Construction of Information Engine

Construction of Information Engine Coiza Making sense of information   1. Introduction I more or less run my life directed by information from the Internet. I check the weather, check the traffic, look for places to go, look for reviews for the places, get updates from my friends and work and browse lots of information from many other sources. The information I am interested in depends on many factors including the time of the day, my location, whether it is a work day or a weekend, whether I am at home or on vacation. Indeed many times the information I am interested is prompted by information I have already discovered. For example, on a work day I might check the weather and, if it looks like rain, check the availability of trains to get me home (well I wouldnt want to get wet!). Technology like Google Now do a great job of automating information assimilation by guessing what information relevant is relevant to me. The challenge of this type of technology is that assimilation, particularly across many information sources, can be complex and not easy to guess. An alternative approach is to explicitly define the rules by which information is assimilated in a way that can then be automatically processed by what I call Information Engines. In this article I want to talk about an Information Engine that I have constructed called Coiza. Coiza is built around information channels that can be subscribed to and which display information as feeds like those used by Facebook and Twitter. Channels may display raw information, for example a news channel (like the BBC), or may display information resulting from combining information, for example location and Wikipedia summaries for that location. Channels can produce any information including context information like location and time of day. The most interesting feature of Coiza is that it allows the definition of new channels based on existing channels and rules on how the information from the existing channels gets used to produce information from a new channel. 2. Viewing Channels Channels can be subscribed to within Coiza. Depending on the channel it may be necessary to supply parameter values and/or authorisations for Coiza to access private information (e.g. Google Calendar) using the OAuth protocol. Once channels have been subscribed to then information is displayed from that channel in a feed like format where the feed is hidden if there is no information to display. 3. Creating Channels Viewing channels is where most users will spend the majority of the time, but the richness of channels available to view is enabled by ability to build new channels with relative ease. Any user within Coiza can create and publish channels by writing CoizaLang code. CoizaLang code consists of two primary constructs: Info A model of a piece of information that is either consumed or produced by a channel and can be rendered within feeds. Channel Consumes zero or more info flows, emits a single info flow, and defines rules for producing the output flow. Channels may be nested within each other. 3.1 Building Infos Here is an example of a CoizaLang info for Message illustrating the key features of infos. Firstly like all constructs, infos live within a namespace, or package, in this case coiza since it is supplied as part of the coiza platform. All infos (and for that matter channels) must live in a namespace beginning with the username of the coiza user that created it which in my case is jwillans. Infos can subtype, or extend, other infos which, as we shall see a bit later, allows the same instance of a type to play different roles depending on the channel using it. In this example Message subtypes TitledContent and, in addition to having the link and author fields defined locally, title and content fields are inherited through the sub type relationship. Fields can be typed using primitive values or other info types. A further important feature of infos is the optional render block which defines how infos are turned into html for display within a feed. When a subscribed channel is displayed (see the screenshot in Section 2) the supplied feed is a result of turning infos into html using the render block. Render blocks support a subset of html along with the ability to reference and navigate info fields using a small expression language. 3.2 Building Channels Channels are the bread and butter of coiza. A CoizaLang channel has zero or more input ports, a single output port, all of which are typed by infos. The job of a channel is to produce output infos often as a result of processing input infos. The resulting infos can then either be displayed as feeds, assuming the channel has being subscribed to, and/or used as the input to a further channel. In this way networks of channels can be created building on one another. 3.2.1 Getting the news Here is a simple example of a channel which does not do any processing directly but wraps the existing channel RSSFeedProvider to define a BBC news channel. I sometimes call these types of channels assembly channels. RSSFeedProvider is one of a number of channels that hook in to externally supplied data, in this case getting information from an RSS feed. Other example of external data channels in coiza includes Google Calendar, IMAP email, LinkedIn, current location, Wikipedia, currency converters à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and the list is growing all the time. From a coiza point of view these behave exactly like any other (user defined) channel. Like infos, channels are named and live within a package namespace. A channel can have zero or more parameters which are declared in the parenthesis after the channel name (line 5). In the case of the BBC News channel no parameters are required. However RSSFeedProvider does have a single string parameter defining the RSS feed location, and the URL of the BBC news feed is supplied as an argument to the RSS feed (line 7). This BBC News channel has no input ports but defines a single output port (line 9) which simply takes the output of RSSFeedProvider. By the way, although it cannot be seen from the above code, RSSFeedProvider produces infos of type Message which we covered in the previous section. 3.2.2 Filtering the news Lets get more adventurous and explore some of the other features of CoizaLang. Suppose we wanted to filter the news by title, we could define a further channel as follows: FilteredTitle demonstrates a parameterised channel, requiring a filter string, with both input (+) and output (-) ports and a body that does some processing. Note how the ports are typed as Titled infoswhich is the base type Message subtypes thereby enabling this channel to filter titles on any type that extends Titled including Messages. The body of the channel iterates over all the incoming infos from feed and filters them using a pattern (line 11) which essentially says that an info must be of type Titled and the title field must contain the value of filter. Any matching infos are emitted to the output port. Now that we have a filter channel we can create a new assembly channel to filter the BBC news leveraging the two channels we have created. Most of the features of this channel has been illustrated previously, the one new feature is the wire declaration (line 14) which, as you may guess, defines how output ports are connected to input ports. In this case how the output of the BBC news channel is the input of the filter title channel. The output of this channel is then the output of the assembly channel (line 12). 3.2.3 Publishing the news During developing a channel it is possible to test the channel in order to ensure it works as designed as shown below. For a user channel to be subscribable, and used outside of testing, then it is important to guarantee that it is not going to change. To do this, a channel must be published which then prevents change. Before publication can happen, all infos or channels that are referenced by the channel must also be published and the channel must not have any type checking issues (there is no sense in publishing a channel that wont work). Unpublishing can only take place if the construct being unpublished has no dependents either in the form of other constructs or user subscriptions. If a change is required to a published channel with dependents then the only approach is to create a new version of that channel (or indeed info). We have created a couple of channels BBC News and Filtered BBC News that once published can be subscribed to by any user. Rather than the user having to search for the CoizaLang channel name (i.e. BBCNews or FilteredBBCNews) it is possible to give the channel a user friendly name along with a description which are both used as part of the search for subscribable channels mechanism. 3.2.4 Tell me in the morning Youve probably got a handle now on how coiza works and how anyone can build channels and those channels once published can either be subscribed to or used as a basis of further channels. By way of a final example, if Bob Brown publishes a channel to filter based on the time of day, then we can create another BBC News channel which filters both on the title and the time of day. 4. Summary I have talked about how Information Engines can help bring information together into a form that is more appropriate to what the users is interested in knowing, and I have walked through an example of an Information Engine I have constructed called Coiza. Hopefully Coiza looks useful and you will consider becoming a subscriber to the rich array of channels that are beginning to be defined or indeed define one or more channel for yourself. Finally in case you were wondering why is Coiza called Coiza it comes from the Portuguese word coisa meaning thing!

Performance Management Plan Essay

In order for Landslide Limousine Service to have success in their business, strategic performance is necessary within the framework of management. The business should be successful if the performance management plan aligns completely with the business strategy. Mr. Stonefield has identified the course in which he plans to take his business and has identified his expectations. To help the company define the skills needed by its workers it must have a strong organizational philosophy as well as a strong job analysis. It is important for Landslide Limousine Service to establish a method of identifying and measuring employees skills, skill gaps, and establishing ways to provide feedback to its employees. Atwood & Allen Consulting will be administering and providing this vital information for the success and performance enhancement of Landslide Limousine Service. The performance management plan will ensure business success with no lost revenue, and income stability, and within target. Framework for business strategy In prior communications with Atwood and Allen, Mr. Stonefield identified he wished to open his limousine service in Austin, Texas. The main goal for Mr. Stonefield is to provide first class transportation options for various customers by providing a unique limousine service with attention to every detail in its service. There is an anticipated net revenue for the first year of $50,000, and is expected to have a 5% increase in net revenue within the next few years. There is also an estimation of a 10% turnover rate. According to Atwood & Allen, the short term and long term goals are very realistic for the first few years. By creating the performance management framework, Landslide Limousine Service will establish a base in which the company will align its goals in creating employee loyalty, and setting the financial growth of the company. The structure of the business strategy must consist of effective employee skills, methods to measure skills performance, concentrate on skills gaps, and effective employee feedback. This will create proper communication between employees and management. Creating an environment where employees are comfortable approaching management with concerns can reduce mistakes which could result in customer being dissatisfied with the limousine service. Lastly, communication can also assist with identifying and correcting any problems with equipment which  could reduce cost and will maximize the customers experience. Organizational Performance Philosophy In order to establish a strong strategic performance management framework, Landslide Limousine Service needs to identify the organizational performance philosophy. In order to compete within the existing competitive market in Austin, Texas, the business philosophy has to be built with a strong emphasis on excellent customer service. To build a positive reputation in the market, employees must look professional, and comply with all the rules and regulation to insure the customer experiences a safe ride. The organizational performance philosophy is the company’s values about how management is going to direct employees to accomplish goal to succeed the organizational performance. â€Å"Transporting clients efficiently and safe is our satisfaction† is a possible philosophy phrase that Landslide Limousine can use as a marketing strategy. The idea of the philosophy is to build trust within employees and customers within the company to retain loyalty and confidence within the service. Once the customers trust has been obtained, Landslide Limousine Service must continue to work hard to maintain the trust. Creating monthly surveys can assist with identifying areas were the organization can improve. In addition, the sales representatives should have meetings with the clients at least every quarter (if not sooner) to build a relationship with clients. This relationship can help with better aligning the services provided with customers expectations. Identifying employee’s skills It is important for any business to employ personnel with the required job skills. These skills are important because it reduces the amount of training required to get the employee ready for service. The employees knowledge and skills can guarantee customer satisfaction and positive reputation for the company. According to the textbook, Managing Human Resources, 9th edition, by W.F. Cascio, explains four levels of analysis to determine training needs and what can be achieved. The four levels of training are organizational analysis, demographic analysis, operations analysis, and individual analysis (Cascio, 2013, p. 317-318). The organizational analysis identifies if the training supports company’s direction, personnel training activity, and  resources available. Demographic analysis determines employee’s special need at different hierarchy levels. Operations analysis identify what an employees should do to perform competently, and individual analysis focus on the type of training should be provided to a specific individual (Cascio, 2013). According to Cascio, with a job analysis the business can identify tasks and required characteristics to perform a job (Cascio, 2013). The four levels of training is a helpful tool to identify areas of improvement. Training at all levels is important because though training we improve our overall performance. Methods to measure the employee’s skills For any business is important to measure employee skill performance to determine if the employees targets have been accomplished. According to, Employee Performance Measurement Tools, it explain how a company can measure performance with performance appraisals, productivity tests, and 360-Degree Feedback. The performance appraisal is an annual method on where the employee is evaluated by management. The evaluation identifies how well the employee is doing for a period of time and if action in required for improvement. In the performance appraisal, identifying future goals and needs are important to insure the employee understands what is expected of him or her. Productivity test can help measure employee performance in quantifiable terms. During the performance evaluation, management will determine if the employee will receive a raise and notify the employee what the raise increase will be and how they determined the raise amount. The amount of the raise has a direct correlation on the final scores of the performance evaluation. While employed at United Parcel Service (UPS), my employer used the performance evaluation and it was a great tool. Not only did this evaluation identify areas of improvements but it also allowed me to have a one to one meeting with my direct supervisor. Our meetings over lunch, allowed me to get to know my supervisor on a more personal level. The overall experience in my opinion was great because it energized me. My supervisor communicated how important I was to the organization and how my contributions affected the overall performance of the organization. Process for identifying skill gaps An analysis to address skill gaps is important at any employee level. The  analysis identifies the responsibility, knowledge, and skills required for a specific job. If an employee is currently performing a job but changes are made to the job description, addressing the gaps will be to identify any characteristic missed to train the employee or improve the process. It is common to find skills gaps when an employee change jobs or lacks of education and training to perform their job. According to How to Develop a Skill Gap Analysis, provides four steps to develop a skill gap analysis: identify business goals, collect data, understand data to make recommendations, and develop a training plan to address skills gaps in the current environment. It is crucial to identify business goals to remain competitive and create a project plan with the strategic objectives. The collected data can help identify skills and knowledge of every employee performing a role in the company. After data is collected, recommendations can be made to improve areas, such as communication, leadership, teamwork, sales, service, and project management. The training plan to address skills gaps in the organization can help determine appropriate and effective training to retain employees to retention and business performance. Identifying skill gaps within employees can also be useful in determining which supervisor is needed in that area. For example, if an employee is weak in a particular area transferring a strong and knowledgeable supervisor might assist the employee with better understanding his job function. Effective performance feedback It is very important to deliver effective performance feedback with positive attitude. Employees appreciate advice and positive coaching to help improve mistakes. According to How to Deliver Effective Performance Appraisals, the author explain different steps for effective performance appraisals: establish an appraisal method, effective eye contact, start with negative feedback end with positive suggestions, set new goals, have an open dialogue with the employee, explain if the employee is a candidate for promotion or raise. The first step is important because the method is selected to provide effective feedback. Two examples are the 360-degree feedback appraisal and self-evaluation for employees to share thoughts and ideas. At the interview, it is crucial to maintain good eye contact to develop trust from both sides and show respect. Body language is important because it can  show attitude or negative feedback. It is important to start with negative feedback to end with positive observations and set realistic goals for the next time period. In addition, it’s important for management to focus on the employee and his related job and not combine personal feelings or emotions into the feedback. During the feedback is important to have open dialogues to allow the employees to share his or her opinions and ideas. It is important for management to share decisions made by upper level management on behalf of the employee. Conclusion In conclusion, it’s important for management to understand the recommendations described above evolve. As time and the level of growth of the organization changes, so will the methods. it’s important for management to understand that change is always important. As customers, technology, expectations, and workforce change, the organization must be ready for what is to come. Most of the successful organizations of 2015 have anticipated a change in the market. So when the change occurred, they were ready and adapted instead of playing catch up with the change. References El-Shishini, H. (2001, December 13). Integrating Financial and Non-Financial Performance Measures. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://cours2.fsa.ulaval.ca/cours/gsf-60808/bsc.pdf How to Become a Certified Limousine Driver in Austin, Texas. (2012, September 5). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://en.netlog.com/diannarosemary/blog/blogid=11780256 Cascio, W.F. (2013). Managing Human Resources (9th ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc, Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Workplace Training, Chapter 8. Duggan, Tara (2014). How to Develop a Skill Gap Analysis. Demand Media: Chron. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/develop-skill-gap-analysis-39872.html Balle, Louise (2014). How to Deliver Effective Performance Appraisals. Demand Media: Chron. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/deliver-effective-performance-appraisals-23603.html

Quality Culture and Customer Retention at Disney World

The Disney WorldDisney World, or Walt Disney World Resort, is a recreational resort that has theme parks, golf courses, water parks, resort hotels and shopping areas. It is owned by the Walt Disney Company and is considered as the largest recreational resort in the world.Disney CultureThe culture espoused by the Disney World is proportional to the globalization of American culture. Just like the worldwide spread of American culture and ideas, â€Å"Disney culture† has received a global acceptance. Disney World is presented to the human race with charm, which makes people of all ages, of different races, and different gender preferences fascinated with anything (that is associated with) â€Å"Disney.†The Disney culture is appealing. This is what makes Disney World rise to the top. Having focused on providing quality entertainment to the people, Disney is able to produce products and services that are cherished by its customers. Marty Sklar, Vice Chairman and Principal Cr eative Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, enumerated five things that makes him proud of Disney. These five things, which mirror the sort of culture that Disney espouses, are â€Å"high-quality products, optimism for the future, great storytelling, an emphasis on family entertainment and great talent, passion and dedication from our Cast Members† (Sklar, 2007).Products of Disney are of high quality because the company is dedicated to a tradition of innovation. With this, the company’s products and services are seen as original, creative and ground-breaking. Furthermore, each product of Disney has its own story to tell, and with every story being told, there is always a positive message for the customers. This makes Disney culture both entertaining and respected by its customers. It does not sacrifice the talent of its cast members, the storyline, and story’s positive message for mere entertainment.Guestologyâ€Å"Guestology† is a term coined by Bruce Laval, a Senior Manager at Walt Disney. The term is used to signify the company’s aim of focusing on guest behavior.Using the idea of guestology, Disney employs a different kind of management. The company does not follow the traditional management style, which focuses on organizational development and managerial hierarchy. Instead, the company focuses on the â€Å"guests† or the â€Å"customers.† With such method, the company uses not the company’s or organization’s perspective, in determining the quality of the products. What is being used is the customer’s perspective. Customer experience is then given a paramount importance.Because the perspective used is that of the customers’, Disney World is able to determine what customers need and want. With the use of surveys, Disney is able to determine that customers need a clean theme park and Disney World provides them with that. Efforts are also made to extend theme park hours and expand fireworks displays in order to satisfy the customers.Customer Retention through Quality CultureThough the focus is on customers, it should not be mistaken that Disney puts customer satisfaction as its core. Customer satisfaction is important, but customer retention is even a more important thing.Often times, people take customer satisfaction and customer retention as synonymous. However, they are not. Customer retention necessarily implies customer satisfaction, but customer satisfaction does not always mean customer retention. Disney is one among very few companies that recognize this fact. Disney is not concerned merely with making its customers satisfied. It aims at giving its customers quality products and services because it is more concerned with the loyalty of its customers to whatever it offers.As aforementioned, Disney is not concerned merely with marketing its products and services. It is not concerned merely with providing entertainment or mere satisfaction. It puts emph asis on the talents of its casts, the message that its products brings and with innovative ideas because it puts customer retention at its core. And Disney World successfully does this by its ability to produce an appealing culture. Reference: Baker, R. (2007 May). Earning My Mouse Ears, Part II: The Disney Approach to Customer Loyalty [WWW document]. URL http://verasage.com. 27 July 2007. Sklar, M. (2007, July) [WWW document]. URL http://corporate.disney.go.com/careers/culture.html. 27 July 2007. The HSM Group. (2005). Holding Onto Your Customers [WWW document]. URL http://www.hsmgroup.com/ebriefing/ebriefing08.asp. 27 July 2007.

Decriminalization of Drugs - 3014 Words

Anthony Soares Professor Minnis English 1A November 9, 2013 The Decriminalization of Drugs It goes without saying that America faces a drug addiction that is beyond anything we could have ever anticipated. It is reported that an estimated 22.5 million Americans suffer from a dependency from a drug of some sort, whether it may be stimulants, depressants or hallucinogens (NIDA 2). However these victims of addiction are often demonized for their condition and are treated as criminals by the infallible U.S. Government. As a result there is a trend of 1 in every 100 adults will end up incarcerated for a drug related offense such as possession (Drug Policy Alliance 1). So instead of treating addiction itself, many politicians decide that†¦show more content†¦When a human encounters a reward such as sex, money, food or approval, it triggers the release of dopamine into the bloodstream, which gives a natural high. Now if drugs were introduced into a body, the brain would create up to 10 times the normal amount of dopamine, which is why drug s create such euphoria during a high (Siddiqui 4). This alarming amount of dopamine production is far beyond what the human brain can produce, thus leading to the brain solely relying upon the drug for dopamine production. Once an individual recovers from the high, the body undergoes homeostasis which is the regulation to bring the every system in the body back to normal. However the brain has become so reliant on the drug to induce dopamine it there is a shift in priority for the individual, a shift that convinces the brain the drug is necessary for survival (Siddiqui 6). With these afflictions to the human mind, research is still ongoing for exactly what causes addiction. The University of Utah is currently the leader in genetics study towards how addiction works and has come to the conclusion that addiction is inherited. The discovery is a result of isolating key genes, receptor cells and hormones that work in specific combinations that are directly related for certain addictions . The research was conducted on lab mice by administering different drugs such as alcohol and cocaine, and then meticulously identifies those that became addicted and identified certain aspects of theirShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Decriminalization Of Drugs786 Words   |  4 PagesDecriminalization of Drugs The War on Drugs has been a miserable failure. Prohibition does not work—if people need their fix, then they somehow find a way to get it. Obviously, it would be a much better world out there if drug abuse did not exist; nevertheless, users are still going to seek out ways to use and abuse drugs. Controlled substances are dangerous and should be treated with respect. People in possession of drugs should be treated with respect and not be looked at as violent criminals.Read MoreDecriminalization of Drugs Essay1328 Words   |  6 Pageslegalizing now illegal drugs. This has become a hot debate throughout nations all over the world, from all walks of life. The dispute over the idea of decriminalizing illegal drugs is and will continue on as an ongoing conflict. In 2001, Drug decriminalization in all drugs, including cocaine and heroin, became a nationwide law in Portugal (Greenwald). Ethan Nadelman, essayist of â€Å"Think again: Drugs,† states his side of the story on th e continuing criminalization of hard drugs, in which he stand toRead MoreDrug Decriminalization And Its Effects On America1543 Words   |  7 PagesDrug Decriminalization in America There are many major factors at one point time in society, the most controversial is drug decriminalization. When the topic of drug or drug related discussion arises, many individuals would choose to ignore the topic entirely. Why not approach the topic head on? Attack the issue at its roots and refuse to give up until proven wrong. Drug decriminalization is a topic that needs to be brought to the front of discussion with politics and legislation. State and federalRead MoreDecriminalization Of Drug Usage Among Portugal1299 Words   |  6 Pages Decriminalization of Drug Usage in Portugal Derrick Routon American Government 101 Professor Newman 21 April 2016  Portugal has garnered a large amount of attention since adopting a new method to combat drug usage. They have moved to decriminalize low scale drug possession and usage instead of an incarceration of low level offenders. Many nations have desired to reevaluate their own regimen of substance control and the way abuses were handled. The Portuguese governmentRead MoreDrug Decriminalization In The United States. The Unitedstates1681 Words   |  7 PagesDrug Decriminalization in the United States The United States has been engaged in a â€Å"war† for nearly 25 years. It is a war with unclear goals; ending the war in a victory is made nearly impossible due to subjective statistics and hazy results. At the heart of this continuing struggle, the â€Å"war on drugs,† is the fundamental question: Is this a battle the United States can win? It is likely everyone will agree drugs are harmful; they have serious medical side-effects. Drugs are addictive; they canRead MoreDecriminalization Of Drugs And Its Effect On The Number Of Crimes And Homicides851 Words   |  4 Pagesthat the decriminalization of all drugs in Portugal has caused a rapid increase in the number of crimes and homicides in Portugal. Between 2001- 2006, the number of homicides increased by 40% from 105 to 148 per year (Murkin, 1). This may be attributed to the fact that now that drugs are legal, drug availability is more prevalent making it much harder for dealers to compete for customers and eventual ly resulting in turf battles ending in homicides. This could also be a product of directly drug relatedRead MoreShould Drugs Be Decriminalized?1666 Words   |  7 PagesShould Drugs Be Decriminalized? Recreational drug use has been controversial for years. Government has deemed the use of certain drugs to be dangerous, addictive, costly, and fatal. Governmental agencies have passed laws to make drugs illegal and then have focused a great deal of attention and money trying to prohibit the use of these drugs, and many people support these sanctions because they view the illegality of drugs to be the main protection against the destruction of our society (TrebachRead MoreDrug Use And Its Effect On Crime1610 Words   |  7 PagesCrime and drug use in Portugal has been a major issue, however after the government instated decriminalization, the number has decreased. Decriminalization appears to have had a slight positive effect on crime. â€Å"With its recategorization of low level drug possession as an administrative rather than a criminal offence, decriminalization inevitably produced a reduction in the number of people arrested and sent to criminal court for drug offences from ov er 14,000 in the year 2000, to around 5,500-6Read MoreAmericas War On Drugs1528 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica’s war on drugs has failed. After millions of dollars and untold man hours spent enforcing the prohibition of illegal drugs, there is little, if any, success to show for it. Illicit drugs are still available on most American street corners, drug usage rates have not decreased, and the scourge of drug related violence continues to spread like wildfire. Sadly, the war on drugs has also resulted in the incarceration of millions of Americans for petty possession offenses and has created a blackRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1331 Words   |  6 PagesWar On Drugs Decriminalization provides a solution the problems related to drugs. Decriminalization is not making drugs legal, it is treating the drug addicts as a patient instead of making them feel like they are criminals and putting them into a jail although selling drugs is still illegal. Drugs must be decriminalized because decriminalization has proven that the death rates and crime rates have decreased and the use of drugs have decreased in decriminalized countries such as Portugal