Highschool Dropouts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Highschool Dropouts - Research Paper Example Timely solutions are necessary especially since there has not been a substantial improvement in the figures even after the education reforms of the past few decades. Consequently, this essay explores the extend of high school dropout rate while suggesting the possible reasons why many students do not stay in school until graduation in addition to providing possible solutions to end the cycle. Statistics notes the current annual high school dropout figure to be 3,030,000(Education Week, 2013). The high number of high school dropouts in US educational system has not gone unnoticed given the number of national policies that have been put in place over the years to reverse the cycle. The year 1990 recorded a change in the way the state and federal government handled the issue of high school dropouts through adoption of six national goals that were to be achieved by the year 2000. The second goal in the six national goals underlies the government’s commitment towards improving the high school graduation rate up to 90 percent in addition to an undertaking which would see the prevailing gap in high school graduation rates among minority and non-minority students eliminated. The six national goals for the reduction of high school dropout rate has had a significant impact as seen from the decreasing levels of drop outs from 1990s figures of 9 percent for whites, 13.2 percent for African American and 32.4 percent for Hispanic to the 2009 dropout figures of 5.2 percent for whites and 9.6 percent for African American and 17.6 percent for the Hispanic. During the same period, high school dropout rates across gender and race reduced from 12.1 percent to 8.1 (Education Week, 2013) The number of high school dropouts has a significant impact on the social, cultural, political and economic ambitions of a country. The future of any country literary depends on the education of the children since they are future citizens, professionals, and leaders therefore making education the major tool for empowerment of a country’s citizenry in addition to the guaranteed development of personal, economic, and social well-being of the people in a society. Therefore, high drop outs reduce the number of qualified human resource from varied social backgrounds that are necessary for making essential public policies both in political and professional positions. As a consequence, in undertaking the educational journey students should be encouraged to remain in schools up to the graduation time for them to increase their knowledge skills and attitude that will make them adapt to their social responsibility, healthy, and be contributing citizens (Greenberg et al., 2003). Economically, high school dropouts earn lower pays on average compared to those who graduated where male dropouts of ages 25 to 65 had an annual average earning of about $26,400 compared to the average of $35,000 that male high school graduates earn annually which is still lower compared to $40,000 that a male college graduate in the same age bracket earned (Lofstrom, 2008). The current vicious cycle of high school dropout can be explored under different levels considering the fact the statistics are not even across different sex where the percentage of male at 9.1% is more than that of female at 7%, race

Baroque Period Essay Example for Free

Baroque Period Essay During the reign of King James I of Great Britain, the Puritans continued to grow.   Some Puritans were unhappy with James’s religious practices and fled first to Holland, and then to the Americas.   While religious conformity continued to be the desired agenda, the Protestants were granted freedom of worship by Parliament, but the Roman Catholics were not granted the same. The Roundheads and Cavaliers were enemies.   Roundheads were members of the Parliamentarian party during the English Civil War.   The Cavaliers were Royalists.    The main difference between the two groups was that the Roundheads had their hair cut short, while the Cavaliers kept their hair long.   The Cavaliers kept their hair long because the king found it more convenient to let his hair grow than to wash his neck.   Roundheads, on the other hand, were mostly barbers. The etiquette of the French court prescribed the activities of every person at court.   For instance, the King’s day was ritualized from the moment he woke up in the morning.   The highest-ranking person assisted with dressing the king.   Rules also governed how long the trains of the ladies’ dresses should be. Clothing in Spain was different from other countries because the Spanish tended to be more conservative than other countries.   Therefore, Spain kept styles that the rest of Europe had already abandoned. The farthingale, also known as a verdingale, is the structure by which skirts were expanded by bone or wood.   A mantilla is the veil worn by women that covers the hair.   This has come to be associated with traditional Spanish dress.   Guardinfante is the style of the oval skirt that has full, slashed sleeves and a horizontal shoulder line.   The basque is the extension of the bodice below the waistline.   A modeste is the outer layer of a skirt, while a secret is the underskirt, or second layer.   A doublet is a garment worn over men’s shirts that were tied to the breeches.   A stomacher is a U-shaped section of the front of a gown.   The mantua was the shaping of the new cut of women’s dresses. During the Baroque period, the Spanish preferred dark colors, but the French favored light shades of all colors, and rich colors such as gold and silver. Rococo Period During the reign of King Louis XV, France was engaged in costly wars that the country lost.   There was also a fiscal crisis and the king’s court was incredibly lavish, which contrasted with ordinary people’s lives.   During the reign of King Louis XVI, however, feudalism was abolished and France began to write a constitution.   The country also suffered defeats in wars with Prussia and Austria and the French Revolution ended the monarchy.   The court became less important, mostly because Queen Marie Antoinette found French court etiquette stifling. During the Rococo period, King George III ruled England.   Social life in England centered on the upper classes.   For example, men who did not have to work would wake late, eat breakfast, and then, in his nightgown, receive guests.   In the afternoon, he would go shopping or to popular spots.   After dinner, he would go to a coffeehouse or to a play.   During the summer, affluent men would vacation at a spa.   Affluent women spent their mornings receiving guests while lying in bed.   Dressing often took several hours, and after that, she would visit friends or drink tea.   Dinner was around four in the afternoon, and the evenings were spent dancing or playing cards. Frock coats were coats that men wore where the cut was looser and shorter than dress coats.   They also had flat, turned-down collars.   Panniers were wide hoops that went under skirts that made the hips look twice as large.   A robe a la Francaise was a new style of robe that had a full, pleated cut at the back and a fitted front.   A robe a l’Anglaise was a new style of robe that had a close fit in the front and at the back.   Engageants were sleeves that ended below the elbow, finishing in ruffles.   A polonaise was a petticoat and overdress in which the overskirt was puffed and looped via rings and tapes that were sewn into it.   A bustle or a hoop supported the skirt. Men in the eighteenth century who could afford wigs wore them.   Long, â€Å"full-bottomed† wigs were worn until the 1730s, but the fullness gradually shifted toward the back.   They also brushed the hair straight back from the forehead, into a slightly elevated roll.   After 1750, hair was dressed higher, and in the 1780s hair was dressed wider.   Other popular styles included wigs with queues, a lock or pigtail at the back, and club wigs or catogans with queues doubled up on themselves and tied at the middle.   King Louis XIV began the trend of wearing wigs because he was going bald.   Hats fell out of use when wigs became widespread. The hats of the day included three-cornered hats, large, flat hats that were carried under the arm, and two-cornered hats.   Men wore caps instead of wigs at home.   Common styles for the cap was a cap with a round crown and flat, turned-up brim that fit close to the crown.   Women in the eighteenth century wore simple hairstyles that replaced fontage styles.   Hair was generally waved loosely around the face and twisted up into a small bun on top of, or in back of, the head.   For formal occasions, women sometimes powdered their hair.   Women’s hats for indoors included pinners, circular caps with single or double frills around the edge, worn flat on the head, mob caps with wide, flat borders that encircled the face with high, puffed-out crowns located toward the back of the head. Lace trimming was often used, and indoor hats could be worn outdoors under other hats.   Outdoor women’s hats included hoods, small silk or straw hats with narrow ribbon bands and narrow brims. The technology that was developed that related to clothing during this time was advancements in the textile industry that expanded textile availability and lowered costs. The costume design could be inaccurate. Portraits of people wearing these clothes are many, but artists sometimes felt that portraits were not to reveal fashionable dress, but rather timeless dress.   Therefore, museum collections of these clothes and pictorial representations could be inaccurate.   For example, Sir Joshua Reynolds, a prominent English portraitist, hated fashion and urged artists to disregard what they found to be fashionable by way of dress, to only paint those characteristics that are everywhere and the same.

Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe and the Protestant Work Ethic Essay

Robinson Crusoe and the Protestant Work Ethic  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      The story of Robinson Crusoe is, in a very obvious sense, a morality story about a wayward but typical youth of no particular talent whose life turned out all right in the end because he discovered the importance of the values that really matter.   The values that he discovers are those associated with the Protestant Work Ethic, those virtues which arise out of the Puritan’s sense of the religious life as a total commitment to a calling, unremitting service in what generally appears as a very restricted but often challenging commitment.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The central concern of Robinson Crusoe’s experiences on the island is work.   The great majority of the text is taken up with describing his unceasing efforts at mundane tasks.   Robinson Crusoe is clearly eager to persuade his readers that he was never idle.   Many of his undertakings may have been futile (like his first big boat, which he could not move to the water), but they kept him busy.   We might wonder to what extent he needs to do all the things he describes for us, like, for example, making bread or living off the produce he creates through his own agriculture.   Is there no natural sustenance on the island which might be obtained with less labor?   What about fishing?   Wouldn’t that be easier?   He tries it and has success, but he doesn’t stay with it.   Why not?   Surely, given the topical nature of the island, he doesn’t have to labor so much?     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Questions like this miss the point.   Robinson Crusoe is a tribute to work, and the overwhelming message is: God has put us on this world to work.   That, in effect, means directing our energies to transform the world around us, to shape it to our will, t... ...ing it with a secret kind of pleasure (though mixed with my other afflicting thoughts), to think that this was all my own, that I was king and lord of all this country indefeasibly and had a right of possession; and if I could convey it, I might have it in inheritance, as completely as any lord of a manor in England.   (101) The language of this quotation is interesting.   He admits he takes pleasure in his accomplishment, but there’s a sense of guilt in the admission (he has to remind us that he also has afflictions).   And he frames his feelings of satisfaction entirely in legal terms (â€Å"indefeasibly,† â€Å"right of possession,† â€Å"convey†).   What stimulates his satisfaction is not the accomplishment or the beauty or the sense of his own proven skill, but the sense of legal ownership.   He has gone from a castaway to the equivalent of an aristocrat.   

Depression Method

There are many ways a researcher could study depression using the descriptive method. The researcher can start with case study; studying e an individual’s who has been diagnosed with a depression disorder. This way they could learn new things through this person’s actions. Moving on to the naturalistic observation to study a group of people with the same disorder. This study would be at natural as they could possibly make it. This would show them the different affect of depression on individuals.The correlation method can be used to study depression and exercise by studding people with depression who exercise and individuals who do not exercise. This will allow them to see the effect of exercise on depression. If I were to conduct an experiment that was to show the effect of exercise on individuals with a depression disorder I would use a group of 50 people with depression who never exercise. I would have half of them continue their daily routine.The other half would ma ke the other half exercise on the regular for at least 30 minutes a day five times a week. I would keep chart showing the change in the experimental group which are the individuals who are exercising. I would keep a separate chart on my control group which is the ones who have made no change. My dependent variable would be the change in depression and my independent variable would be the individuals exercise. The best way to determine causality is threw experiments. Experiments allow you to see the effects.

Rear Window Essay

In the 1950’s film Rear Window, director Alfred Hitchcock sets his entire work looking through a man, L. B. Jeffries’ rear window. Because of his broken leg, Jeffries is confined to his apartment, and even to his wheelchair. It is here, in his apartment, that the protagonist watches, or even spies on his neighbors. He draws conclusions on these people, but from a distance: across the apartment-building courtyard. In addition to this physical distance separating Jeffries from his neighbors, his perspective, too, distances him from his conclusions. Only seen through the glass of a window and the lens of a camera, Jeffries’ point of view is confined to only a single vision. We see that this single vision, however, provides Jeffries with an ample amount of information. The avant-garde cinematography combined with the original plot creates a new mean to film. Alfred Hitchcock’s innovative Rear Window allows the audience to bring their own experiences to the film: just as Jeffries draws conclusions on his neighbors from a distance, man too establishes his own perspective in the real world, and brings this experience to the film to understand its meaning. In Rear Window’s opening scene, the camera slowly scans the setting that will surround L. B. Jeffries for the rest of the film. It pans over many apartments, all full of people doing different activities, going on his or her daily routine. This seemingly normal day in the New York City apartment complex gives the audience a sense of familiarity with the setting, and the people that live there. As seen through Jeffries’ rear window, this scene foreshadows the rest of the film; little does the audience know that what seems ordinary, a simple window, actually reveals more: crime. Because the film’s title is Rear Window, this specific window indeed holds some significance. One could say the window hides Jeffries from the real world, as he is confined to his own apartment. While on the other hand, it could be said that the window submerges the protagonist into this world. I believe that the window serves as both tools: as the film’s antagonist, Thorwald sees Jeffries spying on him, Jeffries closes his window and retreats into his apartment- escaping the real world. On the contrary, however, the audience sees Jeffries constantly peering through the window, using the pane of glass to almost enhance his vision, and draw his conclusions. Just as the window both hides and reveals L. B. Jeffries, so does his camera lens. Throughout the movie, Jeffries uses his lens to get a better vision of his neighbors and their activity. Yet the protagonist uses his camera in an unconventional way- rather than using it to take a snapshot of a certain instance, Jeffries uses the camera lens simply to magnify his vision, and gain a deeper understanding of his neighbors, especially Thorwald. Just as L. B. Jeffries, I too have drawn conclusions on others from a distance. Attending a small high school comprised of only one thousand students, I have a superficial understanding of most of my peers. What seems to be a small distance separating my peers and I, actually acts as a barrier, just as Jeffries’ window and camera do. Recently, I was formally introduced to a peer of mine, who I simply knew by association. I had heard people give their own opinions about her, critique her, or speak highly of her- I had yet to draw my own conclusion of her. It was only until I spent a few days with her, and had conversation with her that I could finally create my own opinion. For years I had an imprinted opinion of her in my head, but as I finally broke through the barrier, my rear window, I could either support or refute my assumption. Right on some accounts and wrong on others, I, like L. B. Jeffries, drew conclusions with a barrier; we both had been living behind our rear window.

Cost Overruns Essays

Cost Overruns Essays Cost Overruns Essay Cost Overruns Essay Cost overruns are as a result of the mismatch between projected costs and the actual results. For most construction projects, projections are necessary for the project to go on smoothly and at the same tine be done within the three factors of performance, which are, time, quality and cost. As the study indicated, the main factor leading to cost overrun is the political situation, especially for a politically unstable region, such as the West Bank. The main reasons for this are that political instability leads to lack of predictability. With this kind of high unpredictability, it is hard for those involved to plan properly, because there are many variables that van affect the accuracy of their predictability. Without the project managers being able to plan effectively, it becomes harder for the project to be done within time, budget and expected quality. Time, for instance is a major factor that needs to be addressed because it is a cost driver. With political uneasiness, it is hard for projects to be done in time. This is because delays will happen when there are disruptions in the peace of the region. With time of project completion not being predictable, it is hard for the project to be done within budget. This is as a result of the fact that time affects the other aspects of project completion, such as quality and cost. Every time there is a delay, more cost is added to the project. As a result, this could be the reason why unstable regions such as the West Bank experience more cost overrun and have higher risks of cost overruns. The other reason that can be attached to the reason why political instability is the most significant factor that affects the cost overrun is the fact that it has a direct impact on the economics of a nation or regions. With modern projects, international operations is almost always a necessary. This would mean that there is a flow of foreign currency meant for the project, and any political instability is likely to cause changes in the exchange rate. Although this was not a major variable in the study, it is feasible to conclude that political instability can lead to cost overruns through the foreign exchange rates that are affected by the political stability of a region. This would definitely change a lot of factors ranging from the cost of materials to labor cost. It is also necessary to note that the political instability can lead to not only shifting foreign currency exchange rates but also to disruption of labor. With a region such as the West Bank, it would be necessary to note that when there is political upheavals, more people are likely to forgo work, which would then lead to high cost of labor. As a result, it is no surprise that political instability is cited as the most serious reason for cost overruns for construction projects in unstable regions. As the results indicate, over 45% of the respondents allocated an increase of 11% to 30% on consecution projects in the West Bank region, while , 41.7% of the participants allocated 6% to 10% of cost overrun in such projects. These percentages are too high, especially considering that the projects are who millions of dollars, which would mean that even a 1% increase in the estimated cost would lead to a lot of money which was not planned for the project being injected to the project. This can be highly risky for construction firms that take out jobs on contracts because it can eat on the profits of the firm and render such projects unprofitable. It is also necessary to note that 8.3% of the respondents even estimated cost overruns of up to 51%. With such overruns rates, carrying out projects in such an area can be an impossible endeavor, whether for contracting firms or for those who carry out own projects. While 72.9% of responders indicated that all of there are many factors for cost overrun, 16.7% attributed political instability to the problem of cost overruns. Construction projects, just like any economic endeavors, are affected by political problems in a big way. This could be because of, apart from the problem of unpredictability, the fact that political instability is something that is beyond the control of players that affect the economic at the micro level. Unlike other factors such as social issues that are easier to navigate, political instability is difficult to control, which would then make it harder for those affected to avoid its impact on their economic activity. However, as the results indicated, social factors also have a major impact on the way a project is planed and implemented and can affect how well a project will be able to stick to the projected costs, time and quality. For managers operating in such regions, mastering the art of navigating the unpredictable p olitical labyrinth can be a big factor to help them deal with cost overruns.

HEINEKEN N.V- Global Branding Awareness

HEINEKEN N.V- Global Branding Awareness HEINEKEN N.V- Global Branding AwarenessProblem Statement: As the consumer needs tastes vary across the globe, Heineken must decide how much to adept their marketing strategy to local needs using a variance of standardized marketing mix adapted marketing mix, owing to the strong brand preferences loyalties that exist among the beer drinkers.Recommendations: Heineken needs to evaluate its home replication, multi-domestic national, global transitional strategy to establish its scope of operations, resource deployment distinctive competence across its strategic business units. They also need to prioritize between global integration vs. national responsiveness evident from decreasing sales in Holland rest of Europe (refer chart 1). Also, Heineken's global branding strategy should account for the socio-cultural influences, attitudes perception of its consumers in foreign markets.Analysis: Heineken's position in the beer market is consolidated by its strong history, making it the n umber two beer brewer in the world, thus accounting for nearly 5% of the worlds production.Some kind of delicious.With a major global presence, Heineken's main market is Europe, accounting for 47% of its sales. Some of the other brands include Amstel, Buckler, Murphy's Stout Bir Bintang, each of these being targeted at different levels across the world.Heineken's premium quality taste was attributed towards five core brand values: taste, premiumness, tradition, winning sprit friendship. Heineken's "good taste" brand image advertising can be evaluated on the basis of desirability, exclusiveness believability. These attributes can be measured on the basis of the evolving market structure, beginning at the embryonic stage (eg: Africa) and continuing to the declining stage (eg: USA), thereby creating a platform for laying down the market objectives. Also the relationship between the product-trial rate and the customer awareness level will remain to be the deciding factor on reach, f requency...

A History of Camels in the US Army

A History of Camels in the US Army A plan by the U.S. Army to import camels in the 1850s and use them to travel through vast stretches of the Southwest seems like some comical legend that never could have happened. Yet it did. Camels were imported from the Middle East by a U.S. Navy ship and used in expeditions in Texas and California. And for a time the project was thought to hold enormous promise. The project to acquire camels was masterminded by Jefferson Davis, a powerful political figure in 1850s Washington who would later become the president of the Confederate States of America. Davis, serving as secretary of war in the cabinet of President Franklin Pierce, was not a stranger to scientific experiments, as he also served on the board of the Smithsonian Institution. And the use of camels in America appealed to Davis because the War Department had a  serious problem to solve. Following the end of the Mexican War, the United States acquired vast tracts of unexplored land in the Southwest. And there simply was no practical way to travel in the region. In present day Arizona and New Mexico there were virtually no roads. And going off any existing trails meant venturing into country with forbidding terrain ranging from deserts to mountains. Water and pasturage options for horses, mules, or oxen were non-existent or, at best, hard to locate. The camel, with its reputation for being able to survive in rough conditions, seemed to make scientific sense. And at least one officer in the U.S. Army had advocated for the use of camels during military campaigns against the Seminole tribe in Florida in the 1830s. Perhaps what made camels seem like a serious military option were reports from the Crimean War. Some of the armies engaged used camels as pack animals, and they were reputed to be stronger and more reliable than horses or mules. As leaders of the American military often tried to learn from European counterparts, French and Russian armies deploying camels in a war zone must have given the idea an air of practicality. Moving the Camel Project Through Congress An officer in the U.S. Armys quartermaster corps, George H. Crosman, first proposed the use of camels in the 1830s. He thought the animals would be useful in supplying troops fighting in the rough conditions of Florida. Crosmans proposal went nowhere in the Army bureaucracy, though it apparently was talked about enough that others found it intriguing. Jefferson Davis, a West Point graduate who spent a decade serving in frontier Army outposts, became interested in the use of camels. And when he joined the administration of Franklin Pierce he was able to advance the idea. Secretary of War Davis submitted a lengthy report which took up more than an entire page of the New York Times of December 9, 1853. Buried in his various requests for Congressional funding are several paragraphs in which he made the case for appropriations for study the military use of camels. The passage indicates that Davis had been learning about camels, and was familiar with two types, the one-humped dromedary (often called the Arabian camel) and the two-humped central Asian camel (often called the Bactrian camel): On the older continents, in regions reaching from the torrid to the frozen zones, embracing arid plains and precipitous mountains covered with snow, camels are used with the best results. They are the means of transportation and communication in the immense commercial intercourse with Central Asia. From the mountains of Circassia to the plains of India, they have been used for various military purposes, to transmit dispatches, to transport supplies, to draw ordnance, and as a substitute for dragoon horses.Napoleon, when in Egypt, used with marked success the dromedary, a fleet variety of the same animal, in subduing the Arabs, whose habits and country were very similar to those of the mounted Indians of our Western plain. I learn, from what is believed to be reliable authority, that France is about again to adopt the dromedary in Algeria, for a similar service to that in which they were so successfully used in Egypt.For like military purposes, for express and for reconnaissances, it is believed the dromedary would supply a want now seriously felt in our service; and for transportation with troops rapidly moving across the country, the camel, it is believed, would remove an obstacle which now serves greatly to diminish the value and efficiency of out troops on the western frontier.For these considerations it is respectfully submitted that the necessary provision be made for the introduction of a sufficient number of both varieties of this animal to test its value and adaptation to our country and our service. It took more than a year for the request to become a reality, but on March 3, 1855, Davis got his wish. A military appropriations bill included $30,000 to fund the purchase of camels and a program to test their usefulness in Americas southwestern territories. With any skepticism tossed aside, the camel project was suddenly given considerable priority within the military. A rising young naval officer, Lieutenant David Porter, was assigned to command the ship sent to bring back the camels from the Middle East. Porter would go on to play a critical role in the Union Navy in the  Civil War, and as Admiral Porter he would become a revered figure in late 19th century America. The U.S. Army officer assigned to learn about camels and acquire them, Major Henry C. Wayne, was a West Point graduate who had been decorated for valor in the Mexican War. He later served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The Naval Voyage to Acquire Camels Jefferson Davis moved quickly. He issued orders to Major Wayne, directing him to proceed to London and Paris and seek out experts on camels. Davis also secured the use of a U.S. Navy transport ship, USS Supply, which would sail to the Mediterranean under the command of Lt. Porter. The two officers would rendezvous and then sail to various Middle Eastern locations in search of camels to purchase. On May 19, 1855, Major Wayne departed New York for England aboard a passenger ship. The USS Supply, which had been specially outfitted with stalls for camels and a supply of hay, left the Brooklyn Navy Yard the following week. In England, Major Wayne was greeted by the American consul, future president James Buchanan. Wayne visited the London zoo and learned what he could about the care of camels. Moving on to Paris, he met with French military officers who had knowledge of using camels for military purposes. On July 4, 1855, Wayne wrote a lengthy letter to Secretary of War Davis detailing what he had learned during his crash course in camels. By the end of July Wayne and Porter had met up. On July 30, aboard USS Supply, they sailed for Tunisia, where an American diplomat arranged a meeting with the countrys leader, the Bey, Mohammad Pasha. The Tunisian leader, when hearing that Wayne had bought a camel, presented him with a gift of two more camels. On August 10, 1855, Wayne wrote to Jefferson Davis from about the Supply, anchored in the Gulf of Tunis, reporting that three camels were safely aboard the ship. For the following seven months the two officers sailed from port to port in the Mediterranean, endeavoring to obtain camels. Every few weeks they would send highly detailed letters back to Jefferson Davis in Washington, detailing their latest adventures. Making stops in Egypt, present day Syria, and the Crimea, Wayne and Porter became fairly proficient camel traders. At times they were sold camels which exhibited signs of ill-health. In Egypt a government official tried to give them camels which the Americans recognized as poor specimens. Two camels they wanted to dispose of were sold to a butcher in Cairo. By the beginning of 1856 the hold of USS Supply was filling up with camels. Lieutenant Porter had designed a special small boat which contained a box, dubbed the camel car, which was used to ferry camels from land to the ship. The camel car would be hoisted aboard, and lowered down to the deck used to house the camels. By February 1856 the ship, carrying 31 camels and two calves, set sail for America. Also aboard and headed to Texas were three Arabs and two Turks, who had been hired to help tend to the camels. The trip across the Atlantic was plagued by bad weather, but the camels were finally landed in Texas in early May 1856. As only a portion of the Congressional expenditure had been spent, Secretary of War Davis directed Lieutenant Porter to return to the Mediterranean aboard USS Supply and bring back another load of camels. Major Wayne would remain in Texas, testing the initial group. Camels in Texas During the summer of 1856 Major Wayne marched the camels from the port of Indianola to San Antonio. From there they proceeded to an army outpost, Camp Verde, about 60 miles southwest of San Antonio. Major Wayne began using the camels for routine jobs, such as shuttling supplies from San Antonio to the fort. He discovered the camels could carry much more weight than pack mules, and with the proper instruction soldiers had little problem handling them. When Lieutenant Porter returned from his second voyage, bringing an additional 44 animals, the total herd was about 70 camels of various types. (Some calves had been born and were thriving, though some adult camels had died.) The experiments with camels at Camp Verde were considered a success by Jefferson Davis, who prepared a comprehensive report on the project, which was published as a book in 1857. But when Franklin Pierce left office and James Buchanan became president in March 1857, Davis left the War Department. The new secretary of war, John B. Floyd, was convinced the project was practical, and sought Congressional appropriations to purchase an additional 1,000 camels. But his idea received no support on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Army never imported camels beyond the two shiploads brought back by Lieutenant Porter. Legacy of the Camel Corps The late 1850s was not a good time for a military experiment. The Congress was becoming increasingly fixated on the nations impending split over slavery. The great patron of the camel experiment, Jefferson Davis, returned to the U.S. Senate, representing Mississippi. As the nation moved closer to Civil War, its likely the last thing on his mind was the importation of camels. In Texas, the Camel Corps remained, but the once promising project encountered problems. Some of the camels were sent to remote outposts, to be used as pack animals, but some soldiers disliked using them. And there were problems stabling the camels near horses, who became agitated by their presence. In late 1857 an Army Lieutenant named Edward Beale was assigned to make a wagon road from a fort in New Mexico to California. Beale used about 20 camels, along with other pack animals, and reported that the camels performed very well. For the next few years Lieutenant Beale used camels during exploratory expeditions in the Southwest. And as the Civil War began his contingent of camels was stationed in California. Though the Civil War was known for some innovative experiments, such as the Balloon Corps, Lincolns use of the telegraph, and inventions such as ironclads, no one revived the idea of using camels in the military. The camels in Texas mostly fell into Confederate hands, and seemed to serve no military purpose during the Civil War. It is believed most of them were sold to traders and wound up in the hands of circuses in Mexico. In 1864 the federal herd of camels in California was sold to a businessman who then sold them to zoos and traveling shows. Some camels were apparently released into the wild in the Southwest, and for years cavalry troops would occasionally report seeing small groups of wild camels.

The French Revolution and Nationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The French Revolution and Nationalism - Essay Example A force that is capable of rendering a national character to any uprising or event, nationalism is a phenomenon that permeates into the very core of a citizen’s life. It does so by giving the people of a country a common platform where they can meet, interact and bond. Subsequently, this leads to a rise in the national character as these people begin to identify with each other on the basis of a language, color, race or even suffering. Nationalism as a feature on any country’s historical or cultural climate rises to the fore as a result of threats. It is only when confronted with a threat, does a country – made up of its people and their collective sentiments – wake up and recognize their strengths. These in effect become the strength of the nation and nationalism is born. In this way, nationalism is defined, anew; every time there is suffering followed subsequently by an upheaval. As a result of this, nationalism can be called dynamic concept. This is owing to the fact that its elements change with the changing times and the reasons for upheavals. The only thing constant about nationalism is its power to bind people together as a nation and the fact that it rises to prominence only in the face of adversity. In modern times, nationalism has become a matter of celebrating everything that a nation takes pride in. This includes independence days, art, literature, music and various other symbols th at are a part of the national character as a whole – elements that remind nations of its past victories and present strengths. (Voltaire, 2005) The French Revolution and Nationalism The French Revolution was an upheaval that was marked by the formal birth of what we call nationalism. Spanning over a decade (1789 to 1799), this Revolution had a strong socio political dimension to it. The embodiment of nationalism in this revolution arose as a matter of its ability to define the elements that would support the construction of a democratic society free of feudal patterns. This was at the behest of the citizens from every quarter of the French society, who wanted to break free of the double standards that were being imposed on their way of life in the form of the Church's intervention

Annunciation of Mary A Significant Image in the Christian Theology Essay

Annunciation of Mary A Significant Image in the Christian Theology - Essay Example This article will discuss in detail  the image of Annunciation of Mary, starting from the story as given in "Protoevangelium of James" and moving on to later time periods. This writing will take a look at this particular picture of Mary as it gradually develops through the ages and represents her gradual rise in the minds and beliefs of Christian theology. It will also focus on the aspect of representing the perpetual virginity of Mary through this image of ‘Annunciation of Mary’ to allay the fears in the minds of the orthodox creed. Early Christian literature that is of the imaginative type and tells us stories of a religious nature are known as the apocryphal gospels. These were first written in the second century and a certain variation of these apocryphal scriptures are known as ‘proto-gospels’ which give us the first pictures of Mary, right from her birth. One of these proto-gospels, known as the â€Å"Protevangelium of James†, is supposedly written by James, son of Joseph, from his first marriage, and dates even prior to that of Luke’s gospel. Here in James gospel, we get a beautiful picture of Mary’s Annunciation with the archangel Gabriel, described by Knight, as, â€Å"And she took the pitcher, and went out to fill it with water. And, behold, a voice saying:  Hail, you who have received  grace; the  Lord is with you;  blessed  are you among  women! And she looked around, on the right hand and on the left, to see whence this voice came. And she went away, tre mbling, to her house, and put down the pitcher; and taking the purple, she sat down on her seat, and drew it out. And, behold, an  angel  of the  Lord  stood before her, saying:  Fear  not,  Mary; for you have found  grace  before the  Lord  of all, and you shall conceive, according to His word. And she hearing, reasoned with herself, saying: Shall I conceive by the  Lord, the living  God?

SOX Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

SOX Project - Essay Example Inside the houses of the Senate, it is commonly called the Sarbanes-Oxley, Sarbox or is a United States Federal law which was enacted on July 30th, 2002. The act came into being because of a number of scandals that went on to affect a number of major corporate big shots. These included the Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, Peregrine System and WorldCom. The scandals resulted in a loss of billions and billions of dollars and trampled share prices of the companies that were affected. Inadvertently, this followed by a major confidence lapse on security exchanges where the investors were concerned. The act has been named after a U.S Senator and a US Representative-Paul Sarbanes and Michael G. Oxley and was approved by a vote of 423-3 and by the Senate 99-0. While signing it and approving it President George W Bush, called it one of the most far reaching reforms of American business practices ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt. The legislation marked the beginning of new and enhanced standards for most U.S public company boards and accounting firms. Privately held companies are not stipulated to comply with the act. It is home some 11 titles and section which vary immensely and cater to additional corporate board responsibilities to criminal penalties. It is the responsibilities of the Securities and Exchange Commission to implement the requirements to comply with the new law. This was done under the supervision of Harvey Pitt who ensured the adoption of a dozen other rules to implement the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However this is not the end and be it of all. There is still a lot of debate and argument in place over the prospect benefits of SOX. Supporters believe that the legislation has been extremely affective in restoring public confidence in the nation's capital markets and has helped strengthened corporate accounting controls. On the other hand, the opponents of the bill are of the view that this bill has taken away the competitive edge that the United States had against other financial markets. Sarbanes-Oxley comprises of 11 sections each of which prescribe specific mandates and features essential for financial reporting. These sections are titled as follows: 1. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) 2. Auditor Independence 3. Corporate Responsibility 4. Enhanced Financial Disclosures 5. Analyst Conflicts of Interest 6. Commission Resources and Authority 7. Studies and Reports 8. Corporate and Criminal Fraud Accountability 9. White Collar Crime Penalty Enhancement 10. Corporate Tax Returns 11. Corporate Fraud Accountability Compliance plan The need to establish internal controls for the purposes of financial reporting and operational integrity has been specifically mentioned in the Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley act. An effective internal control system is essential to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley. An internal control system helps prevent the company from non compliance and will keep it updated about any failures in its system that may have to be addressed on an immediate basis. Internal controls can be of both types i.e. detective and preventive and are incumbent in deterring if regulatory requirements are being met. Henceforth, enough though and consideration must be plugged in, in developing and maintaining those controls. The following can be

Strategic Marketing Plan for Pit Bull Pride of Delaware Term Paper

Strategic Marketing Plan for Pit Bull Pride of Delaware - Term Paper Example Further, the organization allows volunteers render their services in line with promoting positivity for pit bulls. Remarkably, the organization draws no profits from their operations hence explaining the reason as to why the organization relies on foster shelters to offer this service. In this regard, this essay will give a detailed strategic plan report on how Pit Bull pride of Delaware would become a better performing institution from the level that is in currently. Additionally, the planning process will include a marketing strategy to produce a customer centered strategic plan. Company operations Pit Bull Pride receives a substantial number of pit bulls through surrender by the owners and the other fraction from shelters with high-kill probability. As per their database, the organization rescued at least a hundred and ten dogs from within Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and also Maryland in the year 2013. The highest percentage of the rescued pit bulls came from high kill hold ing shelters hence assuring the company of the continued need to stay in operation. After rescuing, pit bulls receive temporary shelter at foster homes until a time when they would get permanent homes that would give love and care as intended. Therefore, this organization draws success from the relenting partnership that they have with foster shelters as they help them save more pit bulls. On the other hand, the organization also facilitates adoption of rescued pit bulls, but they subject possible candidates to thorough screening before qualifying to adopt the animals. The rigorous process includes a face to face interview, home inspection, personal veterinary reference, and lastly a written consent commitment to caring for a dog. However, the organization also performs a temperament check on the pit bulls before their enrollment into the core program. Further, the dogs also go through screening to ascertain their health status before adoption into an official member of their foreve r family. The medical procedures include up to date vaccinations, testing for heartworms, and dosage on fleas or ticks. The dosage acts as a preventive measure for these pest infestations to assure them of healthy lives during their stay at the shelter. Vision for the organization As earlier mentioned, Pit Bull pride Delaware principally relies on the services of foster shelters to provide animal holding facilities until they can give shelter to the rescued pit bulls. For them, this serves as a restriction to growth and stability as it restricts the number of pit bulls that the organization might save if they had their own shelters. In this regard, Pit Bull pride intends to create their own shelter possibly in 2014 as a way of increasing work output and impact. According to Pit Bull Pride founder, Lauren Verfaillie, the organization underwent successful official incorporation in April of 2012. After incorporation, the organization applied for the 501 (c) 3 tax exemption application to the IRS it sought recognition as a nonprofit entity (Herman & Associates, 2011). This will in turn facilitate the organization to make strides into being a large supporter of pit bulls. The labor force of Pit Bull Pride According to Lauren, the organization squarely depends on volunteers to help in the running of the operations

Talent Management In Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) Dissertation

Talent Management In Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) - Dissertation Example The research found that ADAT uses Talent Management, but the process is in a nascent stage where the understanding and awareness about it is extremely low, especially among the interviewed employees. ADAT has introduced several initiatives toward Talent Management which included developing the Centre of Excellence for Recruitment and Oracle Performance Management, but the organization appears to lack in an integrated and streamlined approach toward Talent Management. Moreover, the focus of the organization was revealed to be on recruiting external talent for its critical positions, which in turn led to employee dissatisfaction and demotivation – thus defeating the very purpose of Talent Management. The research recommends that ADAT develop a comprehensive framework for Talent Management that takes into account organizational structure and job positions, business goals and future prospects, and employee relations into account. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction I.1 Backg round and Research Overview 1.2 Research Questions 1.3 Research Methods 1.4 Research Significance 1.5 Dissertation Outline 1.6 Conclusions Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Definition and Overview of Talent Management/Human Capital Management 2.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Talent Management 2.4 Talent Management Models 2.5 Factors influencing Talent Management 2.6 Best Practices related to Talent Management 2.7 Challenges in Talent Management 2.8 Technical Talent Management and Airlines Industry 2.9 Future Outlook and Conclusion Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Research Philosophy 3.3 Research Approach - Inductive 3.4 Research Methods - Qualitative 3.5 Research Design 3.5.1 Sampling 3.5.2 Data Collection Method 3.5.3 Data Collection Instrument 3.5.4 Method of Data Analysis 3.6 Reliability and Validity 3.7 Ethical Considerations 3.8 Conclusions Chapter 4: Findings and Analysis 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Findings and Discussion 4.3 Conclusions Chapte r 5: Conclusions and Discussions 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Summary of Findings 5.3 Recommendations 5.4 Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research List of Figures and Tables Figure 1: Basic Model of Source: Chaudhry, 2006 Figure 2: Factors Involved in Talent Management Figure: 3: High impact Talent Management Figure 4: Competency Model of Talent Management Figure 5: Talent Management Blueprint Figure 6: Types of staff involved in talent management activities, CIPD, 2006 Table 1: Management’s Perception of Performance and Potential Table 2: Employee Perception of Talent Table 3: Talent Management Program at ADAT Table 4: Employee Awareness of Career Progression at ADAT Table 5: Success Factors for Effective Talent Management Table 6: Effective Assessment of Talent Management Table 7: Current Status of Talent Management at ADAT Table 8: Challenges Faced by ADAT in TM implementation Table 9: Employees’ Perception of Talent Management List of Appendices Appendix A: Rese arch Questionnaire References Chapter 1: Introduction I.1 Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the research and its background and develops the research questions. It discusses the research methods used to achieve the

Comparison of Train Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comparison of Train Services - Essay Example In terms of demographics all the train services that are being analysed here, do their best to appeal to particular target customer groups based on the types of service that they offer to their clientele. Virgin Trains attract and appeal to a very up class clientele for its first class travel. Virgin Trains is by far the most expensive train service of the three that has been analysed here and therefore the demographic group that they appeal to are those that are economically well off and business travelers - as their first class passage rates are very high. National Express and the East Midlands Train lines (even though they use Virgin Trains), appeal to clients with a more economical view and therefore the demographic group that is attracted to these services are the middle class and lower middle class travelers ("MIDLAND: Take the Financial", 2006). In terms of geographical spread of the trains, the National Express Lines have the widest spread. ... On the contrary it tries to make the highest possible profit by increasing passenger numbers and providing services to the largest customer group within its area of operation (Gardiner & Matthews, 2000). In terms of psychology the three different train services uses different psychologies of the customers to appeal to them and to attract them to the respective services. In the case of Virgin Trains the psychology that is used is one of luxury and advertising, promotions as well as the first class carriages in terms of physical appearance and ambience projects an image of class as well as luxury (Cruddas, 2007). This is not to say that the first class services with the other train services do not project an image of luxury, but rather to say that they lag behind that of the Virgin Trains and therefore appeal to clients who want economy as well as luxury and are not willing to pay "top dollar" just for the sake of luxury. In terms of client behaviour, it can be stated that it goes with the territory, Virgin Trains attracts a very up-class segment of customers and therefore the manner in which they behave is very much more different than those seen in the first class service of National Express ("National Express to Change", 2007). This is because as stated in the previous sections the customers who travel in the first class carriages of the other train services are more money conscious than those traveling in the Virgin Trains. Also many politician, high ranking government servants as well are seen traveling in the Virgin Trains as opposed to the other train services ("We've Made Train Services More", 2007). Pricing Strategy Now that the author has looked at the segmentation methods that have been used by

Talent Management In Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) Dissertation

Talent Management In Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) - Dissertation Example The research found that ADAT uses Talent Management, but the process is in a nascent stage where the understanding and awareness about it is extremely low, especially among the interviewed employees. ADAT has introduced several initiatives toward Talent Management which included developing the Centre of Excellence for Recruitment and Oracle Performance Management, but the organization appears to lack in an integrated and streamlined approach toward Talent Management. Moreover, the focus of the organization was revealed to be on recruiting external talent for its critical positions, which in turn led to employee dissatisfaction and demotivation – thus defeating the very purpose of Talent Management. The research recommends that ADAT develop a comprehensive framework for Talent Management that takes into account organizational structure and job positions, business goals and future prospects, and employee relations into account. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction I.1 Backg round and Research Overview 1.2 Research Questions 1.3 Research Methods 1.4 Research Significance 1.5 Dissertation Outline 1.6 Conclusions Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Definition and Overview of Talent Management/Human Capital Management 2.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Talent Management 2.4 Talent Management Models 2.5 Factors influencing Talent Management 2.6 Best Practices related to Talent Management 2.7 Challenges in Talent Management 2.8 Technical Talent Management and Airlines Industry 2.9 Future Outlook and Conclusion Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Research Philosophy 3.3 Research Approach - Inductive 3.4 Research Methods - Qualitative 3.5 Research Design 3.5.1 Sampling 3.5.2 Data Collection Method 3.5.3 Data Collection Instrument 3.5.4 Method of Data Analysis 3.6 Reliability and Validity 3.7 Ethical Considerations 3.8 Conclusions Chapter 4: Findings and Analysis 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Findings and Discussion 4.3 Conclusions Chapte r 5: Conclusions and Discussions 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Summary of Findings 5.3 Recommendations 5.4 Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research List of Figures and Tables Figure 1: Basic Model of Source: Chaudhry, 2006 Figure 2: Factors Involved in Talent Management Figure: 3: High impact Talent Management Figure 4: Competency Model of Talent Management Figure 5: Talent Management Blueprint Figure 6: Types of staff involved in talent management activities, CIPD, 2006 Table 1: Management’s Perception of Performance and Potential Table 2: Employee Perception of Talent Table 3: Talent Management Program at ADAT Table 4: Employee Awareness of Career Progression at ADAT Table 5: Success Factors for Effective Talent Management Table 6: Effective Assessment of Talent Management Table 7: Current Status of Talent Management at ADAT Table 8: Challenges Faced by ADAT in TM implementation Table 9: Employees’ Perception of Talent Management List of Appendices Appendix A: Rese arch Questionnaire References Chapter 1: Introduction I.1 Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the research and its background and develops the research questions. It discusses the research methods used to achieve the

Problems of Industrialization in Pakistan Essay

Problems of Industrialization in Pakistan - Essay Example To improve production, the country is attempting to industrialize her agricultural activities by adopting modern farming practices and use of technology implements. However, as a developing country, Pakistan has problems of industrialization that stem from different factors. These problems encompass the social, political, and economic aspects of the country includes factors like the country's poor infrastructure, the low level of literacy characterized by lack of skilled labor, poor governance with unstable political environment, as well as the unfavorable fiscal monetary and fiscal policies that may discourage industrial investors. This paper expounds on the different factors undermining the efforts to industrialize the operations in the country and not the negative effects that may result from industrialization in a given country. The factors were identified from the responses in a survey that was carried out to seek information from a variety of industrialists in the country in re lation to the industrialization problems they have encountered, or the factors they consider detrimental to the process. Thesis Pakistan is a developing nation that is dependent on agriculture as the country is endowed with fertile lands fit for the economic activity. Nonetheless, the process of industrializing her agricultural activities has been faced by several problems impeding the whole process. Industrialization Problems in Pakistan Electricity and energy shortages One of the major problems cited to impede the industrialization process in Pakistan is insufficient supply of electricity and energy in the country. Electric power and other energy supply are essential requirements for industrialization. Electric energy is used in driving most of the machines in an industry. Similarly, the mechanized systems also use other forms of energy like fuel from the petroleum products and biofuels in combustion to move machine parts in the lubrication of some moving parts. Just like the situ ations witnessed in many other developing countries, the country has insufficient supply of electricity. Frequent energy shortages in the country are a barrier to industrial development in the country (US Library of Congress, para.2). The power generation capacity of the country cannot support the required economic development prompting for outsourcing of energy resources (Khan, para.1). Her energy supply is among the lowest even in the category of the developing nations. The country has a per capita supply of 0.19 ton petroleum equivalent (Khan, para.1). The issue of poor energy supply as a hindrance to industrialization has been cited by the local industries like the textile industry (Khan and Khan, 21). The industries complain non-guaranteed and thus unreliable energy supplies. Lack of trained and skilled workforce The other important factor that was identified that undermines industrialization in the country is low level of education resulting into lack of skilled manpower. A la rge proportion of the Pakistani firms (about 70%) cite shortage of skills as one of their major challenges (Pakistani Development Forum, 19). There is a large mismatch between the required skills and technology in the country and what is available. The country has a high proportion of low-skilled laborers (about 60-75%), a relatively high proportion of medium-skilled laborers and very low proportion highly-skilled personnel (Pakistani Development Forum, 22). This last category comprises the skilled professionals like

Early Marriage Essay Example for Free

Early Marriage Essay Why do Americans get married so early? Growing up in Germany I’ve been living in America for one and a half year and I honestly have to say that I got used to the culture, values and traditions pretty quickly. But one thing I never understood and I’m still doubting about is why Americans get married with an age of 21 or even younger. In European countries and many other ones like China and Japan the average age of marriage is 30. There is a world out there, new things to experience and people to meet – so why settle down so early? All of the American couple friends I made dated in High School and got married after College. They have been together for a couple of years and seem very happy with what they have in each other. They know each other well, enjoy their comfort in consistency and have history together. I personally doubt if they are just staying together because they are afraid of the unknown or do they think they’ll never find somebody better? In my opinion you haven’t really experienced life when you go and settle down with somebody you met in High School. In the High School age you are still trying to figure out who you are in life, develop characteristics and are very influential of others. So is it a good idea to decide who you are gonna spend the rest of your life with in a stage of age you are still trying to find yourself? The twenties are dedicated to just you. You go out and travel, explore what you ever dreamt of and live your own life. Of course it is always challenging to be single and go on dates. No doubt about that! But being single and not â€Å"tied down† offer you experiences which enlarge your personal horizon immense. The kinds of different people you meet and experiences you’ll have, if bad or good, will help you figure out who you are and what you want in life and certainly in a relationship. The biggest fear I had if I were married with 21 is what happens if you get divorced. You don’t know a life without the person you met as a teenager and probably can’t imagine anything like that. My personal conviction of not getting married at an early age doesn’t result of that, but it’s definitely scary to devote yourself to somebody in an age where you haven’t explored yourself. I’m personally convinced that I’ll find the right person to marry after intensely living my twenties. And that doesn’t mean that I just want to sleep around 😉 I hope by that time I’ll definitely know what to expect from my partner and be mature enough to decide who is the right one for me. The intention of my opinion is definitely not to disrepect anybody’s lifestyle or marriage. If two people love each other and get married it is one of the most beautiful things! I personally doubt that it is a good decision to get married in an early age, but this is up to everybody themselves of course.

Before and After Cloud Computing in DPG Group of Companies

Before and After Cloud Computing in DPG Group of Companies About the company DPR Group, Inc., a full-service public relations, marketing and communications agency, was stuck in a technology rut that stymied productivity and limited their growth. DPG group broke free of the break-fix model of managed services and leaped ahead with cloud computing. DPR Group with a vision to open small satellite offices in technology hubs throughout the eastern United States. At the time of my technology challenge, DPG had expanded to two offices for nearly 15 employees with their headquarters in Germantown, Maryland, and a second office in Cary, North Carolina. However, providing expert public relations and marketing services to high-tech companies requires a strong technology infrastructure to effectively communicate with   clients. Without an on-site IT resource, one of their obstacles to growth was finding a way to keep all   in-house technology running smoothly. For four years worked with a managed services provider to help maintain their PCs, a Dell PowerEdge Server, and internal networks in both of DPG offices. Although the CEO of   managed services provider spoke eloquently about their companys preventative approach to computer maintenance, they actually spent far more time trying to fix things after they broke. What were the problems before moving to cloud Before moving   cloud number   of issues that challenged their ability to maintain the high-level client service that they offer. Downtime, latency, reliability, and accessibility were just a few reoccurring issues. For example,   managed services provider would frequently run software updates on Sunday nights and, due to compatibility issues with the updates and a lack of testing, the server would often crash on Monday mornings. This left   staff scrambling to work from back-up files, while the managed services provider attempted to fix the problem. Also, when working remotely, their staff used Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) with severe latency and connectivity issues that caused delays and required additional time to complete basic tasks such as reconnection, file uploads, or even simply writing an email. Their managed services provider also experienced a lot of personnel turnover. Every time someone new started working on DPG account, they have to re-explain everything about not only the issue they were having, but also how our entire system was set up because the new expert staff was not familiar with their system. Not unexpectedly, DPG received daily complaints from my staff about how technology issues were making it difficult for everyone to do their job effectively. After discussing specific challenges with each of thier staff members, DPG calculated that every employee was losing from seven to nine days of productivity per year due to time spent waiting for a tech to fix the problems. What were the benefits of moving to cloud First they started   search for a new vendor by talking with a number of managed services providers that all promised to do a much better job of maintaining   computers and networks. More importantly, they started hearing the term cloud computing, and learned that it could streamline a lot of processes and significantly improve DPG productivity. Although cloud might be a better model for them, DPG also would need a local IT resource to maintain the basic hardware in our two different offices. After reviewing proposals from a number of providers within the Washington, D.C., metro area, DPG selected Virgina-based Cetrom Information Technology to take them to the cloud. This cloud computing service provider stood out from the rest for a few primary reasons. First, Cetrom offered a truly hosted cloud model. Other cloud providers would host data on the cloud, but install applications locally. It was either that, or they would have to use limited-functionality, software-as-a-service (SaaS) versions of their standard software. Cetrom, however, hosted the full, traditional versions of our software in the cloud and seamlessly mirrored a local environment. The Cetrom Hybrid places a small server on site in DPG headquarters that replicates the data to and from the cloud in real time. previously   they used to having all   IT within the office. Also, Cetroms senior-level engineers really took the time to understand DPG business goals and processes during roll out. From there, they designed   cloud solution for DPG-with strong business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and easy access to key applications-around all business, instead of making them adapt to a rigid, out-of-the-box solution. To avoid lost productivity hours, Cetroms engineers migrated DPG applications and data over the weekend .Working in the cloud provides numerous benefits. The primary benefit is the anytime, anywhere access to all the files and applications, with only an Internet connection. The ability to set permissions by users is also extremely beneficial as it ensures only authorized personnel have access to files, such as financials. Cetrom not only maintains its equipment and ensures the security of all its clients data, the company also constantly reviews the applications and services it provides clients to ensure they are the best available. Since moving to the Cetrom cloud, the company has changed spam filters for the email a few times, and each time they seen an improvement. The current version now catches about 99.5 percent of all incoming spam emails-an immense improvement over our previous provider. Perhaps the most important benefit of all is system reliability. Cetrom has a track record of zero downtime since its founding nearly 15 years ago. This one aspect returned nearly 10 hours of productivity back to DPG staff-equal to $50,000 annually-so they can focus on serving DPG clients. The cost savings from operational expenses in North Carolina-more than $70,000 annually-allowed them to move from   Germantown, Maryland, location to a larger, nicer office in Frederick, Maryland, with double the capacity for staff. Migrating to the cloud with Cetrom was one of the best business decisions DPG ever made. They have not had any downtime since DPG started with Cetrom, DPG data is available anytime, and they dont receive complaints from the staff about technology issues anymore.

Indigenous Resistance :: essays papers

Indigenous Resistance "MUSIC IS THE WEAPON OF THE FUTURE" The spirit of resistance is a powerful force in reggae music. In this essay I will explore the ways that resistance is manifested in reggae music and describe examples of indigenous resistance in Jamaica and Mexico. A strong example of indigenous resistance can be found in the Maroon communities of Jamaica. The Maroons were a thorn in the sides of white plantation owners and an inspiration and expression of freedom and autonomy to the Africans. The history of the Maroons describes a group of diverse people who bonded together beyond the fringes of the colonial system to form their own autonomous nation. Throughout the world indigenous peoples have been resisting and rebelling against the colonial system, also known as the 'Babylon' system to Rastafarians, modern-day descendants of the Maroons. The origins of the concept of 'Babylon' in relation to rastafarianism and indigenous resistance will be discussed in greater detail. The following essay is an exploration of indigenous resistance in Jamaica and throughout the world. Reggae music has evolved as a form of social commentary and because of its international popularity the message is spread around the world. Reggae music is a meaningful channel for social change. Reggae music portrays resistance to oppression, it is a symbolic action, part of a nonviolent revolution. It is a type of rhetoric; a method of communication designed to influence and persuade. It is a message with a purpose, it represents a crystallization of fundamental issues. Reggae music asks the listener to reconsider our daily lives and to hear the cry of the sufferer, because so many people are suffering. The lyrics and music of Robert Nesta Marley gave reggae music international recognition. Bob was a charismatic performer who truly stands out as a prophet. There is clearly a prophetic overtone to his lyrics yet he was only given the prophetic status after he died. His lyrics operate on a deep level, yet they typically relate to everyday occurrences. Bob's music was and is a powerful force to ease the pain of life in the ghetto. He embodied a feeling of empowerment, and encourages all listeners to 'chant down Babylon'. Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a philosopher who inspired Rastafarians to resist against the colonial system. He likened the Africans in the Caribbean and Americas to the Jews in the biblical city of Babylon. There are many deep connections between Rastafarianism and Judiasm, and this topic could no doubt warrent much more discussion.

Rational Performance Testing

Hello World: Rational Performance Tester Get to the bottom of application performance issues Skill Level: Intermediate Dennis Schultz (dennis. [email  protected] ibm. com) Marketing Engineer IBM 12 Mar 2007 This tutorial in the Hello World series introduces you to IBM ® Rational ® Performance Tester and highlights its basic features. Practical, hands-on exercises teach you how to record automated performance tests, use data-driven techniques to ensure randomization, play-back tests, and evaluate real-time performance reports.Upon completing the tutorial you will be able to use Rational Performance Tester to determine the cause of performance problems in your applications. Section 1. Before you start About this series The Hello World series is for novice developers who want a high-level, hands-on overview of IBM software products. Each tutorial in the series provides simple exercises and step-by-step instructions to familiarize you with the components and use of a particular pro duct. Upon completing a tutorial in the Hello World series you will know enough about the product to begin exploring and using it on your own.About this tutorial This tutorial uses hands-on exercises to familiarize you with Rational Performance Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 1 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks Tester. Step-by-step instructions teach you how to record an automated performance test, enhance the test using built-in data-driven techniques, play-back the test as part of a performance schedule, and evaluate real-time reports to determine the root cause of a performance problem. The maximum estimated running time for the tutorial is three hours. ObjectivesAfter completing this tutorial you should understand the basic functions of Rational Performance Tester and be able to use it to discover and analyze performance problems in your applications. Prerequisites This tutorial is for testers new to test automation and unfamiliar with Rational Performance Tester. As you are taking the tutorial, you can practice the steps yourself if you have access to the environment the tutorial requires. If you don't have access to the environment, you can still read the tutorial and view the animated demos. You just won't be able to try the steps for yourself.The easiest way to access the tutorial environment is through the Rational Performance Tester online trial system created for the tutorial. The trial system uses the Citrix Access Platform to provide you with a connection from your workstation to a remote server running Rational Performance Tester, WebSphere Application Server 6. 0, and the sample application to be tested. If you choose to set up the tutorial environment on your own machine, please use the Hello World: Rational Performance Tester (for downloadable trial code) version of this tutorial that is written for this purpose.In order to view the animated demos for the tutorial you must enable JavaScript in your browser and install Macromedia Flash Player 6 or higher. Animated demos If this is your first encounter with a developerWorks tutorial that includes animated demos you might want to know a few things about them: †¢ Demos are an optional way to see the steps described in the tutorial done for you. To view an animated demo, click the given Show me link and the demo will open in a new browser window. †¢ Each demo contains a navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.Use the navigation bar to pause, exit, rewind, or fast-forward portions of the demo. Rational Performance Tester Page 2 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® †¢ The demos are 800 x 600 pixels. If this is the maximum resolution of your screen or if your resolution is lower than this then you will have to scroll to see some areas of the demo. †¢ You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser and Macromedia Flash Player 6 or higher installed to view the demos. Section 2. Getting started Overview of Rational Performance TesterIBM Rational Performance Tester, hereafter known as Performance Tester, is a performance test creation, execution, and analysis tool that helps development teams validate the scalability and reliability of their Web-based applications before deployment. Many of Performance Tester's features have been explicitly designed with the novice load tester in mind. Performance Tester allows you to use one of several Web browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, or Firefox) to test a Web-based application. The results of your interaction are captured and recorded on the operating system of your choice (Windows or Linux).The test is presented in a concise tree-based editor that is capable of exposing underlying details to the expert on an â€Å"as needed† basis. Test scripts are then grouped together in various combinations to reflect the multiple types of user that comprise the projected user population. You can specify the number of simulated system users at execution time. Test execution is accompanied by easy-to-read, real-time reports that update throughout the test run. Bottlenecks based on metrics such as round-trip performance, transaction rates, and system diagnostics are highlighted in these reports.You can also use Performance Tester to further identify the root cause of poor performance problems from the hardware- or software-component level through advanced resource monitoring and response-time tracking. Although this tutorial focuses on testing a J2EE, Web-based application, you can use Performance Tester to test any Web-based application. You can also extend Performance Tester to test the performance of additional application types such as Siebel, SAP, and Citrix (see Resources). Setting up the tutorial environment Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008.All rights reserved. Page 3 of 26 develop erWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks As previously mentioned, the easiest way to access this tutorial is through the online trial system developed using the Citrix Access Platform. The trial system gives you free access to Performance Tester, WebSphere Application Server 6. 0, and the Adventure Builder sample application, and minimizes your installation and configuration time for the tutorial. Once you have registered for the online trial system, installed the Citrix Metaframe Presentation Server, and logged into the server, you are ready to begin.Performance Tester will launch in a Citrix client session and will appear just as if it were running on your local desktop. You can interact with it just as you would if it were installed locally. The countdown clock on the Rational Test Drive Environment Web page will keep track of the time remaining in your session. If you choose to set up the tutorial environment locally you will need to install and configure Rational Performance Tester and WebSphere Application Server 6. 0 in your workstation. Note that the Adventure Builder sample application used by this tutorial is only available with WebSphere Application Server 6. , not 6. 1. You should also allow additional time to create and configure a project in which to store your test artifacts before starting. The tutorial is written from the assumption that you are using the online trial system. Performance Tester and Eclipse Performance Tester is based on the open-source Eclipse platform. Eclipse provides a rich working environment for many tools, both open source and commercial, including many of the offerings of the Rational Software Delivery Platform such as Rational Software Architect, Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software, and Rational Functional Tester (see Resources).This provides a common user experience for tooling across the software development life cycle. Not only are these tools all based on Eclipse, but often times they actually share th e same shell. In other words, the capability of each of these tools is presented to the user as a new perspective in the same shell. A perspective is a consolidation of tools and views focused on one particular task. The perspective for Performance Tester is known as the Test perspective. As the name implies, the Test perspective provides views that are needed by a developer or QA professional focused on testing a software application or system.The tutorial workspace and sample projects Assuming you are using the online trial system, Performance Tester will be associated to a pre-configured workspace. A workspace can be any directory location where your work is stored. In your case, this workspace contains two projects. The first project is the Adventure Builder Application. This project contains the source code for the Adventure Builder sample application you will be testing. The application has already been deployed to WebSphere Application Server on the online trial system. The p roject is only in your workspace so that Rational Performance Tester Page 4 of 26 Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® Performance Tester can navigate to the source code later when you are attempting to find the root cause of a performance bottleneck. The second project, Adventure Builder Performance Tests, is the test project you will use to store your tests, datapools, schedules, and results. If you expand the project, you will see several folders used to organize your test assets. You can add, remove, and customize folders as you like. There isn't much to examine in this project yet. You will look more closely at it once you have recorded a test.Figure 1. A Performance Tester workspace viewed in the Test Navigator Section 3. Record a test scenario Performance tests are most often created by recording your manual interactions with the system under test. In this section of the tutorial, you will use the automated HTTP recorder to capture the scenario of interacting with the Adventure Builder sample application to construct a vacation package and purchase it. The Adventure Builder application is already running in the online trial environment. All you need to do is connect to it through a Web browser while the recorder is engaged.Browser support Although you are using Internet Explorer in this tutorial, Performance Tester can work with any Web browser that supports SOCKS proxies. Performance Tester can automatically launch Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and Firefox. Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 5 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks Animated demo Would you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me Show Start the recorder 1. Start the recorder by clicking Create a Test from Recording on the toolbar . This opens the Create New Test From Recording window.Figure 2. The Create New Test From Recording window 2. Select H TTP Recording and click Next. Rational Performance Tester Page 6 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® 3. 4. On the next page of the wizard, select Adventure Builder Performance Tests > Tests as the location to create the file. Enter PurchaseIslandAdventure as the test-file name and click Finish. Figure 3. The Create New Test From Recording window, page 2 5. The recorder is engaged and Internet Explorer is launched to the â€Å"Welcome to Performance Testing† page.Clear the cache of temporary files by selecting Internet Explorer Tools > Internet Options †¦. Under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete Cookies and confirm. Then click Delete Files. Check Delete all offline content and click OK to confirm. Click OK to dismiss the Internet Options window. 6. Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 7 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWor ks 7. Launch the Adventure Builder application by clicking the Adventure Builder button in the Internet Explorer Links toolbar. Figure 4. Launch the Adventure Builder applicationNavigate the application Animated demo Would you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me Show Now that the recorder is engaged, you will navigate the application just as you normally would. 1. In the left navigation area of the page, click Island Adventures. Figure 5. Island Adventures link 2. Here you see an expanded list of island adventure trips. From the submenu on the Available Adventure Packages page, click Maui Survival Adventure. Figure 6. Maui Survival Adventure link Rational Performance Tester Page 8 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks eveloperWorks ® 3. This page shows you the options available for the package you have chosen. Click Select Package on the right side of the Adventure Package Details page. You are taken to the Packa ge Options page. Here you can personalize your vacation package by changing the number of people, start date, number of days, etc. For now, just accept the defaults by clicking Set Package Options. On the Adventure Package Details page, click I Will Provide My Own Transportation. On the Adventure Package page, click Checkout. Let's keep it simple for now: on the Sign On page, click Sign In as a returning customer.On the Enter Order Details page, scroll to the bottom and click Submit. After a moment, you will be taken to the Checkout page. Here you should see your order ID. Figure 7. The Order ID link on the Checkout page 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 9 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks Note that your order ID will be unique and will not be exactly as shown here. Wait for several seconds after the checkout page loads, then check on the status of your order by clicking on the Order ID l ink. 10.Once the Order Tracking Results page loads, close the browser. This will cause Performance Tester to begin generating the test based on the traffic it has captured. Section 4. Review and customize the test Performance Tester generates a test based on the HTTP traffic it captured during the recording. The test is much more than a simple HTTP trace log, however. Behind the scenes, Performance Tester does a lot of processing to create a test that is robust, extensible, and easy to maintain. In this section, you will examine the generated test in greater detail and customize it to use unique data.Examine the test Animated demo Would you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me Show The test is represented in a tree format in the left portion of the Test Editor view. Each top-level node in the tree represents a Web page visited during your recording session. The name of the node is based on the name of the Web page. Figure 8. The Test Contents tree view Rational Performan ce Tester Page 10 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® 1. Expand the Welcome to the Adventure Builder Reference application node.Here is where the advanced performance test engineer can see all the details of the transactions behind the page. The first element is highlighted in blue to indicate that it is the primary request — the request for the page HTML contents. Figure 9. The expanded page in the Test Contents tree view 2. Click on the Protocol Data view in the bottom portion of the window, then Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 11 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks click on the primary request highlighted in blue in the tree.The details of the request and its corresponding response are shown in the Request, Response Headers, and Response Content tabs of the Protocol Data view. The Browser tab even renders the contents of the selected element. Figure 10. The Browser tab in the Protocol Data view 3. Detailed information about the selected element is also presented in the right-hand portion of the Test Editor view. You can edit this data if you need to change the host, URL, request header values, or any other field. Automatic data correlation Animated demo Would you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me ShowWeb applications tend to be highly dynamic. For example, in the scenario you recorded you placed an order for a vacation package and were given a unique order ID. You then used that order ID to check the status of your purchase. When you play-back this test, it will place another order and you will be given a different order ID. You would want Performance Tester to check the status of that new order ID, not the one you previously recorded. For that reason, Performance Tester performs automatic data correlation. That is, it looks at data parameters sent to the server and matches them up w ith prior response data from the server.Accessing the correlated data is easy. Rational Performance Tester Page 12 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® 1. Highlight the Order Tracking Results node in the Test Contents area of the Performance Test view. Now right-click inside the Test Data area to the right and select Show References. Notice that the orderId field is being substituted with data from a prior response. Figure 11. Show References for data correlation 2. Double-click orderId. This takes you to the URL of the actual request for that page.Figure 12. Correlated data in the URL of a request 3. Right-click the highlighted string and select Go To. This takes you directly to the orderId value in the response text of the Checkout request. During test playback, Performance Tester will substitute the orderId value it receives in this response for the orderId in the request for order tracking. Figure 13. Co rrelated data in the prior response Granted, you now know far more than you probably wanted to know about data correlation; but that is the beauty of Performance Tester: it does all this for youRational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 13 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks without any hand coding or other effort on your part. Randomize the data Animated demo Would you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me Show In performance testing it is essential to be able to randomize the data being sent to the server. Modern Web applications have many layers of caching. If you were to emulate a thousand users using the application doing exactly the same thing, you would not observe typical performance behavior.Once the first emulated user performed the transaction, all the subsequent users would be drawing information from the cache. For this reason, performance test engineers often spend much of their time configur ing tests to pull random data from a â€Å"datapool† so that each emulated user uses unique information. Performance Tester automatically identifies likely candidates for datapool access and makes it possible to associate these fields with data sources you provide. 1. Select the Enter Adventure Package Details page node in the test contents. Notice in the Test Data area the start_month, start_year, and start_day parameters.These were the default values in the Options page, which were subsequently transmitted back to the server when the Set Package Options button was clicked. Figure 14. Datapool candidates 2. 3. 4. Set up a datapool to randomize the values used by your virtual users when you play-back this test. Select start_month in the Test Data area. Click Substitute From below the Test Data area. Select Datapool Value†¦. Figure 15. Substitute start_month from the datapool variable Rational Performance Tester Page 14 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks eveloperWorks ® 5. 6. 7. Click Add Datapool on the â€Å"Select datapool† column window. You will add an association to an existing datapool to this test. Select the existing VacationStartDates datapool and click Select. Back in the â€Å"Select datapool† column window, select start_month and click Use Column. Note that the â€Å"Substituted with† column next to the start_month variable now has a reference to the datapool column. Select start_year in the Test Data area. Repeat the process. This time you will not need to add the datapool reference; just select start_year and click Use Column.Repeat the above procedure for start_day. The three variable rows should be highlighted in green to indicate they are being substituted from the datapool and should show references in the â€Å"Substituted with† column. Figure 16. Variables substituted with datapool variables 8. 9. 10. Press Ctrl-S to save the test when finis hed. Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 15 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks Section 5. Schedule a workload One of the keys to a successful performance test is the ability to accurately model the anticipated system workload.Software systems typically have various types of users that perform varied tasks. Performance Tester provides a graphical interface to enable you to model your user activities. Create a schedule Animated demo Would you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me Show 1. Expand the Schedules folder and double-click the AdventureBuilderLoadTest schedule to open it in the Schedule Editor view. This is a schedule that has been partially completed for you. Figure 17. AdventureBuilderLoadTest schedule in Test Navigator view 2. Two user groups have already been defined in this schedule.As you can see from the annotations on the Schedule Contents, browsers represent 20 percent of your emula ted users while buyers represent 80 percent. Figure 18. Schedule Contents shows defined user groups Rational Performance Tester Page 16 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® 3. Expand the Browsers user group and all contained elements in the Schedule Contents. Figure 19. Details of the Browsers user group Performance Tester offers many advanced constructs to help you test the impact of a realistic load on your system.The hierarchy under the Browsers user group can be interpreted as follows: Each browser will peruse three adventure packages. Browsers will randomly choose to look at either mountain adventures or western adventures but are twice as likely to look at mountain adventures. The action of browsing the adventure category is emulated by tests that were recorded in much the same way you recorded your test. After looking at each category, a browser will wait 1000 milliseconds before browsing another cate gory. 4. The Buyers group has not been completed.Use the test you recorded earlier as an implementation for the Buyers test. Click the Buyers user group. Click Add ; Test and select PurchaseIslandAdventure from the Select Performance Tests window. Save the AdventureBuilderLoadTest schedule. 5. Section 6. Run an automated performance test Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 17 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks In this section you will learn how to execute your test against the Adventure Builder application and monitor the results. Launch the test Animated demoWould you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me Show 1. Select the topmost node in the Schedule Contents — that is, the AdventureBuilderLoadTest node. A number of execution options are available in the tabs on the right-hand portion of the Performance Schedule Editor view. You can specify the number of users you want to emulate in the N umber of users field on the General tab. Since the user groups in this schedule have been defined in terms of percentages, Performance Tester will do all the adjustments for you each time you change the size of your schedule. Leave the Number of users set to 5.The online trial environment is configured for a maximum of five emulated users and attempting to run with more users will result in a license error. Click Run on the toolbar. This launches your performance test. Figure 20. Run button on the toolbar 2. Monitor the test Animated demo Would you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me Show While your test is running, you can monitor its progress in near real-time. The Overall tab of the Performance Report view will show you test progress in the bar across the top. The bar graph will show the status code success rate for pages and elements.Both should show 100%. While the test is running you can browse the various tabs on the report to see what is happening. 1. Select the Summary tab along the bottom of the report. Basic statistics about the test run, pages, and page elements are given here. Note that these statistics will continue to update until the run has completed. Rational Performance Tester Page 18 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® 2. 3. Select the Page Performance tab. This tab presents a bar graph of the average page response time for the 10 pages with the highest times.Feel free to browse through the other report pages. The default information presented is relatively easy to read and gives you quick insights into the performance of Adventure Builder application. Note that the graph on the Resources tab will be blank: this is expected. When the test has finished (note the progress bar on the Overall tab), go back to the Page Performance tab. You should notice that the Checkout page is considerably slower than any of the other pages. 4. Section 7. Analyze the root cause At this point, you have successfully used Performance Tester to uncover a performance problem in your application.The next question you will ask yourself is, â€Å"What is causing the problem? † To get to the bottom of this question you will use Performance Tester's Root Cause Analysis facilities. In this section, you will re-run your test with additional data collection tools engaged. The additional information will help you determine if you are facing a hardware or software issue and drill down to the root cause of the performance bottleneck. Engage resource monitoring Animated demo Would you like to see these steps demonstrated for you? me Show 1. 2. 3. Double-click the AdventureBuilderLoadTest schedule in the Test Navigator view.Revisit some of the additional execution controls on the schedule: start by selecting the top node of the Schedule Contents again. Select the Resource Monitoring tab in the Schedule Element Details area. Resource monitoring enables Performa nce Tester to log any system parameter from Windows perfmon, Unix or Linux rstatd, or Tivoli Monitoring. Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 19 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks 4. 5. Check Enable resource monitoring. Click Add New†¦ to define a new server on which to monitor resources.Note that you may need to scroll down the right portion of the Performance Schedule view to see the button. In the Resource Monitoring window, enter localhost as the host name. Check Windows Performance Monitor. Note that in this trial environment, the Web server, application server, and Performance Tester system are all running on a single machine: localhost. This is, of course, not a realistic situation. In a true performance testing environment, you can define any machines that might be part of your application or test system. Select the Resources tab. After a few seconds, you can see the extensive list of counters ava ilable.To keep it simple, deselect all counters except Memory > Pages/sec and Processor > % Processor Time. Click OK to close the Resource Monitoring window. 6. 7. 8. Engage Response Time Breakdown 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Select the Response Time Breakdown tab in the Schedule Element Details area of the Performance Schedule. Check Enable collection of response time data. This enables Performance Tester's response-time data collection infrastructure. Since you know the only test that actually visits the Checkout page is PurchaseIslandAdventure, select only that test. In the Options area, set the Detail level to High.Save the schedule by pressing Ctrl-S. Click the Run button on the toolbar again. Performance Tester launches the test just as before, but this time with resource monitoring and response-time breakdown collection engaged. Examine resource-utilization data 1. While the performance schedule is executing, select the Resources tab Rational Performance Tester Page 20 of 26  © Copyr ight IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® on the Performance Report. This time, you'll see data for the resources you chose to collect in the schedule. Figure 21. The Resources tab on the Performance Report . The data you see here, although accurate, is not really representative of a typical load test. In this trial environment, the Performance Tester load generation, Web server, application server, and database server are all running on a single machine. You would normally track resources on each tier of your application. In addition, the load test you just ran was of very short duration. Normally, performance tests will be significantly longer, allowing the systems to reach a steady state. Nonetheless, the trial system gives you a sense of how easy it is to track resource utilization during a performance test.If you have a concern, you can now go to the Response vs. Time Detail tab, right-click on the graph, and click Add/Remo ve Performance Counters to overlay resource counters onto page response data. This helps you visually correlate any spikes in resource utilization with page activity. Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 21 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks 3. Since it doesn't appear that the performance issue with Adventure Builder is hardware related, use the response-time breakdown data to find out if it is software related.Examine the response-time breakdown data 1. 2. Select the Page Performance tab of the Performance Report. Drill down into what went on behind the scenes for the Checkout page. Right-click on the bar in the graph for the Checkout page and choose Display Response Time Breakdown Statistics†¦. Select the /ab/checkout. do URL from the Selection Wizard and click Finish. The Response Time Breakdown Statistics view lists methods called on the server tiers of the Adventure Builder application. There are var ious ways to examine this information.Switch to the Tree Layout view using the Layout button in the upper-right corner of the view. Figure 22. The Tree Layout view 3. 4. Now sort by descending cumulative time by clicking twice on the Cumulative Time column header. Find the root cause of the problem The top node labeled rationaltd represents the machine. In this trial, all system-under-test and test-harness components are running on a single machine. In a real-world test, you would likely see multiple machines listed. The second-level node labeled J2EE/WebSphere†¦ is the WebSphere application server component.From the information here, you can quickly see that the J2EE facet type consuming the most cumulative time is the Servlet. 1. Expand the Servlet node and the com. sun. j2ee. blueprints. waf. controller. web package, and the Rational Performance Tester Page 22 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® Mai nServlet class nodes. This tells you that the four invocations of the doPost method in the MainServlet class consumed 42. 113 seconds. Note that your actual values will probably differ. Figure 23.Response time of the doPost method of MainServlet 2. Right-click the doPost method and choose Open Source. Well, what do you know — you have located the source of your performance problem! Figure 24. A sleep statement in the source code Section 8. Summary This tutorial has introduced you to IBM Rational Performance Tester. In a very short time you were able to construct a test suite by recording a performance test for a Web application, customizing the test to randomize data upon playback, and using that test as part of a realistic performance test schedule.You executed that schedule on a small scale and used the near real-time reports to identify a slow page. Once you had identified the page, you gathered resource utilization data and response-time breakdown statistics, which you th en used to investigate possible hardware and software causes. You then drilled down to the specific source code method causing the problem. Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 23 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorksWhile you may have learned a lot in this tutorial, you have only scratched the surface of what Performance Tester can do. As you continue to explore Performance Tester you will discover many more features to assist you in testing the performance of your applications and releasing them with confidence. See Resources to learn more about Performance Tester and other IBM software products covered in the Hello World tutorial series. Rational Performance Tester Page 24 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. ibm. com/developerWorks developerWorks ® ResourcesLearn †¢ The Hello World: Rational Performance Tester (for downloadable trial code) is another version of this tut orial that is written for people who would prefer to set up their own environment, rather than use the online trial of Rational Performance Tester. †¢ The Hello World series of hands-on tutorials introduces IBM software products that play a critical role in implementing an SOA foundation in your enterprise. †¢ See the Rational Performance Tester product page for technical documentation, how-to articles, education, downloads, and product information about Rational Performance Tester. â€Å"Using IBM Rational Performance Tester to find bottlenecks† (David M. Chadwick, developerWorks, September 2006) presents a real-world case study in using Rational Performance Tester. †¢ IBM Rational performance testing solutions provide scalability and load testing for J2EE, Web-based, Siebel, Citrix, and SAP applications. †¢ Learn more about the IBM Rational Software Delivery Platform — a complete set of tools to build, integrate, modernize, extend, and deploy soft ware and software-based systems. †¢ Learn more about the Eclipse development environment.Get products and technologies †¢ Download a free trial version of Rational Performance Tester. †¢ Build your next development project with IBM trial software, available for download directly from developerWorks. Discuss †¢ Participate in the discussion forum for this content. About the author Dennis Schultz Dennis Schultz joined Rational in 1995 as a technical sales engineer. For eight years, he worked closely with numerous clients, implementing Rational solutions in their projects. Dennis helped deploy solutions for software configuration management, change management, requirements management, and test management and implementation.Since 2003, Dennis has been a Technical Marketing Engineer for Rational Performance Tester  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved. Page 25 of 26 developerWorks ® ibm. com/developerWorks IBM Rational software. Dennis holds a B. S. in computer engineering from Iowa State University. He is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and fills his non-work time with his four children. Rational Performance Tester Page 26 of 26  © Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.