Tesco is one of the leading supermarkets

Tesco is one of the leading supermarkets Introduction Tesco is one of the UKs leading supermarkets, supplying customers nation wide with groceries and a vast array of different services. In the past Tesco started as simply a supermarket, these days they offer their customers insurance, mobile phones, and even electrical goods. Tesco even offer their customers a reward system where customers get a 1% return on their purchases, this 1% comes back to the customer in the form of a voucher which can be used in a variety of different ways. Tesco, like a lot of UK supermarkets, is a very big organisation comprising of a variety of systems, these systems assist the company in operating at levels ranging from the operational level to executive. It is the structure of these systems which allow the business to run effectively, to ensure that the correct decisions are made and reports are compiled for effective management. This paper will discuss the characteristics of two of the core management information systems that Tesco use and the ways in which they might apply them to their business. Transaction Processing Systems Transaction Processing Systems (or TPS for short) are vital systems in any business, these systems are responsible for serving the operational level of an organisation. Examples of some TPS systems would include: Recording payments received for goods and services. Placing orders for products or services. Withdrawing money at a cash machine. TPSs are in contact with the customers all of the time and if one were to fail then it would be immediately apparent, if Tescos till systems were to fail then the customer would be aware of this immediately. This outlines the great importance of these systems, while they may seem to be repetitive, they must ultimately be reliable. This means that although 100% reliability cannot be guaranteed, the TPS must therefore be able to detect and correct errors. (Wikipedia, 2009. Transaction Processing System.) However, not all transactions are processed immediately; there are two different types of transaction systems. Real time processing systems process the transactions immediately, this method keeps information up-to-date and information within the reports will be consistently accurate. Batch processing systems store the information in batches and are processed at slower rates, this method of processing means that reports do not always have up-to-date information. Businesses requiring up-to-date reports will opt for a real time processing system. (Bocji, P 2003 p238) Tesco will benefit from these Transaction Processing Systems in various ways. These systems will hold and collect information about customer purchases, especially those who have a customer loyalty card; it will assist in being able to target other products at these customers to help increase sales. Automatic links with suppliers will be improved as stock can be re-ordered as soon as it has been sold, greatly reducing the physical effort of stock ordering and minimising the errors involved with manual ordering. Greater effectiveness of customer service as prices can be modified with ease, a greater choice of products can be attained and lower prices to the customer. Tesco uses TPSs in their EPOS systems (Electronic Point of Sale) these systems scan barcodes and communicate with the in-house system. This in-house system will record all the data of transactions and stock which needs to be re-ordered, probably in a batch system which can then be transferred to the mainframe at the end of the day. This information will then be accessible to higher management for generating reports and will provide the distribution centre with orders for the following day. This information will also provide ordering information for 3rd party suppliers. Decision Support Systems Decision Support Systems (or DSS) are the management information systems aimed at supporting the managerial level. These systems provide information, usually in the form of ad hoc reports to assist with decision making. The models bases that power DSSs vary from standard analysis to complex mathematical relationships between variables in the data. DSSs are normally accessed from a computer, giving the manager the ability to issue the DSS software commands and request specific data. The output from the DSS software is usually in an easy to understand text and visual format (such as graphs and charts). DSSs are a combination of special models that help with information analysis, forecasting and planning. Company performance data is also part of this integration. DSS are usually not a corporate system and tend to be more departmentally targeted, usually acting as a marketing assistance. Normally DSSs are used as a specialist system such as an expert systems or data warehousing, however they are aimed to be very easy to use and should â€Å"integrate across all levels in recognition of the overlap between operational, tactical and strategic decisions†. (Bocij, P 2003 p253) Expert systems replicate the knowledge and decision making skills that a professional in a certain field would have. These systems are vital tools in decision support; a good example would be making a credit decision on whether or not to give someone a personal loan. Data warehousing is a type of business intelligence software that analyses transaction information to enhance a companys competitiveness. The data warehouse itself is a massive database which contains a companys sale information. Data mining is used in association with data warehousing and is an automated way to find patterns in data. Data clustering can also be utilised in order to find relationships between groups or portions of the data. (Wikipedia, 2009. Data Mining) DSSs can be used to create problems, managers can analyse the data when certain variables are changed, or looking at different scenarios. Some types of the occurrences include: Data Mining, as already discussed. Goal Seeking Analysis, changing variables one at a time until a desired goal is achieved, doing this enables the manager to see what goals need to be set in specific areas of the business to attain desired result. What If Analysis, like goal seeking analysis but involves changing a number of variables at once or changing a relationship within the variables, while keeping an eye on the changes in the other variables. Optimization analysis, to find an optimum value for the variables given certain conditionals. Taking Tesco as an example you can assume that via Transaction Processing Systems, various data is collected in the stores. This information is stored in the company main frame system and can be accessed by departmental managers for them to generate reports via expert systems or data mining/warehousing. This enables the managers to get information such as how many customers enjoy eating chicken in comparison to those who prefer beef; this can then be coupled with information such as what other products the consumer purchases along with these items. The managers at Tesco could then find information about item affinity, a process that would highlight the likelihood of a number of items being purchased together. This information is of great importance when considering what special offers to put on, it could aid in finding other suitable products to put close to these special offers. (Information Management, 2006) The success of item affinity is evident by the story of the beer and diapers, it was found that men were buying diapers along with beer on Friday nights. This is an unusual occurrence that you wouldnt normally predict; however, it was thanks to data mining and item affinity that this was uncovered. (The Register, 2006) References Bocji, P (2003). Business Information Systems: Technology, Development and Management for the e-business 2nd Ed. Gosport: Ashford Colour Press Ltd. Information Management, (2006) Demystifying Market Basket Analysis. Information-management.com [online] updated October 2006, accessed 6th December 2009. The Register, (2006) The parable of the beer and diapers. Theregister.co.uk [online] updated 15th August 2006, accessed 8th December 2009. Wikipedia, (2009) Data Mining. Wikipedia.org [online] accessed 8th December 2009. Wikipedia, (2009) Transaction Processing System. Wikipedia.org [online] accessed 8th December 2009.

Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac’s on the Road

In Jack Kerouac’s novel, On The Road, main protagonist Dean Moriarty symbolizes an â€Å"almost† immortal flame of youth that embodies the rebellious generation of uncertainty that describes 1950s Beat culture. Desirable of everything at the same time, from his numerable fixations with drugs, his incalculable romantic entanglements with women, or his superficial preoccupation to be seen as an intellectual, we get to know Dean's liberating and pioneering personality as the â€Å"Holy Goof† as well as an apparent figure of Beat culture.Though it is not until a series of passages at the commencement of the novel that the â€Å"crucifixion† of Dean Moriarty's youth takes place, forcing upon him a revelation; forcing him to relinquish his naive, rebellious ways into a life of real uncertainties and real problems. In one of these passages, at what first seems to be a light hearted conversation between Dean and Sal in a restaurant bathroom, soon evidently becomes a foreshadowing of Dean's diminishing youth: â€Å"We were both exhausted and dirty†¦I was at a urinal blocking Dean's way†¦ and said to Dean, â€Å"Dig this trick. â€Å"Yes, man,† he said, washing his hands at the sink, â€Å"it’s a very good trick but awful on your kidneys because you’re getting a little older now every time you do this eventually years of misery in your old age, awful kidney miseries for the days when you sits in the parks. † It made me mad. â€Å"Who’s old? I’m not much older than you are! † â€Å"I wasn’t saying that, man! †Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ah,† I said, â€Å"you’re always making cracks about my age. I'm no old fag, you don't have to warn me about my kidneys†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I said to cap my anger, â€Å"And I don’t want to hear any more of it. And suddenly Dean’s eye grew tearful and he got up and left†¦Dean stood outside the restaurant for exactly five minutesâ₠¬ ¦ â€Å"Well,† I said, â€Å"what were you doing out there? †¦Go ahead tell me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I was crying,† said Dean. â€Å"Ah hell, you never cry. † â€Å"You say that? Why do you think I don’t cry? † â€Å"You don’t die enough to cry. † Every one of these things I said was a knife at myself. Everything I had ever secretly held against my brother was coming out†¦ (Kerouac 215)Here, for the first time and only time in the novel, do we see the hero, Dean, reach his threshold, and break down to cry. It is a symbolic point in the novel in that we are witnessing Dean beginning to change; we see his â€Å"eternal flame† begin to wither away. When Sal says, â€Å"You don't die enough to cry† he is basically telling Dean he does not experience true life. A life that is filled with lows and highs, easts and wests, positives and negatives; a life that isn't always â€Å"Ah! Whee! † (Kerouac 119) moments in which until this point Dean's life as we know it had evolved around.Opposed to the Dean we know in the beginning of the novel, â€Å"mad to live, mad to talk† and would â€Å"never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Kerouac 291), we now see a growing sense of distress and misfortune through this passage. We can even detect a sense of maturity through Dean's actions. He has hit rock bottom, his body gives up and he allows himself to cry. While Sal, previously inspired by Dean’s unknowing nature, is for the first time realizing all of his time spent searching for life has in actuality been time spent running toward death with Dean as to escape his own life.All this time, Sal has been desiring to be with Dean, craving his eternal madness, and it isn't until now that he realizes by following Dean, he's been ignoring reality and altering the way in which he experiences the world. Dean's crying scene is the death of his youth and the birt h of this novel's martyr. This passage embodies the not-so-immortal flame of youth that defined both Sal and Dean's generation. It is here, through Dean's â€Å"martyrdom† that we see Dean begin to accept life as a â€Å"risen hero† of the road, his old philosophies and ways of life serving no longer an inspiration for those lost, or soon to be lost.Upon finishing this novel, I concluded that this passage's reference to Dean's immortality is also manifested in the book's ending in that there is no true closure to this novel. There is no closure to the ideas, beliefs, or the â€Å"eternal flame† that Dean represents. An open ending to his life and what happens to Dean Moriarty allows him to remain immortal. Even through Sal's dialogue at the very end, we are left with the sense that Sal will eternally be thinking of him as he walks away â€Å"across the land. † The book itself, much like Dean's character, has embodied the uncertainty of what ies ahead, and has manifested Dean's personality into the story itself. Sal's description at the end of the novel of a star in the distance becoming less bright as its â€Å"sheds across the night† sky represents the eternal legacy of Dean Moriarty becoming less bright and the diminishment of his naive and rebellious youth. This image of the shedding star, along with the novel's absence of a resolution, resonates with his entire philosophy and way of life, a life of spontaneity, a life of never knowing your future – and loving it.

Creating a new character for a soap Essay

The TV programme I chose to use as my soap is the American show ‘The O.C’ after watching numerous episodes of it in class and at home. I chose this programme because it was one that I was most familiar with, and a programme that I enjoyed watching. ‘The O.C’ is an American show, aimed at a teenage audience, as it follows the lives of teenagers and their families in Orange County, California. It mainly concentrates on the story of Ryan Atwood, a teenager from a rough town and a run down family who throw him out after a run in with the police. Sandy and Kirsten Cohen, who are part of a wealthy family, adopt him, and they invite him to live in their pool house at their home. They already have a son, Seth Cohen, who is your typical nerdy character, whom Ryan becomes brothers with. They both have to deal with life in Orange County, a place that comes across for the rich and good looking. They also have to deal with their relationships with Marissa Cooper, the girl next door when Ryan moves in, and Summer Roberts, Seth’s dream girl. Summer is portrayed as a stereotypical spoiled rich girl, with some snobiness. This is displayed in the first episode, where Summer is at first attracted to newcomer Ryan Atwood, until she finds out he is from Chino, prompting the response â€Å"Chino, eww.† However, different sides to Summer become evident as she develops. It is during her transformation that Summer falls in love with Seth, the boy who was never popular. Marissa also comes from a rich family, as the girl next door. But has a troubled time as her family falls apart. Ryan is the person who has to help her through this. The character that I have decided to create is called Claire Atwood. Claire is the sister of Ryan, but neither of them know they are related when the character is first introduced, and neither do the audience at first. She is fairly tall and slim, with blonde hair, and good-looking features like most of the other female characters in the show. Her good looks are what make her fit in with the show, as she full-fills the male gaze like many of the other female characters. The first scene that introduces the character, is the first day back at school for Ryan, Seth, Summer and Marissa. Seth and Ryan notice her walking down the hallway of the school, and can’t help but stare, as they are instantly attracted to her. They end up being in the same class, and she has to sit right in the middle of both Ryan and Seth. Nobody talks to her in the scene, and we don’t hear her speak either. The camera shows us a shot of her writing her name on a sheet of paper as she finishes her work, and she writes the name ‘Claire Atwood’. Only the audience sees this, and we instantly know that she is related to Ryan, as we know he has the same surname. I think the character would bring a lot to the show, including a sense of humour and irony. Marissa, who becomes Ryan’s girlfriend, becomes jealous of Ryan’s involvement with the new character as he offers to help her to do a school project. But only the audience knows that she is his sister, creating the irony and humour of the situation. The way in which she fits in, is because of her good looks. But Ryan and Seth become more and more suspicious of her, as she never lets anyone come to her house. They both follow her home one-day and discover that she is living in a trailer park. So we see that she doesn’t completely fit in, as she isn’t from a rich family, living in a big house like most of the other characters in Orange County. Ryan goes and knocks on the door of the trailer, and the door is opened by his biological dad, who has just come out of prison. This is when it is discovered that Claire is the sister of Ryan. Later in the programme, we discover that the father had been treating Claire poorly, and she comes to live with The Cohen family too. The character creates a lot of conflict in the show, something that greatly appeals to a lot of audiences. Ryan is very protective of her, and gets into fights with other boys who seem to take an interest in his sister, until Claire tells Ryan to stop being so protective. She is also a character that will attract more females to the show. We have followed the story of Ryan coming from the wrong side of the tracks and getting a chance to live in Orange County, being something that the male viewers can enjoy to watch as they are relating to another male character. But now we can follow the life of Claire, as she also comes from the wrong side of the tracks, in a very similar situation to Ryan’s. She has an aggressive personality, due to her poor upbringing as a child, and at first does not get along with the Cohen family, as she tells them she doesn’t want their help. She also gets into fights with other girls at the school, as she against most people who have wealth and tells everyone that she doesn’t need it. As her relationship as a sister to Ryan becomes stronger, and she becomes best friends with Marissa and Summer, they eventually convince her to move in with the Cohen family. Jamie Parker The first scene The fist scene involving Claire Atwood very much full-fills the male gaze. We see Ryan and Seth talking near their lockers, and they are instantly struck by Claire walking down the hallway. The camera cuts to her feet walking along, and slowly pans upwards to her face, then a long shot of her walking down the corridor towards the camera. The scene is played in slow motion, not only for the male gaze, but also to emphasize the importance of the scene, and the importance of the new character that is being introduced to the program. Because of the scene, we know she is going to have some importance, and not just a one off showing of a insignificant character. Whilst this is being shown, there is fast paced music playing, But as Claire, Ryan and Seth sit down in the classroom, the music slows and becomes more mysterious. The audience knows because of this, that there is something significant and important to this character. The camera zooms into Claire’s hand as she writes her name on the paper. And it is revealed to the audience that she is related to Ryan.

Analysis Of `` The Mark On The Wall `` By Charlotte...

Perceived Reality Feminism is considered an important aspect of â€Å"The Mark on the Wall† by Virginia Woolf and also â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Both short stories were set in the 1800s during the time where feminism was fought for since women were denied education, could not own their own property, and were expected to care for their husbands and children with complete disregard to themselves. The conventional 19th century norm had a rigid distinction between the â€Å"domestic† functions of the female and the â€Å"active† work of the male; this ensured women remained second class citizens. In â€Å"The Mark on the Wall,† the manly figure reveals the mark on the wall was in reality a snail. The woman doesn’t get up to see if the mark was really a snail, but instead, accepts what her husband says. The man character forces the woman to see reality the way he does, even if she doesn’t want to. In â⠂¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† gender division has the effect of keeping women in a childish state of ignorance and prevents their full development. John’s assumptions of his superiority lead him to misjudge, patronize, and dominate his wife, all in the name of â€Å"helping† her. The narrator is reduced to acting like a child, unable to stand up for herself without seeming unreasonable or disloyal. Woolf and Gilman use madness to define an essential part of the reality of women in the 1800s. In The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the wallpaper is not merely theShow MoreRelated A Look into the Life of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and ?The Yellow Wall-paper?1398 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† is an amazing story that demonstrates how close-minded the world was a little over a hundred years ago. In the late eighteen hundreds, women were seen as personal objects that are not capable of making a mark in the world. If a woman did prove to be a strong intellectual person and had a promising future, they were shut out from society. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote her stories from experience, but added fictional twists along the way to make her stories interesting.Read MoreA Look Into the Life of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and The Yellow Wall-Paper1428 Words   |  6 PagesThe Yellow Wall-paper is an amazing story that demonstrates how close-minded the world was a little over a hundred years ago. In the late eighteen hundreds, women were seen as personal objects that are not capable of making a mark in the world. If a woman did prove to be a strong intellectual person and had a promising future, they were shut out from society. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote her stories from experience, but added fictional twists along the way to make her stories interesting. Read MoreAnalysis Of The Yellow Wallpaper1727 Words   |  7 Pages Analysis of the Short Story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. 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