Prototype Interface Design Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Prototype Interface Design - Coursework Example The paper gives the details of a web browsing interface that will improve and enhance user’s web browsing in three dimensions; through automatically generating a mobile site for browsing, utilization of orientation sensor information to detect text to speech and natural interaction and offering a speech interface to simplify navigation and support iterative task’s dialog programming. The nature of the interface that a cell phone has can be an issue when the user finds it difficult and cannot accomplish a task effectively. User interface design refers to designing of the mobile phone interface with the primary focus on ht user’s interaction and experience. The primary objective of designing a user interface is to come up with the interface that will ensure that the user interact with the device with a lot of simplicity and efficiency in regards to accomplishing a task. Designing a good interface entails ensuring that the interface enables the user to finish the ta sk at hand without any ambiguity. Introduction According to Pew (2010), more that 80% of UK adult citizens has a mobile phone. More than 30 percent of these uses their mobile phones to access and browse the internet. The leading market researcher projects a drastic increase of mobile phone internet users in the next five years. Although different web browser have been standardized such that the user can access information on different platforms on the web, it has not been the case for some phones like unbranded small format keyfob phone. A survy that was carried out on 20 unbranded small format keyfob phone. The key contributing factor includes limited screen size, difficult navigation, finger issues and the ability to switch between different web locations. To facilitate a better user interaction and experience, web site developers have developed web site for mobile phones, which time-consuming and pricy (Bigham, J et al, 2008). Though the web site can be customized to be used by m obile phone browsers, there some features which cannot be effectively displayed in some phone due to navigation difficulties and limited screen size. In addition, the mobile users switch between browsing and other activities. The fat finger problem still becomes an issue when the user is carrying out multiple tasks in the phone. The paper tries to assess the issues that the unbranded small format keyfob phone users face and come up with a prototype web browsing interface that will solve the issues in three dimensions. First, the idea of recreating a website for mobile phones is replaced by developing gadget based interface that automatically transform any web site to fit the mobile phone using the web content. Second, is to solve the issue of lack of focus on the screen or the buttons when walking or driving using audio-to-text mobile comprehension (Vadas et al 2006). A combination of orientation sensor information with text to speech is also proposed to support the need for mobile phone web browser context switching. Third, is a speech interface integration to support dialog programming for repetitive task and ease web navigation. I will design a mobile web browser that will integrate all the above solution for an unbranded small format keyfob phone. A survey on unbranded keyfob phone usage Apart from mobile web browsers, there are other applications that can be used to access

How the tiger got his stripes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How the tiger got his stripes - Assignment Example It also works towards ensuring that the Federal resources and funds are used in an appropriate manner to deter threats, vulnerability, and terror related attacks. Moreover, it develops sound concepts that are relevant to the private sector and the critical infrastructure, making sure to address the cyber, human, and physical considerations that are paramount in the adoption of rational and comprehensive programs (Scheuer, n.d). On the same note, the DHS works jointly with the critical infrastructure stakeholders from the private sector and leads in coordinating a nationwide effort to reduce risks that are related to the country’s infrastructure. It does this by developing and implementing a sound and effective critical infrastructure oriented protection to ensure full protection. It also leads in risk management in order to protect the critical infrastructure against issues such as terrorism. Therefore, it collaborates with partners from the private sector in guaranteeing that they establish a risk management program and plan that is geared towards the protection of information technology, ensuring the continuity of the business, and guarantees maximum security. Finally, the DHS plays a major role in the protection by investing in the development of solid frameworks to enhance preparedness measures for the private sector partners (Scheuer, n.d, pp.

Recruiting , Selecting and Orienting the Right People Research Paper

Recruiting , Selecting and Orienting the Right People - Research Paper Example The present paper has identified that before heading on to the task of defining and chalking out appropriate strategies, it is essential to take a careful and descriptive look at what factors are being presented by the current environment and what constraints might put hurdles in a selection of one strategy or the other. Also, some factors might support the choice of one or more strategies for recruitment, selection or induction. As given, the organization in question is medium-sized high technology firm. It obviates the need to incorporate cost-effectiveness in the process of recruitment, selection, and orientation because being a technology-intensive firm; it would not like its majority of funds to be invested in other organizational activities. Technology is fast changing and investment needs to be done to remain competitive in the technological market. Furthermore, prevailing situations reinforce the need of people who are zealous and ambitious to take on more responsibilities an d carry on multitasking as job duties will change with every single project assigned. An instance of stiff competition highlights the scarcity of skilled people in the labor market and as such, securing cost-effectiveness in the entire process will be a mammoth task. Theoretically, recruitment is a positive drive of creating the pool of competent candidates which are found to have fulfilled the job criteria and possess the necessary qualifications and abilities. Before proceeding for actual recruitment, it is first necessary to find out the demand. In this regard, forecasting will be done by the use of the computerized system which is obvious in a high technology firm. There are a number of recruitment techniques to choose from. However, their applicability differs on parameters of cost, effectiveness, and relevance. The figure in the paper depicts the most common recruitment techniques.

Introduction to Communication- Listen to Me-discussion Personal Statement

Introduction to Communication- Listen to Me-discussion - Personal Statement Example In addition, communication is a strong foundation to interactions in social set ups and transfer of information and command in organizational set ups and failure to listen compromises effectiveness of communication. Personal experience and learnt communication skills concur with the author’s opinion that distractions, such as multitasking and lack of sufficient time are key barriers to effective listening and managing these can offer a solution (Cole 61). In addition to the informative scope of the article, it is effective it its content that identifies significance of a problem and offers a solution. It is therefore able influence positive change in people’s communication through helping people to minimize distractions during communication. Developing a link between listening and attention that an individual acquires, when time to be listened to comes, also facilities effectiveness of the article in improving listening effectiveness. The level of simplicity of the article is also commendable because it is neither complicated nor too simple to be boring (Cole 61). Consequently, the author is informative and is an agent of change for effective listening and

Why the Legal Drinking Age Shouldnt be lowered Essay Example for Free

Why the Legal Drinking Age Shouldnt be lowered Essay In the United States, the legal drinking age for all fifty states and the District of Columbia is twenty-one. The drinking age is twenty-one because the government decided this is when a person becomes legally responsible to handle the repercussions of consuming alcohol. The U.S. has the highest legal drinking age in the world. Only four countries in the world have a legal drinking age over eighteen, making the US an exception rather than the rule. Some people may argue that the government should lower the drinking age since you legally become an adult at age eighteen, but I completely understand this law and am totally for it. Underage drinking has become an epidemic that has spread all over the world, but more so in the United States than any other country. This is disturbing because the brain is not fully developed until a person is around twenty-two years of age. Therefore, it should be harder for minors to obtain alcohol, and the legal drinking age should not be lowered. What is alcohol, and where did it come from? Alcohol is a natural substance formed by the reaction of fermenting sugar with yeast. The production of alcohol started about 10,000 years ago. It all started around the Black and Caspian Seas with wine, and slowly made its way around the surrounding areas. Mesopotamia and Egypt were thriving with wine productions by 3,000 B.C. (Narconon). A thousand years later, a Roman God, Dionysus, started appearing in the literature, and was the god of the grape harvest. Then, about 700 years after that, in addition to wine, India started manufacturing beer. This new production spread rapidly, and the Hebrews adopted the new beverage for many different new medicines. After that, the Jews began to use wine and beer in sacred rituals and ceremonies. Although some cultures accepted alcohol, others rejected it completely. Because these alcoholic beverages were spreading so quickly, they raised curiosity. A medical school in Italy began doing experiments, and finally developed something called distillation- a purer, stronger alcohol (Narconon). From Italy, these new drinks spread to England and Scotland, and eventually found their way over to America. Drunkenness became a huge problem in America, so the government passed the Prohibition Act of 1920. Originally, the eighteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the manufacture, sale, transport, import, or export of all alcoholic beverages. Upon its ratification by the states, Congress voted its approval in 1919. Thus the law was passed, and became known as the National Prohibition Act of 1920 (American Medical Association). The eighteenth amendment was repealed in 1933, which made the Prohibition Act null and unenforceable. After prohibition, most states restricted the minimum legal drinking age to twenty-one. Between 1970 and 1975, twenty-nine states lowered the minimum legal drinking age to eighteen, nineteen, or twenty. These changes were made when other activities, such as voting, were lowered. In between September 1976 and January 1983, the minimum legal drinking age for every state was set at the age of twenty-one. Although this is the law in our country, it is also incredibly easy for minors to obtain alcohol. As always, there are different ways to work around the law. These are issues that must be addressed. Some of these ways include a fake I.D., a minor giving someone money to go buy it for them, going somewhere that will sell to minors, or even stealing it from their parents liquor cabinet. A fake I.D is fairly cheap and also easy to get if you know the right people. For the most part, if you were a minor trying to get alcohol you could go up to any random person, and eight times out of ten that person would go buy it for you. There are also places minors could go to buy it themselves like little gas stations around the lower socioeconomic societies. The reason that these gas stations will sell to minors is because it increases their sales, and because they will get little penalty for selling to minors. If they do get fined for it, the fine isn’t enough to make them stop. Alcohol generally is not secured in most homes so there is easy access for minors who have no fears about taking it from their parents. There has also been the increasing trend of parents not only providing alcohol, but encouraging its use in the home, under the assumption that minors will do it anyway and it’s better to do so in a supervised, safe environment. Underage drinking is one of the biggest problems that the U.S. faces, and is now considered a public health problem. Young adults have the highest prevalence of alcohol consumption than any other age group (Century Council). They also drink more heavily, experience more negative consequences, and engage in more harmful activities. Drinking at any age can have some of the worst effects on you and the people around you. Many young teens that experiment with alcohol believe there are no consequences to their actions. It is actually quite the opposite. Alcohol is associated with driving under the influence, violence  and aggressiveness, sexual activity, smoking, and poor school performance. There are all of these problems, and then some that all started with alcohol. Driving under the influence or a DUI is classified under two categories, and can be given out if the person is under the influence of an intoxicating drink or a combination of an alcoholic beverage and drugs. There are felonies and misdemeanors. The difference between a misdemeanor and a felony is misdemeanor DUI charges means that the charge involved no injury or property damage, and the penalty can be up to 6 months in jail. A felony has injury and/or property damage, and the penalty could be up to three years in a state prison. This number fluctuates depending on the number of misdemeanors or felonies a person has had in the past. These laws are in place to not only protect the youth in America, but to also ensure that other innocent people on the roads do not get hurt. There are plenty of accidents that come from texting and driving already (which is the equivalent to drinking and driving) that to lower the drinking age, I think, would cause more alcohol-induced accidents. Underage drinking already contributes to more than 4,700 automobile wrecks a year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and studies have shown that every twenty-two minutes someone will die of an alcohol related traffic accident (First Eagle Insurance Services). Although you probably think that it could never happen to you, other studies have shown that everyone has a forty percent chance of being in an accident involving alcohol use at some point in their life (Drug Free World). â€Å"Vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for minors age 15-20 years old† (Century Council). Aside from drinking and driving, there is also a two-way association between alcohol consumption and violence or aggressiveness. While individual behavior is shaped in large part by the environment, it is also manipulated by biological factors, and ultimately directed by the brain, but the brain is affected if large amounts of alcohol are consumed. The consumption of alcohol may promote aggressiveness and lead to victimization, which in turn leads to excessive consumption of alcohol. Violence and aggressive behaviors are those that are threatening, hostile, or damaging in a physical or nonphysical way. There have been multiple studies conducted that show there is a link between violent crimes and alcohol consumption. In 2012, the percentages of violent offenders who were drinking at the time of the offense were: â€Å"eighty-six percent of homicide  offenders, thirty-seven percent of assault offenders, sixty percent of sexual offenders, up to fifty-seven percent of men, and twenty-seven percent of women involved in marital violence, and thirteen percent of child abusers† (NIAAA). A lot of times alcohol is accompanied by cigarettes, marijuana, or other hardcore drugs. Many researchers hypothesize that the ethanol in alcohol triggers a feeling of pleasure, and those feelings are reinforced when nicotine is added to the mix. Others think that those who abuse one substance will be more inclined to abuse other substances. Nicotine lowers blood alcohol concentration, so therefore a person who is smoking and drinking simultaneously would have to consume more alcohol in order to reach intoxication. Most people react differently to alcohol than others do. A lot of this has to do with the person’s age, gender, race/ethnicity, physical condition (weight, fitness level etc.), amount of food consumed before drinking, use of drugs/prescription medications, and family history of alcohol problems. Usually when there is a family history of alcohol problems you will often see a history of some other type of disease linked to it. Some of these include: breast cancer, oral cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver. Twenty percent of alcohol is absorbed directly through the stomach walls into the bloodstream, and reaches all organs and tissues of the body within moments. The other eighty percent is processed through the gastrointestinal system. It is considered a drug, and is a sedative depressant of the central nervous system (Reeves). Alcohol can damage the dendrites at the end of a nerve cell causing disorder to brain functions. It is also capable of rupturing blood capillaries and veins. Aside from damaging nerves and veins, it can also damage the liver. It stops the liver’s ability to process fats, and can cause disease. The high sugar content in some alcoholic or mixed beverages can lead to hypoglycemia and predispose one to diabetes. Alcohol can also alter sleep patterns, basic motor functions, thoughts, and emotions. The consumption of alcohol on or at an above average rate can lead to alcoholism. Women metabolize alcohol more slowly than men. Because it stays in a womans bloodstream longer, it can cause more cellular damage of the kind that can trigger cancer. Alcohol also influences blood levels of estrogen and other hormones in ways that may make cancer more likely. For example, â€Å"compared to women who dont drink at all, women who have three  alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer. Experts estimate that the risk of breast cancer goes up another 10% for each additional drink women regularly have each day. Girls ages 9-15 who have 3-5 drinks a week have 3 times the risk of developing benign breast lumps†(Breastcancer.org). These benign breast lumps can be a precursor to breast cancer. From this it is easy to see that the younger that someone starts consuming alcohol, the increased risk of cancer and loss of life is more likely. It might be easy to dismiss this issue as one of personal choice or preference. This discounts the social impact of drinking on society. â€Å"Alcohol costs American employers an estimated $134 billion in productivity losses, mostly due to missed work† (Ensuring solutions.org). The impact is not only economical though. Missed work impacts every worker at a job who must work that much harder to accomplish their work tasks. It also can decrease teamwork and morale due to resentment from the missed time at work, therefore decreasing productivity as well. Additionally, alcohol impacts every workers paycheck in other ways. As a rule, workers in America pay taxes on their pay as part of the social contract. These taxes are used for a variety of federal projects, such as ensuring a strong infrastructure, including maintenance of our highway system. â€Å"Alcohol related crashes costs the public $114.3 billion annually† (MAAD). This is money that could be spent improving our roadways, bridges, and mass transit systems. This would also address shortfalls in other areas of the government budget, such as possibly addressing the furlough of air traffic controllers due to the current sequester. Not only is alcohol affecting society in terms of road safety, it is impacting air safety too. These quotes and statistics are not specifically for underage drinkers but as a sampling of society as a whole we can see that if adults are unable to drink heavily and prolonged without negative effects the same should be true of minors who have not yet developed full brain capacity and critical thinking skills. It is not just physical and social effects that are felt by people who overuse or abuse alcohol. â€Å"Among high school students, those who use alcohol are five times more likely to drop out than those who dont use alcohol. Alcohol is implicated in more than 40 percent of all college academic problems and in 28 percent of all college dropouts† (Alcoholcostcalculator.org). This has a ripple effect. High school and college dropouts on average earn less than  those with secondary and post secondary degrees. This not only impacts the immediate quality of life it has long term effects reaching into retirement. Social Security is based on lifetime earned income. With the reduced earning potential of not having a diploma or degree underage drinkers set themselves up for living on a fixed income once they become old or infirm. This is not the only economic impact. A quick look at Rehabilitation Centers shows price ranges from $2,000-$30,000 for a 28 day stay. This does not include continuing aftercare. There are also legal fees for DUIs or Public Intoxication citations, plus bar tabs prior to the cessation of drinking. â€Å"Out of every $100 American consumers spend, about $1 goes to alcohol† (Vo). The average household income is around $50,000 per year, meaning that on average $500 a year is spent on alcohol, for an approximate lifetime average of $35,000. â€Å"In 2007 the death toll from teen drunk driving accidents was 1,393† (Drug Free World). The economic impact of funeral expenses, which on average total around $6,000, is nothing in terms of emotional cost. Many parents who lose a child end up divorcing, tearing apart families in the process. This may also lead to alcohol or other drug abuse in the parents or siblings, resulting in further economic, social, and societal impacts. It’s a vicious cycle and one that could be avoided by continuing to keep the drinking age at the current level. There are numerous warning signs that a minor may have an issue with underage drinking and it is important for those involved in the minor’s life to recognize these to curb an issue before it begins. These include physical, emotional, family, school, and social problems. Parents, teachers, and friends should look for physical signs such as fatigue, red and glazed eyes, or a lasting cough. Emotional indicators include personality changes, sudden mood changes, irritability, irresponsible behavior, low self esteem, poor judgment, and depression. The minor may start more arguments, break more rules and withdraw from their family. There will be a decreased interest in school, drop in grades, increased absences, truancy, and a rise in discipline issues. The minor may show a big social change, with new friends, a change in style of dress, and possible problems with the law. This list is not exhaustive, but from the examples given it shows that underage drinkers have a wealth of issues that will affect them negatively for quite some time. With all of this in mind, I do not feel that lowering the legal drinking age would be in our county’s best interest. The government has these laws in place to keep our country and the people in it safe, and if these laws were to change it would send our country into a downward spiral. I feel that the rates of alcohol induced traffic accidents, rates of violent crimes related to alcohol, rates of certain types of diseases, and much more would upsurge drastically. I also feel that if our government doesn’t address these issues with more force and power, minors will keep doing what they have been doing and nothing will change. Works Cited â€Å"Alcohol Alert.† www.pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa38.htm. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). N.d. Web. 25 April 2013. â€Å"Drinking Alcohol.† www.breatscancer.org. 18 January 2013. Web. 4 May 2013. â€Å"Drunk Driving in America.† www.maad.org/media-center. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MAAD). N.d. Web. 25 March 2013. â€Å"Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems.† www.ensuringsolutions.org. N.d. Web. 4 May 2013. â€Å"Minimum Legal Drinking Age.† www.cdc.gov/alcohol/facts-sheets/mlda.htm. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 7 November 2012. Web. 19 March 2013. Minimum Legal Drinking Age: Brief History.† www.ama-assn.org. American Medical Association (AMA). N.d. Web. 19 March 2013. Narconon Drug Information Department, ed. â€Å"Alcohol History.† www.narconon.org/drug-information/alcohol-history. Narcanon International. N.d. Web. 25 March 2013. â€Å"Problems at School.† www.alcoholcostcalculator.org. Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems. N.d. Web. 4 May 2013. Reeves, Pat. â€Å"What Alcohol Does to Your Body.† www.foodalive.org/articles/alcohol.htm. Complementary Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). N.d. Web. 23 March 2013. â€Å"Teenage Drunk Driving.† www.firsteagle.com/tdd.htm. The First Eagle Insurance Services. N.d. Web. 22 April 2013. Vo, L.T. â€Å"What American Spends on Booze.† www.npr.org. National Public Radio. 2013. Web. 4 May 2013.

The study of design research methodology Essay Example for Free

The study of design research methodology Essay Abstract Studies on design research methodology are infrequent, although there is a consensus that more e ort is needed for improving design research quality. Previous calls for exercising better research methodology have been unsuccessful. As numerous studies reveal, there is no single scienti c methodology that is exercised in science or in any other research practice. Rather, research methodologies are socially constructed. Since some constructions are better than others for di erent purposes, it becomes valuable to study di erent methodologies and their in uence on research practice and results. Proposals for such studies are overed. 1 The state of design research methodology In many disciplines, research methodology is seldom discussed by researchers. Such neglect may result from several attitudes towards research methodology including indi erence or ignorance. Researchers may be indi erent because their research is well received by the community therefore they need not change or worry about it; or researchers may perceive their practice as science and wish to adopt as their methodology what they perceive to be the methodology used by scientists, henceforth referred to as the received scienti c methodology. Roughly, the received scienti c methodology consists  of several steps: (1) observations or preliminary studies, (2) hypothesis formation, (3) hypothesis testing, (4) hypothesis evaluation, and (5) hypothesis acceptance or rejection. It is asserted that results of research discovered by this methodology lead to applied research and subsequently, to practical impact. In contrast to this assertion, it is proclaimed that the goal of this methodology is to advance knowledge for its own sake and not address practical needs nor be responsible for delivering practical results. Most researchers would rarely question this methodology, but since it is impossible to follow or even hard to approximate, researchers who would claim to have adopted it, would not practice it.  Indi erence may be caused by ignorance; often researchers are not familiar with the details  of, and the controversies about, the received scienti c methodology. They are unaware of the alternatives of this methodology that we brie y mention later, their practice, and consequences. In fact, most researchers interpret methodology as a fancy synonym for method, while methodology is (or attempts to approximate) a compatible collection of assumptions and goals underlying methods, the methods, and the way the results of carrying the methods out are interpreted and evaluated. The ability to validate the attainment of research assumptions and goals through the evaluations is a critical factor in making the above collection compatible. The di erence in meanings assigned to the term methodology can be illustrated through an example from structural optimization. One research method of structural design involves the development of optimization procedures and their testings on benchmark problems. Most researchers will call this method \research methodology. However, the assumptions underlying such work (e.g., that optimization is a good model of structural design) and its testing (e.g., that simple benchmark problems are representatives of the complex structural designs performed by designers), or the believe that such research advances practice (e.g., that designers use optimization programs developed in research and that designers practice bene ts from them), are rarely articulated thus  rarely validated. If these issues would be addressed, the conclusions would probably contradict those implicit assumptions. First, independent of any discipline, optimization is a very restricted view of design (even with respect to Simons (1981) restricted view). Second, results obtained on simple benchmark problems do not necessarily transfer to real design problems nor do they re ect performance on other benchmark problems (Haftka and Sobieski, 1992); simple benchmark comparisons provide little understanding of the relative merit of di erent optimization procedures (Burns, 1989). Third, practitioners are very reluctant to use optimization procedures (Adelman, 1992; Haftka and Sobieski, 1992). This reluctance contradicts the implicit or stated research goals of improving structural design practice. Indi erence or ignorance towards research methodology relieve researchers from addressing such contradictions or exercising informed choices between methodologies in their research. Many researchers simply follow the method of their close senior peers without questioning or even knowing the assumptions that underlie it. In most cases, only the method|the actual research activity|is transferred to research apprentices. Thus, driven by social proximity, research assumptions become part of the implicit unarticulated research culture. Infrequently, this state of a airs had called the attention of researchers. In 1987, two representative papers critical of the state of design research practice were published, one by Antonsson (1987) and the other by Dixon (1987). Both papers advocated adopting the scienti c methodology in design research either for improving research quality or for improving design practice. These and other related papers elicit almost no response from the research community. Since their publication, the state of design research methodology has remained virtually unchanged. Such reaction raises at least two questions: what may have caused this response and if this is an expected reaction, is the state of research methodology worth additional discussions? Two plausible answers that originate from two di erent interpretations of Dixon and Antonssons papers justify further discussions. First, Dixon and Antonssons positions may have been interpreted as criticizing the intellectual de ciency of research and demanding from researchers to exercise a methodology di erent from the one they actually use and one that requires additional e ort. In particular, the methodology Transactions of the ASME, Journal of Mechanical Design, 1995, in press  proposed demanded researchers to seriously test their hypotheses. It might have been expected that such requests would be opposed to or, worst, be ignored. Second, researchers who are familiar with current views in the philosophy of science may have treated Dixon or Antonssons positions as being too simpli ed if they interpreted these positions as advocating for the received scienti c view. Since the stated goal of science is creating knowledge for the sake of knowing, but not necessarily knowledge that is relevant to practice, the received scienti c methodology may hinder improving practice by detaching the products of research ( i.e., design theories) from actual practice (Argyris, 1980; Reich, 1992). According to this interpretation and its limitation, previous calls for improving research methodology could not have impacted design practice even if researchers had adopted them. If design practice is indeed a goal of design research, di erent methodologies may be needed to establish a connection between research and practice (Reich et al, 1992; Reich, 1994a; Reich, 1994b). These methodologies can evolve in various ways including studying researchers activities and the way these activities correlate with research progress, thereby identifying the relationships between di erent assumptions, methods, and consequences. I have no intention to select between these two interpretations or to develop others but to explain how to improve research practice without assuming a xed methodology. To start with, we must acknowledge that there are di ering views about scienti c methodology (Kourany, 1987). In addition, we must  acknowledge studies on science and technology demonstrating that scienti c progress is in uenced by social, cultural, and political factors. Researchers in various sciences are increasingly acknowledging that knowledge is socially constructed (Pickering, 1992), and knowledge of design, in particular (Konda et al, 1992; Monarch et al, 1993). Moreover, the social in uence on research practice includes aspects such as: shaping research goals according to available grants or unarticulated interests; publishing papers to receive tenure or to justify traveling to conferences; and fraud (Bell, 1992; Broadbent, 1981). The rst studies on the social dimensions of science analyzed the progress of the \hard sciences such as chemistry or physics (Feyerabend, 1975; Kuhn, 1962). More recently, historical or re ective studies in science and engineering have begun addressing the social aspects underlying research and the need for di erent methodologies if practical impact is sought. These disciplines include: management science (Argyris, 1980), education (Guba, 1990), public policy (Palumbo and Calista, 1990), information systems (Bjerknes et al, 1987), cell biology (Grinnell, 1982), design in general (Broadbent, 1981), structural design (Addis, 1990; Timoshenko, 1953), solid mechanics (Bucciarelli and Dworsky, 1980), and even mathematics (DeMillo et al, 1979). Moreover, the social aspects manifested themselves in unexpected circumstances and in resolving seemingly trivial issues such as the implementation of computer arithmetic (MacKenzie, 1993)|the most basic infrastructure for much engineering design re search and practice. The importance of the aforementioned studies is twofold. First, they reject the received scienti c view as the means for formulating theories and as a means for improving practice. Second, they acknowledge and demonstrate that research methodology is a subject of study and constant improvement, and that gaining insight into the procedures of doing research can improve research itself. Since science is a social enterprise, the study of research methodology is mandatory for providing guidance in the maze of methodologies and in monitoring the quality of research. In order to sustain credibility, researchers must use and demonstrate that the techniques they develop in design research have some relevance to practice. Moreover, since funding  agencies Transactions of the ASME, Journal of Mechanical Design, 1995, in  press researchers to work towards improving design practice (National Research Council, 1991), researchers need to understand what kinds of studies are useful in practice, how are such studies conducted within budget limits, and which factors account for the di usion of studies results into practical engineering. 2 Studying research methodology Researchers may nd it fruitful to study: the objectives or goals of engineering design research; how can these objectives be ful lled through research; how can progress towards research goals be tested; and how can this overall process be improved. Such study will evolve a repository of methods with their assumptions, interpretations, successes and failures. This is the essence of studying engineering design research methodology. This view does not advocate for nor lead to anarchy. Furthermore, the evolving nature of methodology does not empty the usefulness of some principles for evaluating scienti c theories (e.g., such as those acknowledged even by Kuhn, 1987), nor does it mean that methodology is merely an art (Beveridge, 1957) that is not amenable to systematic study. It only acknowledges that the assumptions underlying methodologies and their potential e ectiveness and drawbacks for conducting certain types of research projects must be studied. We now illustrate the study of research methodology by elaborating some issues related to Antonssons six-step methodology (1987, p. 154). Each of the steps raises issues that need further study. These issues are not startling; some are familiar while others are not. Unfortunately, most of them are neglected all too often. (1),(2) Propose/hypothesize that a set of rules for design can elucidate part of the design process and develop those rules. Several questions arise about the actual execution of this activity. What is a good source of such rules? Are (un)successful designs (Petroski, 1989; Suh, 1990), patents previously issued (Arciszewski, 1988) or design textbooks (Aguirre and Wallace, 1990) good sources? Is studying human designers useful (Subrahmanian, 1992)? The answer is obviously a rmative; nevertheless, rarely are these sources consulted. If studying human designers is useful, how do di erent ways of studying a ect the usefulness of the rules hypothesized? Inarguably, such studies bring to bear research methods from psychology and sociology into play in design research. For example, how are designers activities being coded in observational studies? Is the coding scheme tested for reliability by using at lease two coders? Are the results statistically valid? Which criteria may be used for selecting candidate hypotheses for further testing? Can the subjective bias in th is selection be reduced? Note that the above questions raise a related question. Consider trading the quality of the design rules proposed with the resources to nd them. What kind of information is needed for making a sensible trade o and how can this information be collected and organized? (3) Have novice designers learn the rules and apply them. How is the above learning process taking place? Are the designers being taught thus introducing teachers bias? Or do they learn the rules on their own, potentially by solving Transactions of the ASME, Journal of Mechanical Design, 1995, in press  other design problems, thereby excluding the exercise of some measure of control? How are problems selected such that novice designers can solve them yet such that they are relevant to real practice. For that matter, how relevant is any laboratory experiment to real design? This critical question leads researchers in other disciplines as well as in design to use different  methods such as ethnography and participatory research while studying designers. See (Reich et al, 1992; Subrahmanian, 1992; Reich, 1994a) for additional details. Are benchmark problems used by di erent researchers to allow for the replication of results? Is performance on benchmark problems indicative of performance on other problems or on real design? Is it possible to replicate results relevant to real design? Can rules for multidisciplinary design be hypothesized and tested in the same manner? If the common view of science is adopted, this study must be controlled to be valid. One minimal requirement is that another group of designers participate in the study, potentially novice designers that did not study the new design rules. Note, however, that since the rst group of novice designers are trained with the new rules, the second group must receive similar training with default or irrelevant rules. Furthermore, members of the groups must not know which group was trained with the new rules. A better study may also include two groups of expert designers, one that learns the rules and another that learns the default rules. The latter may prov ide better indication about the relative merit of the new design rules with respect to existing design practice. In contrast, if the study follows a di erent methodology such as participatory research (Reich et al, 1992; Whyte, 1991), the nature of the study would change signi cantly into long-term case studies where real design problems are addressed. Exercising common scienti c methods in this methodology may damage research (Blumberg and Pringle, 1983). (4) Measure the design productivity of the rules. How is productivity being measured? Which criteria are included in the measurement: quality of design, time to design, or revenue of manufacturer? Do the measures used adhere to the principles of measurement theory (Roberts, 1979; Reich, 1995), or are they ad hoc and meaningless? Do independent designers than those who created the designs, or do potential customers, participate in this measurement?  Can the quality of design be assessed without manufacturing it and subjecting it to actual use? How relevant will abstract measurements be to practical  design? Is the measurement quantitative or is qualitative information being gathered as well? (5) Evaluate the results to con rm or refute the hypothesis. How is the measured data evaluated? What are the criteria that determine whether a hypothesis was con rmed or refuted? Are these criteria general or context dependent? Note that most philosophers of science including Popper and Kuhn reject the existence of such criteria (Weimer, 1979). Are the criteria correlated with real design? That is, could not researchers nd designers successfully employing design rules that were refuted by researchers? For example, Fritts et al. (1990, p. 478) describe engineers using theories that produce erroneous results with respect to experiments but that have a pragmatic utility of di erentiating between candidate designs. Are hypotheses really refuted or con rmed or are di erent hypotheses found to be useful Transactions of the ASME, Journal of Mechanical Design, 1995, in press  in different contexts? When is it possible to disregard experimental evidence in favor of keeping a hypothesis (Agassi, 1975)? When can experiments be harmful to progress (Truesdell, 1982)? Does a failure of a hypothesis constitute a failure of a research project or can it provide useful information worth reporting? Will archival journals publish such a report? (6) Re ne the hypothesis. The comments on items (1) and (2) apply here. Moreover, How does one diagnose a faulty hypothesis to accommodate empirical testing? When is re nement insu cient to address the failure of a hypothesis and a new \worldview must be adopted? The above expansion of Antonssons proposal re ects the complexity, richness, and necessity of studying research methodology. It illustrates that the design of a research activity is complex and di cult. It hints that  some activities that lead to research successes may fail other research and that some activities may not be compatible with some methodologies. Furthermore, research failure s (OR SUCCESSES) can lead to practical successes (or failures). Therefore, it is critical to identify where methods fail or succeed and in relation to which assumptions. Summary Science does not progress according to a distinctive methodology, nor could engineering design research; especially not if the goal is advancing design practice and not some abstract `understanding. Di erent research scenarios consisting of di erent goals, disciplines, and cultural settings, may call for di erent research methodologies for attaining the stated goals. Research involves design and therefore design researchers must be re ective continuously. This paper illustrated how researchers can be re ective upon their research methodology. If researchers object to such re ection, they risk losing credibility and, more importantly, lose the chance of discovering whether their work is meaningful. Acknowledgments The ideas expressed in this paper bene ted from discussions with Suresh Konda, Sean Levy, Shoulamit Milch-Reich, Ira Monarch, and Eswaran Subrahmanian. This work was done partly while the author was with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC. and the Engineering Design Research Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. References Addis, W. (1990). Structural Engineering: The Nature of Theory and Design, Ellis Horwood, New York NY. Adelman, H. M. (1992). \Experimental validation of the utility of structural optimization. Structural Optimization, 5(1-2):3{11. Agassi, J. (1975). Sciene in Flux, D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht. Transactions of the ASME, Journal of Mechanical Design, 1995, in press  Aguirre, G. J. and Wallace, K. M. (1990). \Evaluation of technical systems at the design stage. In Proceedings of The 1990 International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED-90 (Dubrovnik). Antonsson, E. K. (1987). \Development and testing of hypotheses in engineering design research. ASME Journal of Mechanisms, Transmissions, and Automation in Design, 109:153{154. Arciszewski, T. (1988). \ARIZ 77: An innovative design method. Design Methods and Theories, 22(2):796{ 820. Argyris, C. (1980). Inner Contradictions of Rigorous Research, Academic Press, New York, NY. Bell, R. (1992). Impure Science: Fraud, Compromise, and Political In uence in Scienti c Research, Wiley, New York, NY. Beveridge, W. I. B. (1957). The Art of Scienti c Investigation, Norton, New York, NY, Revised edition. Bjerknes, G., Ehn, P., and Kyng, M., editors (1987). Computers and Democracy: A Scandinavian Challenge, Gower Press, Brook eld, VT. Blumberg, M. and Pringle, C. D. (1983). \How control groups can cause loss of control in action research: The case of Rushton Coal Mine. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 19(4):409{425. Broadbent, G. (1981). \The morality of designing. In Design: Science: Method, Proceedings of The 1980 Design Research Society Conference, pages 309{328, Westbury House, Guilford, England. Bucciarelli, L. L. and Dworsky, N. (1980). Sophie Germain: An Essay in the History of Elasticity, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, Holland. Burns, S. A. (1989). \Graphical representations of design optimization processes. Computer-Aided Design, 21(1):21{24. DeMillo, R. A., Lipton, R. J., and Perlis, A. J. (1979). \Social processes and proofs of theorems and programs. Communication of the ACM, 22:271{280. Dixon, J. R. (1987). \On research methodology towards a scienti c theory of engineering design. Arti cial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 1(3):145{157. Feyerabend, P. K. (1975). Against Method, New Left Books, London, UK. Fritts, M., Comstock, E., Lin, W.-C., and Salvasen, N. (1990). \Hydro-numeric design: Performance prediction and impact on hull design. Transactions SNAME, 98:473{493. Grinnell, F. (1982). The Scienti c Attitude, Westview Press, Boulder, CO. Guba, E. G., editor (1990). The Paradigm Dialog, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA. Haftka, R. T. and Sobieski, J. (1992). \Editorial: The case for helping consumers of research. Structural Optimization, 4(2):63{64. Konda, S., Monarch, I., Sargent, P., and Subrahmanian, E. (1992). \Shared memory in design: A unifying theme for research and practice. Research in Engineering Design, 4(1):23{42. Kourany, J. A., editor (1987). Scienti c Knowledge: Basic Issues in the Philosophy of Science, Wadsworth, Belmont, CA. Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The Structure of Scienti c Revolution, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. Kuhn, T. S. (1987). \Objectivity, value judgment, and theory choice. In Kourany, J. A., editor, Scienti c Knowledge: Basic Issues in the Philosophy of Science, pages 197{207, Belmont, CA, Wadsworth. MacKenzie, D. (1993). \Negotiating arithmetic, constructing proof: The sociology of mathematics and information technology. Social Studies of Science, 23(1):37{65. Transactions of the ASME, Journal of Mechanical Design, 1995, in press  Monarch, I. A., Konda, S. L., Levy, S. N., Reich, Y., Subrahmanian, E., and Ulrich, C. (1993). \Shared memory in design: Theory and practice. In Proceedings of the Invitational Workshop on Social Science Research, Technical Systems and Cooperative Work (Paris, France), pages 227{241, Paris, France, Department Sciences Humaines et Sociales, CNRS. National Research Council (1991). 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Successfully Trained Employees and their Importance

Successfully Trained Employees and their Importance Lindsay Bootz Starting a new job is often a new learning experience, but it can also be stressful and overwhelming. When employees walk into their new place of employment for the first time, their impressions on the company begin and for the next few weeks they will be training to be an integral part of their new organization. For an organization, training a new employee is a very important process for its success as sales associates are most often the part of staff involved face-to-face with the customers, the importance of their knowledge of the company or products they sell is very high. Great training leads to less expenses, less employee turnover, and better customer service. There are many financial factors to consider when training a new employee. Instruction materials, equipment, wages for both the employee and the trainer all have an impact on the organizations finances. Per Levy, it costs retailers more than $4,000 to replace a store employee (2012 p.440). More than one individual becomes part of the process, often the human resources operations manager, supervisor and/or other employees will be involved in the success of the new associate which will have its own financial setbacks. Going through training materials such as e-learning software, books, and equipment can also use up resources. Hiring skilled employees and retaining them if possible, and having consistent performance reviews to identify more training needs can ensure employee confidence and show them more likely to stay, is one way to keep costs low (Taylor, 2016, p. 3). Hiring a new employee with no experience will take a significant amount of time to properly train and will cost more m oney, on the other hand, hiring skilled workers will require only a short amount of training, typically a week, to help them acclimate to a new work environment thus costing less to train. For example, a company that specializes in lumber will most likely decide not to hire someone more familiar working in fast food if given a choice for the simple fact that it will take a significant amount of time and money to train them. The Model of Excellence was designed by author and trainer Nick Drake-Knight in an attempt to find a better way to train employees and help them retain the information given to them. After extensive research, he discovered that the best sales people all follow a common pattern, a patter which connects (2012, p. 8). The Model of Excellence includes three steps, level one: explicit standards, level two: consistency, and level three: sustainability. All three are meaningless unless used together. The first level, is an explicit set of standards that spell out exactly what is expected of the employees, such as: a daily maintenance list, personal presentation, upselling, and customer acknowledgement (Drake-Knight, 2012, p. 9).   Typically, companies will have a standard time frame for each associate as they go through their training. Training generally does not stick and has little impact after the training sessions are finished as most associates grow bored when subjected to e-learning or classroom type of training. On-job-training would be ideal but can be more difficult to train as situations arise. Since the common way of training employees does not seem to work, it is important to implement the explicit standards as a way for employees to know their job even after their training is complete. Consistency, level two of the model, is a major goal that managers will strive for. Consistency means everything will stay at the same high standards, all the time. The managers that are best at achieving as much consistency as possible are aligning it with level one of the model, and including themselves as part of the selling process. A bad example of consistency is allowing an employee to go through training and months down the road giving no feedback as to their performance and keeping them in the dark about new company procedures.   Training should be done every day along with practicing correct sales procedures; managers can make sure this gets done by recapping goals and quotas throughout the day, actively staying part of the team, and holding regular meetings to keep associates up to date on store news and training. Sales training is a waste of energy (and worst of all hope) unless it is made sustainable (Drake-Knight, 2012, p. 17).   Training is usually something that does not go far after the training events are finished. Much of the information tends to get lost and employees must ask questions later about a subject they should already be familiar with. Sustainability, level three of The Model of Excellence, says that training should be sustained long after training is finished (2012, p.18) Momentum Management is the key to sustainability, it is a way to keep training consistent and constant throughout the day. It is like on-the-job training, but comes when the time is necessary.   For instance, if a manager overhears an employee answering the phone with the incorrect script, they can correct the employee after they hang up and inform them of the correct thing to say. Practicing sustainable techniques are a sure way to be involved and ensure that employees are being trained corr ectly and handling their jobs well. The Model of Excellence shows that with these techniques, after training is complete, with all three levels being used to their full potential, it could be beneficial with making sure employees know their job well, and are continue to learn as they continue their careers. As employees are the face of the store, it will always be important that they are properly trained. Staying consistent and sustained will make sure of that. Another simple solution to be sure an employee is getting the proper training and knowledge they need to handle their new job is to have better structured orientation at the beginning of employment. In her book New Employee Orientation Training, Lawson begins to compare the typical orientation session to a more successful approach. Typical orientations at an organization are generally presenter centered and tend to be boring for the applicant. The employee does not have much room to participate aside from only listening. Bored employees do not tend to retain the needed information to perform their jobs well and thus feel incompetent on the job. This could be a culprit of why the turnover rate is so high. Four percent of employees leave their jobs after the first day, and within thirty days know if they feel welcome or unwelcome in the work place (Lawson, 2016 p.4). A solution to this type of orientation is to have a more interactive and hands-on environment for training. Socializing the new employee and helping them integrate into their new workplace from day one of training can help them increase engagement in the workplace, better job satisfaction, and of course better job performance. Socializing also gets them involved in the workplace before the training is complete, employees can interact with the new employee and begin to adapt to one another (Mujtaba, 2006 p.262). In other words, taking the time to properly train and teach new employees how to do their jobs is worth the investment as they would not quit as quickly causing need for hiring new employees. It could also be beneficial in the sense that the employer would not have to pay for any mistakes the employee could potentially make. Having improved training programs for employees are critical to the employees success and especially to the employers success in keeping the business running smoothly. Employees that are not trained properly can end up wasting not only their time but another employee or managers time when they do not understand how to solve a problem. Proper training will also provide better overall customer service and more customers returning. When a customer enters an establishment, they expect to get help when they need it and that the employee will be knowledgeable on the product they are interested in. As training is the employees first impression into a company, it is important to get it right. Although many finances are part of the training process, it is important to make sure the employee is knowledgeable in all areas of their job. For instance, executing The Model of Excellence is one way to ensure a constant training of employees which also keeps them motivated. When employees are motivated and sure of what their job consists of, it shows a lower turnover rate for employment which is great financially and from a customer service standpoint. Customers enjoy seeing the same people and getting great service in the process. A well equipped employee is one that will be able to give the best customer service. To sum it up, Training is a very important part of a companys process for hiring new employees. Some companies tend to have a higher turnover rate due to poor training and lack of knowledge about the organization or product they may be selling. It is worth spending more time and resources on one person, than to spend them all repeatedly on the same failing training program. Employees should be treated like assets to their organization and get the proper tools they need to learn their job efficiently.   Proper training results in less finances wasted, less employee turnover, and a more fulfilling customer base.   References: Drake-Knight, N. (2012). Training and coaching boost performance of sales staff at BQ. Human Resource Management International Digest, 20(1), 14-17. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy2.apus.edu/10.1108/09670731211195918 Lawson, K. (2015;2016;). New employee orientation training (1st ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Talent Development. Levy, M. Weitz, B. (2012). Retailing management, 8th Ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Mujtaba, B. G., Sims, R. L. (2006). Socializing retail employees in ethical values: The effectiveness of the formal versus informal methods. Journal of Business and Psychology, 21(2), 261-272. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy1.apus.edu/10.1007/s10869-006-9028-3 Taylor, T.C. (2016). The cost of training new employees, including hidden expenses. Retrieved from https://www.adp.com/thrive