American Express Case Study Free Essays

What are the key components of the architecture American Express has created? The key components of the architecture American Express has created were the ability to more effectively do business utilizing new payment methods and mobile devices. This was done through technology road map, reference architecture road map and utility/capacity road map. The enterprise architecture team created road maps to understand the leadership, organizational structure and directions and processes to make sure American Express’s Information Technology correlates with this changes in demand placed upon the use of new payment methods and mobile devices and their alignment with the organization’s mission, goals, and objectives. We will write a custom essay sample on American Express Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now This is the architecture governance. In addition, it is important to understand the strategic intent of the company so that the business architecture helps to guide and direct the processes correctly. The technology architecture ensures that the processes and templates provided work in compliance with the needs of the organization. Discuss two advantages and three disadvantages of standard enterprise architecture for American Express? An advantage of standard enterprise architecture for American Express includes the ability to provide more consistent user experience. In addition, standard enterprise architecture use can deduce risk and exposure and reduce operating costs. Optimally it will allow product and services to be brought to market more quickly. Disadvantages of standard enterprise architecture include the concept that architecture must guide rather than dictate. The architecture process must seen as a â€Å"fit† for the employees and customers of American Express. It should be value to projects and be accepted on its own merits. It must also serve a mission: in this case American Express has a strategic need for enterprise architecture that addressed the specific need of shorter time to market products and services and new delivery changes like mobile devices. Another disadvantage is that increased costs can be incurred if the system is not properly managed. How might they address the disadvantages? Since architecture must guide rather than dictate an organization it is key that the company’s strategy actually drives the architecture (which, as our text points out, drives infrastructure). IT must carefully manage the architecture to ensure that it is being managed in this manner, rather than having the company be limited by the architecture or guided by the architecture based on its perimeters, rather than careful planning of the needs of the organization. Since â€Å"enterprise architecture is the broad design that includes both the information system, architecture and the interrelationships in the enterprise† (Pearlson Saunders, 2013), it is key that each aspect works together to support strategy and more efficiently help the organization. Costs of managing standard enterprise architecture must be managed. Standardization should lead to reduced operating costs and greater consistency within the organization. However, in order to do so, IT must carefully manage the system and look forward as new technologies emerge, ensuring that the system can adapt and flex to adjust for projected needs. How to cite American Express Case Study, Free Case study samples

Recycling and Plastic Bag free essay sample

They are also cheap, light, durable, easy to carry and in many cases, free. The most commonly used shopping bag is made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This type is used in the majority of supermarkets and stores. After these bags are used, they often end up in landfills or as litter, roughly only three percent of plastic bags is actually recycled per year (Planet Ark, 2011). The materials used in making plastic bags make them non-biodegradable. According to the science dictionary, 2011 refers to â€Å"these materials cannot be decomposed into environmentally safe waste materials by the action of soil bacteria. † These harmful substances are toxic and take approximately four hundred years to break down, or in this case photo-degrade; which is how plastics made from (HDPE) break down. Since they are not biodegradable, they remain in the environment and are absorbed in soil or water (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment, 2010). We will write a custom essay sample on Recycling and Plastic Bag or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage. Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011). As a solution to these types of problems is taking action by educating and increasing the public’s awareness to the harmful affects that a plastic bag impose on our environment. Applying this would mean to get consumers involved in reducing the number of plastic bags they consume and instead of getting new bags they can simply reuse their old bags (Sea Turtles Conservancy,2011). Another important solution would be using bio degradable bags instead; these types of bags take up a shorter time to degrade and become environmentally safe to both humans and animals. These types of bags are made from natural materials therefore; they are digested if animals swallow them (Biodegradable Plastic Bags,2011). The harmful effects of plastic bags extend to affect human health and social lives. According to the US CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2011) suffocation has been a significant of death among children under the age of one. According to a report presented in 2007 by Clean up Australia, when plastic bags are thrown in the streets they may block the drains and result in flooding during heavy rain. Stagnant water in blocked drains may create a breeding ground for many forms of insects like mosquitoes, which can transmit dangerous diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and encephalitis (World Health Organisation, 2011). Reducing, reusing and recycling, in that order, could be the most viable option to decrease the social and health impact of plastic bags. Reducing the number of plastic bags can be applied by imposing a fee such as PlasTax. In 2002 PlasTax was issued in The Republic of Ireland, which is a fee on plastic bags. This new tax resulted in a ninety four percent drop in plastic bag consumption in one year (Convery F, McDonnell S, Ferreira S, 2007). The next step is to reuse, instead of disposing of plastic bags consumers should be encouraged to keep reusing their bags. The final step is to recycle the plastic bags, many supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s give the consumers the option to bring in their old bags for recycling. In conclusion, usages of plastic bags are very limited unlike their infinite damages. They are harmful to health, the environment and wildlife. The solutions to put an end to the problems associated with plastic bags are available, cooperation between governments, shops and individuals is vital to take the necessary actions by reducing, reusing and recycling plastic bags.

Rafael Lopez Perez Essays - Waste Management, Industrial Ecology

Rafael Lopez Perez TOXIC WASTE Pollution Prevention GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS DEFINITIONS Pollution prevention consists of all those activities that reduce the generation of hazardous waste. Many terms are used to describe these activities: waste minimization, waste reduction, source reduction, waste diversion, pollution prevention, recycling, and reuse. In a recent policy statements EPA suggested the following hierarchy for management of wastes: * Source reduction * Recycling * Treatment * Disposal In plant practices that reduce, avoid or eliminate the generation of hazardous waste as to reduce risks to health and the environment. Actions taken away from the waste generating activity, including waste recycling or treatment of wastes after they are generated, are not considered waste reduction. Also, an action that merely concentrates t hazardous content of a waste to reduce waste volume or dilutes it to reduce degree hazard, is not considered waste reductions The somewhat broader term pollution prevention has an evolving definition that includes: * Managing chemicals to reduce risk * Identifying and estimating all releases * Waste minimization VOLUME REDUCTION An appropriate place to initiate waste minimization investigations is to examine way: to reduce the volume of hazardous waste. This can be accomplished by a number methods including modifying production processes, segregation, and re-use. It should be noted that under some regulatory schemes, simply reducing the volume of the waste without an accompanying reduction in toxicity would not be considered was minimization. Process Modifications Process modifications include changes in: ? Raw materials ? Equipment & Operating procedures ? Materials storage ? End products Hunt suggests the following additional measures to reduce dragout: ? Increase drain time ? Air knife (low pressure air to blow solution off parts) ? Spray rinsing over process tank ? Minimize concentration of metal in plating bath ? Rack parts to maximize drainage ? Use drip bars to hold racked parts over plating tanks TOXICITY REDUCTION A number of waste minimization techniques reduce the concentration of contaminant in a liquid or solid waste stream, without necessarily diminishing the volume of wastes produced. It is often possible to lessen the toxic characteristics sufficiently so that the remaining waste is no longer considered a hazardous waste. Process Modification: Some specific examples of modifications that result in a less toxic waste stream include dry powder painting and solvent recovery methods. Treatment and Disposal Methods Stabilization and Solidification INTRODUCTION In general terms, stabilization is a process where additives are mixed with waste to minimize the rate of contaminant migration from the waste and to reduce the toxicity of the waste. Thus, stabilization may be described as a process by which contaminant are fully or partially bound by the addition of supporting media, binders, or other modifiers. Likewise, solidification is a process employing additives by which the physical nature of the waste (as measured by the engineering properties of strength, compressibility, and/or permeability) is altered during the process. Thus, objectives of stabilization and solidification would encompass both the reduction in waste toxicity and mobility as well as an improvement in the engineering properties of the stabilized mates al. Thermal Methods INTRODUCTION Incineration systems are designed to destroy only organic components of waste; however most hazardous waste is non-exclusive in its content and therefore will contain both combustible organics and non-combustible inorganics. By destroying the organ Erection and converting it to carbon dioxide and water vapor, incineration reduces the waste volume, and to the extent that the organic components include toxic component [emailprotected] threat to the environment. Hazardous wastes come in all physical forms: liquid, solid, and somewhere between. Commercial hazardous waste incineration systems have to handle the gamut of waste streams. Nevertheless, many hazardous waste incinerators a concerned only with liquid wastes. While gaseous waste streams are not regulated as hazardous waste, the combustion of such wastes is certainly a part of the overall incineration process. The theory and equipment design for each type of waste is similar but different, and their combination into a single system is often required. REMEDY SELECTION The parties having a stake in the selection of a remedy come from diverse interests representing the local community, industry, environmentalists, the scientific and engineering professions, and government. Their concerns differ as do their values. They inevitably will disagree about what is the best remedy and even as to what level of protection is needed. REMEDIAL ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS 1. Site conditions can be very complicated. 2. Remediation is not straightforward but takes place usually over a long period of time and involves a number

The Iron Age - Social and Technological Advances

The Iron Age - Social and Technological Advances The European Iron Age (~800-51 BC) (see also the African Iron Age) is what archaeologists have called that period of time in Europe when the development of complex urban societies was spurred by intensive manufacturing of bronze and iron, and extensive trading in and out of the Mediterranean basin. At the time, Greece was flourishing, and the Greeks saw an explicit division between the cultured peoples of the Mediterranean, as compared to the barbaric northerners of central, western and northern Europe. Some scholars have argued that it was Mediterranean demand for exotic goodssalt, furs, amber, gold, slaves, foodstuffs, eventually iron weaponrythat drove the interaction  and led to the growth of an elite class in the hillforts of central Europe. Hillfortsfortified settlements located on the tops of hills above Europes major riversbecame numerous during the early Iron Age, and many of them do show the presence of Mediterranean goods. European Iron Age dates are traditionally set between the approximate period when iron became the principal tool-making material and the Roman conquests of the last century BC. Iron production was first established during the Late Bronze Age  but did not become widespread in central Europe until 800 BC, and in northern Europe by 600 BC. Chronology of the Iron Age 800-450 BC (Early Iron AgeHallstatt in central Europe, Jastorf in north central Europe) The early part of the Iron Age is called the Hallstatt culture, and it was during this time in central Europe that elite chiefs rose in power, perhaps as a direct result of their connections to the Mediterranean Iron Age of classical Greece and the Etruscans. Hallstatt chiefs built or rebuilt a handful of hillforts in eastern France and southern Germany, and maintained an elite lifestyle. Hallstatt sites: Heuneburg, Hohen Asberg, Wurzburg, Breisach, Vix, Hochdorf, Camp de Chassey, Mont Lassois, Magdalenska Gora, and Vace 450-50 BC (Late Iron Age, La Tà ¨ne) Between 450-400 BC, the Hallstatt elite system collapsed, and power shifted to a new set of people, under what was at first more egalitarian society. The La Tà ¨ne culture grew in power and wealth because of their location on important trade routes used by the Mediterranean Greeks and Romans to acquire status goods. References to Celts, conflated with Gauls and meaning central European barbarians, came from the Romans and Greeks; and the La Tà ¨ne material culture is broadly agreed to represent those groups. Eventually, population pressure within the populous La Tà ¨ne zones forced younger La Tà ¨ne warriors out, beginning the massive Celtic migrations. La Tà ¨ne populations moved southward into Greek and Roman areas, conducting extensive and successful raids, even into Rome itself, and eventually including most of the European continent. A new settlement system including central defended settlements called oppida were located in Bavaria and Bohemia. These were not princely residences, but instead residential, commercial, industrial and administrative centers that focused on trade and production for the Romans. La Tene sites: Manching, Grauberg, Kelhim, Singindunum, Stradonice, Zvist, Bibracte, Toulouse, Roquepertuse Lifestyles of the Iron Age By ca 800 BC, most of the people in northern and western Europe were in farming communities, including the essential grain crops of wheat, barley, rye, oats, lentils, peas, and beans. Domesticated cattle, sheep, goats and pigs were used by Iron Age people; different parts of Europe relied on different suites of animals and crops, and many places supplemented their diets with wild game and fish and nuts, berries and fruit. The first barley beer was produced. Villages were small, usually under a hundred people in residence, and the homes were built of wood with sunken floors and wattle and daub walls. It wasnt until near the end of the Iron Age that larger, town-like settlements began to appear. Most communities manufactured their own goods for trade or use, including pottery, beer, iron tools, weapons, and ornaments. Bronze was most popular for personal ornaments; wood, bone, antler, stone, textiles and leather were also used. Trade goods between communities included bronze, Baltic amber and glass objects, and grinding stones in places far from their sources. Social Change in the Iron Age By the late 6th century BC, construction had begun on fortresses on the tops of hills. Building within the Hallstatt hillforts was quite dense, with rectangular timber-framed buildings built close together. Below the hilltop (and outside the fortifications) lay extensive suburbs. Cemeteries had monumental mounds with exceptionally rich graves indicating social stratification. The collapse of the Hallstatt elites saw the rise of La Tà ¨ne egalitarians. Features associated with La Tene include inhumation burials and the disappearance of elite tumulus-style burials. Also indicated is a rise in the consumption of  millet  (Panicum miliaceum). The fourth century BC began the out-migration of small groups of warriors from the La Tà ¨ne heartland towards the Mediterranean Sea. These groups waged terrific raids against the inhabitants. One result was a discernible drop in the population at early La Tene sites. Beginning in the middle of the second century BC, connections with the Mediterranean Roman world steadily increased and appeared to stabilize. New settlements such as Feddersen Wierde became established as production centers for Roman military bases. Marking the traditional end of what archaeologists consider the Iron Age, Caesar conquered Gaul in 51 BC and within a century, Roman culture became established in central Europe. Sources Beck CW,  Greenlie  J, Diamond MP, Macchiarulo AM, Hannenberg AA, and Hauck MS. 1978.  The chemical identification of baltic amber at the Celtic oppidum Starà © Hradisko in Moravia.  Journal of Archaeological Science  5(4):343-354.Bujnal  J. 1991.  Approach to the study of the Late Hallstatt and Early La Tà ¨ne periods in eastern parts of Central Europe: results from  comparative  classification of Knickwandschale.  Antiquity  65:368-375.Cunliffe B. 2008. The Three Hundred Years that Changed the World: 800-500 BC. Chapter 9 in  Europe Between the Oceans. Themes and Variations: 9000 BC-AD 1000.  New Haven: Yale University Press. p, 270-316Hummler M. 2007.  Bridging the gap at La Tà ¨ne.  Antiquity   81:1067-1070.Le Huray JD, and Schutkowski H. 2005.  Diet and social status during the La Tà ¨ne period in Bohemia: Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bone collagen from Kutn Hora-Karlov  and Radovesice.  Journal of Anthropological Archa eology  24(2):135-147.Loughton ME. 2009.  Getting smashed: the deposition of amphorae and the drinking of wine in Gaul during the late Iron Age.  Oxford Journal Of Archaeology  28(1):77-110. Marciniak A. 2008.  Europe,  Central  and Eastern.  In: Pearsall DM, editor.  Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1199-1210.Wells PS. 2008.  Europe, Northern and Western: Iron Age.  In: Pearsall DM, editor.  Encyclopedia of Archaeology. London: Elsevier Inc. p 1230-1240.

Facts About Tylosaurus, a 35-Foot Cretaceous Predator

Facts About Tylosaurus, a 35-Foot Cretaceous Predator Name:  Tylosaurus (Greek for knob lizard); pronounced TIE-low-SORE-us Habitat:  Shallow Seas of North Ameria Historical Period:  Late Cretaceous (85-80 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 35 feet long and seven tons Diet:  Fish, turtles and other reptiles, including dinosaurs Distinguishing Characteristics: Long, sleek body; narrow, well-muscled jaws A Large and Vicious Predator The 35-foot-long, seven-ton Tylosaurus was about as well-adapted to terrorizing sea creatures as any marine reptile could be, considering its narrow, hydrodynamic body, blunt, its powerful head suited to ramming and stunning prey, its agile flippers, and the maneuverable fin on the end of its long tail. This late Cretaceous predator was one of the largest and most vicious of all the mosasaurs- the family of marine reptiles that succeeded the ichthyosaurs, pliosaurs, and plesiosaurs of the earlier Mesozoic Era, and that is distantly related to modern snakes and monitor lizards. Like one of those extinct plesiosaurs, Elasmosaurus, Tylosaurus figured in the famous 19th-century feud between the American paleontologists Othniel C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope (commonly known as the Bone Wars). Squabbling over a set of incomplete Tylosaurus fossils discovered in Kansas, Marsh suggested the name Rhinosaurus (nose lizard, a great missed opportunity if ever there was one), while Cope touted Rhamposaurus instead. When both Rhinosaurus and Rhamposaurus turned out to be preoccupied (that is, already assigned to an animal genus), Marsh finally erected Tylosaurus (knob lizard) in 1872. (In case youre wondering how Tylosaurus wound up in landlocked Kansas, of all places, thats because much of  the western U.S. was submerged beneath the Western Interior Sea during the late Cretaceous period.) Dazzling Discovery While Marsh and Cope squabbled endlessly, it was left to a third famous paleontologist, Charles Sternberg, to make the most dazzling Tylosaurus discovery of all. In 1918, Sternberg unearthed a Tylosaurus specimen harboring the fossilized remains of an unidentified plesiosaur, its last meal on earth. But thats not all: an unidentified hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) discovered in Alaska in 1994 was found to harbor Tylosaurus-sized bite marks, though it seems that this dinosaur was scavenged by Tylosaurus after its death rather than plucked, crocodile-style, directly off the shoreline.

Sexual Abuse (Police Foundations Course) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sexual Abuse (Police Foundations Course) - Essay Example Moreover, the taboos surrounding the sex act affect the investigation of offenses related to it. The victim is often blamed and treated insensitively with callous disregard for the outcome. Given the situation, it is imperative that the investigation be conducted with painstaking attention to detail, because failure to do so will allow the offenders to escape the justice they so richly deserve. The crime scene investigation is crucial as it is the foundation on which the case against the offender will be built. The crime scene must be secured and photographs should be taken before following the prescribed protocol for such situations. The next step is the collection of forensic evidence "which might provide a clue to the identity of the killer" (Geberth 440) . Such evidence may often be the only way to trace, implicate and convict the guilty party. Physical evidence from the scene such as fingerprints, stray hairs, fibers, used condoms, gloves, urine, feces, blood, and the like must be carefully gathered and preserved as they are the means by which the offender may be linked to the scene of the crime and the victim. The collection of these materials must be documented and photographed in order to avoid damage from exposure to the weather or careless handling. The next step is the thorough medical examination of the victim.

Pain management of central chest pain of patients in the Emergency Essay

Pain management of central chest pain of patients in the Emergency department - Essay Example This means these groups of patients need special support from the nursing professionals and measures to relieve these pains as soon as possible, at least in order to decrease these feelings. In order to be able to handle and manage these cases appropriately in the Emergency Department setting the nurses must be able to critically analyse the signs and symptoms of these patients on presentation. It is also expected that the nursing staff must be able to assess these patients in a structured manner in the least possible time frame since the risks associated with adult patients presenting with chest pain may be enormous. In some cases rapid and timely institution of interventions may impact the outcomes of care very favourably, while failure to stratify these risks and to appropriately assess these patients may lead to a defective and ineffective care plan leading to serious morbidity and mortality. In fact current research evidence suggests that nurses should be trained to acquire skil ls in appropriately assessing a patient and then reaching a provisional diagnosis that can be ruled out or supported by point of care protocols such as C-Troponin, CK-MB, and Pro-BNP so legitimate care may be instituted at the earliest. In this assignment, a problem-solving approach will be elicited in the context if emergency nursing care delivered to a group of patients with central chest pain during a recent placement of this writer, where nursing skills of assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation and documentation of care will be demonstrated (Hamer and McCallin, 2006). Moreover this account will also demonstrate how critical the nursing communication skill becomes in delivering an effective, standard, and competent care to these patients while working independently or through interprofessional collaboration. Throughout this assignment, there will be demonstration of the process of nursing diagnosis and management