Abstract This paper examines the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which is administered through a complex set of processes under the management of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Technology Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It looks at how it was set up as an opportunity to examine an organization critically and identify strengths and opportunities in order to improve the company's overall quality. In particular, it discusses how serving on the Baldrige Award committee can be a rewarding experience in someone's career. Through the experience, people will be able to strengthen their ability to assess an organization, receive valuable training, and develop analytical and consensus building skills that can be applied to their own organization, as well as many others.
Outline
Introduction: How Did It Start
Criteria for Performance
Administration of the MBNQA
Board of Overseers
Board of Examiners
Judges
Senior Examiner
Examiner
The Selection Criteria
Criteria Expertise
Depth of Experience
Specialized Expertise
Examiner Skills
Final Selection of Members
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "This is the first of the three distinct groups. There are only a total of nine judges that oversee the entire process of administering the award. They must also help with the selecting examiners, review the scored applications, selecting the organizations to visit, and reviewing the results of the visit (Wadworth, p.109). Once that process is completed, they can select the organization to recommend for the Malcolm Baldrige Award. The judges are involved in the oversight of the entire process, but they do not actually get involved with the process until the many hours of work by the examiners are completed. Then it is left up to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to make the final decision for the award after further background evaluations of the recommended organizations have been completed."
Abstract How the brain functions has been of great interest to man for centuries, and in the past few decades, technology has created tools to investigate this process. This paper provides an overview of the five major imaging modalities for brain function: EEG, MEG, MRI, PET, and SPECT. The paper discusses the technology, the applications, and the future applications, as well as explores the current issues in the area. The paper includes colored photographs and figures.
From the Paper "Functional imaging tools in current use include electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Functional brain imaging is used to diagnose and track the treatment of various brain disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and other psychological disorders. Functional tools are also used in complex pre-surgical planning and surgical mapping. Issues in the literature relate to the removal of artifacts and increasing resolution. Future directions of the technologies include the combination of modalities, development of surgical planning methods, clinical applications in stroke research, and future uses in epilepsy."
Abstract This paper explains that when America's leaders began to develop ideas for how best to tap into the natural resources in the vast, sprawling Western lands, they didn?t shrink from thinking splendid thoughts on a grand, colossal scale, which resulted in the building of Hoover Dam. The paper details the history of how the mighty Colorado River, ?America's most dangerous river,? became the conduit for the annual production of 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electrical energy. The author believes that the story of how the Hoover Dam was built is a demonstration of how, today, jobs could be created, positive projects could be constructed, and the future could be made stronger and brighter.
Table of Contents
Thesis
Introduction
Background Colorado River Facts
The Early History of the River
Floods Create Havoc along the Southern Banks of the Colorado
Selecting a Site and Working out Water Rights for the Dam
Legal and Political Problems
The Hoover Dam Project Begins in Earnest
Living Conditions for the Workers
Deaths during Construction of Hoover Dam
The Specific Strategy to Tame the Colorado River
Specific Numbers and Data
Conclusion
From the Paper "The building of the dam was not only a much-needed flood control and electrical generating endeavor but also a job-producing project in the midst of the Great Depression. There were 5,218 men working on the dam at the peak of construction, men who desperately needed work in very rough economic times. With a monthly payroll of some $750,000, that worked out to around $145 per month per man. The men ate at a mess hall that fed 1,300 workers at a time. It cost each single man $1.60 per day for food, housing, and transportation to and from the dam site. For married men, the cost for a small, unfurnished house ran between $15 and $50 a month."
Abstract The United States has a fleet of fighter planes, which makes its air force one of the best in the world. This paper is a summary of facts surrounding the history and capabilities of three of the finest fighters in the U.S. Air Force, namely, the F/A-18 Hornet, the F-4 Phantom, and the F-15 Eagle. The paper includes pictures and diagrams of all three aircraft.
From the Paper "The F-15 Eagle has a variety of weaponry; these include everything from 6 barrel cannon with 140 rounds of ammunition to air-to-air missiles. A multimission avionic system sets the F-15 apart from other aircrafts. It includes a head up display, advanced radar, inertial navigation system, instrument landing system, ultra-high frequency communication, flight instruments, and a tactical navigation system."
Abstract This paper presents a financial analysis of publicly listed company, Sunoco (SUN). The paper presents details of its major competitors, industry analysis, and employees, as well as recent financial figures. The paper points out that, while the company has had success in recent years, its size is miniscule when compared with the major players in the industry.
From the Paper "The company netted $241 million in refining and $66 million from retail operations in the current nine-month period versus ? $79 million and $8 million in the first nine months of last year, accounting for the especially attractive P/E ratio. This was mainly due to higher retail gasoline margins of 52 million dollars. These margins averaged 10 cents per gallon during the first nine months of 2003, up 2.8 cents per gallon compared to same period last year. Distillate margins of five million contributed to a $7 million growth in sales. One of the company's leading retailers is the Speedway chain of retail gas stations, which operates many of Sunoco's retail stores."
Abstract This paper looks at the events of the summer of 1977 when New York City was struck by a massive blackout. It questions who was responsible and explains that combinations of factors range from an act of God and tightly coupled events. In the end, the fault lay with a simple system operator.
From the Paper "In the hot July summer of 1977, the lights went out in New York City. With the city completely black, thousands of people took to the streets, looting and setting hundreds of fires. Only after twenty-five grueling hours was the power finally restored. By then, New York had endured over a billion dollars in damages. It is important to learn from this accident so that the mistakes from the past are not repeated. While a combination of ?an act of God,? (Casey 196), tightly coupled events, and operator error all contributed to the failure, most of the fault can be placed in the hands of the operator."
Abstract An increasingly common phrase being bandied about today is ?reverse engineering.? The U.S. Supreme Court has defined reverse engineering as starting with the known product and working backward to divine the process that aided in its development or manufacture. This paper provides a comprehensive examination of precisely what reverse engineering is, how it is being used today, and what the implications of the technique may be for the future. A summary of the research is provided in the conclusion.
From the Paper "According to McGonagle and Vella (1996), in reverse engineering, a company takes apart a product and examines how it was assembled, what it cost, and what the entire package and its components tell us about the competition and its activities. "Typically, the customers of reverse engineering are those in product development and engineering. The time horizon is always retrospective, since the company is looking at what has already been done, and the targets are competitors, direct and sometimes indirect" (McGonagle & Vella, 1996, p. 17)."
Abstract This paper begins by illustrating the process most commonly used to remove hydrogen sulfide from natural gas. The paper then goes on to describe an alternative method used for the removal of hydrogen sulfide and describes the benefits of this method, as well as some of the problems associated with it. Additionally, the paper points out that the water content of natural gas is an important engineering consideration concerning the sweetening process and presents an overview of the properties of pure acid gases and water and hydrogen sulfide. The paper then goes on to outline and explain additional processes and engineering considerations concerning the removal of hydrogen sulfide and includes some cost estimates and comparisons of the processes.
Properties of H2S and CO2
Vapor / Liquid Properties of Pure Compounds
Vapor / Liquid Phase Behavior
Acid Gas Compression and Dehydration
Metallurgy
Acid Gas Dehydration
Acid Gas Injection Facilities
Cost Comparisons with Small Scale Sulfur Recovery Options
Operating Costs
From the Paper "Sour natural gas contains hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which has to be removed to meet specifications for sales gas. Sour natural gas also contains carbon dioxide (CO2). The removal of CO2 and H2S, usually called acid gases, from sour natural gas is generally accomplished by means of a regenerative solvent. There are several amine solvents used for this purpose. Upon regeneration of the solvent, the acid gases are liberated, and are usually sent to a modified Claus plant, where the H2S is converted to elemental sulfur (Canjar & Manning 1967). The acid gas stream to the modified Claus plant consists of H2S, CO2, water vapor and minor amounts of hydrocarbon gas."
Abstract This paper is a technical report on a laboratory experiment on surface tension measurements using the capillary rise method. Samples are deionized water and varying concentrations of NaCl and of HOAc. Calculations are included in the appendix.
From the Paper "Increasing concentrations of HOAc solutions tend to lower surface tension of water, while NaCl solutions increase surface tension of water. The former results to a condition called positive surface concentration, where the solute tend to concentrate slightly in the neighborhood of the surface; the latter is due to negative surface concentration, where the solute molecules become less concentrated in the neighborhood of the surface."
Abstract This is a technical report on a laboratory experiment determining heating value of fuels. Test sample is naphthalene, and the calibrating substance is benzoic acid. The oxygen bomb calorimeter used is the Parr type.
From the Paper "The experiment aims to determine the heat of combustion of naphthalene using data obtained from the Parr bomb calorimeter.
Three 1-g portions of naphthalene were weighed using the analytical balance. Benzoic acid is the calibrating substance used for the experiment. The heat capacity Csys of the system is calculated using the theoretical value of benzoic acid and the nickel fuse wire. This Csys is equivalent to the heat capacity Ccal of the calorimeter; this value will be used in determining the heat of combustion of naphthalene.
The heat of combustion of naphthalene is accepted at
?5156.95 KJ/mol. The experimental value ?3787.445097 KJ/mol has an error of 26.56%."
Abstract This paper explains that manufacturing is a very complex operation with numerous components and with many individuals working together to ensure that the end-product meets the required quality control and time schedule. The author points out that engineering plays a central position within the production organization. The paper relates that the most widely used production planning and control systems in the U.S. are variations of MRP, or Material Requirements Planning, and MRPII, or Manufacturing Resource Planning.
From the Paper "Production planning occurs in several steps. The first is to identify the end goals that are necessary to achieve and to establish an inventory strategy for quoting delivery of parts required. The production plan provides the primary communication link between management and manufacturing and becomes the basis for focusing the manufacturing resources in a way that will achieve the objectives of the company. The next several steps break down the production process into the required tasks and determine when each one has to start. At times, one task can be completed with any of several different resources?equipment and/or employees. In this case, the assignment of tasks to resources can occur at planning or execution time. If a number of tasks need to be accomplished at the same time with the same resources, the plan should provide workers with a means to know which comes first."
Abstract This paper defines engineering economy and explains how it is used to evaluate projects relating to their costs and their future value. The paper explains how engineering economy deals with how much a project will cost and what the future benefits of that project will be. This leads into a discussion of "the time value of money", one of the most important concepts in engineering economy. Finally, the paper explains several of the basic concepts of engineering economy and how these concepts can be applied to a company's financial management practices.
From the Paper "When we are faced with an engineering project, in general, there are two main things to consider. One of them is how much the project costs, the second one is how much benefit the project will bring. The problem with the project benefit is that, most often, these are future benefits, while the costs are in the present. How can we compare future benefits with present costs? The answer is rather simple: by calculating the future benefits in terms of present benefits. Hence, it is now the proper time to introduce the concept of the time value of money, perhaps the most important concept in engineering economy."
Abstract This paper examines the history and specifics of Taylor's theory of scientific management. The scope of telecommunication installation is discussed, and the application of Taylor's theory of scientific management to telecommunications installation is reviewed. A summary of key points and recommendations is given.
Outline
Introduction
Telecommunications Installation
Frederick Taylor's Theory of Scientific Management
Scientific Management and Telecommunications Installation
Key Points
Conclusion
Recommendation
From the Paper "In order to understand how Frederick Taylor's theories apply to telecommunications, it is first important to understand the scope of telecommunication installation. Telecommunication itself is simply communication that is achieved through electronic transmission, such as cable, radio, television, telephone, or even the telegraph (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). Installation in telecommunications can include installation of underground and aerial telephone and other telecommunication lines, and cable television lines and cables. Further, telecommunication installation can include fitting of telephone equipment and hardware, as well as wiring (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada)."
Abstract This paper provides a full explanation about the way in which solar energy is created. The paper looks at the process in details and then discusses what benefits solar energy may have in the future.
From the Paper "Solar Energy comes from Solar cells which today are mostly made of silicon, one of the most common elements on Earth. The crystalline silicon solar cell was one of the first types to be developed and it is still the most common type in use today. They do not pollute the atmosphere and they leave behind no harmful waste products. Photovoltaic cells work effectively even in cloudy weather and unlike solar heaters, are more efficient at low temperatures. They do their job silently and there are no moving parts to wear out. It is no wonder that one marvels on how such a device would function. To understand how a solar cell works, it is necessary to go back to some basic atomic concepts. In the simplest model of the atom, electrons orbit a central nucleus, composed of protons and neutrons."
Tags: alternative, cells, electricity, energy, fuels, photovoltaic, power, solar
Abstract This paper thoroughly describes the advantages and disadvantages between using nuclear energy and fossil fuels. Overall, the paper provides a positive view of nuclear energy and concludes that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages.
From the Paper "The green, glowing substance illustrated on "The Simpsons", capable of destroying 155,200 people and giving frogs three legs, actually proves to be beneficial. A decrease in the conventional coal burning ways is more than important for conserving and consuming energy. The efficient, clean and safe solution for conservation appears to be nuclear energy. As the safest out of any major technological industry, nuclear technology's powers are nearly limitless. Of course, with no known method for storing radioactive waste, it is in constant, high debate because of the danger spent reactors pose. Leakage and moving tectonic plates in the main storage mountain, the Yucca, continue to be arguments for the opposing of nuclear energy. Still, in everyday use, the benefits of nuclear power outweigh the negative aspects and are a prime alternative to the rapid reduction of fossil fuels."
