Public Sector Productivity

Public Sector Productivity CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY Public sector productivity is important to the performance of a country. Thornhill (2006) identifies three main reasons why public sector productivity is crucial. First, the public sector is a major employer of labour. Second, the public sector is a major provider of services particularly business and social services. Third, the public sector is a consumer of tax resources. To him, changes in the public sector productivity may have significant implications on the economy. Public sector productivity involves efficiency and outputs as well as effectiveness and outcome (Pritchard 2003, Tolentino 2004). In Kalliola’s formulation (2003), at least two points illustrate the issues that make the whole question of public sector productivity a highly contentious one in many countries. One is whether or not citizens are being provided with what they need. The other question is on how the services concerned (public servants) make better use of the resources at their disposal. While factors such as aging population and increasing healthcare and pension costs add to budgeting pressure, citizens are demanding that governments should be made accountable for what they achieve with the taxpayers’ money (Curristine et.al: 2007). The issue of productivity and performance enhancement in the public sector is nothing new, scholars and practitioners have worked for decades to identify what makes governance productive and effective. Over the years while there have been a variety of studies concerning government worker motivation and productivity, few, if any, studies have focused specifically on state workers’ perceptions about what factors affects their productivity . With more than five (5) million workers employed by state governments, any improvement in state workplace productivity could have significant financial and service impact for society. Workforce productivity remains a primary element for success in most organizations, including those in government. Knowing what factors influence productivity is a prerequisite to improving performance and at the same time contain expenditure growth (Haenisch 2012). In fact, the use of the concept of productivity has been intermingled with the concept of performance (Jackson, 1999; Stainer and Stainer, 2000). Researchers have identified each concept in different ways. Productivity of the workers’ in the public sector is a function of many factors ranging from top management support, committed personnel at all levels, performance measurement system, employee training, reward structures, community involvement and feedback to correction of budget-management decisions. It is thus important to build up capacities for productivity improvement (Holzer and Seok-Hwan, 2004) Public sector workers have been viewed to be less productive because about 39% of them are not fully engaged in their jobs, about 54% of them are not satisfied with their jobs, while about 39% of them are somewhat or very likely to make a concerted effort to find a new job with another employer in the coming year. (Bond and Galinsky 2006). While some scholars have argued that the solutions to the challenges faced in the Nigerian public service is by decentralization of political power and the responsibilities of sub-national government, others argue that appropriate human resource management practices and increasing the scale of operations will improve efficiency among government workers. On the basis of this therefore, this study aims at investigating issues pertaining to maximum productivity in the public sector will be achieved. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM There is significant evidence that productivity advancement in government organizations has not kept pace with the increase found in the private sector (Haenisch: 2012), Nigeria today is regarded as one of the most corrupt nations in the world and to this effect, there have been several civil service reforms which each reform has adjusted or changed several things in the previous reform. The last civil service reform was the Obasanjo Civil Service Renewal Program, 1999-2001. One of the crucial challenges faced by the Obasanjo administration on assuming office on 29th May, 1999 was the issue of how to address the crisis in the public sector (Olaopa, 2008). Aspects of the crisis identified were inefficiency in the delivery of social services (Olaopa, 2008). Years after these reforms, there seem to be no improvement in the productiveness in the Nigerian public service. It is however crucial to note that these negative characteristics are still very much rampant in the present Nigerian public sector. These lapses have led to weakening of public institutions, distrust of government by citizens, collapse of infrastructures and a development of a sense of despair amongst the Nigerian peoples Moreover, there is significant evidence that productivity advancement in government organizations has not kept pace with the increase found in the private sector and a number of factors still limit the success of most attempts to measure or improve productivity (Killefer and Mendonca, 2006). It is imperative to find out those factors that still limit productivity of Nigeria’s public sector. 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS What is the relationship between workers’ productivity and public service effectiveness? How effective are the facilities put in place to enhance productivity in the public sector? How effective are the policies put in place to enhance productivity in the public sector? What are the factors responsible for low productivity in the Nigerian public service? How can productivity be enhanced in the Nigerian public service? 1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY At the end of this research, the following will be achieved; To examine the relationship between productivity and public service effectiveness To examine the effectiveness of the facilities put in place to enhance workers’ productivity in the public sector. To examine the effectiveness of the policies put in place to enhance workers’ productivity in the public sector. To examine the factors responsible for low productivity in the Nigerian public sector To know how productivity can be enhanced in the Nigerian public service. 1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS H1: There is no relationship between workers’ productivity and public service effectiveness H2: The facilities put in place to enhance productivity in the public sector are not effective. H3: The policies put in place to enhance productivity in the public sector are not effective. H4: There are no factors responsible for low productivity in the Nigerian public service. H5: Productivity cannot be enhanced in the Nigerian public service. 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This research work is significant in that the reason why the Nigerian public service was established will be examined, if the public sector is achieving reasons why it was established, how effective has it been, to what extent it had achieved its purpose and to what extent it is relevant. Also, there have been relatively few researches effectiveness and productivity in the Nigerian Civil Service. What this research attempts to do is to focus on how productive the public sector is and bring it to the enlightenment of the general public The significance of this study is to add to general knowledge on the relationship between workers’ productivity and public service effectiveness in Nigeria. This research is also significant in that it can serve as a source of secondary research for other scholars who will be researching on aspects relating to public service effectiveness and workers’ productivity. 1.7 DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY The scope of this study is to examine the level of productivity of workers in the public sector. This helps to identify the extent to which workers in the public sector carry out their duties and how well they value their positions. The research is limited to the Oyo State Ministry of Information in the fourth republic specifically between 1999 and 2013. And the limitation of this study is seen in that Public sector productivity cannot be quantified. 1.8 OUTLINE OF THE STUDY Chapter One: This chapter is the introduction to the Study of Worker’s Productivity and Public Service Effectiveness. It highlights the research questions and objectives. Chapter Two: This chapter is the Literature Review and Theoretical Framework. It carries the definition of terms; the meaning and definition of Productivity, the meaning and definition of Public Service and also the meaning and definition of effectiveness. It also includes reviewing works done by other scholars and theoretical framework. Chapter Three: This chapter emphasizes on the historical development of the Nigerian public sector and its various reforms. Chapter Four: This chapter is the Presentation and Analysis of data. It also tests the various hypothesis of the research and discusses the research findings. Chapter Five: This chapter is the summary, recommendations and conclusion of the work. It summarizes the entire findings of this research. 1.9 REFERENCES Curristine, Lonti, Joumard, (2007), Improving Public Sector Efficiency: Challenges and Opportunities: OECD Journal on Budgeting Volume 7, No. 1 (OECD 2007) Gberevbie, D. et.al (2009), â€Å"Staff Indiscipline and Productivity in the Public Sector in Nigeria†, An International Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Ethiopia Vol. 3 (4), Haenisch, J.P. (2012), Factors Affecting Productivity of Government Workers: Kaplan University Wyoming, USA Holzer, M. and Seok-Hwan, L. (2004), â€Å"Mastering Public Productivity and Performance Improvement from a Productive Management Perspective† in Holzer, M. and Seok-Hwan, L. (Eds.) Public Productivity Handbook, 2nd ed,. New York NY: Marcel Dekker, Jackson, P.M (1999), â€Å"Productivity and performance of Public Sector Organizations†, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol. 19, No. 7/8 pp. 754-56 Mantu, S.N. (1998), Evolution of Nigerian Civil Service; The 1988 Reforms, Zaria; Gaskiya Corporation Ltd. Ogunrotifa, A.B. (2012), ‘Federal Civil Service Reforms in Nigeria: A Case of Democratic Centralism†, Radix International Journal of Research in Social Science Vol. 1, Issue 10 (October 2012) Okunade, A. (1987), Public Administration in Nigeria, Ibadan: Center for External Studies, University of Ibadan. Olaopa, T. (2008), Theory and Practice of Public Administration and Civil Service Reforms in Nigeria, Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited Olusanya, G.O. (1975), â€Å"The Evolution of the Nigerian Civil Service- 1861-1960: The Problems of Nigerianisation†, University of Lagos Humanities Monograph Series, No.2. Stainer, A and Stainer, L (2000), â€Å"Performance in Public Sector a Total Productivity Approach†, International Journal of Business Performance Management, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp: 263-75 Thornhill, D. (2006), â€Å"Productivity Attainment in a Diverse Public Sector† paper presented at the Public Seminar on Promoting Productivity in a Diverse Public Sector, Dublin, 21st April Wey, S.O. (1971), â€Å"The Structure and Organization of the Public Service†, Lagos: Cabinet Office February.

Intraspecific Competition: The response of the sunflower (genus Helianthus) to increasing density :: essays research papers

INTRASPECIFIC COMPETION: THE RESPONSE OF THE SUNFLOWER (genus HELIANTHUS) TO INCREASING DENSITY. INTRODUCTION All species, including plants, are impacted by density. Plants, of course, cannot leave their habitat as animals can, so they tend to respond in different ways to density. As populations grow more dense, they compete for resources such as food and space and are more prone to disease. Less dense populations are more susceptible to predation pressure. It is hypothesized that as plants in small spaces compete for space, the plants compensate by reducing individual stem weight and frequency of bud formation as density increases. This would be intraspecific competition. A factor is density-dependent when it kills more of a population at higher densities and less at lower densities (Stilling 2002). The factor of competition between individual plants of the same species would be considered density dependent. METHODS The experiment was designed to test the hypothesis by planting an increasing number of genus Helianthus (sunflower) seeds in pots to see how they respond to increased density in limited space. Two replicates each of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128 seeds were planted in similar size pots containing an equal mix of potting soil and perlite. All plants were kept in greenhouse conditions exposed to similar light and temperatures settings and were watered at equivalent intervals. At the end of the time period each pot was evaluated for number of seeds that had germinated as well as number of stems with blooms. Stems and blooms were cut and weighed. RESULTS Table 1 shows averages of each replicate for each series of seeds relating to mortality rate/germination rate, budding rate, and mean plant weight (total, with buds, and without buds). Figure 1 indicates an increasing mortality rate (positive slope) in plants as density increases; Figure 2 shows the corresponding germination rate reflecting the exact opposite trend. Mortality remains zero until 8 seeds are planted (6% mortality), then is reduced to zero at 16 seeds then increases to 14 percent (32 seeds), 32 percent (64 seeds), and more than half (57 %--128 seeds). Figure 3 shows a dramatic decrease in bud formation of approximately 20 percent from four to eight seed plantings, followed by slight decreases of 3 percent of less in bud formation as significantly greater quantities of seeds are planted. Figure 4 reflects a decreasing mean weight per plant as density of planted seeds increases-- from a high of 11.73 grams (2 seeds) decreasing gradually from between 3 to .

Comparison between five process models of software engineering Essay

IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814 www.IJCSI.org A Comparison Between Five Models Of Software Engineering Nabil Mohammed Ali Munassar1 and A. Govardhan2 1 Ph.D Student of Computer Science & Engineering Jawahrlal Nehru Technological University Kuktapally, Hyderabad- 500 085, Andhra Pradesh, India 2 Professor of Computer Science & Engineering Principal JNTUH of Engineering College, Jagityal, Karimnagar (Dt), A.P., India Abstract This research deals with a vital and important issue in computer world. It is concerned with the software management processes that examine the area of software development through the  development models, which are known as software development  life cycle. It represents five of the development models namely, waterfall, Iteration, V-shaped, spiral and Extreme programming. These models have advantages and disadvantages as well. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to represent different models of software development and make a  comparison between them to show the features and defects of each model. Keywords: Software Management Processes, Software  Development, Development Models, Software Development Life  Cycle, Comparison between five models of Software Engineering. increased recently which results in the difficulty of  enumerating such companies. During the previous four  decades, software has been developed from a tool used for  analyzing information or solving a problem to a product in  itself. However, the early programming stages have  created a number of problems turning software an  obstacle to software development particularly those  relying on computers. Software consists of documents and  programs that contain a collection that has been  established to be a part of software engineering  procedures. Moreover, the aim of software engineering is  to create a suitable work that construct programs of high  quality. 1. Introduction Computer Science No one can deny the importance of computer in our life,  especially during the present time. In fact, computer has  become indispensible in today’s life as it is used in many  fields of life such as industry, medicine, commerce,  education and even agriculture. It has become an  important element in the industry and technology of  advanced as well as developing countries. Now a days,  organizations become more dependent on computer in  their works as a result of computer technology. Computer  is considered a time- saving device and its progress helps  in executing complex, long, repeated processes in a very  short time with a high speed. In addition to using  computer for work, people use it for fun and  entertainment. Noticeably, the number of companies thatproduce software programs for the purpose of facilitating  works of offices, administrations, banks, etc, has Theories Computer Function Client Problems The Software engineering Tools and techniques to solve problems Fig. 1 Explanation of software engineering conception. IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814 www.IJCSI.org 95 2. Software Process Models concern. A software process model is an abstract representation of a process. It presents a description of a process from some particular perspective as: The pure waterfall lifecycle consists of several nonoverlapping stages, as shown in the following figure. The model begins with establishing system requirements and  software requirements and continues with architectural  design, detailed design, coding, testing, and maintenance. The waterfall model serves as a baseline for many other  lifecycle models. 1. 2. 3. 4. Specification. Design. Validation. Evolution. General Software Process Models are 1. Waterfall model: Separate and distinct phases of specification and development. 2. Prototype model. 3. Rapid application development model (RAD). 4. Evolutionary development: Specification, development and validation are interleaved. 5. Incremental model. 6. Iterative model. 7. Spiral model. 8. Component-based software engineering : The system is assembled from existing components. System Requirements Software Requirements Architectural Design Detailed Design Coding There are many variants of these models e.g. formal development where a waterfall-like process is used, but the specification is formal that is refined through several stages to an implementable design[1]. Testing Maintenance Fig. 2 Waterfall Model[4]. 3. Five Models A Programming process model is an abstract representation to describe the process from a particular perspective. There are numbers of general models for software processes, like: Waterfall model, Evolutionary development, Formal systems development and Reusebased development, etc. This research will view the following five models : 1. Waterfall model. 2. Iteration model. 3. V-shaped model. 4. Spiral model. 5. Extreme model. These models are chosen because their features correspond to most software development programs. Requirements Definition System and Software Design Implementation and Unit Testing Integration and System Testing 3.1 The Waterfall Model The waterfall model is the classical model of software  engineering. This model is one of the oldest models and is  widely used in government projects and in many major  companies. As this model emphasizes planning in early  stages, it ensures design flaws before they develop. In  addition, its intensive document and planning make it  work well for projects in which quality control is a major Operation and Maintenance Fig. 3 Waterfall model[2]. The following list details the steps for using the waterfall IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814 www.IJCSI.org model: 1 System requirements: Establishes the components  for building the system, including the hardware  requirements, software tools, and other necessary  components. Examples include decisions on  hardware, such as plug-in boards (number of  channels, acquisition speed, and so on), and decisions  on external pieces of software, such as databases or  libraries. 2 3 Software requirements: Establishes the expectations  for software functionality and identifies which system  requirements the software affects. Requirements  analysis includes determining interaction needed with  other applications and databases, performance  requirements, user interface requirements, and so on. Architectural design: Determines the software  framework of a system to meet the specific  requirements. This design defines the major  components and the interaction of those components,  but it does not define the structure of each  component. The external interfaces and tools used in  the project can be determined by the designer. 4 Detailed design: Examines the software components  defined in the architectural design stage and produces  a specification for how each component is  implemented. 5 Coding: Implements specification. 6 7 the detailed starting coding. There is no overlap between stages. In  real-world development, however, one can discover issues  during the design or coding stages that point out errors or gaps in the requirements. The waterfall method does not prohibit returning to an  earlier phase, for example, returning from the design phase  to the requirements phase. However, this involves costly  rework. Each completed phase requires formal review and  extensive documentation development. Thus, oversights  made in the requirements phase are expensive to correct  later. Because the actual development comes late in the process,  one does not see results for a long time. This delay can be  disconcerting to management and customers. Many people  also think that the amount of documentation is excessive  and inflexible. Although the waterfall model has  instructive because it emphasizes  project development. Even if one  model, he must consider each of  relationship to his own project [4]. ï‚ · 1. 2. 3. design Testing: Determines whether the software meets the  specified requirements and finds any errors present in  the code. Maintenance: Addresses problems and enhancement  requests after the software releases. In some organizations, a change control board maintains  the quality of the product by reviewing each change made  in the maintenance stage. Consider applying the full  waterfall development cycle model when correcting  problems or implementing these enhancement requests. In each stage, documents that explain the objectives and  describe the requirements for that phase are created. At the end of each stage, a review to determine whether the  project can proceed to the next stage is held. Your  prototyping can also be incorporated into any stage from  the architectural design and after. Many people believe that this model cannot be applied to  all situations. For example, with the pure waterfall model,  the requirements must be stated before beginning the  design, and the complete design must be stated before 96 4. 5. 6. ï‚ · 1. 2. 4. 5. 6. 7. ï‚ · its weaknesses, it is  important stages of  does not apply this  these stages and its Advantages : Easy to understand and implement. Widely used and known (in theory!). Reinforces good habits: define-before- design, design-before-code. Identifies deliverables and milestones. Document driven, URD, SRD, †¦ etc. Published documentation standards, e.g. PSS-05. Works well on mature products and weak teams. Disadvantages : Idealized, doesn’t match reality well. Doesn’t reflect iterative nature of exploratory development. 3. Unrealistic to expect accurate requirements so early in project. Software is delivered late in project, delays discovery of serious errors. Difficult to integrate risk management. Difficult and expensive to make changes to documents, †swimming upstream†. Significant administrative overhead, costly for small teams and projects [6]. Pure Waterfall This is the classical system development model. It consists of discontinuous phases: 1. 2. 3. Concept. Requirements. Architectural design. IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814 www.IJCSI.org 4. 5. 6. Detailed design. Coding and development. Testing and implementation. Table 1: Strengths & Weaknesses of Pure Waterfall Strengths ï‚ · ï‚ · Minimizes planning  overhead since it can be done up front.  Structure minimizes  wasted effort, so it  works well for  technically weak or  inexperienced staff. Risk reduction spirals can be added to the top of the  waterfall to reduce risks prior to the waterfall phases. The waterfall can be further modified using options such as  prototyping, JADs or CRC sessions or other methods of  requirements gathering done in overlapping phases [5]. Weaknesses 3.2 Iterative Development ï‚ · Inflexible ï‚ · Only the final phase  produces a nondocumentation  deliverable. ï‚ · Backing up to address mistakes is difficult. The problems with the Waterfall Model created a demand  for a new method of developing systems which could  provide faster results, require less up-front information,  and offer greater flexibility. With Iterative Development,  the project is divided into small parts. This allows the  development team to demonstrate results earlier on in the  process and obtain valuable feedback from system users. Often, each iteration is actually a mini-Waterfall process  with the feedback from one phase providing vital  information for the design of the next phase. In a variation of this model, the software products, which are produced  at the end of each step (or series of steps), can go into  production immediately as incremental releases. ï‚ · Pure Waterfall Summary The pure waterfall model performs well for products with  clearly understood requirements or when working with  well understood technical tools, architectures and  infrastructures. Its weaknesses frequently make it  inadvisable when rapid development is needed. In those  cases, modified models may be more effective. ï‚ · 97 Modified Waterfall The modified waterfall uses the same phases as the pure  waterfall, but is not based on a discontinuous basis. This  enables the phases to overlap when needed. The pure  waterfall can also split into subprojects at an appropriate  phase (such as after the architectural design or detailed design). Table 2: Strengths & Weaknesses of Modified Waterfall Strengths ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · More flexible than the  pure waterfall model. If there is personnel  continuity between the  phases, documentation  can be substantially reduced.  Implementation of easy  areas does not need to  wait for the hard ones. Weaknesses ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · Modified Waterfall Summary Milestones are more  ambiguous than the  pure waterfall. Activities performed  in parallel are subject  to miscommunication  and mistaken  assumptions. Unforeseen  interdependencies can  create problems. Fig. 4 Iterative Development. 3.3 V-Shaped Model Just like the waterfall model, the V-Shaped life cycle is a  sequential path of execution of processes. Each phase  must be completed before the next phase begins. Testing  is emphasized in this model more than the waterfall  model. The testing procedures are developed early in the  life cycle before any coding is done, during each of the  phases preceding implementation. Requirements begin the  life cycle model just like the waterfall model. Before IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814 www.IJCSI.org development is started, a system test plan is created. The test plan focuses on meeting the functionality specified in requirements gathering. 98 Requirements The high-level design phase focuses on system  architecture and design. An integration test plan is created in this phase in order to test the pieces of the software  systems ability to work together. However, the low-level  design phase lies where the actual software components  are designed, and unit tests are created in this phase as  well. System Test Planning High Level Design Low Level Design The implementation phase is, again, where all coding  takes place. Once coding is complete, the path of  execution continues up the right side of the V where the  test plans developed earlier are now put to use. ï‚ · Simple and easy to use. Each phase has specific deliverables. Higher chance of success over the waterfall model  due to the early development of test plans during the  life cycle. Works well for small projects where requirements are  easily understood. Unit Test Planning Integration Testing Unit Testing Implementation Advantages 1. 2. 3. Integration Test Planning System Testing 4. Fig. 6 V-Shaped Life Cycle Model[7]. 3.4 Spiral Model The spiral model is similar to the incremental model, with  more emphases placed on risk analysis. The spiral model  has four phases: Planning, Risk Analysis, Engineering and  Evaluation. A software project repeatedly passes through  these phases in iterations (called Spirals in this  model). The baseline spiral, starting in the planning  phase, requirements are gathered and risk is  assessed. Each subsequent spiral builds on the baseline  spiral. Requirements are gathered during the planning  phase. In the risk analysis phase, a process is undertaken  to identify risk and alternate solutions. A prototype is  produced at the end of the risk analysis phase. Software is  produced in the engineering phase, along with testing at  the end of the phase. The evaluation phase allows the  customer to evaluate the output of the project to date  before the project continues to the next spiral. In the spiral model, the angular component represents  progress, and the radius of the spiral represents cost. Fig. 5 V-Model [3] ï‚ · Disadvantages 1. 2. Very rigid like the waterfall model. Little flexibility and adjusting scope is difficult and  expensive.  Software is developed during the implementation phase,  so no early prototypes of the software are produced. This Model does not provide a clear path for problems  found during testing phases [7]. 3. 4. ï‚ · 1. 2. 3. Advantages High amount of risk analysis. Good for large and mission-critical projects. Software is produced early in the software life cycle. ï‚ · 1. 2. 3. Disadvantages Can be a costly model to use. Risk analysis requires highly specific expertise. Project’s success is highly dependent on the risk  analysis phase. Doesn’t work well for smaller projects [7]. 4. IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814 www.IJCSI.org ï‚ · 1. Spiral model sectors Objective setting :Specific objectives for the phase are identified. 2. Risk assessment and reduction: Risks are assessed and activities are put in place to reduce the key risks. 3. Development and validation: A development model for the system is chosen which can be any of the general models. 4. Planning: The project is reviewed and the next phase of the spiral is planned [1]. 99 under which the system would produce win-lose or loselose outcomes for some stakeholders. 3. Identify and Evaluate Alternatives: Solicit  suggestions from stakeholders, evaluate them with respect  to stakeholders’ win conditions, synthesize and negotiate  candidate win-win alternatives, analyze, assess, resolve  win-lose or lose-lose risks, record commitments and areas  to be left flexible in the project’s design record and life  cycle plans. 4. Cycle through the Spiral: Elaborate the win conditions  evaluate and screen alternatives, resolve risks, accumulate  appropriate commitments, and develop and execute  downstream plans [8]. 3.5 Extreme Programming An approach to development, based on the development  and delivery of very small increments of functionality. It  relies on constant code improvement, user involvement in  the development team and pair wise programming . It can  be difficult to keep the interest of customers who are  involved in the process. Team members may be unsuited  to the intense involvement that characterizes agile  methods. Prioritizing changes can be difficult where there  are multiple stakeholders. Maintaining simplicity requires  extra work. Contracts may be a problem as with other  approaches to iterative development. Fig. 7 Spiral Model of the Software Process[1]. ï‚ · WinWin Spiral Model The original spiral model [Boehm 88] began each cycle of  the spiral by performing the next level of elaboration of  the prospective system’s objectives, constraints and  alternatives. A primary difficulty in applying the spiral  model has been the lack of explicit process guidance in  determining these objectives, constraints, and alternatives. The Win-Win Spiral Model [Boehm 94] uses the theory  W (win-win) approach [Boehm 89b] to converge on a  system’s next-level objectives, constraints, and  alternatives. This Theory W approach involves identifying  the system’s stakeholders and their win conditions, and  using negotiation processes to determine a mutually  satisfactory set of objectives, constraints, and alternatives for the stakeholders. In particular, as illustrated in the  figure, the nine-step Theory W process translates into the  following spiral model extensions: 1. Determine Objectives: Identify the system life-cycle  stakeholders and their win conditions and establish initial  system boundaries and external interfaces. 2. Determine Constraints: Determine the conditions Fig. 8 The XP Release Cycle ï‚ · Extreme Programming Practices Incremental planning: Requirements are recorded on Story Cards and the Stories to be included in a release are determined by the time available and their relative priority. The developers break these stories into development â€Å"Tasks†. Small Releases: The minimal useful set of functionality that provides business value is developed first. Releases of the system are frequent and incrementally add functionality to the first release. IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814 www.IJCSI.org Simple Design: Enough design is carried out to meet the  current requirements and no more. Test first development: An automated unit test  framework is used to write tests for a new piece of  functionality before functionality itself is implemented.  Refactoring: All developers are expected to re-factor the  code continuously as soon as possible code improvements  are found. This keeps the code simple and maintainable.  Pair Programming: Developers work in pairs, checking  each other’s work and providing support to do a good job.  Collective Ownership: The pairs of developers work on  all areas of the system, so that no islands of expertise  develop and all the developers own all the code. Anyone  can change anything. Continuous Integration: As soon as work on a task is  complete, it is integrated into the whole system. After any  such integration, all the unit tests in the system must pass. Sustainable pace: Large amounts of over-time are not  considered acceptable as the net effect is often to reduce  code quality and medium term productivity.  On-site Customer: A representative of the end-user of the  system (the Customer) should be available full time for the  use of the XP team. In an extreme programming process,  the customer is a member of the development team and is  responsible for bringing system requirements to the team  for implementation. ï‚ · 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. XP and agile principles Incremental development is supported through small,  frequent system releases. Customer involvement means full-time customer  engagement with the team. People not process through pair programming,  collective ownership and a process that avoids long working hours. Change supported through regular system releases.  Maintaining simplicity through constant refactoring of  code [1]. ï‚ · 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Advantages Lightweight methods suit small-medium size projects. Produces good team cohesion. Emphasises final product. Iterative. Test based approach to requirements and quality assurance. ï‚ · 1. Disadvantages Difficult to scale up to large projects where documentation is essential. Needs experience and skill if not to degenerate into code-and-fix. Programming pairs is costly. 2. 3. 4. 100 Test case construction is a difficult and specialized skill [6]. 4. Conclusion and Future Work After completing this research , it is concluded that : 1. There are many existing models for developing systems for different sizes of projects and requirements. 2. These models were established between 1970 and 1999. 3. Waterfall model and spiral model are used commonly in developing systems. 4. Each model has advantages and disadvantages for the development of systems , so each model tries to eliminate the disadvantages of the previous model Finally, some topics can be suggested for future works: 1. 2. 3. Suggesting a model to simulate advantages that are found in different models to software process management. Making a comparison between the suggested model and the previous software processes management models. Applying the suggested model to many projects to ensure of its suitability and documentation to explain its mechanical work. REFERENCES [1] Ian Sommerville, â€Å"Software Engineering†, Addison Wesley, 7th edition, 2004. [2] CTG. MFA – 003, â€Å"A Survey of System Development Process Models†, Models for Action Project: Developing Practical Approaches to Electronic Records Management and Preservation, Center for Technology in Government University at Albany / Suny,1998 . [3] Steve Easterbrook, â€Å"Software Lifecycles†, University of Toronto Department of Computer Science, 2001. [4] National Instruments Corporation, â€Å"Lifecycle Models†, 2006 , http://zone.ni.com. [5] JJ Kuhl, â€Å"Project Lifecycle Models: How They Differ and When to Use Them†,2002 www.businessesolutions.com. [6] Karlm, â€Å"Software Lifecycle Models’, KTH,2006 . [7] Rlewallen, â€Å"Software Development Life Cycle Models†, 2005 ,http://codebeter.com. [8] Barry Boehm, â€Å"Spiral Development: Experience, Principles, and Refinements†, edited by Wilfred J. Hansen, 2000 . Nabil Mohammed Ali Munassar was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1978. He studied Computer Science at University of Science and Technology, Yemen from 1997 to 2001. In 2001 he IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 ISSN (Online): 1694-0814 www.IJCSI.org received the Bachelor degree. He studied Master of Information Technology at Arab Academic, Yemen, from 2004 to 2007. Now rd he Ph.D. Student 3 year of CSE at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad, A. P., India. He is working as Associate Professor in Computer Science & Engineering College in University Of Science and Technology, Yemen. His area of interest include Software Engineering, System Analysis and Design, Databases and Object Oriented Technologies. Dr.A.Govardhan: received Ph.D. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in 2003, M.Tech. from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1994 and B.E. from Osmania University in 1992. He is Working as a Principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Jagitial. He has published around 108 papers in various national and international Journals/conferences. His research of interest includes Databases, Data Warehousing & Mining, Information Retrieval, Computer Networks, Image Processing, Software Engineering, Search Engines and Object Oriented Technologies. 101

Free Essays on A Marxist Deconstruction Of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby

A Marxist Deconstruction of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s renowned masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, creates an artificial world where money is the essence of everyone’s desire. The characters, the setting, and the plot are deeply submerged in a Capitalism that vows to shatter all hope for the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s criticism of Capitalism can be seen as a move to subtly promote Socialism, an ideology (belief system) in which value is placed on the inherent value of an object rather than its market value (Tyson 54). Marxism is a specific branch of Socialist theory and Fitzgerald makes Gatsby a novel that is not innately Marxist or even Socialist, but one that is filled with Marxist theory. He initiates this by presenting the basics of the Capitalist society where nonhumanitarianism (not promoting the welfare of humanity), reification (treating a living thing as an object), and market value are common place. Fitzgerald implies that the Capitalist system is flawed because at the conclusion of the novel, all of the characters that represent typical American Capitalism fall from grace to a world of utter despair. Fitzgerald’s criticisms work to warn 1920’s Americans of their behavior and how destructive it can be. Marxists believe very firmly in humanitarianism; they believe that as humans, we should look out for each other and care for each other, because we are all essentially on the same level. All of the characters in Gatsby nullify this idea, because they all exploit each other. For instance, Gatsby uses Nick to set up a meeting between he and Daisy. The characters also place very little value on individual human beings or on humanity as a whole. Each character is too wrapped up in him/herself that he/she does not take the time to care for others. Class levels are prominent – the rich are drastically separated from the poor, and the rich wish to keep it that way. This is a Capitalist idea... Free Essays on A Marxist Deconstruction Of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby Free Essays on A Marxist Deconstruction Of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby A Marxist Deconstruction of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s renowned masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, creates an artificial world where money is the essence of everyone’s desire. The characters, the setting, and the plot are deeply submerged in a Capitalism that vows to shatter all hope for the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s criticism of Capitalism can be seen as a move to subtly promote Socialism, an ideology (belief system) in which value is placed on the inherent value of an object rather than its market value (Tyson 54). Marxism is a specific branch of Socialist theory and Fitzgerald makes Gatsby a novel that is not innately Marxist or even Socialist, but one that is filled with Marxist theory. He initiates this by presenting the basics of the Capitalist society where nonhumanitarianism (not promoting the welfare of humanity), reification (treating a living thing as an object), and market value are common place. Fitzgerald implies that the Capitalist system is flawed because at the conclusion of the novel, all of the characters that represent typical American Capitalism fall from grace to a world of utter despair. Fitzgerald’s criticisms work to warn 1920’s Americans of their behavior and how destructive it can be. Marxists believe very firmly in humanitarianism; they believe that as humans, we should look out for each other and care for each other, because we are all essentially on the same level. All of the characters in Gatsby nullify this idea, because they all exploit each other. For instance, Gatsby uses Nick to set up a meeting between he and Daisy. The characters also place very little value on individual human beings or on humanity as a whole. Each character is too wrapped up in him/herself that he/she does not take the time to care for others. Class levels are prominent – the rich are drastically separated from the poor, and the rich wish to keep it that way. This is a Capitalist idea...

Avoid Burnout by Connecting with Your Healthcare Colleagues

Avoid Burnout by Connecting with Your Healthcare Colleagues As a member of the medical field, you already know that you speak a totally different language from non-industry people. But beyond that, your emotional language is also quite foreign to outsiders.  Sure,you can certainly talk to  your friends and family  about your job, but they’ll never  truly  Ã¢â‚¬Å"get† the unique challenges you face daily–not like someone else who’s been there in the trenches. If you don’t have an emotional outlet, the daily stresses that come with a health care job might consume your life outside of the job. After all, someone who hasn’t experienced the phenomenon of being responsible for someone else’s health and well-being will never understand:The pressure of managing life-or-death situations on a daily basisThe physical toll of being on your feet for hours at a timeThe constant worry about possible malpractice suitsThe daily struggle to deal with difficult (and oftentimes irrational!) patientsThe co nstant feeling that you’re moments away from burning outIt’s key to your professional success to seek out peers with whom you can vent and feel understood. The shared camaraderie with peers who work in medicine is indeed a special bond, one that can make you a better employee in the long run. Take advantage of the connection you share to avoid career burnout!

The problem of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children Essay - 184

The problem of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children - Essay Example Conversation surrounding this unaccompanied immigrant child has been polarized politically, as the opposition appears intent on laying the blame at the president and government’s claiming that they are not doing enough to secure the nation from intrusion (The Editorial Board). While the government may or may not agree with this sentiments their primary concern at the moment is how to address the situation at hand and try to solve the problem without endangering the lives of the vulnerable minors. One of the issues that have been subject to incessant opposition from the republican side is the fact that many of these children have to be tried and provided with lawyers which comes at a cost to the government. However, others argue that the cost of keeping the minors in detention is far greater than that of providing them with legal representation. Attempts by the state to have unaccompanied and unregistered minors to access and education have been frequently opposed by the opposi tion, but on the large those released in the custody of the relatives in the US can access it. Both sides are justified in their different positions on the matter, despite the opponents appearing uncaring its worth noting that these children will likely lead a life of poverty and as young adults will be likely to engage in criminal activities in the US. Besides, there is no way of knowing why there really come to the US and some of them may well be juvenile delinquents (You Hot News). Nevertheless, the government has a responsibility for all those who enter its boarders; thus, children deserving of refugee or asylum should be granted the same without irrespective of the circumstances under which the entered the US. Ultimately, it is inevitable that there are serious challenges underpinning the immigration issue, but they are best solved by collective action objectively addressing the concerns of both sides.  

Contract Law. Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contract Law. Case study - Essay Example A court of law usually enforces the contract as long the offeree proves that he posted the letter. A relevant case studied is that of:- For the case of Bella, the letter he posted on 25th September 2006, but arrived on 30th September 2006, the contract to purchase the text book became binding immediately he sent the letter of acceptance. It does not matter that the letter was delayed by the post office. On the issue that since the recommended textbook for the course has changed, and Bella does not wish to buy the textbook, this would not apply. Acceptance one made, it cannot be revoked. The moment Bella expressed his acceptance of an offer, that very moment the contract is concluded, and it does not matter whether the acceptance is by word of mouth or even by writing. Another relevant case studied is that of:- G, applied for the purchase of shares in the plaintiff's company. The offer was accepted promptly, and the company secretary made out a letter of allotment in favour of the defendant. It was held that the contract was complete on posting, and the defendant was liable for the shares. On On the case of Chu who accepted Arun's offer by telephone, his contract became complete when the acceptance was heard by Arun on 30th September 2006. According to the law of contract, there is an exception to the communication of acceptance. A contact is complete only when acceptance is actually communicated to the offeror. But a contract made by telephone is complete only when the acceptance is heard by the offeror. For this case, Chu should not revoke the acceptance on the basis that the book will not be useful since it is not recommended text book in his course. An acceptance once made, it cannot be revoked. On the case of Dilma, who accepted the offer by email sent on 27th September 2006 but read by Arun on 28th September 2006, the contract became binding immediately the email of