Monday, January 27, 2020

Mining Industry Composite Performance Framework

Mining Industry Composite Performance Framework The objective of this research dissertation is to provide useful and well-researched data as well as a substantial volume of heuristic information to develop a framework that will assist change managers to effectively apply and implement change in the mining and related industries. Chapter 2 introduces the research framework, research assumptions and the use and justification of case study methodologies. 5.2 Research framework. This chapter will state the research assumptions and the methodologies used in this research. Case studies as a methodology will be considered and justified. This research has embraced a qualitative phenomenological paradigm or an approach that concentrates on the study of consciousness and the objects of direct experience. This was undertaken by using case studies together with this researchers heuristic experience. Ontology is the philosophical field around (the study of) the nature of reality (all that is or exists, the reality), and the different entities and categories within reality. Epistemology is the philosophical field around (the study of) knowledge and how to reach it. One might say that it includes the ontology of knowledge. The difference between oncology and epistemology is that ontology is what reality actually is, whilst epistemology is what we perceive and describe reality to be. By making use of case studies both the ontological as well as the epistemological assumptions are fulfilled. It is the experience of this researcher that by having an articulated vision for change, team members can prepare themselves for accepting the change as well as understanding and accepting their involvement and contribution to future change. Well-managed change is the continuum to success. The new direction and vision must be defined in clear concise terms, to allow everyone concerned to be able to accept and even look forward to the change. All levels within the organisation should have an input relevant to their experience; this creates a sense of ownership. In fact, all employees should be encouraged to provide their input. The two paradigms generally used for research are quantitative and qualitative research. The available literature on change management relating to the mining and associated industries is limited. Qualitative research is primarily exploratory research. It is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the problem or helps to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research. The quantitative research was not deemed suitable for this research because statistical measurement of outcomes were not deemed suitable, since the only measure would have been fiscal in nature and not suitable for publication. Qualitative research is also used to reveal trends in thought and opinions, and delve deeper into the problem. Qualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods include teams (team information dissemination meetings), individual interviews, and observation s. This researcher has used qualitative data for the case studies in order to demonstrate a practical clear and unbiased approach to implementing change management into the mining industry. Quantitative research is used to quantify the problem by way of generating data that can be transformed into useable statistics. It is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviours, and other defined variables and generalise results from a larger sample population. Quantitative Research uses measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns in research. The first part of this section provides an overview of the case study methodology, and this is followed by a justification for the use of the case studies as the research method for this research. Case study research brings us to an understanding of a complex issue or range of issues and can add substance to what is already known through previous research. For some years, researchers have made use of the case study research method, across a variety of disciplines. Scientists, have made wide use of this qualitative research method to examine current real-life circumstances and provide the basis for the claim of ideas and extension of methods. The well-known researcher Robert K. Yin defines the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which multiple sources of evidence are used (Yin, 1984, p. 23). Case study research, through reports of past studies, or even diary notes as is the case in this dissertation, demonstrates the identification, resolution and implementation of solutions to problems and issues. It can be a reliable research methodology if utilised correctly. A reason for the acceptance of case study as a research method, is that researchers in general, were becoming more anxious about the confines of quantitative methods in providing holistic and in-depth explanations of the social and behavioural problems in question. By using case study methods, a researcher is able to go beyond the quantitative statistical results and understand the behavioural conditions. By including both quantitative and qualitative data, the case study will help to explain both the process and outcome of a phenomenon through complete observation, reconstruction and analysis of the cases under investigation (Tellis, 1997). Past literature reveals the application of the case study method in many areas and disciplines. Among them include natural examples in the fields of Sociology (Grassel Schirmer, 2006), law (Lovell, 2006) and medicine (Taylor Berridge, 2006). There are also other areas that have used case study methods widely, particularly in government, management and in education. As an example, there were studies conducted to determine whether specific government programmes were efficient or whether the goals of a particular programme were reached. In many cases, a case study method selects a small geographical area or a very limited number of individuals as the subjects of study. Case studies, in their true essence, explore and case study as a research method to investigate contemporary real-life situation through detailed relative analysis. Yin (1984:23) defines the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which multiple sources of evidence are used. Case studies observe the specific data at the minute stages. In this research, the researcher has consulted to numerous mining companies whilst implementing change within their organisations. During these projects this researcher kept diary notes for future reference. Strategies were used that were successful in previous projects that were similar, and the culmination of the total of these is what gave rise to the CPF. Where implementation of an objective did not go according to plan, the execution methodologies were reworked to suit the particular needs of that company. The research design is more than a work standard plan. The main purpose of the design is to help to avoid the situation in which the evidence does not address the initial research questions. In this sense, a research design deals with a logical problem and not a logistical problem. As a simple example, suppose you want to study a single organisation. The research questions, however, have to do with the mining organisations relationships with other organisations or divisions as well as their competitive or collaborative nature. Only three cases studies were adopted for this dissertation in order to show that the CPF can work in varied environments, in different countries with success. In these case studies a sample of mining operations were taken from a broad spectrum of mines, countries and stages of development as detailed in section 5.6. The objective of this research is to identify issues within the greater mining industry and then offer plausible and workable solutions to implementing change in the industry that will be sustainable, and facilitate productivity in the process. Much of the solutions are derived from this researchers own experience in implementing change in mining companies. There is a gap in the literature with regard to what has been researched in this dissertation, and this dissertation will partially fill that gap. This researcher is of the considered opinion that the Composite Performance Framework which he developed over many years is far more suited and adaptable to the mining industry. It is correct to assume that the Kotter 8 step process will work well in many situations, as can be seen above. References Kotter, J. (1996). Leading Change. [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved from http://Amazon.com Larkin, DJ. Larkin S. (2006). 3rd edn. Communicating big change. Larkin communication consulting. Larkin, DJ. Larkin S. (Unspecified date). Communicating change to employees, Sponsored by:ÂÂ   the Australian human resources institute Larkin, DJ. (Dr.) Larkin S.(2006) Communicating Big Change. Larkin Communication Consulting. 3rd Edn. Wood, I. Maxwell, J.M. 2006. 22. John Wiley Sons. Australia. 1st Austr Wood, Zeffane, Fromholtz, Fitzgerald, Schermerhorn, JR. Hunt, JG. Osborn, RN. (2006). Organisational behaviour; core concepts applications. John Wiley sons. Australia. Yin, R.K. (1984). Case study research: Design and methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Tellis, Winston, (1997). Introduction to Case Study. The Qualitative Report, Volume 3, Number 2, July. (http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR3-2/tellis1.html). Lovell, G.I., (2006). Justice Excused: The Deployment Of Law In Everyday Political Encounters. Law Society Review, 40 (2): 283-324 June.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Mental Health as Social Problem Essay

Mental illness can be a social problem because there are a lot of mental illnesses that affect how you socialize with the world. For instance, anxiety / panic disorders affect your ability to communicate with the world. Social anxiety disorder equals social phobia. With social anxiety disorder, you find it hard if not impossible to talk to anyone. Typically a person with social anxiety disorder will sit by themselves, withdrawn from society due to their phobia of it. A person with severe depression could be affected socially as well. A depressed person will typically be withdrawn and won’t open up about his/her feelings. They are not likely to be happy, social, or cheerful. They tend to be downers and social loners. If a person is depressed, usually family and friends might be able to pick up on it. Depressive people are also prone to suicide. Suicide is obviously a huge social problem as suicide is one of the highest killers in the world today. The high profile news stories that hit the tabloids about mothers who kill their kids due to post-partum depression or some other mental illness are defiantly a social problem. The Columbine, the Virginia Tech shooting, Heritage High School, etc. people involved in the school shootings had mental illnesses of some sort. The guy responsible for the Virginia Tech shooting had antisocial personality disorder; the child responsible for Heritage High School was depressed, etc. A lot of the school shootings were caused by people that massacred, and then killed themselves all of these people had some kind of mental illness. The families of people with mental illnesses are also affected. There are therapy sessions directed towards the whole family that are designed to help the family cope with a family member’s mental illnesses. Read more:Â  Social Problems Essay I watched a show on TV, the episode dealt with two families whose daughters were diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The episode talked about the sacrifices that the parents of the family had to make to take care of their mentally ill children. The family members of people with mental illnesses try to work with the mentally ill to see how they are doing, to help them cope with life, to manage medicines, and to even provide some at home therapy. Mental illness is very much a social problem when you consider the consequences when mental illness is ignored. Mental illness does not only affect the person who is diagnosed of it but anyone and everyone that he/she is connected to. The families of people with mental health problems tend to find it difficult also with the Care in the Community Act (CCA) in place, where people with mental health problems stay in their own homes and are visited every week by a Community Psychiatric Nurse. The CCA was put in place by the Thatcher government, and as a result nearly all of the big psychiatric hospitals were torn down and all that remains now are small clinics with fewer beds mainly used for people with severe mental health problems. The patients that used to be cared for in hospitals are now being cared for in the community. In a lot of cases this is not helpful for the patient or the community as sometimes their needs are not met fully. Not everybody in communities is sympathetic to people with mental health problems and this can also have a detrimental effect on the person with the problems. Understanding of mental health from the general public is a bit better than it used to be, but there is still a long way to go. A lot of people think that Thatcher’s idea for Care in the Community was just a way to cut beds and save money rather than caring about the patient’s welfare. Also employment is hard to find for anyone.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Mile and Time Downwind Distance

1. A plane travels from Orlando to Denver and back again. On the five-hour trip from Orlando to Denver, the plane has a tailwind of 40 miles per hour. On the return trip from Denver to Orlando, the plane faces a headwind of 40 miles per hour. This trip takes six hours. What is the speed of the airplane in still air? X = speed of plane in still air (x+40) = speed of plane downwind (x-40) =speed of plane against the wind distance = speed *travel time downwind distance = headwind distance 5(x+40) = 6(x-40) 5x+200=6x-240 6x-5x=240+200 x=440 mphSo, The speed of the plane in still air is 440 mph if I am not mistaken. 2. Two bicycles depart from Miami Beach going in opposite directions. The first bicycle is traveling at 10 miles per hour. The second bicycle travels at 5 miles per hour. How long does it take until the bikes are 45 miles apart? D=RT 45=(10+5)T 45=15T T=445/15 T=3 hours. 3. Jesse rents a moving van for $75 and must pay $2 per mile. The following week, Alex rents the same van, is charged $80 for the rental and $1. 50 per mile. If they each paid the same amount and drove the same number of miles, how far did they each travel? 5+2m=80+1. 5m subtract 75 from both sides subtract 1. 5m from both sides .5m=5 multiply both sides by 2 m=10 miles . 4. During a 4th of July weekend, 32 vehicles became trapped on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge while it was being repaved. A recent city ordinance decreed that only cars with 4 wheels and trucks with six wheels could be on the bridge at any given time. If there were 148 tires that needed to be replaced to due to damage, how many cars and trucks were involved in the incident? Okay. There were 32 cars , we have x + y = 32 ars have 4 wheels so 4x , trucks have 6 wheels so 6x the total number of wheels adds up to 148, so 4x +6y = 14: x+y=32 4x + 6y = 148 -4x – 4y = -128 4x + 6y = 148. 5. For this question, you will need a parent/guardian or a friend. Have this individual grab a handful of coins making sure there are only two types of coins in the group (i. e. , nickels and dimes, quarters and pennies, pennies and dimes, etc). Your parent/guardian or friend should tell you the type of coins they’ve chosen, how many coins they have and the dollar amount of the group.From this information, you will set up two sets of equations and determine how many of each coin they have in their hand. Please send your instructor the name of the individual who helped you with this question, your two equations and the work you did to solve the system. She has 11 coins worth 83 cents. P and Q will the number of pennies and quarters, P + Q = 11 P + 25Q = 83 P + 25Q – P + Q = 24 Q = 83 – 11 = 72. So, 24 Q = 72 Q = 3. Q = 3 can be put into the equation to solve for P. If we use the first equation, we get P + 3 = 11 P = 8, so three quarters and eight pennies.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

At 11:38 a.m. on Tuesday, January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. As the world watched on TV, the Challenger soared into the sky and then, shockingly, exploded just 73 seconds after take-off. All seven members of the crew, including social studies teacher Sharon Christa McAuliffe, died in the disaster. An investigation of the accident discovered that the O-rings of the right solid rocket booster had malfunctioned. Crew of the Challenger Christa McAuliffe (Teacher in Space)Dick Scobee (Commander)Mike Smith (Pilot)Ron McNair (Mission Specialist)Judy Resnik (Mission Specialist)Ellison Onizuka (Mission Specialist)Gregory Jarvis (Payload Specialist) Should the Challenger Have Launched? Around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 28, 1986, in Florida, the seven crew members of the Space Shuttle Challenger were already strapped into their seats. Though they were ready to go, NASA officials were busy deciding whether it was safe enough to launch that day. It had been extremely cold the night before, causing icicles to form under the launch pad. By morning, temperatures were still only 32 ° F. If the shuttle launched that day, it would the coldest day of any shuttle launch. Safety was a huge concern, but NASA officials were also under pressure to get the shuttle into orbit quickly. Weather and malfunctions had already caused many postponements from the original launch date, January 22. If the shuttle didnt launch by February 1, some of the science experiments and business arrangements regarding the satellite would be jeopardized. Plus, millions of people, especially students across the U.S., were waiting and watching for this particular mission to launch. A Teacher on Board Among the crew on board the Challenger that morning was Sharon Christa McAuliffe. McAuliffe, a social studies teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire, had been chosen from 11,000 applicants to participate in the Teacher in Space Project. President Ronald Reagan created this project in August 1984 in an effort to increase public interest in the U.S. space program. The teacher chosen would become the first private citizen in space. A teacher, a wife, and a mother of two, McAuliffe represented the average, good-natured citizen. She became the face of NASA for nearly a year before the launch, and the public adored her. The Launch A little after 11:00 a.m. on that cold morning, NASA told the crew that launch was a go. At 11:38 a.m., the Space Shuttle Challenger launched from Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. At first, everything seemed to go well. However, 73 seconds after lift-off, Mission Control heard Pilot Mike Smith say, Uh oh! Then people at Mission Control, observers on the ground, and millions of children and adults across the nation watched as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. The nation was shocked. To this day, many remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard that the Challenger had exploded. It remains a defining moment in the 20th century. Search and Recovery An hour after the explosion, search and recovery planes and ships searched for survivors and wreckage. Though some pieces of the shuttle floated on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, much of it had sunken to the bottom. No survivors were found.  On January 31, 1986, three days after the disaster, a memorial service was held for the fallen heroes. What Went Wrong? Everyone wanted to know what had gone wrong. On February 3, 1986, President Reagan established the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. Former Secretary of State William Rogers chaired the commission, whose members included Sally Ride, Neil Armstrong, and Chuck Yeager. The Rogers Commission carefully studied pictures, video, and debris from the accident. The Commission determined that the accident was caused by a failure in the O-rings of the right solid rocket booster. O-rings sealed the pieces of the rocket booster together. From multiple uses and especially because of the extreme cold on that day, an O-ring on the right rocket booster had become brittle. Once launched, the weak O-ring allowed fire to escape from the rocket booster. The fire melted a support beam that held the booster in place. The booster, then mobile, hit the fuel tank, causing the explosion. Upon further research, it was determined that there had been multiple, unheeded warnings about the potential problems with the O-rings. The Crew Cabin On March 8, 1986, just over five weeks after the explosion, a search team found the crew cabin; it had not been destroyed in the explosion. The bodies of all seven crew members were found, still strapped into their seats. Autopsies were done but exact cause of death was inconclusive. It is believed that at least some of the crew survived the explosion, since three of four emergency air packs found had been deployed. After the explosion, the crew cabin fell over 50,000 feet and hit the water at approximately 200 miles per hour. No one could have survived the impact.