June and Flaky Biscuits

June and Flaky Biscuits Im BACK! My hope is that in the next p-set and class-filled 48 hours, I eat one of these beauties: Usually when I dont blog for more than a month, what makes me feel guilty (and thus what makes me post again) is my telling people that Im a blogger. (Which I then question due to my recent lack of blogging.) This blog was not initiated for such reasons. The reason Im writing this right now is because Snively 11 sent an email to the bloggers telling them that if there were 6 new posts by tomorrow at noon, hed give the posters flaky biscuits. Now, the reason its hard for me to be an MIT blogger is because THERE ARE SO MANY AWESOME THINGS GOING ON AT ALL TIMES, that its overwhelming to narrow it down to one or two things to talk about. So props to Snively for motivating me. But if I dont get a flaky biscuit, Moving on: Im BACK! I love being back, seeing everyone and feeling the ENERGY here. But before I get too ahead of myself, I want to say that this summer was one of the most meaningful and rewarding summers of my life, and a lot of it was thanks to MIT. I spent the first part of my summer working for the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair from my computer and visiting my family in Chicago and in Mexico. Then I came back to Cambridge to teach an engineering design class to a group of awesome middle schoolers and officially discovered the joys of running bridge loops in Boston. Afterwards, I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Washington D.C. to visit one of my friends, followed by a trip to Shenzhen, China to mentor students as part of a Service and Leadership Program hosted by MITs China Development Initiative. Each segment surely deserves a blog post of its own, and so we commence Backtrack to the end of May my last final had just ended, and my room looked like a tornado ran through it as I started my packing. It was a relatively successful semester, but let me be honest, I felt mentally and physically drained. I needed to re-discover why I needed to be at MIT in the first place. There were and are always things I could list if anyone ever asked/asks me  why I was/am at MIT.awesome people, top academics, great opportunities, etc. but I needed to FEEL it again. You know that sense of I can do whatever I set my mind to? Its often easy to forget in the midst of ALL of the things that there are to do here. The point is, I guess I didnt know it at the time, but I needed that feeling back. So with this mentality, I got on a plane to be back in my beautiful Chi Town!! I took the train to hang out with my friends at the beach downtown and Navy Pier like old times, got to see the shiny, classy buildings in the style of no other city Ive ever seen, Spent time singing, dancing, and of course eating cookies with my sisters, 3 Went to Mexico to visit my grandparents a wealth of family members, and the ranches, Witnessed some licking cows, Celebrated my sisters birthday with a piñata. And I painted for my grandmother after she showed me her flowers and let me eat the coconuts and fish my uncle brought. (Its one of her duck pots in which a lot of plants live.) While ALL of this was happening, I was lucky enough to be working from my computer for the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair analyzing lots and lots of surveys from previous science fairs and from classes given to teachers to ultimately 1) improve the state science fair and note trends, and 2) quantify how much of an impact inquiry learning and project-based learning is having on students all across the state of MA. (I learned a lot of interesting things about data analysis!)  I found this job through the MIT Public Service Center. If youre looking for a job, definitely check out their opportunitiesthey have a LOT! In any case, that was the first leg of my summer, if you will. A return to my roots. I reconnected with the people who helped me become the person I am today. If theres one thing that will help me get through psets, a ton of things to do, and stress this semester, it will be the strolls in Chicago with my friends and the climbs up the hills with my cousins and sisters. And I cant forget my moms cooking, or my uncles fish. Basic, simple things though they may be, they are strength! Now to continue unified pset number 2! WOOH!! *The first two images, courtesy of google image search*

Analysis of the Story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis Free Essay Example, 2500 words

Generally, in Chapter 5, Back On This Side of the Door , the idea of faith is examined through the belief and disbelief of the existence of Narnia. As the chapter begins, Lucy and Edmund have both gone through the wardrobe to Narnia, but Peter and Susan have not been through to see for themselves just yet. Lucy, with her innocent acceptance, believes she has the support of Edmunds experience to back up her claims. In his corrupt state, Edmund denies the existence as a fantasy of Lucy s creation. This examines the concept of evidentiary proof. As the reader is involved in Lucy s need to be believed, the concept that faith is not a matter of having been proven, but a matter of believing it will be proven out, takes shape. This sets the stage for a series of Christian ethical concepts that are experienced and accepted by the characters of the book. Lucy s first instance of experiencing the possibility of betrayal is through the character of Mr. Tumnus. When Mr. Tumnus meets Lucy he recognizes her for a daughter of Eve and believes that he will give Lucy over to the White Witch as he has been instructed to do should he ever encounter a daughter of Eve .We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of the Story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page

Case Study the Machinest/ Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/...

Abnormal psychology is the study of abnormal behavior, thoughts and emotions. There are many people with mental disorders that never get treated. It is very important to make correct diagnoses when diagnosing a patient. Accurate diagnosing will insure that the individual is receiving the best treatment possible. The earlier mental illnesses are detected they easier they are to treat. It should always be ones priority to function as normal as possible and get back on track. Educating people on their disorder and treatment options will give them a better understanding of their condition and what they can do to stay healthy and recover to normal. I am going to be writing a psychological case study on Trevor Reznik from the Machinist. I†¦show more content†¦It is clear by his physical appearance that there may be something wrong. Trevor is very slim and possibly suffering from malnutrition. He is pale and has bags under his eyes. He is aware of his sunken body frame and expresses his inability to hold food down lately. From his gestures and attitude he seemed paranoid and anxious. He talked about how he felt like there was something he had forgotten that was making him lose sleep. Trevor then excused himself to use the restroom and get something from the vending machine. When he returned with a sandwich and coffee Trevor started discussing his co worker Ivan. He claimed his employees were trying to make him feel crazy. When he asked questions about Ivan they acted as if they had no idea who he was talking about. He felt as if some big joke was being played on him. He thought Ivan was responsible for the sticky notes h e found around his house and other strange events. Trevor dismissed himself once again to use the restroom. When he came out of the restroom he informed me he wasnt feeling well. When Trevor and I met up the following week I noticed a drastic difference in his personality. It was apparent that something was bothering him terribly. He told me about an incident at work where a fellow employee lost his arm and he felt partially responsible. He told me the situation got out of hand the next day when Ivan malfunctioned the equipment almost costing him his arm. Trevor went on about how he lost his job when he

Effects On The Industrial Revolution Free Essays

ECONOMICAL Industrialization resulted in an increase in population and the happening of urbanization, as a growing number of people moved to urban centres in search of employment. Some individuals became very wealthy, but some lived in horrible conditions. A class of wealthy industrialists, ship owners and merchants conquered, accumulating great wealth, but at the same time the working classes had to live with minimum comforts in overcrowded environments. We will write a custom essay sample on Effects On The Industrial Revolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now Children were sent to work in factories, where they were broken and ill-treated. The growth of the Industrial Revolution depended on the ability to transport raw materials and finished goods over long distances. There were three main types of transportation that increased during the Industrial Revolution: waterways, roads, and railroads. Transportation was important because people were starting to live in the West. During this time period, transportation via water was the cheapest way to move heavy products (such as coal and iron). As a result, canals were widened and deepened to allow more boats to pass. Robert Fulton made the first steam-powered engine to power a steamboat, and in 1807 he demonstrated its use by going from New York City to Albany via the Hudson River. His steamboat was able to carry raw materials across the Atlantic Ocean by the mid 1800’s. The roads also improved immensely during this time period. Previously, people traveled using animals or by foot, but there were many problems with the conditions of the roads. In 1751, turnpikes were created for easier transportation, especially for the horse-drawn wagons. John Loudon McAdam made â€Å"macadam† road surfaces which consisted of crushed rock in thin layers. Thomas Telford made new foundations in roads with large flat stones. Soon after, roads across America were improved based on these techniques. The closest to trains were horses, commonly used to pull freight cars along rails. In 1801, Richard Trevithick made the first steam locomotive. These improvements on waterways, roads, and railroads all made traveling safer, and it allowed goods to be moved more efficiently. SOCIAL Women experienced large changes in their lifestyle as they took jobs in  domestic service and the textile industries, leaving the agricultural workforce and spending less time in the family home. This period also saw the creation of a middle class that enjoyed the benefits of the new prosperity. People started spending their free time entertaining themselves in theatres, concert halls and sports facilities or enjoying the countryside in long path. The Industrial Revolution was preceded by an agricultural revolution that increased the food supply while decreasing the amount of labor needed. Traditionally, the primary goal of agriculture was to produce enough food to prevent famine. This overwhelming fear of starvation made most farmers very conservative and highly skeptical of change. Poor harvests would lower the supply of food, which would result in increased prices. The basic effect of supply and demand was at the center of most of the class conflict in this preindustrial world. Both bad harvests and increased population affected the price of food. High prices increased the wealth of the aristocratic class and led to death and starvation among the peasants; therefore, the primary reason behind most peasant uprisings was the high price of food. POLITICAL Most important, however, 19th-century Britain experienced political unrest as the industrialization and urbanization of the country created a need for social and political change. There were increasing demands for improved social welfare, education, labour rights, political rights and equality, as well as for the abolition of the slave trade and changes in the electoral system. As a result, the slave trade was abolished in 1807 and the Great Reform Act was passed by Parliament in 1832. After this Reform Act, manufacturing cities such as Birmingham and Manchester could be represented in Parliament for the first time, thereby substantially changing the character of parliamentary politics. The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to Europe but one of the most notable differences is urbanization. Urbanization is the process of people migrating to the cities from farms and the country. Before urbanization and the Industrial Revolution, most people were peasants and lived out in the country. Their occupation was a farmer and they generally just worked from home. However, once the Industrial Revolution started people, people started moving to cities and working in  new factories, increasing urbanization. A reason for this was that because of a surplus of food, the population increased. This supplied more labor which allowed people to start moving to cities instead of staying on the farms. Also more jobs were found in the cities compared to the farms because of new technologies that greatly increased the productivity of farming which cause the demand for farmers to decrease. However, the continuity of this change is that even though farmers were moving out the cities to find jobs, there were still farmers working in the country. Farmers were still needed to produce food for the growing population but there were less of them needed because technology replaced some the need for human labor. Urbanization was certainly a crucial change during the Industrial Revolution but there were still some features that stayed the same. How to cite Effects On The Industrial Revolution, Papers

Effects On The Industrial Revolution Free Essays

ECONOMICAL Industrialization resulted in an increase in population and the happening of urbanization, as a growing number of people moved to urban centres in search of employment. Some individuals became very wealthy, but some lived in horrible conditions. A class of wealthy industrialists, ship owners and merchants conquered, accumulating great wealth, but at the same time the working classes had to live with minimum comforts in overcrowded environments. We will write a custom essay sample on Effects On The Industrial Revolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now Children were sent to work in factories, where they were broken and ill-treated. The growth of the Industrial Revolution depended on the ability to transport raw materials and finished goods over long distances. There were three main types of transportation that increased during the Industrial Revolution: waterways, roads, and railroads. Transportation was important because people were starting to live in the West. During this time period, transportation via water was the cheapest way to move heavy products (such as coal and iron). As a result, canals were widened and deepened to allow more boats to pass. Robert Fulton made the first steam-powered engine to power a steamboat, and in 1807 he demonstrated its use by going from New York City to Albany via the Hudson River. His steamboat was able to carry raw materials across the Atlantic Ocean by the mid 1800’s. The roads also improved immensely during this time period. Previously, people traveled using animals or by foot, but there were many problems with the conditions of the roads. In 1751, turnpikes were created for easier transportation, especially for the horse-drawn wagons. John Loudon McAdam made â€Å"macadam† road surfaces which consisted of crushed rock in thin layers. Thomas Telford made new foundations in roads with large flat stones. Soon after, roads across America were improved based on these techniques. The closest to trains were horses, commonly used to pull freight cars along rails. In 1801, Richard Trevithick made the first steam locomotive. These improvements on waterways, roads, and railroads all made traveling safer, and it allowed goods to be moved more efficiently. SOCIAL Women experienced large changes in their lifestyle as they took jobs in  domestic service and the textile industries, leaving the agricultural workforce and spending less time in the family home. This period also saw the creation of a middle class that enjoyed the benefits of the new prosperity. People started spending their free time entertaining themselves in theatres, concert halls and sports facilities or enjoying the countryside in long path. The Industrial Revolution was preceded by an agricultural revolution that increased the food supply while decreasing the amount of labor needed. Traditionally, the primary goal of agriculture was to produce enough food to prevent famine. This overwhelming fear of starvation made most farmers very conservative and highly skeptical of change. Poor harvests would lower the supply of food, which would result in increased prices. The basic effect of supply and demand was at the center of most of the class conflict in this preindustrial world. Both bad harvests and increased population affected the price of food. High prices increased the wealth of the aristocratic class and led to death and starvation among the peasants; therefore, the primary reason behind most peasant uprisings was the high price of food. POLITICAL Most important, however, 19th-century Britain experienced political unrest as the industrialization and urbanization of the country created a need for social and political change. There were increasing demands for improved social welfare, education, labour rights, political rights and equality, as well as for the abolition of the slave trade and changes in the electoral system. As a result, the slave trade was abolished in 1807 and the Great Reform Act was passed by Parliament in 1832. After this Reform Act, manufacturing cities such as Birmingham and Manchester could be represented in Parliament for the first time, thereby substantially changing the character of parliamentary politics. The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to Europe but one of the most notable differences is urbanization. Urbanization is the process of people migrating to the cities from farms and the country. Before urbanization and the Industrial Revolution, most people were peasants and lived out in the country. Their occupation was a farmer and they generally just worked from home. However, once the Industrial Revolution started people, people started moving to cities and working in  new factories, increasing urbanization. A reason for this was that because of a surplus of food, the population increased. This supplied more labor which allowed people to start moving to cities instead of staying on the farms. Also more jobs were found in the cities compared to the farms because of new technologies that greatly increased the productivity of farming which cause the demand for farmers to decrease. However, the continuity of this change is that even though farmers were moving out the cities to find jobs, there were still farmers working in the country. Farmers were still needed to produce food for the growing population but there were less of them needed because technology replaced some the need for human labor. Urbanization was certainly a crucial change during the Industrial Revolution but there were still some features that stayed the same. How to cite Effects On The Industrial Revolution, Papers

Leadership Issues The Case of CEO Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines

Introduction Extant literature demonstrates that leaders, through their leadership styles and practices, have the capacity to positively or negatively influence outcomes for business organizations, employees, customers and stakeholders.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Issues: The Case of CEO Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Indeed, in the business scene of the 21st century, many organizations have remained afloat in the turbulent business environment due to effective leadership style demonstrated by leaders (Gittell, 2005). This paper looks into issues related to the leadership style, philosophy and effectiveness of Garry C. Kelly, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Southwest Airlines. Background Having spent almost two decades in the management realms of Southwest Airlines as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Garry Kelly succeeded James F. Parker as the CEO of the com pany in 2004. Several years later, in 2008, Garry became the Chairman of the Board after the eventful retirement of founder, strategist and mentor Herb Kelleher. Kelly’s most outstanding achievements prior to his elevation to CEO included a successful fuel-hedging initiative that saw the airline sustain profitability and competitiveness, emphasis on the employment on passenger-friendly technology, and other cost-containment measures that to a large extent molded the company to what it is today (Hauck, 2008). Leadership Style, Philosophy Alignment with Culture The CEO’s emphasis on the importance of caring for people and putting employees first demonstrates that he practices servant leadership.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The servant leadership concept was coined in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf to demonstrate a kind of leadership that requires people to be s ervants first before aspiring to be leaders, and to assist followers to â€Å"grow healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely themselves to become leaders† (Boone Makhani, 2012 p. 83). Garry has been known to advance a leadership style that acknowledges and gives credit to employees by firmly believing that leadership is more a function of people’s relationships than position (Wright Mujtaba, 2011). In line with the servant leadership paradigm, Garry not only recognizes that the empowerment of people is an important goal, but also shares with them his vision for the future in addition to communicating the desired strategic direction of the organization with regard to its mission, values and beliefs. The CEO also demonstrates his moral objective of serving people by showing sensitivity to their concerns, facilitating employees to identify and solve challenges, demonstrating genuine concern for subordinates’ career growth and development by provid ing support and mentoring, and using actions and words to make it clear to employees that satisfying their work needs is a priority (Lauer, 2010). The CEO’s philosophy emphasizes â€Å"purpose, process, and people [that is], getting people to help define and then align with purpose, developing the processes to accomplish the purpose, and then attracting and maintaining people to push the processes† (Nowicki Summers, 2007 p. 118). This philosophy is firmly grounded on putting people first as reinforced by the corporate culture of Southwest. There is a near perfect alignment between the CEO’s leadership style and the organization’s culture by virtue of the fact that it underlines and reinforces people aspects that inform the corporate culture.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Issues: The Case of CEO Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These aspec ts include flexible workplace environment, recognition and appreciation of employees, group and team decision making, warrior spirit, leading with a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing attitude (McGee-Cooper et al., 2008). Personal Organizational Values Extant literature demonstrates that Garry’s personal values of trust in employees, respecting people, caring attitude, vision, clarity, sacrifice, duty, aspiration and higher sense of purpose align well with the organizational values of putting employees first, excellent customer service, teamwork, rewarding employee excellence, enabling employees, customers and neighbors (stakeholders) to interact in an LOVE-filled environment, and doing the right thing as a way of life in Southwest Airlines (Southwest Airlines, 2008; Lauer, 2010). How Values Influence Ethical Behavior within the Organization Although employees come with their own values, organizations expect them to internalize and follow the values set by leaders for productivity and organizational competitiveness (Wright Mujtaba, 2011). As such, the CEO values mentioned above have influenced ethical behavior within Southwest by role-modeling with the view to developing and implementing a culture of dependable performance, passionate employees, valued customer service, dynamic community development, environmentally responsible decisions, and doing the right thing at the right time (Southwest Airlines, 2008). Through observing and internalizing the values of the CEO, Southwest employees feel more empowered to act and contribute to the decision making process. Employees also feel respected and are considered as a core pillar of the company, hence become more determined to serve customers with honesty and integrity while also serving the organization and the community (McGee-Cooper et al., 2008). The reinforcement of ethical behavior within Southwest can be demonstrated by the fact that the company continues to make huge profits while its competit ors are often not only incapable of breaking through, but also continue to be accused of corporate scandals and neglect to the environment.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Strengths Weaknesses One of Gary’s key strengths as chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines is predicated upon the capacity to use servant leadership style to foster organizational growth and development. The CEO is able to achieve this by deviating from the traditional leadership approach of dominating employees to an approach that listens to their concerns, respects their decisions, as well as empowers and inspires them to perform (Lauer, 2010). Such a leadership orientation leads to organizational growth and development. The second key strength is predicated upon his capacity to use servant leadership to instill in employees virtues of corroboration, teamwork and relationship building. Extant literature demonstrates that leaders who encourage teamwork and corroboration among employees achieve positive organizational outcomes (Wright Mujtaba, 2011). The third key strength is grounded on the CEO’s capacity to develop employees by not pushing organizational goals on t hem but rather taking time to understand their strengths and weaknesses, with the view to identifying their potential and higher purpose that they could never achieve on their own (Lauer, 2010). Among the weaknesses, it is clear that Gary will face difficulties when he is forced by market and competitive pressures to downsize employees because servant leadership does not advocate for employee sacking. The second weakness for Gary arises from the fact that he may fail to persuade employees to follow a particular trajectory in times of great uncertainty and organizational transformation due to the nature of servant leadership. Lastly, the CEO faces a weakness in disposing the attribute of openness and replacing it with confidentiality to maintain the integrity of employees as well as the organization’s core values and beliefs (Wright Mujtaba, 2011). It is plausible to mention that Gary can always fall back to the strong Southwest’s corporate culture to deal with the las t two weaknesses. Quality contributing to Success The quality that contributes most to the CEO’s success at Southwest Airlines, in my view, is respecting people. Through demonstrating respect to employees rather than dominating them with the power designated to his position as chairman and CEO, Gary has not only being able to generate strong loyalty, inspiration, commitment and motivation among members of staff, but also instilled in them strong values and belief to continue providing the best in a fun-filled environment that rewards teamwork, excellence and corroboration (Lauer, 2010). This way, Southwest Airlines has been able to remain profitable and aggressive even in the face of stiff competition. Communication, Collaboration, Power Politics Not only does the leadership of Southwest Airlines encourages open communication between managers and employees in an attempt to demonstrate a caring and responsive attitude towards employees’ needs and aspirations (Wright M ujtaba, 2011), but it also promotes a team spirit which enables employees to assume complimentary roles and cooperatively work together in sharing responsibility for problem-solving and decision-making processes (Raynor, 2011). This kind of arrangement has strengthened Southwest’s corporate culture, substantially reduced group and role conflicts, and facilitated employees to give their best in the provision of the required services to the company and in developing their career aspirations to the fullest potential. As a result, Southwest’s organizational dynamics is typified by trust, commitment, motivation and collaboration, leading to a near perfect alignment of leadership with culture. Although Gary has formal power vested in his position as the CEO of Southwest Airlines, his leadership approach orients him toward the need for increased collaboration and establishment of personal confidential relationships with employees. Southwest employees have informal power by vi rtue of having the needed expertise to be competitive in work-related contexts (Wright Mujtaba, 2011). However, they accommodate and submit to the directions given by the CEO, not through the process of domination but by following a set of ethical values and beliefs set by the leaders. Organizational politics at Southwest is kept at a minimum to facilitate group corroboration and teamwork. Indeed, the CEO uses the same lens when communicating and interacting with employees to create a sense of equality and fairness in line with the servant leadership approach (Boone Makhani, 2012). This way, the company has been able to hold together in its attempt to enhance productivity and competitiveness. References Boone, L.W., Makhani, S. (2012). Five necessary attitudes of a servant leader. Review of Business, 33(1), 83-96. Gittell, J.H. (2005). The Southwest Airlines way (1st ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Hauck, T.A. (2008). Southwest Airlines: Case study. Web. McGee-Cooper, A., Tramme l, D., Looper, G. (2008). The power of LUV: An inside peek at the innovative culture committee of Southwest Airlines. Reflections, 9(1), 49-54. Lauer, C. (2010). Southwest Airline. New York, NY: ABC-CLIO. Nowicki, M., Summers, J. (2007). Changing leadership styles. Healthcare Financial Management, 61(2), 118-120. Raynor, M.E. (2011). Disruptive innovation: The Southwest Airlines case revisited. Strategy Leadership, 38(4), 31-34. Southwest Airlines. (2008). Southwest cares. Web. Wright, A., Mujtaba, B.G. (2011). Southwest Airlines and management in the modern workplace. Journal of Research in International Business Management, 1(4), 77-84. This essay on Leadership Issues: The Case of CEO Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines was written and submitted by user Juliet E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Impact Of Computers Essays - E-commerce, Free Essays

The Impact Of Computers Essays - E-commerce, Free Essays The Impact Of Computers THE IMPACT OF COMPUTERS Computer technology not only has solved problems but also has created some, including a certain amount of culture shock as individuals attempt to deal with the new technology. A major role of computer science has been to alleviate such problems, mainly by making computer systems cheaper, faster, more reliable, easier to use. Computers are forever present in the workplace. Word processors-computer software packages that simplify the creational and modification of documents-have largely replaced the typewriter. Electronic mail has made it easy to send messages worldwide via computer communication networks. Office automation has become the term for linking workstations, printers, database system, and other tools by means of a local-area network. An eventual goal of office automation has been termed the paperless office. Although such changes ultimately make office work much more efficient, they have not been without cost in terms of purchasing and frequently upgrading the necessary hardware and software and of training workers to use the new technology. Computer integrated manufacturing is a relatively new technology arising from the application of many computer science sub disciplines to support the manufacturing enterprise. The technology of CIM emphasizes that all aspects of manufacturing should be not only computerized as much as possible but also linked together via a computer communication network into an integrated whole. In short, CIM has the potential to enable manufacturers to build cheaper, higher-quality products and thus improve their competitiveness. Making a telephone call no longer should conjure up visions of operators connecting cables by hand or even of electrical signals causing relays to click into place and effect connections during dialing. The telephone system now is just a multilevel computer network with software switches in the network nodes to route calls get through much more quickly and reliably than they did in the past. A disadvantage is the potential for dramatic and widespread failures; for as has happened. The downside of this technology is the potential for security problems. Intruders can see packets traveling on a network and can perhaps interpret them to obtain confidential information. Computer technology has had a significant impact on retail stores. All but the smallest shops have replaced the old-fashioned cash register with a terminal linked to a computer system. The terminal may require that the clerk type in the code for the item; but more and more frequently the checkout counter include a bar-code scanner, a device that directly reads into the computer the UPC printed on each package. Cash-register receipts can then include brief descriptions of the items purchased, and the purchase information is also relayed back to the computer to cause and immediate adjustment in the inventory data. The inventory system can easily alert the manager when the supply of some item drops below a specified threshold. In the case of retail chains linked by networks, the order for a new supply of an item may be automatically generated and sent electronically to the supply warehouse. In a less extensively automated arrangement, the manager can send in the order electronically by a dial-up link to the suppliers computer. These developments have made shopping much more convenient. The checkout process is faster; checkout lines shorter; and the desired item are more likely to be in stock. Computer technology has been incorporated into automobiles. Computers are involved (CAD systems) not only the design of cars but also in the manufacturing and testing process, perhaps making use of CIM technology. Todays automobiles themselves include numerous computer chips that analyze sensor data and alert the driver to actual and potential malfunctions. Although increased reliability has been achieved by implementing such computerization, a drawback is that only automotive repair shops with a large investment in high-tech interfaces and diagnostic tools for these computerized systems can handle any but the simplest repairs