Manipulation Case Study Essay Example for Free

Manipulation Case Study Essay Who has manipulated my mind in relation to reality? I believe that society has manipulated my mind in relation to reality in some way because I think that reality is just a state of mind. The physical aspect of the things I can see, touch, taste, etc. make me believe that everything I encounter is factual. Also society says to believe only what you believe to be real and don’t believe in fantasy because you have no physical connections to imagination. How can I break free from the bonds of those who seek to manipulate me? I can break free the bonds of those who seek to manipulate me by choosing what to believe and to have an open mind when using critical thinking. I can use my logic when it relate how I receive information by make choose whether to let negative energy in my life affect me or choose to overcome it decide how I’m going to reaction to the situation. I believe that sometimes if people actually took the time think about things before they reacted on pure emotion then they can see that taking a few seconds think any negativity in their life they choose how they should react. An example when I’m driving and somebody cuts me off naturally I’m upset and wondering why this person would do something like. In some cases I want to speed next to the person in engage in an offensive gesture or go on verbal rant at that person but I usually take a second to think about it and realize maybe this person is in hurry or not pay attention while driving. By me choosing to restrain from getting in a road rage battle with that driver chose to the better person because at the end of the day we both are just trying to get to or destination. What preconceptions do I have in my life that might distort my vision of reality? The preconceptions that I have in my life that distorted my vision of reality is that all people are decent and kind. As a kid growing up I believe that all people were decent and kind because society was more civilized and simple. Now that I’m a adult I know that is not true at all because of how society is nowadays with in rapid increase in crimes such as murders, kidnappings, child molestations, etc. People have ability to be decent and kind but some choose to evil and cruel. Every person has the potential to be criminal because in today’s society have become desensitized.

Important elements in An Inspector Calls

Important elements in An Inspector Calls The first act of the play by J.B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls, displays many of the essential features that will dominate throughout the whole dramatic piece. Set in the Edwardian Era, the play reflects the differences in social classes, as well as the influence of the industrialization over the entire society. Likewise, the rigid gender roles of the Edwardian Era are clearly noticeable throughout the different characters. Gerald Croft, Edna, Eva Smith and the Inspector Goole are important characters in the argument, in spite of the fact of not being part of the Birlings family. The Inspector blamed all characters for the death of Eva Smith, claiming for justice. Finally, Priestley takes advantage of the context of the time when the text was written. He plays with the audiences emotions given that the audience at that time had recently suffered the consequences of the Second World War. The play exemplifies the social structure and industrialization of the Edwardian Era all the way through the plot and the setting. The play is divided into three acts and takes place in the dining-room of a prosperous manufacturer, Arthur Birling, in the industrial city of Brumley. At the beginning of the act, the author gives the impression of a heavily comfortable house. With the arrival of the Inspector Goole, the lighting turns out to be brighter and harder reflecting the change in the atmosphere: tense and mysterious. The Edwardian Era was a period of false security, which preceded the Great War, as discerned in Mr. Birlings opinion about the unviable chance of a war or the unsinkable Titanic. These are examples of dramatic irony, as the audience of the play from 1946 had witnessed all the events that the characters in 1912 were unconscious of. It was a time of urbanization and mass production, where the upper class had the whole supremacy over the common laborers. The upper cru st was not supposed to say such things [polite, nice things] to the hoi polloi. The industrialists sought for lower costs and higher prices, touching upon the working class. The employ of the antithesis between lower and higher is really significant as the lower costs mostly take effect by paying the workers less and the higher prices make the well-to-do richer. Gerald Crofts engagement to Sheila means a tremendous lot to me [Arthur Birling], giving clues to the audience about the marriages between the moneyed which ensured the creation of new social positions. The gender roles are epitomized by the Birling family. At the time the play is set, women and men were unequally treated and lack of gender fairness was a common feature. While Arthur Birling and Eric were able to obtain well-paid jobs, and had a word in decisions, women were unable to obtain education and were kept at home. Mrs. Birling and Sheila are clearly inferior to men, and they could only aspire to make an impact on a bountiful man. Mrs. Birling is aware of these gender differences, and in occasions she suggests that Sheila and I had better go into the drawing-room and leave you men, referring to the gender-specific activities of the Era (in this case the men will talk about manly topics, and the women will leave them alone.) Mr. Birling is very proud of his achievements, and he tries to intimidate the Inspector. He is very selfish and only mind his own business and look after himself and his own. He is continually trying to protect his reputation and the one of Birling and C o. Eric, his son, is totally opposite to his father as he defends the working class, and he is unfortunately a drinker, he is genuinely curious as he asks quite a few questions. He ironically suggests that a man has to look after himself, showing his will to know the truth. Mrs. Birling, in the other hand, is a rather cold woman and her husbands social superior. We can see from her words, men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business, that she accepts the fact that men used prostitution very often. In the other hand, Sheila depicts the generational difference, considering herself modern and is morally sensible. The outsiders are fundamental figures of the plays plot. The Inspector Goole gives the impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness, the way J.B. Prestley described this central character says a lot of his personality and way of acting throughout Act 1. One person and one line of inquiry at a time, this is the way he works. This shows that he is very manipulative in his actions. He tries to find Geralds impatience by stating that Gerald has nothing whatever to do with the wretched girls suicide. The influence of the word wretched is substantial to his slow and convincing movements. Gerald Croft is also a character from outside the Birlings Family. His engagement with Sheila means a lot to her father, but his aristocratic status makes his future marriage unfavorable due to his higher social status. Edna and Eva Smith are the only characters which belong to the proletariat. Edna is the parlourmaid of the Birlings, while Eva Smith has no family, although she was described as a lively good-looking girl. Moreover, there is many discrepancy in the way in which Eva is treated among the characters in the play. Justice and morality, as well as social responsibility, are essential underlying messages throughout the first scene. The play is morally trying to find the audiences accountability for its own actions and the corporate responsibility to society. Priestley uses the authoritarian figure of the Inspector to demonstrate each of the characters responsibility for Evas suicide. As the Inspector suggests, youre partly to blame. Just as your father is. [Referring to Sheila]. The usage of short sentences makes the statements sharper and direct, however the utilization of the personal pronoun you is really significant as it appeals to the theatergoers own responsibility. Inspector Goole has the law in his hands, he is the authority figure which seeks for justice of the young Eva Smith. He is in command of giving us some more light, a subtle metaphor for truth. Sheila and Eric are morally sensible, she alleges that these girls arent cheap labour they are people. The way she claims that they ar e people shows her understanding and respect of the lower classes. It has now become clear that J.B. Priestleys first act of An Inspector Calls, is charged with standout elements which are fundamental throughout the whole piece. An evident link has therefore emerged between the Edwardian Era and the way the play is set up. The prerogative class dominated over the majority of the working class which holds a job in the industries such as that of Birling and Co. Following this, gender roles and the responsibility of the characters, as well as the moral purpose of the play show very interesting perspective of a different time, but the rich description chain of dialogues makes this play to continuously be worth watching.

Identification of Foraminiferal Species

Identification of Foraminiferal Species Kutch is well-known for its rich and diverse megafossils, particularly upper Jurassic Ammonites, bivalves and other benthic invertebrates (Kitchen, 1900; Spath, 1933; Cox, 1940, 1952) which provide good intra- and intercontinental correlation. Several workers from time to time tried to explain the geological history, including stratigraphy of the Kutch region, well known for its potential of mineral oil. Vulnerability to natural disasters like the recent Bhuj earthquake has further attracted the attention of researchers from all over the world. Syke’s (1834) contribution, probably one of the first, in the field of stratigraphy and taxonomy of the fossils biota is incomparable. He was followed by a more detailed account by Wynne (1872) based on mapping surveys. Ammonites have proved worthy throughout as far as the age determination and correlation of the Mesozoic formations is concerned. Recently the unearthing of several assemblages of foraminifers by various workers in Kutch region has proved reasonably promising. It is beyond the scope of this study to record the details of each and every finding of all the earlier investigations in different branches of geology on this region. Therefore, on the basis of priority only the researches on foraminifera have been dealt with some detail while the rest have simply been listed. Tewari (1957) reported several foraminiferal genera for the first time from the Jurassic rocks (Patcham ‘series’) of Habo Hill, Kutch including Aulotortus, Textularia, Bigenerina, Spiroplectammina and Gaudryina. Subbotina et al. (1960) described 34 species of Jurassic foraminifera from the southwest of village Lodai and from the shales of Khawda in Kutch and also from Rajasthan; most of the species were benthic. They have proposed a Callovian- Oxfordian age of the studied rocks. Agrawal and Singh (1961) reported Rhabdammina, Ammodiscus, Ammobaculites, Quinqueloculina, Triloculina, Robulus, Lenticulina, Nodosaria, Saraceneria, Vaginulina, Palmula, Nonion, Elphidium, Rotalia and Anomalina from the Habo beds of Walakhawas and Fakirwari, southwest of Bhuj. They also reported some post- Jurassic elements like Elphidium but were unable to offer any explanation for this abnormal mixing. It was only established later on that the post-Jurassic elements are not indigenous but by some means leaked into these rocks. Bhalla and Abbas (1975a, b, c; 1976a, b; 1978, 1984) carried out detailed work on the Jurassic Foraminifera of Kutch. These authors (Bhalla and Abbas 1975a, 1976a) recovered sixty-five species of foraminifera, dominated by the family Nodosariidae. Out of these, ten were new, forty six were reported for the first time from this region, and the rest has been those already described by earlier investigators. Bhalla and Abbas (1975 a) observed variation in Lenticulina subalata (Reuss) and recommended proper caution while dealing with the taxonomy of Jurassic nodosariids. They too found some post-Jurassic elements in the studied rocks (1975 b, c). Shringarpure and Desai (1975) recovered a foraminiferal assemblage of nineteen species representing family Nodosariidae. Shringarpure et al. (1976) observed stratigraphic leakage, a problem with foraminiferal assemblages of Wagad Mesozoic sediments of eastern Kutch. They observed that foraminiferal assemblages occur in association with few ostracoda, brayozoa and echinoderm spines. They also came across some microscopic plant tissues and insect skeleton of Tertiary, sub-recent and Recent age mixed with older Mesozoic sediments of Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The reason for this highly mixed fauna has been assigned to the natural agencies of erosion and transportation. Bhalla and Abbas (1976b) worked on the age resolution and paleogeographic significance of Jurassic foraminifera from Kutch. They recommended a Callovian-Oxfordian age of the rocks exposed in a section near Habo Hills and proposed that foraminifera from the Jurassic of Kutch can be compared effectively with those of adjoining regions of the world, viz., Rajasthan, Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, Somalia and Malagasy, which indicates that Kutch was joined with these landmasses during the Middle and Upper Jurassic times. Singh (1977) proposed two biostratigraphic assemblage zones, Epistomina stellicostata- E. alveolata assemblage-zone and E. ventriosa- E. mosquences assemblage-zone (late Jurassic of Banni area, Kutch). Singh (1979) proposed seven Biostratigraphic zones for the subsurface Jurassic sediments of Banni, Rann of Kutch, on the basis of foraminifera, Charites sp., and Ostracoda. He proposed a late Jurassic age for the subsurface rocks in the above mentioned locality and a brackish to marine environment for the beds of the Charites- Otocethere Assemblage Zone; whereas the rest of the sequence was regarded to have been deposited in an inner neritic environment. Singh (1977a) recovered five species of Epistomina from the subsurface rocks intersected by the Banni well on the basis of which an Upper Jurassic age was assigned to this sequence. Subsequently, Singh (1977b) assigned an Oxfordian age to the same strata and suggested an inner neritic environment of deposition on the basis of nannoplanktons from this well. Bhalla and Abbas (1978) carried out a comprehensive study of a section cutting across Patcham, Chari and Katrol â€Å"series† from the Jurassic rocks of Habo Hills, Kutch. Of these, the first two units were highly fossiliferous but the last one was unfossiliferous. The obtained assemblage includes ten new species and many were reported for the first time from the Indian region. Family Nodosariidae dominates the assemblage and it was assigned a Callovian- Oxfordian age. The whole sequence of Habo dome was divided into three part, first two suggested fluctuating environmental conditions, In Patcham series, overall rarity of faunal and the presence of arenaceous form having a simple interior and of glauconite, a shallow, near-shore, slightly reducing marine environment with restricted connection to the open sea such as that in a lagoon, but above the patcham foramtion, it is therefore, evident that through nodosariids migrated from shallow water sediments and through time, they a lways preferred open marine environments of normal salinity. (? Palaeoecology and Palaeogeography) Bhalla and Abbas (1984) continued their studies on Jurassic rocks of Habo Hills and divided them into several palaeoecological units. The study revealed that the overall deposition of the sediments took place in shallow marine water, tectonically unstable marine basin with a frequently changing shore-line. Abbas (1988) on the basis of foraminiferal information tried to demarcate the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary within the Mesozoic rocks of Kutch. Bhalla and Talib (1978, 1980) carried out a detailed investigation of the Jurassic rocks of Badi in central Kutch. They suggested a Callovian-Oxfordian age for the Chari ‘series’ exposed in the area on the basis of a few short ranging species. On the basic of foraminifera the Chari sequence near badi was accumulated in a near shore, shallow water, marine environment which fluctuated between littoral to infraneritic conditions. It was also suggested that Jurassic rocks of Kutch have close affinity with that of neighboring areas, viz., Iran, Rajasthan, Egypt, Somalia and Afghanistan. (? Palaeoecology, Palaeobiogeography) Bhalla and Talib (1985a, b, c) Published a series on foraminifera from the Jurassic sediments of Jhurio hills, Kutch, western India. These authors (1985a) discussed variation in the population of Lenticulina quenstedti recovered from Jhurio hill, Kutch. They identified four morpho-variants of this species which showed continuous inter-gradation into one another. In a subsequent paper, (1985b) two new species were recovered belonging to family Nodosariidae from Jurassic sediments of Jhurio hill, Kutch, viz., Marginulina sastryi and Vaginulina bhatiai. In another publication these investigators (1985c) reported fifty-three foraminiferal species from Jhurio hill, Kutch. Of these, twenty six species were recorded for the first time from the Indian region. They (Bhalla and Talib, 1985c) also briefly discussed the age and depositional environment of these sediments as well as palaeogeography of the Kutch region prevailed during the Middle and Upper Jurassic times. A Callovian-Oxfordian age was assigned to the enclosing rocks. An attempt was also made to demarcate the boundary between Callovian and Oxfordian of the sequence in the Jhurio Hill. (? Palaeoecology, Palaeobiogeography) (? 1985 a, b, c) Bhalla and Lal (1985) found a foraminiferal assemblage of seventeen species in the Jurassic sediments exposed at northern flanks of Kaiya Hills, Kutch mainly from Chari â€Å"series†. This study pointed to a near shore, shallow water, marine environment and an age of Callovian-Oxfordian was favoured on the basis of a few short ranging species such as Citharina hetropleura, Dentalina guembeli and Patellinetlla poddari. Govindan et al. (1988) studied samples collected across the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary from wells drilled in Kutch Mainland and recovered a rich calcareous benthic foraminiferal assemblage including epistominids, lenticulinids and agglutinated species belonging to genus Dorothia. The whole sequence was divided into several assemblage zones on the basis of the recovered fauna. Bhalla and Gaur (1989) described Marginulina jumarensis, a new species of Vaginulinidae family and commented that this species is tolerant of highly variable environmental conditions between that of shallow open marine to paralic environment such as a marsh or lagoon. Mandwal and Singh (1989) described sixteen foraminiferal species from the Patcham and lower part of the Chari Formation, Jhurio Hill, Kutch. Their study has shown that these rocks belonged to Bathonian age. Boundary between Bathonian and Callovian was demarcated by these authors. In a subsequent study by Mandwal and Singh (1994) ninety five foraminiferal species were recovered from the Patcham-Chari formations in the same area. A Bathonian-Oxfordian age was supported for the studied sequence and also demarcation of the Bathonian/Callovian and Callovian/Oxfordian boundaries were carried out. Bhalla and Talib (1991) presented a detailed version of their earlier study by describing and illustrating fifty three species of foraminifera from Jhurio Hill. The assemblage is dominated by family Nodosariidae, which suggested deposition of the studied sequence in near shore, tectonically unstable marine basin. A Callovian-Oxfordian age was proposed on the basis of some short ranging species. The foraminiferal assemblage from Chari formation exposed in the section was dominated by nodosariids. Based on the foraminiferal assemblage exposed at Jhurion hills deposition took place in a near- shore, shallow marine basin, which was rather tectonically unstable as suggested by occasional shifting of the shoreline. The evidence furnished by the present foraminiferal assemblage supports the earlier Middle to Late Jurassic time, a gulf of thethys extended from near Afghanistan to Madagascar covering Iran, Arabia and East coast of Africa which also engulfed the Kutch region. The Jhurio hill f oraminiferal assemblage and those recorded from another region of the Tethyan realm has been observed. (? Palaeobiogeography) Pandey and Dave (1993) worked simultaneously on six sections from western Kutch, viz., Jhurio Dome, Jumara Dome, Habo Dome (Kalajar Nala), Mundhan Anticline, Umia River and Patcham Island (Khavda Nala) and described in detail their geology, stratigraphy, and foraminifera. They reported seventy seven benthic foraminiferal species and worked out biozonation along with chronostratigaphy and correlation of different stages and zones. Eleven biostratigraphic zones were delineated within the Jurassic sequence on the basis of the recovered foraminifera. Bhalla et al. (1998) while carrying out studies on foraminifera from the sediments of Jhurio Hill, Kutch, also investigated carbonate micro-facies and foraminiferal paleoecology of the Jurassic sediments of Chari Formation. They grouped the sequence into five ecological units based on foraminiferal assemblages and four microfacies in the limestones of the Chari sequence, suggesting a near shore, shallow marine environment of deposition in a tectonically unstable basin. Bhalla et al. (2000) carried out foraminiferal and sedimentological analysis of a section exposed at Jhurio Hill, Kutch. The foraminiferal assemblage from Chari formation exposed in the section was dominated by nodosariids. Based on the foraminiferal assemblage and the petrographic study of the samples, they inferred a shallow, near shore environment of deposition and with various phases of transgressions and regressions. Gaur and Singh (2000) reported forty-four foraminiferal species from Nara Hill, Kutch. Four biozones, viz., Spirillina polygyrataLenticulinaCitharina clathrata Assemblage Zone, Epistomina mosquensis Assemblage Zone, Flabellammina sp.– Triplasia emsalandensis Assemblage Zone, and Astacolus anceps–Epistomina alveolata Assemblage Zone, were identified within the Callovian-Oxfordian succession on the basis of the foraminiferal assemblage. Gaur and Sisodia (2000) obtained forty-one foraminiferal species from Keera Dome, Kutch. These authors established four benthic foraminiferal biozones, viz., Dentalina guembeliCitharina clathrata Assemblage Zone, Epistomina mosquensis Assemblage Zone, Ammobaculites gowdai Triplasia emslandensis Assemblage Zone, Spirillina Lenticulina Assemblage Zone, and Barren Zone Talib and Gaur (2005) studied the Middle-Upper Jurassic sequence of Jumara Hills, Western Kutch. The foraminiferal evidence supplemented with petrographic, mega faunal and field observations suggested that the overall deposition of the Patcham-Chari sequence at Jumara Hills, Kutch, took place in a shelf zone which was tectonically unstable as is evident from the periodic fluctuations in the environmental conditions. Talib and Bhalla (2006a) favored a Callovian to Oxfordian age for the Chari Formation exposed at Jhurio Hill, Kutch on the basis of foraminifera. The Boundary between Callovian Oxfordian within this sequence was also discussed in detail. In another study of the Chari Formation exposed at Jhurio Hill, Kutch, these authors (Talib and Bhalla, 2006b) correlated some of the recovered Callovian- Oxfordian species with that of Rajasthan and neighboring regions of the world including Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, Somalia, and Malagasy. They concluded that during Middle-Upper Jurassic time, foraminiferal fauna of these regions were flourishing in a separate provenance of the Tethyan Realm, the Indo-East African provenance, which occupied a southwestern arm of the Tethys covering these regions. Talib and Faisal (2006) recovered a rich foraminiferal assemblage comprising fifty three species from Callovian Oxfordian sediments of the Fakirwari Dome in the Kutch Mainland. Among these twenty five species were reported for the first time from the Indian region. The foraminiferal assemblage helped in assigning a Callovian-Oxfordian age to the sequence. The overall dominance of Vaginulinidae along with nodasariids and Epistomina are indicative of shallow open marine, shelf environment for the studied sequence. The foraminiferal assemblages exhibits affinity with the other Jurassic foraminiferal assemblages of the neighboring countries of the Tethyan Realm, viz, Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, Somalia and Malagasy is indicating a sea connection between these regions and the Kutch during Middle and Late Jurassic times. Talib and Faisal (2007) studied a section from the Jurassic rocks of Ler Dome situated southeast of Bhuj. A rich foraminiferal assemblage of forty species, dominated by fami ly Vaginulinidae was recovered in the section. On the basis of some foraminiferal species, they assigned a Callovian-Oxfordian age to the studied sequence. The dominance of vaginulinids along with nodasariids in the recovered foraminiferal assemblage of Ler Dome suggested the overall deposition of these sediments in shallow water, near shore, normal marine conditions, most probably shelf environment. Talib et al. (2007) identified some marker foraminiferal species in the Jumara and Jhurio domes, Kutch Mainland, which facilitated in assigning a Callovian-Oxfrodian age of these rocks and marking of Callovian–Oxfordian boundary in the two domes. Talib and Gaur (2008) discussed the affinity of the foraminiferal assemblage from the Jurassic rocks of Jumara Dome and concluded that the foraminiferal assemblage of Jumara Dome compares well with those of neighboring regions and exhibits a distinct Tethyan affinity. On this basis, these authors inferred that during Middle and Late Jurassic times, the Kutch region was having sea connections with these neighbouring regions which were covered by a southeastern arm of the Tethys, the Indo-East African Gulf. Gaur and Talib (2009) reported a fairly rich foraminiferal assemblage from the Callovian-Oxfordian sequence exposed at Jumara Hill, western Kutch, India. He employed the foraminiferal assemblage to assign a Callovian-Oxfordian age to the studied rocks and inferred shallow water near shore environment for the deposition of the Jumara Dome sequence. They further correlated the reported foraminiferal species with those of Rajasthan in India as well as with the neighboring countries. The comparative study revealed their distinct affinity with the aforesaid regions, including Rajasthan, Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, Somalia and Malagasy which were occupying the Indo-East African Province of the Tethyan Realm during the Middle and Late Jurassic times. Talib et al. (2012a) recovered a foraminiferal assemblage comprising fifty one species from Callovian Oxfordian sediments of the Kaiya Dome Kutch Mainland. Among these eleven species were reported for the first time from the Indian subcontinent. The foraminiferal assemblage was employed for preliminary interpretations regarding age, palaeoecology, and palaeobiogeography. The assemblage suggested a Callovian to Oxfordian age for the exposed sequence at Kaiya Dome. A near shore, open marine environment ranging from mid to outer shelf with fluctuating strandline was interpreted on the basis of the recovered foraminiferal assemblage. The Kaiya Dome foraminiferal assemblage exhibited a Tethyan affinity and suggested that the Kutch region was engulfed by a shallow southwestern arm of the Tethys during the Middle to Late Jurassic times. Talib et al. (2012b) worked on the age resolution and palaeoenvironmental significance of Jurassic foraminifera from Keera Dome, Kutch. The paper presented a systematic account of eight species, reported for the first time from the Indian region. They recommended a Callovian-Oxfordian age for the studied rocks and proposed that foraminifera from the Jurassic of Keera Dome, Kutch were deposited in a near shore, open marine environment ranging from mid to outer shelf.

Essay --

Batch biosorption isotherm parameters were determined using the Langmuir isotherm, Freundlich isotherm, Dubinin – Radushkevich isotherm and generalized isotherm models. Non-linear regression process gives better results for the determination of isotherms parameters [21]. Hence the isotherm parameters were determined using MATLAB tool ‘nlinfit’ for nonlinear regression. The Langmuir isotherm model is very often used to compute and compare the efficiency of different biosorbents. This model was originally developed for description of adsorption of gas on the activated carbon [26]. The empirical relationship is based on the assumptions that the biosorption is a monolayer, and biosorbent have the finite number of homogeneous binding sites. The Langmuir isotherm relation is basically hyperbolic and given in Eq. (2) [23]. (2) where qe is equilibrium biosorption uptake capacity, Cf is equilibrium concentration (mg l-1) of the residual sorbate, qmax is maximum sorbate uptake (mg g-1) under the given conditions and bL is Langmuir constant (l mg-1). Langmuir constant represents the energy and affinity of the biding sites. The Langmuir isotherm model can be expressed in terms of dimensionless equilibrium parameter ‘RL’ which is also known as separation factor as given in Eq. (3). Separation factor value helps to determine the nature of the biosorption process to be either unfavorable (RL>1), linear (RL=1), favorable (0 (3) The values of Langmuir constant and maximum biosorption capacity are summarized in Table 1. ICTB showed better performance as compared to other two biosorbents i.e. ICUB and ICLB. The maximum biosorption capacity of ICTB, ICUB and ICLB was found to be 197.68, 178.06 and ... ... isotherm is a combination of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms models and is given below. (7) where qm is maximum biosorption capacity (mg g-1), nG is the cooperative binding constant and KG is the saturation constant (mg l-1). The values of Generalized isotherm constants, i.e. KG and nG along with maximum biosorption capacity were determined. The values of constants are summarized in Table 5. Generalized isotherm model gives a better fit to the equilibrium experimental data for biosorption of nickel ions. The values of MSE were found to be smaller and ranged between 0.88 to 10.27. Table 5: Generalized isotherm parameters for biosorption of nickel ions After comparing all the isotherm models it is revealed that Langmuir isotherm model and Generalized isotherm model represent the equilibrium biosorption data slightly better as compared with other isotherms.

A Farewell to Arms1 :: Essays Papers

A Farewell to Arms1 Love is impossible to explain or fully understand; it is enfable and war is merely an outcome of disputes between ignorant aristocrats. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, is a novel about love and war. The narrator, Fredrick Henry is a war-time ambulance driver, and Catherine Barkley is an English nurse, who find themselves in a love affair which must maneuver itself around the restrictions of World War I. The novel begins in Gorizia, Italy the center of operations for Fredrick’s troop, World War I. Fredrick is an American volunteer and in the Ambulance Corps for the Italian Army. He meets a English nurse Catherine named Barkley and does not truly fall in love with her until he gets badly wounded and is put in a hospital. They begin to have alove affair and Catherine becomes impregnated. With a baby on the way Fredrick feels a real sense of responsibility towards Catherine. When he finaly recovers from from his lengthy stay in the hospital he returns to front. When the two part it is very rainy, cloudy, and gloomy. Hemingway makes good use of weather in pursuit of verisimilitude. There is so much violence and death in the war Fredrick no longer wants to be a apart of it and deserts the army to return to Catherine. When they reunite the rain stops and there is light. They then escape to Switzerland by boat and begin to live happily. When Catherine goes into labor there is complications. The baby dies and later Catherine dies from hemorrhaging. What is love? Love is difficult to explain but, it involves a deep affection for a person or thing. At the beginning of the novel, lieutenant Frederick Henry lacks a sense of value and order in his life. He chooses to intoxicate himself and make visits to prostitutes frequently. During this time of intense stress and pressure this lifestyle is common amongst his fellow comrades. It provides them with an escape from a hostile and undesirable reality of war. Lieutenant Rinaldi, Fredricks enthusiastic surgeon friend soon introduces him to an English nurse, Catherine Barkley. Their relationship brings some order and value into his life. This new form of order which Fredrick discovers is love. He can no longer remain apart of something that is so disorderly and consequently deserts the Italian army out of love: â€Å"When you love you wish to do things for.

How do you respond to Shakespeare’s presentation Essay

The theme of fathers and sons, and responsibilities and obligations placed on sons, by fathers, is arguably one of the more important themes in the play. Shakespeare puts forward three main interpretations of father and son relationships, and each brings out interesting viewpoints about responsibilities and obligations for the reader. The first father and son relationship that Shakespeare presents is that of Hamlet and his father, old Hamlet. In the encounter between Hamlet and the ghost of his father, Hamlet has the ‘responsibility’ of revenge thrust upon him, and he cannot reject it, List, list, O, list! If thou didst ever thy dear father love – If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not. Shakespeare presents old Hamlet as being pathetic and incapable of avenging himself. The ghost, therefore, does not incite Hamlet’s initiative by instilling fear in him, but rather through putting him in a guilt-trap, making Hamlet feel that he is somehow obliged to carry out the vengeful murder in place of his father, as the ghost cannot attend to it himself. In my opinion, this action, on the part of the ghost, was the ‘final push’ that caused Hamlet to fall into his apparent madness. Hamlet was obviously moved by the ghost’s words. And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain, Unmixed with baser matter. This was very largely unfair of the ghost of his father, on Hamlet, enthusiastic though he seemed at first. It placed an unnaturally large amount of pressure on Hamlet, having to commit such a daunting act, however justified it may have seemed. Shakespeare emphasizes the effect of this action in Hamlet’s life, in the many incidences and soliloquy’s where Hamlet just muses, thinks the situation out and talks about it, but can never bring himself to actually do anything about the revenge. In the relationship of Laertes and Polonius, there is not so much responsibility placed on Laertes by Polonius, as there is nagging and nitpicking about the way that Laertes should present himself and the way he should live his life when he is overseas. In this sense, the ‘responsibilities’ being placed on Laertes are those of keeping in his father’s will and rule, and maintaining a good name for himself. At the point in the play, in act I. 3, Polonius is displayed by Shakespeare as just another normal father, or maybe more appropriately, a mother, who is proud of his son, but needs to remind him to keep a good image all the same. This ‘bestowing’ of responsibility can be considered to be only natural for any father to do. However, in act II. 1, we see that Polonius is actually quite obsessed with the idea that his son might bring shame to Polonius, and goes to the extents of sending a spy keep a watch on Laertes, and even ‘muddy’ his name, so that he does not get too comfortable. But breath his faults so quaintly that they may seem The taints of liberty, the flash and outbreak of a fiery Mind ‘I saw him enter a house of sale’, Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth. Polonius even goes to extents of ‘dishonouring’ so that he may retain his own honour, which is a rather strange sense of logic. In this sense, it can be said that Polonius places responsibility on his son just to save himself any possible shame. This is rather selfish on the part of Polonius, but it is in accordance with Shakespeare’s illustration of Polonius’s character as being that of a conniving, scheming, slightly evil old man that you might feel sorry for. In the relationship of young Fortinbras and his foster-father, or father-figure, old Norway, we see, again, a ‘normal’ attitude of a parent toward their child. When Fortinbras’s plans for an attack on Claudius’s realm are found out by Norway, he immediately admonishes the impetuous firebrand of a youth and prevents him from doing so. When Fortinbras indicates that he doesn’t actually want to go along with the attack, Norway forgives him and even allows him to come to Denmark on peaceful terms. In this sense, old Norway is teaching Fortinbras the responsibility of thinking clearly and not acting rashly or whimsically. On the whole, Shakespeare presents the responsibilities and obligations placed on the sons, by their fathers, in Hamlet, as ways for the fathers to get what they want. In the case of Hamlet and the ghost, it is for the ghost’s want of revenge and justice for a ‘murder most foul’, without much thought as to the effects of the deed, and even the contemplation of the deed, in the case of Hamlet, on him. In the case of Laertes and Polonius, it is a selfish and unwarranted want to save his own face from any shame that Laertes need not necessarily have caused in the first place. In the case of Norway and Fortinbras, it is the want to maintain good diplomatic relations and the prevention of unnecessary quarrels. In all cases except the diplomatic one, the fathers in question were rather selfish and self-centered in thinking of ways to get their sons to do their bidding. In the case of Norway and Fortinbras, it was done for diplomatic reasons, but it was still to save the bed-ridden Norway’s old skin. This gives a rather negative impression of father figures and what they tell their children to do. Possibly, Shakespeare chose to illustrate these aspects of fatherhood the way that he did because it was his own interpretation of ‘responsibilities and obligations’ set down by fathers, maybe drawn from his own bad experiences with his own father during his younger days. Hamlet, as a play, could be then seen to be a Shakespearean ‘self-help’ guide on â€Å"How to know what is right to do as a father by knowing what is wrong to do as a father†, and it could have been a lesson to all the bad fathers out there who use manipulate their sons as they would a mindless henchman.

Knowledge Management Conocophillips Essay

We express our deep gratitude to Mr. Gurparkash Singh for his constant support, guidance and motivation which helped us immensely in completing this project. The project provided us with an opportunity to understand the fundamentals of Knowledge Management in a better manner and its application in corporate world. The insistence on taking up a project on application of Knowledge Management in energy based firm and promoting it with latest technologies used by them to get a competitive advantage. ABSTRACT We have ConocoPhillips as our project firm of Knowledge Management. We learnt a lot about the importance of Knowledge sharing in today’s firms. The company continues to make tremendous progress toward its vision of creating a work place where employees continually deliver additional value through global collaboration and expertise sharing. At ConocoPhillips, support for sharing comes from the executive level and cascades downward and outward throughout the U.S.’s 6th largest global firm. The following report describe the approach, knowledge initiatives and use of lessons learned that have propelled ConocoPhillips’ current knowledge sharing and learning platform forward. At the end of this document, we have provided metrics that demonstrate the robust growth of Knowledge Sharing at ConocoPhillips COMPANY PROFILE ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States. It is the world’s largest independent pure-play exploration & production company and is also one of the Fortune 500 companies. ConocoPhillips was created through the merger of Conoco Inc. and the Phillips Petroleum Company on August 30, 2002 and was the fifth largest integrated oil company until spinning off its downstream assets to Phillips 66 ConocoPhillips focuses solely on exploring for, developing and producing oil and natural gas globally. The company manages its operations through six operating segments, which are defined by geographic region: Alaska, Lower 48  and Latin America, Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East, and Other International. It currently owns 8.4% of the shares of the consortium exploiting Kashagan oil field however the company seeks to reduce its non-core assets in order to use the cash for debt reduction, fund its capital program, and dividend payments. On October 3, 2012, the Kazakh Oil and Gas Minister told reporters that ConocoPhillips has informed Kazkahstan of their intention to sell their shares. In November 26, in its biggest acquisition ever, ONGC Videsh agreed to buy ConocoPhillips’ 8.4% stake in the Kashagan oilfield for about US $5 billion. The stake buy is subject to approval of governments of Kazakhstan and India and also to other partners in the Caspian Sea field waiv ing their pre-emption rights. Need of knowledge Management Smart managers intuitively understand the importance of the problems that knowledge management efforts are often designed to address: sprinkled across most organizations are people doing similar kinds of work, but they often remain unaware of one another’s expertise, successes, and failures. Some of this lack of awareness is the result of waves of downsizing, reorganizations, leadership changes, and new acquisitions. But even in the best-managed large organizations, employees who could benefit from one another’s experiences are often isolated by formal structures and mechanisms that subdivide work into different reporting channels and focus employees on local rather than global goals. To serve customers well and remain in business companies must: reduce their cycle times, operate with minimum fixed assets and overhead (people, inventory and facilities), shorten product development time, improve customer service, empower employees, innovate and deliver high quality produ cts enhance and adoption, capture information, create knowledge, share and learn. Effective knowledge management should dramatically reduce costs. Most individuals, teams and organizations are today continually ‘reinventing the wheel’. This is often because they simply do not know that what they are trying to do have already been done by elsewhere. They do not know what is already known, or they do not know where to access the knowledge. Continually reinventing the wheel is such a costly and inefficient activity, whereas a more systematic reuse of knowledge will show substantial cost benefits immediately But as well as  reducing costs, effective knowledge management should also dramatically increase our speed of response as a direct result of better knowledge access and application. Effective knowledge management, using more collective and systematic processes, will also reduce our tendency to ‘repeat the same mistakes’. This is, again, extremely costly and inefficient. Effective knowledge management, therefore, can dramatically improve quality of products and/or services. Better knowing the stakeholder needs, customer needs, employee needs, industry needs, for example, has an obvious immediate effect on the relationship management. The Knowledge Economy is the next booming economy in a world of recession. More individuals, teams, organizations and inter-organizational networks will be restructuring and renewing themselves with the primary purpose of profitably trading their knowledge to add even higher value, predominantly on the World Wide Web. Already we see more enlightened organizations developing and applying the knowledge they have about their industry, customers, partners and stakeholders, as their prime strategic asset, and at the highest point in the value chain. And many are becoming less involved, and more open to profitably outsourcing the other business operations. Around the world we hear automobile companies talking far more about their critical and key knowledge areas of design, knowledge of manufacturing , knowledge of distribution, knowledge of service and support etc as their ‘crown jewels’ or ‘master recipe’. Based on applying this key knowledge they then outsource the other business components. We hear the same from the aerospace industry, the oil and gas industry, the information technology industry, the food and agricultural industry, the healthcare industry, in fact most, if not all, industries. None of this is possible without a continual focus on the creation, updating, availability, quality and use of knowledge by all employees and teams, at work and in the marketplace. CORE CONCERN AT CONOCOPHILLIPS Baby boomers nearing retirement age pose a challenge to sustaining effective networks. At ConocoPhillips. nearly 20 percent of the employee base is eligible for retirement. In the coming years, another nearly 20 percent will qualify for retirement. These highly experienced employees possess valuable business knowledge and often serve as subject matter experts or network  leaders. It is vital to capture their knowledge and experience so that it can be reused across the enterprise and accelerate learning. Losing core team network members presents another challenge to networks of excellence. The project management network, for example, frequently redeploys and reassigns network leaders and core team members in the organization. High leadership turnover rates can lead to network disengagement and a loss of expertise. The knowledge-sharing team works closely with networks that experience changes in leadership to overcome obstacles and find ways to sustain continuous leadership â€Å"Networks of Excellence† (NoEs) Due to all these needs ConocoPhillips came with the concept of NOE’s. These internal communities of practice intended to encourage knowledge sharing. Articulating roles and responsibilities, attending to the network’s daily operations, and working to institute a culture that supports the exchange of knowledge are all crucial, but at ConocoPhillips, the foundational principle of network building is this: a Network of Excellence must demonstrate its ability to contribute significant value, either in cost savings or in revenue generation. In 2004, ConocoPhillips launched a large initiative to create internal communities of practice that would enhance knowledge sharing within the firm. For this international integrated energy company with thousands of job sites (often quite remote) spread across 30 countries, the challenge of sharing knowledge was very real—and the potential payoff was large. Facing fierce competition on all fronts, ConocoPhillips knew that to continue on its success trajectory, it needed to rapidly and effectively harness the knowledge of its highly skilled but geographically distributed workforce. Instead of assuming that technology either was the solution or was irrelevant when creating online communities, senior managers understood that effective global communities required new processes, roles, cultures, and technologies. They also recognized that each had to be focused on solving difficult business year challenges. With more than 10,000 employees participating in about 100 of what ConocoPhillips calls â€Å"Networks of Excellence† (NoEs) and a growth rate of about 10 new networks per year, the company has developed a set of valuable principles for identifying, nurturing, and enabling these topic-focused communities. A culture of knowledge sharing has emerged in which network members take responsibility  for helping their globally distributed colleagues—even if they meet face to face only once or twice a month. Network Formation at ConocoPhillips Ensuring that each new network has the greatest chance to succeed is a process that begins long before the network is formed. Many authors and consultants stress the informal nature of such communities, arguing that any attempt to systematize them will crush them. ConocoPhillips found the exact opposite—that without clear and explicit links to the organization and its business purpose, networks often evolve in ways that fail to contribute to business goals. The company adheres to two fundamental principles in this regard. First, no network is created without a clear and detailed business case that specifies the value proposition to the company and is agreed on by network leaders and members. Insisting on a business case prior to the creation of a network goes against the typical â€Å"let a thousand flowers bloom† approach that is often promoted. But in many cases, uncontrolled growth of new networks saps employees’ attention and engagement, leading to neglect an d network failure. Setting a high bar at the outset means that every potential new network must have a strong business justification, which signals to potential leaders and members that the result will not be something that consumes their time without producing real business value. Today, more than 120 networks exist across the organization. Networks align with business functions to assist in the achievement of functional excellence. The portals are open, in that both contract and full-time employees have access to most network activity. Given that between 70 percent and 80 percent of organizational learning occurs informally and outside the classroom, networks support informal learning among members. Networks exist across all technical disciplines, and most arc supported by functional excellence teams. Functional excellence teams include line managers from business units and assets who are accountable for networks. Functional excellence teams provide structure, governance, and leadership required for effective networks of excellence. The knowledge-sharing leadership team (i.e., not the core group) includes representatives from various business streams across the organization who help set direction and strategy. The knowledge-sharing leadership team also provides support for reward and recognition programs organization-wide. The enterprise  knowledge-sharing team oversees network activities. Promoting Knowledge Sharing at ConocoPhillips INTERACTIVE SESSIONS They reorganized and the solid state of their knowledge assets will help with this effort. More than 70% of their good ideas have come from their employees. Good things happen when employees talk to each other. TOP LEVEL PARTICIPATION The most successful KM efforts have senior sponsor of rank and respect in the organization. Most KM groups are placed too far down the hierarchy to be effective. Their KM effort started when a senior executive felt they were re-inventing things too much. The focus was always connecting people more than collecting documents. They grew by sharing success stories. Sharing these success stories was connected to their variable compensation plan and this really triggered response. ARCHIMEDES AWARDS In 2005, ConocoPhillips introduced its Archimedes Awards to recognize business units and regions for the four primary types of behaviors that an effective knowledge sharing-enabled culture requires. The awards, known informally as the 4G’s, symbolize: * giving, * grabbing and * gathering knowledge, * Along with spilling one’s â€Å"guts† to prevent others from having to repeat painful lessons learned. They have documented over 9 billion dollars in gains through the program. These awards are given to the business units or regions that have successfully created a collaborative work force through giving, taking and applying, and sharing knowledge. Network of the Year award On an individual basis, ConocoPhillips also recognizes the most outstanding networks through the Network of the Year award. Three networks are nominated quarterly by the global governing body of high-level program sponsors, based upon several criteria of collaboration and networking  performance. Four networks are yearly selected as Networks of the Year. Being nominated is considered a high honor within the company. The awards have become highly respected symbols of global collaboration. HALL OF HONORS Regions and certain functions have created their own rewards to recognize people at a local level. For example, the North Sea Business Unit and the Operations Excellence function let people recognize their peers for outstanding efforts that promote knowledge and collaboration. As further evidence of the strength of the Archimedes Network of the Year award, in 2011, ConocoPhillips introduced the Hall of Honors to recognize networks which have produced superior results year over year. Networks which have won the title of Network of the Year three or more times are named into the Hall of Honors and retain the honor for three years. Afterwards, they are eligible again to compete for Network of the Year. The Hall of Honors represents a significant milestone in the growth and maturity of the ConocoPhillips Knowledge Sharing program and enables the recognition of more noteworthy networks. KNOWLEDGE PROMOTION TOOLS ConocoPhillips has three main tools: Ask and Discuss, Knowledge Library, and One Wiki . Ask and Discuss: component has led to 100,000 exchanges. They don’t believe in formal lessons learned. It takes too much time. Informal connections work better. The formal lessons learned become out of date very quickly and talking with people gives the most current ideas. People want to help each other but they also want answers quickly. Knowledge libraries: and Discussion forums are embedded in each community portal. Network portals are accessed frequently; for example, ConocoPhillips recorded more than 1.3 million hits monthly on its family of SharePoint-based network portal sites during a six-month period between April and October 2009 Within each community, the Ask and Discuss forum is a place to post questions and initiate discussions. The organization tracks the number of questions posted, the number of replies, and the number of readers per question or discussion. Data show that an average of 20 people read a single reply. In other words, for just five replies, about 100 people read the responses and absorb the information contained therein. Content that complements Ask and  Discuss forums is stored in the network’s knowledge library. This content is reviewed and analyzed by subject matter experts and then posted to the library using a taxonomy developed by the knowledge-sharing team and corroborated by network leaders. Knowledge library content is quality controlled; only the most valuable knowledge is retained in the library The wiki : is the first place to look for content. All of their success stories have an economic impact. One had 87 million dollars of benefits. Sharing this is important. Giving credit to the employees is critical. Getting middle managers on board was done through conveying business value of knowledge sharing. Documented success stories, best practices and lessons learned in the form of closed discussions play a large role in providing context to Wiki articles. OneWiki has been deployed across the company and involves many networks, teams and work groups. Even at this early stage, OneWiki is proving to be a natural place to capture the insight and wisdom that accepted knowledge (lessons learned and best practices) has become. Further, the Wiki concept is familiar to people and encourages them to find and keep accumulated knowledge up† to†date. Internally branding the wiki as â€Å"OneWiki† has sent an important message that this is the one and only place for contextual, encyclopedic knowledge in ConocoPhillips. To introduce OneWiki to the enterprise, the global KS Team created a set of high†end computer†based training modules. The team meets regularly with individuals deemed content moderators to ensure they are aware of the governing standards. Closed discussions: enabling portal discussions as a way to capture and transfer lessons learned is a cornerstone of the ConocoPhillips Knowledge Sharing strategy. The sharing of discussions across sister networks yields even greater value for the company. But the latest, most exciting KS initiative is rapidly positioning ConocoPhillips to gain significant value by integrating Web 2.0 technology with the Knowledge Sharing platform. The two†pronged approach consists of Closed Discussion Items and Wiki technology and processes. Four years ago, the KS Team recognized the potential of lost knowledge retention opportunities when valuable knowledge from online discussions eventually aged on network portals. Many discussions contain detailed analysis and background information that represent an extensive body of knowledge from experienced network members. To recapture the benefit of such knowledge and provide it a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"second life,† the team actively researched the discussions that had reached closure and were deemed to have yielded a successful result. The KS team created a process and policy to encourage network leaders to officially ‘close’ those discussions. These were then turned into searchable lessons learned documents that were added to the network’s knowledge library for members and others to search and browse. This approach has proven to be a more useful and efficient means of capturing,storing, accessing and re†using intellectual capital than more traditional and costly methods MEMBER ENGAGEMENT When ConocoPhillips first began launching networks, business units perceived them as a corporate initiative that was being added to normal workloads (i.e., above the flow of work). Membership engagement has helped change that perception and is one of the building blocks required for successful networks of excellence. Creating connections between similar networks increases engagement and allows the organization to leverage knowledge more effectively. Sister networks are linked by business objectives and functions. One network currently has 16 sister networks. Network members can post Ask and Discuss questions to related networks to engage a broader audience in finding a solution. Only meaningful, out-of-the-ordinary questions approved by the network leader are posted to sister network sites. The goal is to further engage similar networks and let others know of network issues and activities. METHODS OF PROMOTING MEMBER ENGAGEMENT Network leaders are constantly aware of the need to promote engagement and increase membership. One method for promoting engagement is to transition members from e-mail to the know ledge portal to more effectively drive use of the Ask and Discuss forums. When a leader receives an e-mail message, for example, he or she may suggest that the member post the question on the network portal: this action will encourage users to become more active in the network by visiting the site rather than posting a question to a single resource. Network leaders also drive network participation by posting new announcements, events, and discussion items in the portal keeping the network fresh helps sustain members’ interest. Another strategy for member engagement involves incorporating network use into day-to- day job  responsibilities. Deliberately designing the network through business planning makes activities more relevant to individuals; the intersection between network activities and daily business functions is expanding. The goal is to link part of an individual’s performance expectations to network participation, which boosts engagement as well as know ledge sharing. CHALLENGE WITH THE NOE’S All 120-plus networks arc global, and this can present some challenges. The knowledge-sharing team works with the network leaders and network core teams to address these challenges as they arise. One such challenge is the cultural differences among various regions with regard to sharing knowledge. Whereas most Westerners are fairly comfortable with posting questions and comments to ask and discuss forums, engaging members in the Asia-Pacific region can be more difficult because employees from these cultures arc less comfortable singling out individuals. Core team members in these regions work diligently to build network participation. Time zones present another challenge for global networks. Virtual meetings are scheduled in the early morning or the evening to accommodate different parts of the world and can be repeated at 12-hour intervals if needed. Roles Several hundred employees across ConocoPhillips work on knowledge-sharing activities, most of them part-time. As mentioned, the core knowledge-sharing team supports network activities, and six full-time resources help manage networks. Each network is supported by a network sponsor and leader, a core team, network members, and subject matter experts. Network Sponsors A network sponsor provides overall guidance and visibility for the network. Sponsors are influential senior-level managers from organization-wide business streams. They secure funding and help set direction and strategy with community leaders. A network sponsor also helps create and refine the network’s business case and verify buy- in with business unit leaders. He or she supports the network through executive briefings and communication with stakeholders. Sponsors appoint, coach, and support network leaders, including linking their performance to career progression. In addition, sponsors ensure that network members’ community activities are recognized  and rewarded within their business units and globally. Network Leaders Networks of excellence are supported by network leaders who are selected by sponsors or business-unit leaders. These individuals are responsible for ensuring that core team members, subject matter experts, and other network members understand the purpose of the community and their roles and responsibilities. They work closely with the network sponsors to ensure that the focus of the network reflects business unit needs. Network leaders also seek feedback from core team members about network activity, communicate the value of participation, and solicit business unit feedback. In addition to checking the community portal for submissions and pushing new content to members and subject matter experts, leaders: * Facilitate responses for portal-based questions in a timely manner * Direct Ask and Discuss questions to the appropriate subject matter expert or member * Encourage the regular use of content with questions Leaders help train members on how to use the tools and resources available in the community. They also acknowledge member participation with awards, recognition, and performance feedback. The time spent on leadership activities varies by network. One individual may manage three networks and spend approximately 33 percent of his or her time doing this. Others may spend 20 percent of their time on managing one network, depending on other business demands. The role is integrated with job responsibilities; it is not an additional role that leaders are expected to assume on top of their day-to-day functions. â€Å"They don’t put on another hat and slop doing their other jobs,† said Miriam Fjellaker, network specialist. â€Å"The role is integrated and helps them improve their other job functions.† Core Team Members Core team members check the portal site daily for new submissions and developments and respond to Ask and Discuss questions. They also set up alerts for members on key content areas. Core team members also: * Work with network leaders and sponsors to make sure the needs and issues of the local business unit are adequately reflected within the scope and activities of the global network * Push e-mail threads to the portal as much as  possible * Communicate community activities to the business units * Empower and encourage members to use networks as part of their daily work processes Network Members Network members are encouraged to select and join the networks that relate to their work. They are also encouraged to share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the network portal and leverage network relationships to ask questions, get answers, and learn with global colleagues. Subject Matter Experts Subject matter experts share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the network portal. They also work with the community and other subject matter experts to develop and agree on best practices. Being responsive is important, subject matter experts are encouraged to respond to Ask and Discuss questions related to their areas of expertise as quickly as possible they are expected to use their expertise to move others forward. Subject matter experts also provide input to the network leader and core team regarding how their areas of expertise should be addressed in the network’s business case and other projects and initiatives Technology for Networks SharePoint is used across the enterprise to post questions and promote knowledge sharing. A dedicated team creates and manages portal sites and networks. All networks are standardized and have the same look and feel. Cultural Enablers for Sustaining Networks Networks at ConocoPhillips vary in size, scope, and function. The goal, said Smith, is to uncover the unique personality of each network and promote a culture that works. â€Å"You can’t click your heels and change the culture; leaders have to make it happen.† The community leader is expected to brainstorm ways to shape the culture and increase engagement Pushing alerts and responding to Ask and Discuss questions are important and help promote a culture that is conducive to sharing knowledge. Knowledge sharing is indirectly linked to ConocoPhillips’s performance and incentive compensation structure. This link serves as a strong motivator for employees to  participate in knowledge sharing, and it demonstrates the organizational commitment to networks of excellence. Reward and recognition programs are designed to increase network participation. Specifically, a reward and recognition structure helps motivate employees to participate in networks and promotes a know ledge-sharing culture Training is another cultural enabler. ConocoPhillips has a number of training efforts that explain network functionality and potential. Training The Network University is the training vehicle that supports ConocoPhillips’s network activities from launch to deployment Network University provides access to documents, presentations, and role descriptions that help form and maintain networks. Quick links from the KM home page provide overviews for new and experienced members. Users can also download a FAQ on networks or link to established sites. The organization uses Network University to train network leaders. It provides detailed descriptions of roles and expectations related to network leadership. The more than 150 network leaders frequently go to the site for guidance on how to maintain networks at ConocoPhillips. In addition, less experienced network leaders are often paired with experienced leaders for mentoring purposes. New hires receive training on networks during the onboarding process. A 90-minute segment shows how to map to networks and how networks tap in to expertise across the organization to better share knowledge. Communication Communicating the value and purpose of networks of excellence is critical to sustaining engagement and attracting new members. According to Ranta, â€Å"We realized we had to get out there and tell our story if we wanted networks to succeed.† The organization continues to increase communication efforts designed to spread the word on the value of networks. Network leaders and sponsors frequently communicate success stories to network members. External validation is promoted across the organization. For example, a number of corporate magazine articles showcase the success of networks at ConocoPhillips. The organization publicizes these articles to show the value of network activity. In 2009, ConocoPhillips was named a North American Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE), and this award was also communicated  across the organization. Communication is so important to the overall success of ConocoPhillips’s knowledge- sharing program that one of its full-time knowledge-sharing team members, Yvonne Myles, is the designated communications adviser. This individual supports the communication efforts of the networks of excellence along with communication initiatives that promote networks to the larger organization and externally. Each network uses a portal to communicate activities and news. In addition to linking to key news and discussions, portals showcase award recipients and network leaders. Participation Recognition Motivating employees to participate in networks of excellence is critical. Global and local rewards programs recognize members for network participation. For example, the prestigious Archimedes Award is presented to the top networks and success stories each year and recognizes regions for their knowledge-sharing behaviors. ConocoPhillips also collects collaboration success stories to highlight the business value of networks. To date, there are thousands of success stories that provide optimal business solutions. The stories are quality controlled and stored in the knowledge repository for future access. Regional areas sometimes create their own awards. Other recognition programs are supported by peers and implemented across networks Peers may also nominate members for awards through the network portal. Online submission is quick and easy. Members are nominated for excellence in contributions, Ask and Discuss forum participation, and engaging others in trusted relationships. Some networks of excellence have an award for outstanding discussions. Winners are celebrated on the network home page. KNOWLEDGE ONLINE Knowledge OnLine is a centralized digital hub for all knowledge sharing activities, resources, and intellectual property’. It is accessed through the corporate portal. Within Knowledge OnLine, subject matter experts and community members maintain profiles that showcase their expertise. Each profile includes a member picture and incorporates technical background and project industry experience. Members attach current resumes to their profiles. They ask their experts to perform a search on their expertise to make sure they show up in the search results and it helps them to show their  expertise Global excellence leaders develop and maintain functional networks (i.e., communities) that cross all business groups. They provide leadership for their respective knowledge communities. Specifically, global excellence leaders are responsible for best-practice approvals, reference systems, and career paths for the organization, including training, required readings, and unique tools for that discipline. An additional responsibility is career development. The role is prestigious; after serving as global excellence leaders, many individuals become executives. Communities are supported by leaders, knowledge managers, a global core KM team, and subject matter experts. A centralized KM team oversees community activities and works closely with leaders, knowledge managers, and subject matter experts across the enterprise Strategy for Sustaining Effective Networks of Excellence ConocoPhillip’s KM program replicates its community, content, discussions, and profiling approaches across its 42 functional and four corporate communities. It implies a global mind-set, with consistency of purpose and practice regardless of topic or geography. It implies designing KM so that each employee can tap in to the knowledge of the organization as a whole in order to respond to a client’s needs. It also implies access to content and people from anywhere clients or employees need help to solve a problem or enhance their skill. Knowledge communities are used to drive organizational transformation. In fact, communities are often created to fill a business need or knowledge gap and then decommissioned when they are no longer relevant. A work-share community, for example, addressed practices and procedures that were required to work in New Delhi and Manila. Now these practices are embedded into daily work processes and incorporated into standard operating procedures , and the community no longer exists. Similarly, a next-generation community is currently in place to explore future technology solutions. However, when next-generation technology is implemented and begins to become the de facto way to work, this community’s content will be migrated into appropriate mainstream communities for long-term stewardship. Communities also provide work process innovation. For example, practice and procedure updates are managed and implemented in communities. A subject matter expert uses a discussion forum to collect suggestions or ideas to improve a procedure document. Using feedback from  community members, the subject matter expert will update a policy or procedure and review changes. This process helps gain buy-in for policy and procedure changes, as well as global buy-in for the practice. The approach also has an associated cost benefit. In the past, they had large budgets for this process. Today, they have set a goal of updating or reviewing one-third of the practices using a fraction of the old budget. Communities also support more distributed project execution at Fluor. The organization uses a project activity model to illustrate activities and provide project management guidance. Using the community framework, members are able to update a map and provide color-coded areas of responsibility for more effective project execution. Communities can add training materials on how to complete project activities, along with templates and descriptions. Another work process improvement is linked to the organizational communication strategy. The old practice was to disseminate information about communities through the organizational hierarchy. However, not everyone saw those communications. Now communities send newsletters to the entire community membership. As a result, messages have a broader readership (greater penetration), which ultimately helps attract new members. Each message is sent as an e-mail with a link to the latest newsletter. This draws in employees who perhaps are not familiar with the system, thereby potentially recruiting new members. Employees frequently reply to messages and are encouraged to join a particular community as part of a routine follow – up. Knowledge Loss Risk Assessment Communities help in the identification of knowledge gaps or knowledge at risk—that is, knowledge that might be lost if the individual who possesses it retires from the organization. Fluor uses a knowledge-loss risk assessment process to determine the impact of retirement and resource gaps. The assessments also effectively communicate the potential impact of knowledge loss. Adapted from the Tennessee Valley Authority model, the formula multiplies the retirement factor (how soon) against the position risk factor (uniqueness of the individual’s knowledge) to determine the total attrition factor. This process helps integrate knowledge sharing with human capital management by identifying when subject matter expertise is at  risk and when the organization should identify a successor or protà ©gà © for a subject matter expert. Measuring Networks of Excellence ConocoPhillips’s knowledge-sharing team employs both objective and subjective tools to evaluate the health of the organization’s networks, identify where weaknesses exist, and prescribe ways for network leaders to improve their networks. Measuring the business impact of networks is a regular activity for the knowledge-sharing team and network leaders. Assessing Networks for Value: Success Stories ConocoPhillips believes that â€Å"you manage what you measure.† Keeping detailed records of business impact has served to galvanize sponsorship and attract and sustain membership to networks. One way the organization assesses business value is through validated success stories. Stories are submitted by employees and document cost savings, reduced cycle times, safety and environmental improvements, and other tangible business benefits. A story may also identify a critical business or technical issue that was solved using the community. Each year, the organization collects success story nominations and selects the best examples of collaboration. Supervisors, regional representatives and the knowledge sharing leadership team review and validate each story, adding a value statement to provide quick snapshot of the business value provided. Once success stories are approved, they are posted to the knowledge library where they can be accessed by other networks. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.conocophillips.com/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ConocoPhillips www.apqc.org www.ibforum.com www.aiim.org www.hrcommunication.com www.zoominfo.com