John Baxter Taylor 1st African-American Gold Medalist

John Baxter Taylor was the first African-American to win an Olympic Gold Medal and the first to represent the United States at an international sporting competition. At 5’11 and 160 pounds, Taylor was a tall, lanky and swift runner. In his short yet prolific athletic career, Taylor earned forty-five cups and seventy medals. Following Taylor’s untimely death just a few months after his Olympic wins, Harry Porter, the Acting President of the 1908 American Olympic Team described Taylor as â€Å"[...] More as the man (than the athlete) that John Taylor made his mark. Quite unostentatious, genial, (and) kindly, the fleet-footed, far-famed athlete was beloved wherever known...As a beacon of his race, his example of achievement in athletics, scholarship and manhood will never wane, if indeed it is not destined to form with that of Booker T. Washington. Early Life and a Budding Track Star Taylor was born on November 3, 1882, in Washington D.C. Sometime during Taylor’s childhood, the family relocated to Philadelphia. Attending Central High School, Taylor became a member of the school’s track team. During his senior year, Taylor served as the anchor runner for Central High School’s one mile-relay team at the Penn Relays. Although Central High School finished fifth in the championship race, Taylor was considered the best quarter-mile runner in Philadelphia. Taylor was the only African-American member of the track team. Graduating from Central High School in 1902, Taylor attended Brown Preparatory School. Not only was Taylor a member of the track team, he became the star runner. While at Brown Prep, Taylor was considered the best prep school quarter-miler in the United States. During that year, Taylor won the Princeton Interscholastics as well as the Yale Interscholastics and anchored the school’s track team at the Penn Relays. A year later, Taylor enrolled in the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and again, joined the track team. As a member of University of Pennsylvania’s varsity track team, Taylor won the 440-yard run at the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) championship and broke the intercollegiate record with a time of 49 1/5 seconds. After taking a hiatus from school, Taylor returned to the University of Pennsylvania in 1906 to study veterinary medicine and his desire to run track was reignited at well. Training under Michael Murphy, Taylor won the 440-yard race with a record of 48 4/5 seconds. The following year, Taylor was recruited by the Irish American Athletic Club and won the 440-yard race at the Amateur Athletic Union championship. In 1908, Taylor graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. An Olympic Competitor The 1908 Olympics were held in London. Taylor competed in the 1600-meter medley relay, running the 400-meter leg of the race and the United States’ team won the race, making Taylor the first African-American to win a gold medal. John Baxter Taylors Death Five months after making history as the first African-American Olympic Gold medalist, Taylor died at the age of twenty-six of typhoid pneumonia. He was buried in Eden Cemetery in Philadelphia. At Taylor’s funeral, thousands of people paid homage to the athlete and doctor. Four clergymen officiated his funeral and at least fifty carriages followed his hearse to Eden Cemetery. Following Taylor’s death, several news publications published obituaries for the gold medalist. In the Daily Pennsylvanian, the official newspaper for the University of Pennsylvania, a reporter described Taylor as one of the popular and respected students on campus, writing, â€Å"We can pay him no higher tribute—John Baxter Taylor: Pennsylvania man, athlete, and gentleman.† The New York Times was also present at Taylor’s funeral. The news publication characterized the service as â€Å"one of the greatest tributes ever paid a colored man in this city and described Taylor as â€Å"the world’s greatest negro runner.†

Machiavellis The Prince and its Role in Politics in the...

In the time of Renaissance, which has been characterized by the age of reawakening of humanism. The prince plays one of the most important role in the dramatic developing of political in the Renaissance period and still hold an universal impact on todays politicians. However its views points has been debating over time. Machiavelli maintain the thoughts which is the essential for the cruel to a successful leader. To those of view points according to Machiavellis thoughts are the arguments that a prince is to be clement or cruel, to be feared or loved. Those significance are appeared in his written and plays the main role in his viewpoints. It is common to every leaders that wants to be thought as clement but not the cruel in his†¦show more content†¦This book is a nightmarish prophecy to the Utopia as we know. But if we look through it in another angle of view, you can see how successful the leader in this book control his citizens. Everyone loves Big Brother because of fear. This book shows how does the leader use peoples fear to control their behavior and thoughts. To go back to Machiavellis prince. If there is one must be abandoned and it will be love. It is better to be feared not loved because will not ensure loyalty. It is much easier to turn against someone that you loved than you feared. Your military might promised to work for you because of love. Once the dangerous has to be faced. The fear to dangerous is strong enough to cover the love. Fear could ever leads people blind because of human nature also. This is why Big Brother controlled people so successfully. He is good at catch and obey humanity and utilize it. So the choice will be obey our human nature. If citizens are feared by his leader and even much more than the dangerous does. For instinct, they will turn slavery to the one that is most feared unconsciously. I dont think love is not as valuable as fear to the politic. But a smart leader would chose a easy way to govern his citizens. Then to concern to love and fear when two of those could be kept at the same time. A mighty leader should be able to measure the best balance to the love and fear. The love must not over the fear. As i said above,Show MoreRelatedNiccolà ² Machiavellis Acquisition of Power Essay1327 Words   |  6 PagesNiccolà ² Machiavelli is representative of Renaissance thinkers in his perception of government. No longer was government seen as an institution granted by God but rather governments were largely becoming arrangements or contracts between those that govern and the governed. Thinkers from Aristotle to Francis Bacon would expound on this idea of a social contract, but none would exemplify the realism and ruthlessness of modern politics like Machiavelli. While the word Machiavellian has become partRead MoreMachiavelli and the Use of Antiquity in The Prince and The Discourses1838 Words   |  7 Pages Machiavelli and the Use of Antiquity in The Prince and The Discourses The Renaissance was a time of classical revival and a turning point from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern period in the course of history. Ancient texts and artifacts became sources of inspiration for intellectuals and artists alike, and the desire to emulate—or even surpass the achievements of the past prompted them to study antiquities closely and saw them as models and guidance. People were consciously distinguishingRead MoreThe Dark Ages1647 Words   |  7 Pagesreligion. This was a prolonged era of stagnation, where anarchy and barbarianism roamed rampant. It wasn’t until the Italian Renaissance began, that people started to take interest in scientific, cultural, philosophical endeavors. 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It would no longer focus on the church and its dictates, although they would still play a part. It would no longer have its government seated in Rome, with small pawns of the church controlling the land, although the church would still have a hand in government. It would no longer shun the vast stores of knowledge c reatedRead MoreEssay on Machiavelli’s The Prince and the Modern Executive1943 Words   |  8 PagesThe Prince and the Modern Executive  Ã‚      Few question The Prince’s place in the canon of western literature. That it marks a turning point in our collective history, the origin of the study of politics as a science (Pollock 43), is alone enough to warrant its classification as a Great Book. 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Smith Consulting Project Free Essays

string(230) " The work environment will suffer as the staff will also struggle to adapt to the software that is being used, ultimately not taking full advantage of the software or worst case scenario by abandoning the whole system altogether\." These reviews will bring awareness to the employees that their efforts (or lack of) have not gone unnoticed. They will realize that their performance level is directly proportional to the bonus, so instinctively, employees will strive to do their best in order to maximize the rewards. Encourage employees to further education, or seek professional certifications by offering tuition reimbursement, and bonus or salary perks for successful completion of degrees or certifications. We will write a custom essay sample on Smith Consulting Project or any similar topic only for you Order Now This will let the employee know that the company is willing to invest in him or her, and by extension, he or she is considered an asset. Form an employee relations committee which will plan social activities for employees to take part in. Possible events include: Potluck lunch, Christmas dinner, Charity endeavors (food, clothes, and book drives, etc. ), community cleanups, etc. This is an opportunity for staff members of varied levels to come together and socialize without the constraints of bureaucracy or company politics. Clients Engagement Approach can be extended to include the way that a company interacts with its Clients. Similar to the Employee Relationship, the company must find a way to keep Clients happy, and loyal. Failure to do this could result in negative reviews, loss of clients, loss of business, and loss of revenues. The trickle-down effect of this can be disastrous as the company may have to lay off staff in response to decreased income. With this in mind, it is extremely important to maintain good client relations. To achieve this, the company must be mindful to do the following: Obtain clear directives from the client in terms of their expectations. When in doubt, do not hesitate to follow up with the client for clarification. This ensures that both parties are on the same page and prevents miscommunication which can lead to inflict. Always communicate respectively with the client. Always keep an open line of communication. It is extremely frustrating when a client is unable to contact his or her service provider. Deliver products on time. This fosters reliability and loyalty. Software Development Definition The formal definition of software is a set of written computer interpreted instruction dictating how to process data input and output. The development of software is the process of creating the written set of instructions that meet the requested specification requirements according to customer need. The software development life cycle is the development model to achieve a practical product fitting the description of the specification requirements. The development end-goal is to produce a product that is easily maintainable, productive, and dependable. Methodologies Scrum is the principal software development methodology in practice by Smith Consulting for new software development requests. Scrum is an agile development methodology involving development teams working in unison independent of each other and at the same time interdependent on each team’s work (Tech Target, 2007). The Scrum methodology spawns developmental decisions as a result of active software creation, directing and guiding the development team task to keep on the project timeline and according to specification. The Lean Software Development approach is Smith Consulting secondary software development method in practice. The consideration of the Lean methodology for development is in regard to redevelopment or version upgrade to existing software products. The Lean methodology is a derivative of a project management approach originally developed by the Toyota Motor Corporation (MANS, 2012). The purpose of the Lean approach is to develop a more robust and efficient software product. The development technique is to achieve a reduction in processing overhead. Rework includes removing invaluable features and employing modern coding technique to improve overall program flow. Project Management Project management is a critical function because the prosperity of the entire organization depends on it. Since the success of project management depends on the leaders of this company, they should possess a clear business vision that includes IT and business experience. This vision should be established at the ginning of the project and should clarify what is in and outside the scope of the project. The most efficient engagement approach should be one that includes a good line of communication with stakeholders including end-users. These stakeholders should be tasked to show commitment to the project by agreeing to a contract. The project management process should be divided into manageable pieces that are easier to easier to understand and manage. Proper management also includes ensuring the required tools and manpower is available to the teams. The contract should clearly identify who has what responsibility and how they are to be accomplished. Other requirements include: Ensure each process has someone responsible for managing it Identify who is responsible for managing costs Identify who and how many analysts and what their functions are Identify contract programmer costs The project will be reviewed on a weekly basis to identify if the company is still on the correct course and if any additional changes or if any previously unknown problems have arrived. Reviews are also a good time to find if any of the key player’s ideas have changed and how to approach it if at all. For this project I recommend selecting omen independent of the project to conduct these reviews. Single systems not one-size-fits-all The reason why a single system is not likely to be a one-size-fits-all solution is because you for one have a lot of areas that needs to be addressed. Now, when you look at the legal field in today’s world it I becoming increasingly technical-dominated by the availability of technologies that are specific to the legal field as well as the tangible type improvements for both the efficiency and productivity when solutions are implemented in many firm’s especially law firms. For the firm’s broad services you ill have to come up with decisions to purchase and implement specific technologies because it’s a heavy part of them all, and the reason for this is because if you choose and well as put in the wrong solutions in place. The work environment will suffer as the staff will also struggle to adapt to the software that is being used, ultimately not taking full advantage of the software or worst case scenario by abandoning the whole system altogether. You read "Smith Consulting Project" in category "Papers" Another reason why a single system will not likely be a one-size- fits-all is because you will need different systems to be in place like: Practice Management Software, and Storing Information and Automation. The biggest reason why a single system is not likely to be a one-size-fits-all is because it will most likely lack the depth of functionality, so by this being said the firm will be looking to find more than one type of solution when it comes down to finding more than one practice area. One other difference is the level of customization because the one- size-fits-all provides for both front-end as well as back-end but lacks areas and you will need to find a better way to implement everything to work and function properly. Program Specification Guidelines This portion of the document should act as a guide for Smith Systems Consulting Software Developers to adhere to closely during the software development phase. This guide will help to streamline the company’s way of determining requirements, and incorporating them into the developing program. The uniformed approach will ensure that the same level of care and attention is bestowed on all of Smith Systems Consulting projects – no matter what size or budget. Stakeholders A project’s stakeholder is anyone who will be affected by, or who has an interest in the project’s progress and execution. Stakeholders in a systems development project usually include (but are not limited to) the project’s users, Information Technology department, the affected department(s)’s manager, members of the company’s upper management, the chief financial officer (SCOFF), and the company’s president. Prior to entering the requirements elicitation phase of the project, it is imperative for the development team to make a list of all stakeholders, as they will play an important role in defining the system’s requirements. User Requirements User requirements refer to the unique functionality aspects of a system that are accessory for the user to accomplish his or her Job. In order for the programmer or system developer to fully understand what the resulting program is meant to do, it is important to discuss the functionality details with those who know the operation best – the users. The users will provide in-depth and clear understanding of the inner- workings of the system as well as the crucial tools and functions that are necessary for optimal performance. The development team should be prepared to use various methods to elicit the requirements so that feedback is gathered from all of the users that were nitpicked for the task. Some common methods for gathering requirements are surveys and face to face interviews. Where necessary, the developer should also be prepared to offer an anonymous system to collect requirements in order to protect the identity of the user – should they so desire that mode. The users play a profound role in system development. By offering different avenues for feedback and requirements retrieval the company is maximizing the amount of data it receives and therefore ensuring that all bases are covered in the resulting product. Once the business development plan has been created it is important to consult with the users again. This ensures that the requested functionality and tools are accounted for and helps to prevent any costly misunderstandings in the future. System Security Requirements To describe the security requirements in the company’s policy it must first define in detail what data it is expected to handle. This requires working closely with the clients to gain an understanding of the confidentiality and importance of data. Once that is established, and then the types of employees who will have access to certain levels of data should be clearly described in terms of security levels. System Security sting will focus on the following tasks: Sign-on procedures This determines the security of passwords and defines when and how often users are expected to change them. Password reset methods will also be defined in the policy. In addition a method of accessing the system through back-door methods should be described as a means of access in case of an emergency. Database security Access to the database is described here. This highlights which users have access to applicable data and which are designed on a need to know basis. Physical security Here the physical security of the equipment associated with the business to include reward such as workstations and servers are described. Cameras will be installed at strategic locations along with bagged access points to minimize the possibility of the theft of physical property. Third-party tools Establish an understanding with vendors to ensure their continued partnership is dependent on their ability to match our system security standards. Test environment A secure test environment ensures that only required personnel have access to the testing environment. Additionally, a test environment is a safe environment to prepare changes before officially rolling them out to the company as a whole. The yester security of Smith Consulting will require compliance with semi-annual evaluations from an outside source to determine an evaluation of security precautions, procedures, and vulnerabilities. The results of the evaluation are to be maintained along with the policy instruction so that the requirements of future evaluations can be validated against past tests. Software Platform Compatibility Requirements Software compatibility is an important part of the process of software development. Compatibility is first determined by which operating system(s) the software to be developed will be designed to run on successfully. A determining factor may be what system the company is using now or what the computer they may be using in the future. For example, there may be some issues with Windows XP but the company may be set to release Windows 8 machines as part of the role-out of the new software. In this case it is best to design software compatibility for the Windows 8 machines. The same can be said with servers if the software will be network based. Additionally the company may consider running their services from the cloud. In this case the software compatibility may be no more than ensuring a compatible browser such as Internet Explorer, Firebox or Chrome. Each scenario is different and is precisely one of the reasons why each company will require a customized Software Platform Compatibility Requirement list. Database Application Testing Requirements This section will serve as a generic methodology of Smith Consulting approach to database application testing requirements. The objective is to document a reusable database performance evaluation strategy regardless of database vendor or design specification. Additional testing steps may be applicable per vendor recommendation. Any additional steps are a project plan requirement used in injunction with Smith Consulting guidelines of database verification. The intention of database examination is for conducting a systematic test to validate data structure and data integrity during user software application read write performance testing. Assumptions Database performance testing in conjunction with software application database read write operations assumes the database architecture and structure development is to specification and logically designed. An additional assumption is the development of indexes, views, triggers, stored procedures, and functions exist and the database is available for software unit testing. Data Mapping Data mapping is a validation process to ensure end-user data entry form fields correspond with the mapped database table fields. The expected result of the verification of the retrieved data from application input must be consistent with the outlined data model from the database data dictionary. The only acceptable result will prove data writes to the designated table or tables and is congruent with format, length, and type of the data definition. Stress Testing The purpose of stress testing a database is to understand the performance and reliability during heavy user interaction. Performing a high volume stress test assessment is essential to uncover database bottlenecks resulting in long response times and slow performance. A stress load is performed by simulation of a designated number of application users. The load variance selection shall simulate, according to project specification, the average number of end-users, below average number of end-users, slightly above average number of end-users, and five times the average number of end-users. The load simulation will create scenarios where users concurrently query against and write to the same table and numerous tables across he database. Result failure requires documentation and further evaluation for database optimization. Failure also warrants a hardware design team consultation to determine if the hardware is sufficient to handle the transaction load simulation. Transaction Isolation Transaction isolation verification tests the database reaction during the occurrence of multiple table transactions taking place at the same time. A realistic situation exists where various read write requests will be present concurrently. While the scenario is unavoidable in a multi-user environment the state of the database is at risk during a existing read write request. The performance outcome ought to appear as though each database demand executes one right after the other. Depending on the applied transaction isolation level, record locks are set in accordance with the transaction call (Microsoft SQL Server, 2012). The importance of testing transaction isolation validates read and write record locking, how long the locks are held, and the on-screen response time of the simultaneous operations. The transaction isolation testing is a sub-set testing situation of the database load testing. Isolation result documentation hall include the number of transactions, the response time of the transaction, and note the accuracy of the data read write. Data integrity errors must be reported to the database design team as well as the software design team for evaluation. Required submission includes the detailed steps of the data integrity inaccuracy for reproduction of the error. Budgetary Constraints Testing is the most widely used approach to ensure software quality but it also can be the most cost and time-consuming. To ensure the project for Smith Consulting stays in the green for budget concerns the project is scheduled with strict deadlines. Some cost overruns are normal for any project but the goal is to minimize the impact. Wars to accomplish these goals include defining clearly the responsibility of everyone involved with the project with clear methods of holding them accountable for their parts. Setting a financial goal is the best method to maintain a budget constraint. The project budget estimate should be accurately documented for management and the estimate should include when and how to handle costs associated with manpower in the event more help is required. The project statement should include a scope that is clearly defined in the beginning of the project. In situations where budget cuts may affect the ability to complete the project, managers should always start with physical resources before staff cuts. In more dire situations (where personnel are at risk) the standard remedy is to fill necessary positions with staff covering other potions to fill in until the financial situation has recovered. This design will ensure the impact on the project for the customer is minimal and will also prove our procedures are detailed. Software Testing To qualify new software for production the development team performs a multitude of readiness tests. Qualified software must pass the following tests: Integration, Compatibility, Functionality, Usability, Security, Load/Stress, Documentation, Implementation, Automation, Support, and, Debugging. The following sections will highlight the various testing methods that Smith Systems Consulting uses to ensure product reliability and competency. Performance Testing Meeting the needs of a company and client is a performance requirement of software engineering. Performance testing is a routine performance evaluation that determines how the system will behave. The behavior corresponds with the terms of responsiveness along with execution stability under a system initiated workload. One major thing that performance testing can serve well in is to measure, validate, investigate, or even verify all other attributes that are set up within the system such as: the reliability, resource usage, and scalability. To monitor the system’s performance, it is important to perform the steps that are highlighted in the following sections. Integration Testing While software is generally produced to perform specific Job functions, it is important and efficiency encouraging to incorporate integration with other applications. For example, an accounting information system would benefit from company database integration, as well as Microsoft Excel and Adobe Acrobat report saving integrations. Lately, it has become commonplace for programs to include software integrations as they incorporate the Software Oriented Architecture platform. With this in mind, it is extremely important for the development team to iron out the integration kinks before the software is released. To ensure that product integrations are functioning properly, the program testers have to: Identify all of the integrated programs and software Determine the associated version numbers that the program is being tested on. For ACH integration, perform in-depth testing. If the integration is not working well, the tester will have to troubleshoot, and possibly contact the product team of the integrated product or service. When the integration is working properly, the version number should be noted. When the program is released to the public, the integrated programs’ version numbers that the program has passed the integration tests for should be displayed within its documentation as verification of compliance. Compatibility Testing Within an organization, there are many different platforms and software at use. In order for the company to be successful, all of the information systems must be able to communicate with their respective devices. The company’s architecture must be built so that this wide web of services, and products are working in tandem with each other, and are able to co-exist in an unobtrusive manner. Ensuring this prevents software incompatibility issues, which can prove to be very costly. As an example, if an organization is only using Microsoft Windows devices, it would not make sense to purchase Office for MAC or other proprietary Apple software that do not integrate with the Microsoft Windows platform. Similarly, if a seer wanted to use the Microsoft Skydive feature which allows them to connect to a remote PC, they will be unhappy to learn that Microsoft Windows 8. 1 does not support this. Performing compatibility testing showcases the limitations of the software and allows the programmer to compile a list of programs and versions which works with the system. Compatibility testing involves: Determining the software that the program is required to maintain compatibility with. Performing thorough compatibility testing. If the system is found to be incompatible with the software already in place at the organization, the programmer just reevaluate, troubleshoot, and redo the section in question to make sire, Once the software is deemed compatible, the version numbers must be noted for inclusion in the project description documentation. Usability Testing One important factor when running an analysis on a potential client for Smith Systems Consulting is usability. Usability, by definition, are asking the questions is this â€Å"capable of being used† or is it â€Å"convenient and practicable for use† (Usable, 2014). Each organization that SC approaches will answer this question differently. What one company deems as an important and commonly used featured may be impolitely ignored by the next. This is why usability is so important. Another way of looking at usability is trimming the fat. If a company doesn’t need certain features than it really should be noted as not needing to be produced. This cuts down on production times and overall costs to the client making a more efficient project in the end. Functionality Testing To follow up with this of course it must be determined what is to be used most commonly and ensure that this is how the client envisioned. What is most important is that organization Smith Systems Consulting is working with feels they are getting apt attention and one certain way to do that is make the client feel as though they’ve been listened to in the usability and functionality fields. Functionality is defined as â€Å"the particular use or set of uses for which something is designed† (Functionality, 2014). In this notion it is clear that functionality is heavily tied to usability. How something is used is in relation to how it is designed. When Smith Systems Consulting designs their products it is important to keep the user and usability in mind. These are both best accomplished by performing speaking with users who will e using the product – especially those who may assist in any beta testing. If the end users and stakeholders provide a clear vision then the project should be nothing less than a success when the developers attain that goal. Load/Stress Testing Each organization that Smith System Consulting will be working with will have their own unique technology environment they will be operating in. The more that SC knows of these environments the more they can consider potential benefits or weakness that can be considered. Once these have been considered then a test environment can be established. What makes a good test environment is running the intended software in mock environment, ideally on a system with near identical computer specs. This would include running on the same operating system and using the same amount of RAM, processing power, and hard drive utilization. Once these parameters have been set then a server / client test can be run – ideally in a virtual environment. Once the program is operating on the network with an average number of computers connected and using the software then it can be fair to say this running a load test – that is a test within normal operating parameters. To fully stress the system would be to mimic running the network at high capacity. This may include either a high number of concurrently connected users or the server carry a high load of responsibilities, such as sharing heavy SQL queries in addition to the software testing. Debugging Debugger or debugging tool is a computer created software program that allows the programmer to test as well as debug other types of programs. Therefore, with debugging the software plays a major factor because when a program is debugged, the programmer will find errors such as missing coding areas when creating the program. For example imagine that a developer created a weeping and he or she wanted to place a picture on it but wondered why the picture wouldn’t display. Debugging the program can assist the developer with diagnosing and fixing the problem that is causing the program to malfunction. This goes to show that having a debugger is a worth tool for correcting programming errors. Software Security Assessment The purpose of a software security assessment is to identify and expel code vulnerabilities prior to customer delivery. Identifying the presence of a code-layer exposed vulnerability is a fundamental action for conforming to a high standard. A good quality assurance model involves proactive steps to extinguish security flaws. Smith Consulting must guarantee the customer a secure product release and reduce the risk of threat exploitation via a thorough security testing regiment. Definition Software Security Assessment refers to testing criteria to establish threat resistant software. Testing shall demonstrate the software’s ability to withstand the attempts of infiltration with mall-intentions. Strategy Examination and assessment validate the absence of typical security errors exposing subjection to threat according to the Common Weakness Enumeration (The MITER Corporation, 2011). Black Box Testing The black box testing strategy involves the use of a testing group with no working knowledge of the software code structure, engineering, or implementation plan (Michael, Van Wok, Radicchio, 2005). Black box testers employ hostile approach to penetrate an application’s security to identify bounds unknown during OSDL design and implementation phases. White Box Testing The white box testing strategy involves an orderly one-to-one validation source code is according to design specification and expected security components exist. The key preference from the black box testing is the assessor possesses an intimate knowledge of application code and construction (Mono, No Date). Analysis scans source code for common development faults identified from the Common Weakness Enumeration. The tester also keeps a lookout for seemingly harmless routines that can act as a back door for intrusion. Authentication Testing Authentication testing is a method of determining if a process or end-user is legitimate. The objective is to understand how the authentication process behaves and use that information to circumnavigate the authentication mechanism. Types of authentication tests are as follows: 1 User Enumeration – a brute force test using a valid user credential to determine if uncovering the authenticating password is possible (SPAS, 2012). Dictionary Testing – a method for determining common words found in a dictionary exist in a user passers (SPAS, 2012). 3 Password Recovery – the method to test the authenticity of a password reset or forgotten password request (SPAS, 2012). 4 Race Condition Testing – identification of multiple processes executing simultaneously that modify the same data (SPAS, 2012). Documentation A good method of documenti ng processes in Smith Consulting products is to mirror the practices of life-cycle management tools that are in compliance with the Serbians-Cooley Act. A sound business in today’s environment should focus their efforts on automation development and documentation processes. Smith Consulting documentation procedures will involve in audit process that will identify who has accessed code and what changes have been made. The documentation process will also include the ability to track what testing and assurance of quality has occurred during the construction of the project. In addition, the procedures will also include the ability to change parts of an existing project that have been determined to fall out of the scope of the goal of the business vision. The idea behind aligning documentation testing procedures with the described Act is to yield rewards such as rework reduction by automating change management aspects of programming within a project (Heavenliest, 2006). In doing so, the replacement of old paper-based software development tools with change management and code-management tools that allow Smith Consulting to monitor change request within the software development process by attaching electronic signatures to the software. This further alps the rework elimination process by verifying that the documentation changes in line with the goals of the business. The different documentation types are listed as: Source Code Unit Test Report Software Test Procedure (provides instruction on how to test each component of a project) Code Explanation Report Implementation At times, in the implementation of test procedures it may become necessary to perform target testing to prove critical functions and reduce the risk of large amounts of rework. Prior to the testing of each unit the developer is required to update the test procedure for conducting each test and record the results as scribed in the documentation procedure. In situation where more tests are required they will be completed as needed in order to satisfy those implementation requirements. Developers are required to implement and test development projects in accordance with coding standards and methods outline in the Software Engineering Manual. All unit test results are maintained in the Unit Test Report. Automation The automation method requires that the development framework is separate from the test automation tools. The framework as designed is flexible enough to adapt to changes that the environment or the project may bring. The purpose of utilizing this method is because it is low costing. Implementing the test automation is a full- time effort that requires significant time and up-front investment. Automated tests are scheduled at 1,250, every other day. The only change to the automation procedure is if there is an unforeseen change to the business requirement that suggests a change should be made. Since automation is such an exhaustive task, it is reserved for projects on an enterprise level that expect multiple releases. The approach that Smith Consulting will use for its development projects is Test How to cite Smith Consulting Project, Papers

Strategy Management of MSNBC Organisation †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Strategy Management of MSNBC. Answer: Introduction The essay is on strategy management of a company. The organisation selected is MSNBC, which is a cable channel of America. This specific channel is been owned by NBC Universal News group and it also provides the news about the political events (Hill, Jones and Schilling 2014). This company is having a high growth as well as it is earning profit from 1996. The organisation is facing various kinds of issues for maintaining the respectable position in industry. For this reason the company is giving emphasize on strategic management so that they are able to get back their position and retain it in the market of competition. This essay is to analyse and evaluate MSNBC strategic management. The essay will be concentrating on analysis of internal as well as external environment of the organisation and at last, the essay will be providing some recommendation for effective utilisation of strategic management so that they can increase the customer base. Mission and Purpose Organisations main motive is increasing customer base and that purpose are been fulfilled by them by providing wide range of channels to subscribers. The organisation is also planning for providing the subscribers with seasonal news besides the information on weather. They also have a plan of establishing their organisation and conduct the business for extending the image of corporate (Slack 2015). The organisation has the mission for augmenting their customers for reviewing the programmes, which will give them information, entertainment as well as education. Vision and Goals MSNBC has the vision of becoming the most creative and innovative organisation globally. The organisation primarily concentrates on the values as well as they believe in delivering the high quality services to their customers so that the customers get good money valuation (Peppers and Rogers 2016). Innovative and creativity in thinking and implementing in their organisation is their major goal. Vision of the organisation is increasing sale level, total earnings as well as cash flow through getting establishment in the market of America as leader as well as expanding the organisation by introducing many channels as one unit. Core values and principles The organisation maintains and follows codes of conduct that help them to guide as well as maintain objectivity, integrity, impartiality and reputation. The organisation focus on adopting the equivalent conduct code for every department and besides that they give values to their stakeholders. Every employees within the organisation are been directed to follow the fundamental guidelines which are been formulated by members of the board (Wheelen and Hunger 2017). The employees also have to give values for the assets of the organisation so as safeguard the stakeholders interests. External Analysis: Competitive Forces External environment regarding the organisation can be determined with the help of the model of Porter Five forces. This model can be applied for evaluating the competitor numbers for the organisation in the American market. In the American market, there exist other channels like WFIO TV, BBC news channels and Blaze. These channels help in providing the English news as well as provide live telecast on various concerts to the common mass. The pressure level is extremely high as there exist various channels in the American market, which is lowering down the identity of the brand. The switching cost decreases for the customers, as the product differentiation was very low. The significant threat received by the organisation was from BBC as the market share, promotional activities and extensive resources of BBC was very well developed and established (Eden and Ackermann 2013). Another risk for the organisation is entrance of new competitor in American market. It can have negative impact o n the organisation as new competitors does not have any economic as well as regulation barrier and therefore they can take entry in the market of America. The new competitors can affect the operations of business for MSNBC for their low capital at the time of investments, access for distribution is easy and service differentiation is low (Hill and Jones 2013). The third factor, which can have an impact on the operation of the organisation, is the threat provided by substituted channels. However, MSNBC is giving its customers an extended range of channels but there exists rivalry due to equivalent competency and so the threat is quite high in this industry. Customers may shift to different brands, as there may be availability of other substituted goods. The last factor that can affect the organisation is high bargaining power possessed by customers due to low differentiation of products as well as services and therefore the customer can easily switch to other brand, which can produce good quality of substituted product. Macro Environment Analysis There are also some macro factors, which possesses serious threats to the organisation. The organisations condition of economy may get change with respect to change in money flow. The organisation tries to serve the services at a very low price to its customers. This factor is also beyond control of the organisation as it can have severe impact on the factor of profit of the organisation. If the economic conditions become poor then it can have an impact on suppliers power of economy that yields in reducing the opportunities of credit. During economic recession in the American market, the customers power of purchasing reduces drastically which bound them for spending low and some of the customers can even switch to different companies. The operation of organisation can be badly affected due to lacking in credit facilities, purchasing power reduction as well as high rate of interests. Strength and competencies This organisation is one of the biggest broadcast having around 50,000 employees across all the branches. MSNBC is also having around 10,000 journalists globally, which helps the organisational operation to be smooth. The organisation is one of the largest news broadcast organisation across the world, which provides news as well as information to its customers. As contrast to the competitors, the organisation gained the market penetration by giving different categories of news of different places. Each immediate in MSNBC is unmistakably connected with expansive system; thusly it urges them to converse with each other at whatever point required. Other nature of the company is that it can retrieve data from any part of the world as each employee serves the organisation for twenty-four hours based on rotational shift (Mordern 2016). The organisation is focusing on requirements of customers and sales as well as they are figuring cartoon channels for children. The most suitable strategy f or the organisation is it is charging fewer amounts from the customers besides earning profit from their business (Austin and Pinkleton 2015). The company is even getting gigantic attestation from the comprehensive group and is demonstrating the cartoon channels for the children on the ground of requests made by them. The unit dependably is turning into the branches and therefore it helps the organisation to gain the competitive advantages over its rival. The unit is attracted towards the requirements and requesting of its customers and therefore encourages them to recognize high client unfaltering quality. Recalling a definitive goal to address the issues of the clients, the unit is hoping to cover particular news, for example, solitary social affairs of praised people and about redirections other than (Peteraf, Gamble and Thompson 2014). The unit is providing 24 hour benefits in which client can get any type of news they require. Weakness The organization is experiencing low differentiation of product where the majority of clients are changing over for different brand due to high substitutes of products. Because of ITV, customers are been pulled in towards various coordinates and besides they are getting TV allow. As this association is giving 24-hour news, regardless of how it is beneficial however on speak side they are filling the void space with silly news, which along these lines affects the vitality of people. Furthermore, when they are depleted they change over to other channel, for instance, sky news with a complete focus of getting tried and true degree. In setting of the low spending game plan, association cannot pass on the events and endeavours that have comprehended performing authorities as they fervour for overpowering theory (Jackson, Schuler and Jian 2014). Slighting having key restrains, the association is continuing with some weakness that further abatements the capability degree. For instance, part icularly the connection is encountering low spending arrangement in which they cannot spend on unprecedented activities and thusly it affects their cash related cut-off. Strategic Options The organisation has different ways of expanding the share of market through the strategies of substantiative growth. The growth strategies are been for expanding the share of the market is described below: Expanding the organisational unit in new markets: The organisation is having the intense growth in the industry of broadcast since the channels got established. The organisation is also getting various suggestions from some of the customers where they demand for MSNBC channel in different country as it will assists the other people for accessing the news. This strategy is generally adopted by the companies of retail sector for expanding their business that will also help in increasing the base of the customers (Rosenbaum-Elliot, Percy and Pervan 2015). This strategy is been implemented by most of the organisation when they survived in the market where they opened the business and looking for expanding their business. MSNBC can also expand their scope of business by implementing wide range of channels. The organisation requires more journalists as well as editors so that they can manage the news divisions of the organisations efficiently. The strategy can be supported with the change in demographics as well as the climate of economy. The organisation can be differentiated from its close competitors by introducing news of various languages as many competitors have already applied this strategy for capturing the market. Broadening of Service line: The company was been involved for providing the news in English for its customers. For accomplishing the choice of the viewers the organisation also acne up with the idea of introducing the set top box in the market, which helped them to gain the revenue of around 20 million dollars. This specific strategy has also a chance of being recognised that also give the organisation a chance to operate in different countries and being established globally. Promotional strategies can also be implemented by the organisation for pursuing more number of customers with the help of authentic information. The organisation can also introduce selling the services to the customers directly so that the customers can directly contact the team in case they are having problem in their service. Thusly, organization may retain potential clients and by this process it decreases the switching rate of customers towards different brands (Bettis et al. 2016). With a specific end goal of surviving in American mar ket, the organization may offer its clients with service of cheap rate. This will help them in becoming the pioneer of the market. This system will likewise help MSNBC for capturing the new market with minimal danger as well as less capital investment. The fundamental intension of this strategy is expanding the viewers frequency for the channel. The utilisation of tool could enable MSNBC to catch bigger market to share as well as for promoting the channels among their potential customers. Recommendation and Conclusion It is recommended that the organisation can expand their business globally with the help of channel advertisement. The advertisement of the channel can be done with the help of existing channel, as that will help the customer of getting the knowledge about the new channel in the market (Percy, Elliot and Rosenbaum-Elliot 2016). The strategy will leverage the productivity proportion of MSNBC and in this way can likewise promote the name of brand. Preceding growing business in different locales, the organisation must be aware of its strength and weaknesses as it will assists them in satisfying the requirements and requests of its clients of various areas. The business is additionally prescribed for changing the organisation's structure where all the employees should be given training of how to meet the requirements of customers. The business is additionally recommended to contact every now and again with its clients as well as viewers since it will assists the service to be effective. They have to concentrate on the service quality, as satisfaction of the customer is significant in this business. MSNBC is prescribed to enable the managers in giving their suggestions as well as perspectives in the corporate choice of organisation since it will help in understanding where consideration is mostly required to implement (Goetsch and Davis 2014). The organization is also recommended for targeting more and more new clients as well as meets their requirements and demands. References Austin, E.W. and Pinkleton, B.E., 2015.Strategic public relations management: Planning and managing effective communication campaigns(Vol. 10), pp.347-356. London: Routledge. Bettis, R.A., Ethiraj, S., Gambardella, A., Helfat, C. and Mitchell, W., 2016. Creating repeatable cumulative knowledge in strategic management.Strategic Management Journal,37(2), pp.257-261. Eden, C. and Ackermann, F., 2013.Making strategy: The journey of strategic management, pp.510-512. Sage . Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence, pp.418-429. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Hill, C.W. and Jones, G.R., 2013.Strategic management theory, pp.647-651. Boston: Cengage Learning. Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2014.Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach, pp.32-98. Boston:Cengage Learning. Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S. and Jiang, K., 2014. An aspirational framework for strategic human resource management.Academy of Management Annals,8(1), pp.1-56. Morden, T., 2016.Principles of strategic management. London: Routledge. Peppers, D. and Rogers, M., 2016.Managing Customer Experience and Relationships: A Strategic Framework. NJ: John Wiley Sons. Percy, L., Elliott, R.H. and Rosenbaum-Elliott, R., 2016.Strategic advertising management, pp. 887-899. NY: Oxford University Press. Peteraf, M., Gamble, J. and Thompson Jr, A., 2014.Essentials of strategic management: The quest for competitive advantage, pp: 332-351. NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Rosenbaum-Elliott, R., Percy, L. and Pervan, S., 2015.Strategic brand management. Oxford University Press, USA. Slack, N., 2015.Operations strategy. NJ: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Wheelen, T.L. and Hunger, J.D., 2017.Strategic management and business policy, pp.15-25. NJ: Pearson.