American Essay What It Means to be an American Essay Professor Ellsworth American Government 8 September 2013 What It Means to Be An American If you surveyed one hundred people and asked them the question What does it mean to be an American? Chances are you would get one hundred different answers. There is no definite clear-cut definition of an American. To solve this burning question, a lot of information has to be brought forward to the public regarding what is means to represent the United States as a citizen of the country. If one truly wants to know what being a true American exemplifies then they must go to imits beyond their deepest thoughts imaginable to find their answer. Throughout my own personal experiences, I have concluded that no one has a concrete definition of the word American. The truth is that the definition is changing every single day. Most people believe that being a true American includes being a legal citizen of the United States, following the laws and legislation passed before us by our founding fathers, and believing in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In a sense, yes, this is a decent understanding of the word. It all Just sounds very superficial and what a person expects to hear. Personally, I have a different take on the word American. During the debate it was brought to my attention that having prior knowledge to current issues and economic statuses should play a role in being an American. This statement really had me nodding my head with satisfaction. As I mentioned earlier, the definition is far from stable and is constantly changing from day to day. If the United States as a country had a solid set in stone definition of what it means to be a rue American, then maybe this country would be in better shape. The American population undoubtedly needs to be well informed with our economic status of this nation along with many other suppressing issues. The truth of the matter is that the United States is no longer a nation of natural born American citizens whose family names dwelled here for one hundred plus years or more and the household is no longer fairly the same in most places. Americas majority are people who migrated here from other countries and became Americans within the last fifteen years or so. Sadly, I believe a lot of households are not as traditional and peaceful as they should be. I would love to believe that America is a land of sunshine and rainbows, however I am not that naive and neither is the rest of the country. The direction our great nation is going in scares me greatly and I believe that a lot of that has to do with morals and values. To me being an American means being bombarded by advertisements and slogans everywhere you go. Whether you are in the comfort of your own home or on a road trip, advertisements are everywhere. Being an American means buying $100 eans Just to be considered cool or popular at school. Being an American means supporting the government and military in all of their actions, whatever they may be, about what the news has to say rather than what is actually happening around you in your own personal life. Being an American means worshipping celebrities and professional athletes that, often, have no other Jobs besides being celebrities and professional athletes. Being an American means working all year to afford items you dont need. Being an American means consuming mass amounts of processed and atty foods, rarely ever supporting local agriculture or simply making healthy food choices. Being an American means being at the highest risk of gun violence and heart disease in the world. Being an American means constantly degrading women because the mass media and music stars constantly do it so we assume that it is normal or acceptable. However, most of all, being an American means being absolutely complacent, unaware of or indifferent about, all of these issues and more. You see my take on being an American is very true to reality. I for one am not aught up in the bubble of being the ideal citizen. I do follow all the laws and regulations to the best of my ability and I am a natural born citizen of the United States. However that is such a beat down and worn out definition of an American. Honestly, I think that those characteristics are so far off. Lets be logical for a moment. America is full of crime and people who were not born in our country, but yet being an American is often defined as following the laws and regulations and being a natural citizen. Ill let you ponder that statement for a moment or two.

How to Write a Controversial Essay on Abortion Worldwide

How to Write a Controversial Essay on Abortion Worldwide When writing a controversial essay on abortion, you need to make sure the facts and statistics you use are supportive of your main argument. However, any good writer will present both sides to the argument and to do that, you need data from both sides. Before you start your research get some note cards and highlighters ready. These tools will help you to make notes as you go. Whenever you write something down, no matter how trivial or short it might be, note the corresponding bibliographic information including the page number. This will save you heaps of time later when you are reaching your deadline and trying to put together your reference page. Research With a controversial essay, it is imperative that you check the sources you plan to use and evaluate their merit. Do not use unreliable sources. Start with your school library. This is where you can find books and journal articles which are written by reputable sources. Of course, even reputable sources might have funding that raises some questions. Look for: the author or authors; what their degrees are; where they were received; what other peers have had to say in reviews about their work; what other work they published; who funded the study. With controversial topics like abortion, you should never just accept a statistic as pointed out by a single author. Check the original source for that statistic. Put the statistic into proper context. You need the complete picture before you cite that source. Turn to academic databases to find reputable sources. Read over the abstracts to see which ones best fit your topic and then open the entire article and read over that to gain a better perspective. You want to avoid the internet as a reliable source, especially sites that end in â€Å".com† as these are commercial websites, except in cases where you are simply reading some information about the background to inform yourself before you start the research. These are not meant to be sites that you use as sources. Writing With your notes ready, it is time to start writing. You want to either use the strongest to weakest order or weakest to strongest order for your presentation. This is a decision left to you, because neither is right or wrong. Tip: You can check the organization of your work by using an outline. Even a bullet point outline can help you to play around with the order of your work and find areas where the content might flow better or worse. With an outline, you can start drafting your thesis statement and your body paragraphs. Most students write the body paragraphs first, then turn to the introduction and the conclusion. This is useful because your introduction and conclusion both need the content from your body and if you try to write them before you have written the body, things will get very complicated very quickly. Read over the content for clarity and flow. Make any necessary edits and send it in.

The CSR Benchmarks and Models of the Cooperative Bank Essay

The CSR Benchmarks and Models of the Cooperative Bank - Essay Example The broadest aim of the social responsibility is to create higher and even higher standards of living, while maintaining the corporations’ profitability, for people in and outside the corporation (Line 2012, p.10). CSR becomes classified in a number of ways; Environmental protection The main focus of CSR is to find a sustainable solution for the natural resources use, to help reduce the company’s impact on its environment. Over the couple number of years, environmental responsibility has grown to include more than the compliance with all appropriate government regulations, or participating in energy efficiency. A number of companies and environmental organizations define environmental responsibility as including, comprehensive move to a firm’s operations, goods and facilities that also include; assessing the products of the company, processes and the services; removing waster and other emissions; utilizing the efficiency and the subsequent productivity of the ent ire assets and resources (Frankental 2001, p.21). Labor security These contain freedoms of association and the subsequent recognition of the right to the collective bargaining, the removal of all types of forced labor. It also entails the abolition of child labor and removal of discrimination in line with employment and occupation (McWilliams & Siegel 2001, p.18). Human rights Business practices can affect significantly the dignity and rights of the workers and the community. The focus is, to develop a job environment free from discrimination and a place where the creativity and learning can improve the appropriate codes of professional conduct, and where a correct balance can be maintained between jobs and other areas of the employees’ lives. Behaving in an irresponsible way on human rights issues can detrimental because the reputation of the firm is on the line. The issue is also related to the issue of globalization and ever increasing global trade, and the problems of fin ding methods of doing business globally that respect the human rights and facilitate the growth of emerging economies. Nations become required to upheld, support and protect human rights to their levels of influence. Paying the employees a living wage and giving them protection from harassment may cost more in the short run, but it vastly increases the workers morale and reduces turnover increasing profits in the future. Therefore, socially responsible management practices can increase the firms’ level of profits (Carroll 2000, p.16). Community involvement It involves community partnership, global community involvement, employee giving, service donations and volunteerism. Corporate, community involvement is a number of actions undertaken by the firms to improve the impact of their activities, in the communities that they operate. When correctly executed, these activities not only bring immense importance to the recipients’, but will also improve the reputation of the o rganizations and their brands, goods and values in the communities where they have interests in, as well as globally (Greenfield 2004, p.20). Business Standards They cover a number of corporate events like; ethics, environmental protection, financial returns and human rights. The growth of international trade and communication has led an increasing pressure from a number of groups, for the formation of world business conduct standards (McWilliams & Siegel 2001, p.18). Early models of CSR have developed since 1960s,

Rucial Role in Shaping the Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rucial Role in Shaping the Life - Essay Example Unfortunately, my mother succumbed to cancer when I was only six years old, and I only understood what happened to her when I was in middle school. Hence, I had to do many things that my mother would have done for me due to the absence of my father and elder brother. For instance, I visited the doctor on my own and many other things I did by myself. Over time, little things that I did on my own built my personality, and it was only in the second year of my high school that the final stroke hit me after my brother was diagnosed of cancer. Effectively, my brother's two-year illness made me a different person despite having learned how to live on own for many years. Following my brother’s diagnosis of cancer, my life changed and became completely different. I realized that I became quick to anger, but I did not show the anger, and neither did I know the cause of the anger. In addition, I was always in pain and moody although I did not show my father this side of my personality. Importantly, I never lost faith since I continued praying for my brother who was always there for me despite his condition. When I had questions, my brother would always respond to my questions each time. During the time he experienced incidents of pain, my brother remained positive throughout the pain. Effectively, I learned the importance of a positive attitude in life, and I inculcated a positive personality that has helped me achieve milestones. In addition, I discovered the importance of avoiding anger, being moody, and being sad since these factors depicted a feeling of fear and made an individual weak. Moreover, speaking to people whom I trusted helped me ch ange to a better person that I am today. As I said, my life was similar to a movie since most movies depict challenging and unbelievable situations that happen to unlikely people.Today, my brother remains the biggest inspiration since he always saw the light at the tunnel and he walked me through the journey of identifying this light with him, which was instrumental in life. To quote my brother, â€Å"Everything will be fine in the end. If it will not be fine, then it is not the end.† I do not know where the quote came from, but the quote is helpful in time of despair.