Iraq war Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Iraq war - Research Paper Example For a long time the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a Cold War (1946-1991) as they manifested their rivalry as superpowers economically, politically, militarily. The reasons it was termed as â€Å"Cold War† is because there was nothing like direct military engagement between the two superpowers. The Cold War included continuous bloody proxy wars that were directed to the developing countries of the Global South by the superpowers. The wildly recognized war of Cold War included - the Soviet-Afghan War 1979-1989, here the U.S. forces majorly concentrated â€Å"in the ground† while Soviet forces concentrated â€Å"on the ground.† In the American-Vietnam War 1959-1975, here while the Soviet forces were engaged â€Å"in the background,† the U.S. forces were engaged â€Å"on the ground.† However, in Afghanistan and Vietnam, both the United States and Soviet forces were defeated. Negative effects such as economic hardship, political turm oil, human devastation as well as ideological argument became the subject of discussion within the developing countries of the Global South contrary to the peaceful atmosphere that existed within the countries of the Global North. Like, the aftermath of the American-Vietnam war left 3 to 4 million Vietnamese dead and the same to 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians and Laos as well as many more million of them rendered homeless turning to be refugees, while only 58,000 U.S. soldiers were killed and 300000 were left with wounds. A number approximated to be 700,000 and 1.3 million Afghans were killed in the Soviet-Afghan War and left 4.5 million of them in refugee camps mainly in Iran and Pakistan while only 15,000 Soviet troops were left dead and 37,000 got wounds. Among the strategic goals of Israel when the Cold War was at its peak was to influence the Western powers into forcing the Soviet Union to allow Soviet

Management Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Journal - Essay Example The big question will be how to allocate the available time, say twelve hours and the activities of the day. Theoretically, management can be a cheap course but it is more interesting in a real life situation as the application of the effective concepts of management to actual personal and societal needs and wants (Mejia & Cardy, 2008). We shall analyze management in real life and how proper management or mismanagement is a cost to both the individual and society at large. Management and Planning Our day to day lives involves a lot of activities from waking up, preparing breakfast, going to work, attending social functions etc. Considering the limitation of time in a day, that is, twenty four hours a day and you subtract the medically recommended resting hours, we are left with sixteen hours. The big puzzle is how to attend to all these functions and activities still maximizing their benefits and these calls for planning. This would involve listing down the activities of the day in t heir order of priority and try to allocate appropriate time and resources so as to achieve the desired objective. In real life situation, we will find that during the week some activities will not be of great importance on weekdays and can be scheduled for the weekends. Planning will be of a paramount goal so as rule in the objectivity of an activity and its corresponding returns to you as a person and to the society. Management and Organization After planning your activities and the functions of the day or week, how do you organize them for smooth transfer? As discussed above planning will curtail the order of priority of activities of the day. Organizing these activities is of the paramount importance so as save time and foresee the accomplishment of each one of them. For instance, if on a given day you are supposed to report to work, take your child to the school and visit your bank or financial broker, then you can organize these activities in relation to the length of time allo cated to each activity and the convenience involved. It will be prudent if you first report to work, and then finish our morning duties at work, take the child to the school and finally you can visit the broker in the evening or afternoon. At this juncture, reporting to work and taking the child to school will require the opportunity cost involved such that if the kid is supposed to be in school in the morning, then you can opt to be late to work for a few minutes but first take the child to school. Management and Control In real life situations we are faced with activities which tend to pull us away from the expected or targeted objective. These are short term positive and luring incidences which are too sweet to ignore but they carry a substantial drag of our objectives. For instance, you have a long term goal of saving one million dollars to finance the purchase of a house. After evaluating all of your income sources, factoring out the basic necessities and outsourcing the extra funds, your final plans shows a period of five months to achieve the objective. During this time period, unnecessary opportunities may arise which may require you to withdraw some of the saved income or at the same time divert the monthly saving to cater for â€Å"short- term† that opportunity which in most case they do not bring forth returns so you end up making losses in the venture. Effective management and a solid ground, will allow you to control your spending so as to achieve the intended goal. Management and

The Media (Books, Film, Music, Television, for Example Essay Example for Free

The Media (Books, Film, Music, Television, for Example Essay If to create value means to create totally new value that never exist in its current society, media is impossible to create value. Media is always derived from our society, so it always reflects and display the value already exist in our society. But, some profound works will not Just simply reflect value, but extract values from our society, strengthen it and then can affect the value of our society, which will make people consider this works create value. One innate reason that make media always reflect the value of current society is, their authors come from the current society, who are already deeply affected by the alue around them. One example is what people like and feel in different times reflect in the music. 100 years ago, when more people live in the countries, life is more peaceful, and people more like quiet and simple life, country music are popular. At time that, the lyric of the country music reflect the peaceful and simple life people enjoy. But nowadays, in our modern life, more and more people live in modern city, crowded, noisy and stressful, which make people more easily feel angry and yearn for release. So todays pop music, reflecting our modern life, are more dynamic and quick, and most of them more noisy. Some lyric of the pop music will describe a people crying for his/her dissatisfaction and pressure from the society. Another good example that media reflect value of society is how people in different areas treat sex that affects their media. In some religious countries, people consider sex as a taboo. People tend to not talk about it in public. So it is not easy to see authors describe sex explicitly in their works, no mention that public media will advertize this topic. But in western countries, sex for their people, is Just a common and regular need in their value, so it is common to see that the medias come from estern countries will even describe sex. Simply to say, books, music and all kinds of different works and value always reflect the value of the current society in their time and area. If value totally never exist in the society, new value in media cannot be created or spread there. Although all works reflect the value of the current society, the profound works would extract and highlight the value, and apply it to affect the society where it comes from. For example, in renaissance times, lots of philosophers, thinkers and sociologists created works to diffuse their value, like people are all equal, people have the right ince their birth. This value has long and deep effect on the public people that incited people to stand up and resist the privileged class. But these great philosophers, thinkers and sociologists can put this value into their works and spread it because this value nas already existed in the society But this value is not so strong and well-known, what this works do is to strengthen and deepen it into the society. In sum, all media come from society so reflect the value where they are derived. But in some degree, some profound works can strengthen the value and affect the society.

Importance of Quality and Quality Management

Importance of Quality and Quality Management NEED OF QUALITY In todays competitive world producing world class products. In order to survive in the competitive world market producing different product with best techniques, it is important for the firms to take extra mileage to the quality of product and service they provide. In the recent world consumer are aware of the products and service provided by the other firms. Also today there are government empahasis on the quality issues of the products. So firms give extra emphasis on quality and productivity. Total quality management is an attempt in this direction. In other words it is an effort to take the advantage of competitive market by focusing on the organisational operations which is important for the customers, by providing customers best product and services using new manufacturing techniques. Definition of quality The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs Quality is the extent to which products and services satisfy the requirement of internal and external customers So the Quality Management is the leadership, infrastructure and the resources that support employees as they meet the needs of those customers. A quality product or service is one that satisfies the customer. Usually there are two types of products quality 1) Quality of design Quality of design measure the functionality of a product or services. It is the decision of designer to include or exclude certain production features. The customer really measures quality through appearance, operation and reliability. 2) Quality of performance Quality of performance measures how products and services match the intent of the design. This characteristic traditionally has been the focus of a quality management program. In this regard, quality refers to doing it right at first time. APPROACHES TO QUALITY There are 2 approaches to quality TRADITIONAL APPROACH Traditional approach to quality uses an acceptable quality level that permits a certain level of defects to a product produced and sold. The AQL is where level of defects are allowed to minimize the total quality cost. Traditional approach believes that the defects will payoff the failure cost and prevention and appraising costs. As prevention and appraisal cost increase, the internal and external cost are expected to decrease. As long the failure cost are greater than the corresponding increase in prevention and appraisal cost it is acceptable. THE MODERN APPROACH Modern approach is to GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME. It believes in total quality control and view the optimal quality cost with Zero defects are produce. For firms operating in the advanced manufacturing environment quality is a critical dimension. Quality cost can be managed differently then implied by the traditional AQL model. Defects can be reduced below the AQL level and quality cost can be reduced simultaneously THE COST OF QUALITY Market shares of many firms have eroded because of the firms using high quality products have been able to sell mare than the products of lower price. In order to compete in the market, firms have placed quality prior to the price. Firms have placed emphasis on quality and productivity in order to Produce saving such as reducing rework cost and Improve product quality. Cost of quality is the cost due to poor quality which exist in the product. Quality cost are the cost incurred by investing in the prevention of non-conformance to requirement appraising a product or service for conformance to requirement Failing to meet requirement. Cost of quality are classified into three categories Prevention cost Prevention costs are those cost incurred to prevent defects. Amount spent on the quality training program, research to determine the customer requirement and improve production equipment are the prevention cost. Appraisal cost Appraisal cost are the cost associated with measuring, evaluating and auditing product or services to assure conformance to quality standards and performance requirement. These cost includes the cost of inspection of product purchase in process or in final or service audits ie the costs associate with products supplies and materials Failure cost Failure cost are cost resulting from products or services not fulfilling the requirements of the users need. Failure costs can be either internal or external. Internal costs are the cost occurring prior to delivery of products or furnishing the services. Example cost of scrape, rework, reinspection, retesting, material review and down grading. External costs are the cost occurring after the delivery of product or during furnish services to the customer. Example processing customer complains, returns, warranty claims and product reclaim. Total quality management total Quality Management is a global customer orientated management philosophy, which encompasses all actions, values and beliefs of an organisation which aims to continuously improves and maintain quality standards. It is a systematic approach to education, management and operation designed to focus and co-ordinate the efforts of all employees in an organisation. TQM is supported by two key beliefs: that quality is what the customers say it is and that must be thoroughly integrated into the fabric of the organisation including its basic strategies, culture and management systems. It is an essential pursuit for total quality. It is zero defect approach. It emphasises the top level of quality where zero defective goods are produced. This approach opposes the traditional belief of acceptable quality level which accepts to produce and sell predetermined defective units. This approach allows some defects in order to minimize the total quality cost. Studies indicate that cost of poor quality is 20%for the manufacturing and 30% service industries of the gross sale. Quality expert maintain that the optimal quality level should be about 2.5% of sales. The accounting dept is the major force in the firm that keep track of and report on quality PRINCIPLES OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT Making the product right first time is the main objective of total quality management. Successful implementation of TQM program will reduce cost than increasing it. It is obvious that better quality will increase productivity. This principal is based on the principle that when less time is spent on repairs and rework and more time is given on manufacturing will increase productivity. When an organisation keep the accurate records of cost of quality tqm will demonstrate that effective total quality measure cost will payoff the cost of repair and rework. Elimination of high reject rate results in fewer repairs, rework or scraps resulting in reduction in cost. Comparing the cost of quality with tqm is necessary for the management who are cost conscious in both industry and government. Management will measure the success of tqm on the basis of cost data. Successful implementation of tqm can eliminate the following costs Rework or repairs Inspection of rework Testing of rework Warranty cost Returned materials Discounts adjustment and allowances The cost of prevention in tqm is far lower than the above failure costs. FEATURES OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT A systematic way to improve the product and services A structured approach in identifying and solving problem A long term method of quality control A process support by managements action A process that is supported by statistical quality control A technique practice by everyone. ELEMENTS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT A focus on the customers:- Any functional unit has customers whether they are external customer or internal units. tqm advocates that the managers and employee are so customer focus that they always try to meet or exceed customers expectations. The management must accept concept that quality gets customer orders and meet the customers needs and expectations which is the stretagic goal of tqm Long term commitments: Experience shows that significant gains come only after management makes long time commitment to improve quality. Customer focus must be constantly renewed to keep that goal foremost. Top management support and direction: The top management must be driving force behind tqm. Senior manager must show their personal support by using the quality improvement concept in their management style and providing financial and staff support. Employee involvement Full employee participation is the integral part of this process. Every employee must participate in achieving this goal. It involves managers, supervisors and employees in improving service delivery, solving systematic problems and correcting errors in the all the parts of production process. Effective and Renewed Communications. The power of internal communication is central to employee involvement. Regular communication must be made at all levels in order to adjust its way of involvement and reinforce the commitment to total quality management. Reliance on standards and Measures Standard and measures should reflect customers requirement and changes that needs to be introduced in the internal business of providing this requirement. This emphasis doing the right thing right the first time. Commitment to Training Training is very important for the success of total quality management. This should start for the top level management to all associated with this task. Areas required for concentration must be identified. Required trainings skills and courses need to be provided to the person involved in. Modern approach to quality are associated with a number of GURUS. The modern approach to quality is reflected in the following quality gurus. The modern era of quality was herald by the following gurus. W. EDWARDS DEMING W. Edwards Deming, also known as father of quality control in 1951. He was an American statistician, professor, author, lecturer and consultant. He is well known for improving quality production in America though he was recognised for his work more in Japan. After World War II he travelled to Japan at the request of Japanese government to assist its industries in improving productivity and quality. He taught that by adopting appropriate principles of management, organization can increase quality and reduce cost at the same time. His basic premise was that high quality is equal to lower cost. If you get it right first time then there are minimum prevention, detection remaking cost. His philosophy is summarised in his 14 key principles. Create a culture of constancy of purpose towards improving of product and services. ie replace short reaction with long term planning. Adopt the new philosophy. ie the implication is that management should adopt the philosophy instead of expecting the workforce to do so. Cease dependence on inspection if variation is reduced there is no need of inspection of item for defects. Reduced number of suppliers to a manageable quality. Award supply contracts on the basis of conformance than low cost. Also specify the quality expectation from them. Set up programs for continuous improvement of costs, designs, processes, products, culture, etc Institute continuous training programs to maximise the contribution of each employee. If employee are inadequately trained there will be no uniformity in the work process leading to variations. Establish leadership. It means focus supervision on helping employees. Encouraging them to do a better job and take pribe in their work. Eliminate fear from the work place by encouraging communication. Fear may prevent them acting to best for the organisation. Break down barrier between departments by encouraging team work. Eliminate slogans- Another central idea of TQM is it is not people who make the mistake it is the process they are involved in. Harassing the workforce without improving the process will have a reverse effect. Eradicate management by targets. The numerical target may also lead to production and delivery of poor quality goods. Remove barriers to pride of workmanship. Institute education and self improvement of training in new and appropriate technologies Defining clearly the transformation is everyones job. Though some of the principles were challenged they remain vital for the concept of quality management. PHILIP B. CROSBY PHILIP B. CROSBY contributed to the concept of quality in 1979. He is widely recognised for promoting the concept of Zero defects and for defining quality as conformance to requirement. He initiate the Zero Defect program at the Martine Company Orlando, Florida Plant. As quality control manager the perishing missile program, he was credited for 25% reduction of cost and 30% reduction in scrap cost. He stated that the management must include cost of quality as part of financial system. Crosby defines quality as conformance to requirement. He stated that what cost money are the unquality thing. Quality is free when organisation emphasis on prevention of mistakes than to detection. Mistakes are caused either because of lack of knowledge or lack of attention. The first can be identified and corrected while the second is the attitude which can be changed by the individual. To achieve this Crosby listed the 14 steps to quality improvement. It must be made clear that management are committed to quality. Quality improvement team of senior management must be formed. Evaluate the process to measure quality to find out where the potential or current problem to quality lies. Evaluate the cost of quality to explain as a tool for management. Create awareness among employees the personal concerns for the quality. Appropriate action must be taken to correct the problems identified in the process of quality. Process of improvement must be monitored constantly and must make sure zero defect quality process is carried out. Trained supervisors must actively carry out their part in quality improvement. Hold the Zero defect day to reaffirm management commitment. Individual must be encouraged to set improvement goals for themselves and for their groups. Employee must be encouraged to put for the obstacle in their way to quality improvement. Appreciate the performance of the employee for their participation. Quality councils must be established to communicate at regular basis The process of quality improvement must be reviewed so that it continues and do not stops. ARMAND V. FEIGENBAUM THE PROPONENT OF TOTAL QUALITY CONTROL. ARMAND V. FEIGENBAUM proposed the theory of total quality control. He believed that high quality could be achieved only through organizational support. He also asserted that the quality must be priority and not afterthought. He emphasised on the administrative viewpoint and considered human issue as a basic issue to quality control. He stress that quality do not mean the best but best for the customers use and selling price. Quality control represents a management tool with 4 steps. Setting quality standards. Appraising conformance to thsee standards Acting when standards are exceeded Planning for improvement in the standards According to him quality must encompass all the phases of in manufacturing the product which includes design, manufacturing, quality check, sales, after sales services and customer satisfaction. He also put forward the way to control the above phases. Feigenbaums idea of modern quality concept was more management based. He recommended that Increase operators efficiency to enhance overall quality. Prospecting to increase quality awareness in the organisation. Involving all the employee in the quality enhancement process. He also believed that quality must not be regarded as cost reduction tool but must be taken as an administrative effort to provide channel for knowledge integration and communication and encourage employee to participate in quality initiative. His concept is reffered to as quality at source and mean that every worker manager and authorities are responsible for performing their work with perfect quality. In TQC quality is more important than production rate so the worker must be given authority to stop production where quality problem arises. KAORU ISHIKAWA KAORU ISHIKAWA wanted to change the way people think about the work. He insisted that quality is not just improving product quality but also can go further. His notion of quality control called for continuous customer service. According to him quality improvement is a continuous process and can always go one step ahead. The head of the fish is the outcome desired, or effect. Contributing factors leading to this or causes are listed as boxes at the end of ribs. Each rib can then be broken down further into the specific factors. Once a diagram has been completed then it can be used to select areas to be tackled and their priority order, and how they can be managed. Generating a complete diagram aids the consideration of an overall development strategy. With his cause and effect diagram also called fish bone diagram management were able to make significant and specific advancement to their quality improvement. With the help of his diagram the users can find out all possible cause of the result and find the root of process imperfection. By pinpointing the root problem this diagram provide improvement from the very base of the problem. His philosophy of total quality management can be summerised as follow Product quality is improved and becomes uniform. Defects are reduced. Reliability of goods is improved. Cost is reduced. Quantity of production is increased, and it becomes possible to make rational production schedules. Wasteful work and rework are reduced. Technique is established and improved. Expenses for inspection and testing are reduced. Contracts between vendor and vendee are rationalised. The sales market is enlarged. Better relationships are established between departments. False data and reports are reduced. Discussions are carried out more freely and democratically. Meetings are operated more smoothly. Repairs and installation of equipment and facilities are done more rationally. Human relations are improved. JOSEPH M. JURAN DR.JOSEPH M,JURAN developed the quality trilogy.- quality planning , quality control and quality improvement. Good quality management requires quality actions to be planned , improved and controlled. Juran believed that quality is dependent on the customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. His ten steps to quality are Create awareness for the need improvement. Goals must be set for improvement Ways to reach the Goals Facilitate training Carry out project to solve problem Progress must be reported Efforts must be recognised. Results must be communicated Achieved results must be maintained Maintain momentum His concept of quality did not just concentrated on the end of customer but also on internal and external customers.

Racial and Ethnic Identity Essay -- How it Feels to be Colored Me 2014

The African, Mexican, and Native persons have all interacted with the Dominant American culture in some magnitude; consequently altering each different group’s racial and ethnic Identity. Throughout the semester, I have discovered that in much literature writers had an ideal perspective on their own identity as well as the identity that the dominant culture influenced them to have. While doing some research I wanted to see what would be a transitional time frame for a person to be un-conditioned of many negative symbolic meanings in regard to minorities and immigrants. My research has shown that there was a hierarchical scheme where an individual can monitor his/her identity progression from one level to the next. This â€Å"Developmental Model of Ethnic and Racial Identity† was created during the black consciousness movement. It involves discovering true ethnic Identity and racial identity. Ethnic identity is defined as defining oneself the personal and social meaning of belonging to one particular ethnic group (Cushner, McClelland and Safford). Racial identity is similar in theory, but only differs in physical appearance. This model describes the five stage process of moving from a low racial consciousness, through a period of active examination of what it means to be black, [Mexican, or Native] and internalize a positive identity (Cushner, McClelland and Safford). These five stages are pre-encounter, encounter, immersion-emersion, immersion, and internalization. This model was then applies to all minority and immigrant groups in the country. The first stage of pre-encounter, people have self-hatred about their culture and self. They believe in most stereotypes that are shown through the ... ...ed by the writers of all of these poems and novels, and it represents the struggle of many people who have assimilated to the dominant culture or who are trying. I will continue to study this concept and extend my research even further to understand the entire minority and immigrant experience. Works Cited Anaya, Rudolfo. BLESS ME ULTIMA. New York, Boston: Grand Central Publishing, 1994. Print. Cushner, Kenneth, Averil McClelland and Philip Safford. Human Diversity in Education. 7th. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. Print. Hughes, Langston. Literature 4332: American Minority Literature. n.d. Web. 3 May 2013. Hurston, Zora Neale. Literature 4332: American Minority Literature. n.d. Web. 4 May 2013. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: The Penguin Group, 1970. Print. Zitkala-Sa. Literature: 4332 American Minority Literature. n.d. Web. 5 May 2013.

Ignorance :: essays research papers

Let us commence a journey into the much travelled topic of Ignorance. I find my self constantly drawn back to the subject of Ignorance. While much has been written on its influence on contemporary living, there are just not enough blues songs written about Ignorance. Crossing many cultural barriers it still draws remarks such as 'I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole' and 'i'd rather eat wasps' from the over 50, who are yet to grow accustomed to its disombobulating nature. Relax, sit back and gasp as I display the rich tapestries of Ignorance. Social Factors While some scholars have claimed that there is no such thing as society, this is rubbish. When Sir Bernard Chivilary said 'hounds will feast on society' [1] he saw clearly into the human heart. A society without Ignorance is like a society without knowledge, in that it is crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle. Recent thought on Ignorance has been a real eye-opener for society from young to old. It grows stonger every day. Economic Factors We no longer live in a world which barters 'I'll give you three cows for that hat, itï ¿ ½,s lovely.' Our existance is a generation which cries 'Hat - $20.' We will study the Simple-Many-Pies model of economics. Housing Prices It goes with out saying that housing prices cannot sustain this instability for long. Many analysts fear a subsequent depression. Political Factors Politics has in some areas been seen to embrace an increasing ananiathesis of intergovernmentalism leading to neo-functionalism. Looking at the spectrum represented by a single political party can be reminiscent of comparing chalk and cheese. In the words of that most brilliant mind Odysseus T. Time 'People in glass houses shouldn't through parties.' [2] I couldn't have put it better my self. When it comes to Ignorance this is clearly true. History tells us that Ignorance will always be a vote winner, whether we like it, or not.

Baby Bargains

According to Buckland’s journal Information as Thing, information is situational. As such, it must be useful to a user in a particular situation to be considered relevant. The book Baby Bargains is both useful and relevant to all first-time parents in preparation for the upcoming addition to their household by providing guidance on how and where to buy quality baby necessities at a reasonable cost. Baby Bargains was first published and made available to the public in 1994 and has experienced an extended shelf life due to its updated editions.This now well-known work entered the information lifecycle some 13 years earlier destined to be updated and adapted for years to come. Baby Bargains has metamorphasized and gone through multiple adaptations with a companion television talk show and the addition of a website and blog. The Baby Bargains concept is a prime example of the dissemination, retrieval and use of relevant information. To understand its progression through the inform ation lifecycle it is helpful to examine how it fills an end user’s need, the birth of the first edition and subsquent publishing history as well as its eventual transformation into a website.Need My initial encounter with Baby Bargains occurred during my pregnancy in July of 2005, when I was given the book by a friend. Since it was the first child for my husband and myself, we were excited but at the same time apprehensive over our lack of knowledge. There are literally millions of couples with the same need for knowledge, as evidenced by the extreme popularity of nonfiction books regarding pregnancy, childbirth and preparation for a new baby. Creation Denise and Alan Fields, who co-wrote Baby Bargains, were first time parents at one time, too.Inspired by the birth of their own sons Ben and Jack, the Fields launched a consumer crusade to find the best deals for new parents and ultimately published Baby Bargains. Baby Bargains is a well-researched, comprehensive resource for parents-to-be. The authors combined their own experience with extensive investigation and interviews with more than a thousand first-time parents across the country to compile the information presented in the book. It provides insights into which baby products are top rated and which are not recommended due to price and/or dearth of function.Baby Bargains is organized into chapters categorized by type of product. Each chapter contains a list of items necessary for the expectant parent with easy-to-read charts that allows users to compare these products in terms of price, quality, brand name, and durability. The charts include a summary and brief explanation of the content of an item in an compact, uncomplicated format that is clear and provides an easy way for users to visualize the comparisons. According to Robert Taylor’s â€Å"Value Added Model†, this book adds ACCESS 3 (subject summary) value by using charts.The chapters and their corresponding charts are quite com prehensive yet ergonomic for the average consumer. Publishing and dissemination Since the first edition of Baby Bargains was published in 1994, the popularity of the book garnered nearly instant notoriety for the Fields. The list of commercial marketing appearances the authors have enjoyed include features on Oprah, NBC’s Dateline, ABC’s 20/20, The Today Show as well as newspaper and magazine articles written about the couple and their book. Print editions of Baby Bargains now exceed 700,000 copies.In order to keep the information current, seven editions have been created with the addition of new products and updates on existing items. Revisions include current product values as well as reliability and validity results of the products tested. The authors strive to keep Baby Bargains as up-to-date as possible; about 30 – 40% of the content changes with each edition. These updates ensure the book remains current and a valuable resource to the end user. Retrieval a nd use According to Trent Hill’s lecture on Knowledge Organization, metadata refers to document attributes, document structure, and relations between documents.Several pieces of metadata are attached to the book and website of Baby Bargains. The metadata used to describe the book’s attributes include the title, authors (the Fields are well-known consumer writers), date, edition, description of illustrations, and call number. The website’s metadata is the web domain name (www. babybargains. com) and the fact that it is based on the Baby Bargains print edition. Modification and transformation In 1996, www. babybargains. com was formed to be a companion to, and include information from, the book.When viewed within the FRBR model, Baby Bargains encompasses a complex maze of works, expressions, manifestations, and items. Baby Bargains the book is a work and the companion website is an additional work; each has a unique theme and data. There is one example of an expre ssion of the book in its publication. The book has not been translated into other languages but each edition is published by Windsor Peak Press. There are seven manifestations of the book in the form of its prior updated editions, which are published roughly every two years.The Baby Bargains website consists of two overt expressions. One of these is the information that paralells the book and the other expression is the blog which provides current news on baby products including safety recalls and price changes. Bonus material and a message board for users’ interaction complete the comprehensive nature of the website. When each new edition of Baby Bargains is released, registered website users are encouraged to read the updated version of the book in order to obtain the latest information due to changes of content.This has worked well for the Fields as being an inexpensive yet effective method for informing users about updates and and changes to the print version. A blog link was also added to the website, giving the authors yet another forum for advertising new editions and updates in a timely manner. A message board on the site links users and provides a forum for asking questions and receiving answers, opening the lines of communication between parties with a shared interest. Collection Baby Bargains is a piece from the collections of both public and personal libraries.It is also available through the University of Washington library catalog system. The print book is not owned by the University library nor the summit libraries although it can be obtained through interlibrary loan. According to Matt Saxton’s lecture on â€Å"What is a Collection? †, a collection has certain information for certain audiences. Baby Bargains is not an ordinary part of an academic library’s collection since these institutions do not collect what is considered to be a consumer book. Searching for this workI obtained the work Baby Bargains very easily à ¢â‚¬â€œ through a friend of mine during my pregnancy. It is available in a large variety of bookstores and can be located without any searching effort or retrieval process. Editions of Baby Bargains starting with the 4th and continuing through the current edition are easily accessed through the public library catalog system where they can be directly compared side by side. The Baby Bargains website and blog comes up quickly and easily within the first two listings by using the online search engine Google. ClosingThis assignment caused me to think in fresh ways about how information is disseminated and updated. I feel I was challenged to examine the meaning and purpose of metadata in information systems, as well as the process by which information becomes a work, an expression, and a manifestation. The information lifecycle provides a valuable framework for understanding information such as that which is contained in Baby Bargains throughout its development and as a whole. It is part iculalry useful as a foundation upon which to build my study of library and information science.