Category: Architecture

Enterprise Architecture (EA)

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

Report: Part-I (Case Study)
Techco is a large steel manufacturing company established several decades ago. Historically, Techco
grew largely via mergers and acquisitions of smaller companies occupying adjacent or complementary
market niches and underwent a number of corporate restructurings. Presently, at the highest level
the company is split into two major divisions: Division Alpha and Division Beta. Both divisions are
governed from the lean central head office and report their quarterly financial indicators to top
business executives for their consideration. However, operationally these divisions represent
essentially independent businesses with non-overlapping suppliers, products, customers and markets.
Each division is managed by an appointed executive director reporting directly to C-level corporate
leadership. Divisions are free to set their own agendas, pursue their own competitive strategies and
make their own investment decisions, though major investments must seek approval at the corporate
level.
Division Alpha is an established and large-scale, but highly centralized manufacturing shop. It
specializes on fabricating a single line of products, which are distributed directly to a narrow circle of
wholesale customers over stable supply chain network arrangements. The division has a rather
conservative IT investment strategy intended primarily to achieve better automation of existing
operations and enable smooth, uninterrupted and efficient business processes. It has a central
division-wide IT department employing around 150-180 in-house specialists and also involving about
100-120 external contractors working on a full-time basis. The IT department is responsible for
providing necessary IT support across all activities of Division Alpha’s value chain, e.g. production,
warehousing, sales and delivery as well as various supporting activities including HR, finance and legal
services.
Division Beta has a more complex, dynamic and diversified business model. It offers three core lines
of products focused largely on different market segments and customer groups. These product lines
require substantially different manufacturing processes, distribution channels, sales approaches and
marketing campaigns. However, all products are fabricated from similar raw materials and
components procured from the same suppliers. Moreover, customer bases of these products also
partially overlap, and the department’s leadership is planning to leverage cross-selling opportunities
more actively in the future. Organizationally, Division Beta is structured into three major units aligned
to its three product lines and an additional supporting unit providing shared division-wide services to
the main business, e.g. HR, finance, accounting and IT. Its IT department employs around 450-500 IT
staff qualified in different technologies used in the division’s IT landscape. To accommodate with the
quickly changing market conditions, Division Beta invests a significant share of its profits in new IT
systems and infrastructure. It has an aggressive IT investment strategy aimed at enabling innovative
ways of working.
Questions

  1. How many architects does the Techco needs for each of the positions described above?
    Provide detailed explanation to justify the needs.
  2. Discuss 5 (five) major general skills requirements for architecture positions in Techco
  3. Describe five major roles that Design as EA Artifacts will play in Techco.
  4. Discuss four reasons why outsourcing of EA practice is NOT a good option for Techco
  5. Discuss the four types of governances committees that would be implement in Techco

Advantages and disadvantages of SSO architecture

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

Pick an industry that you work for, and you work for the chief information officer ( CIO) of a company within this industry. Your CIO is considering implementing Single Sign-On (SSO) and wants you to prepare some background information for her review.

Please provide the following Single Sign-On (SSO) background information for your CIO in a post of

Detail the advantages and disadvantages of SSO architecture.
Recommend whether SSO or another form of sign on architecture would be best for a company within your selected industry.
Be sure to provide the rationale behind your recommendation.

Network Architecture Essentials

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

In today’s world of network architecture and the process by which companies communicate with their employees and their customers, it is important to fully understand the weaknesses and strengths of the architecture. Consider an example of a real-word company, whether it be from your own work experience or even a business you may shop through (e.g., Amazon). Evaluate your knowledge of that company and discuss the following items:

Describe the communication methods applied (e.g., email, chat)
Elaborate on a personal experience you have had with a network connection that has left you avoiding this site or company based on its inability to provide reliable connectivity for its service.

World of network architecture

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

In today’s world of network architecture and the process by which companies communicate with their employees and their customers, it is important to fully understand the weaknesses and strengths of the architecture. Consider an example of a real-word company, whether it be from your own work experience or even a business you may shop through (e.g., Amazon). Evaluate your knowledge of that company and discuss the following items:

Describe the communication methods applied (e.g., email, chat)
Elaborate on a personal experience you have had with a network connection that has left you avoiding this site or company based on its inability to provide reliable connectivity for its service.

Biomimicry and Sustainability In Architecture

Posted on | by

 

How will you solve today’s design problems and stay true to the fundamental nature of architecture with your contemporary practice? What is your vision for resilience, utility, and beauty? Why should we let you build? What will you give us in return when we allow you to remove a precious patch of earth and consume its lifeblood—its matter and energy—to build?

 

Strategies for preparing for an interview

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

Learn strategies for preparing for an interview, writing your résumé and most importantly developing your portfolio. Your portfolio is representative of who you are and the skills you have to offer as a designer. A strong portfolio will play an essential role in landing that first job in your chosen career, but first you need to decide what will be in that portfolio and how you will present it.
For this week’s project you will write a 2 – 4 page project plan that lays out a strategy for the development of your final portfolio (that will be due for the presentation). While writing your project plan consider and answer the following questions:
What type of media will you use to present your work: a website, video real, interactive PDF?
Who is your target audience?
What type of theme will you design around?
How many examples of design will be included in your collection?
What will you add or remove from your current collection of design projects thus far?
How will you begin the creative process?
Keep in mind that this project plan is your contract with your instructor. Think carefully about the type of portfolio you wish to develop and stick to your plan. You are free to modify as you move through the course but must ensure that the instructor approves of your new plans. They are industry experts, so leverage their expertise and wisdom!

Market Structure

Posted on | by admin3

 

 

1-Market Structure

2- Market Power.

3- Pure competition

4- Long Run

5- Short Run

6- Price Setting

7- Price making

8- Degree of freedom

9- Price in Pure competition

 

2.  Complete the table directly below by calculating marginal product and average product.

Inputs of Labor Total Product Marginal Product Average Product
0 o
1 25
2 44
3 61
4 75
5 84
6 90
7 93
8 92

3. Why is a firm in perfect competition a price taker?

 

4. In perfect competition, why is a firm’s marginal revenue curve also the demand curve for the firm’s output?

 

5. What is the lowest price at which a firm produces an output? Explain why.

 

6. Why does a firm in perfect competition produce the quantity at which marginal cost equals price?

7. Explain why resources are used efficiently in a competitive market.

 

8. Pat’s Pizza Kitchen is a price taker. Its costs are in the table.
a. Calculate Pat’s profit-maximizing output and economic profit if the market price is
(i) $14 a pizza.
(ii) $12 a pizza.
(iii) $10 a pizza.
Output (pizzas per hour) Total cost (dollars per hour
0 10
1 21
2 30
3 41
4 54
5 69

 

Quantity, Total cost, Fixed cost, Variable cost, Total revenue, Profit
0 $62
10 $90
20 $110
30 $126
40 $144
50 $166
60 $192
70 $224
80 $264
90 $324
100 $404
Selling price is $4.00
Problem: 1
A competitive firm’s short-run cost information is shown in the table below.
Output Fixed Cost Variable Cost Total Cost
0 $9.00 $ 0.00 $ 9.00
1 9.00 8.00 17.00
2 9.00 15.00 24.00
3 9.00 21.00 30.00
4 9.00 26.00 35.00
5 9.00 32.00 41.00
6 9.00 39.00 48.00
7 9.00 47.00 56.00
8 9.00 56.00 65.00
9 9.00 66.00 75.00
10 9.00 77.00 86.00
a. Suppose the firm can sell all the output it desires at the market price of $9.10. Compute the firm’s total revenue and its total profit (loss) for the potential output choices shown in the table. What output level maximizes the firm’s profits (or minimizes its losses)?
b. Repeat part a. assuming the price has fallen t

Problem 02 – Profit maximization: MR = MC approach
Problem:
Suppose a competitive firm’s cost information is as shown in the table below. Its total fixed cost is $9.00.
Output Marginal Cost Average Variable Cost Average Total Cost
0
1 $ 8.00 $8.00 $17.00
2 7.00 7.50 12.00
3 6.00 7.00 10.00
4 5.00 6.50 8.75
5 6.00 6.40 8.20
6 7.00 6.50 8.00
7 8.00 6.71 8.00
8 9.00 7.00 8.13
9 10.00 7.33 8.33
10 11.00 7.70 8.60
a. Suppose the firm sells its output at a price of $9.10. What is the firm’s marginal revenue (MR)?
b. Compare MR to marginal cost (MC) to determine the firm’s profit maximizing (loss-minimizing) output level. Be sure to check whether or not the firm should shut down.
c. What is the firm’s per-unit profit (loss) at this output level?
d. What is the firm’s total profit (loss) at this output level?
e. Repeat parts a. through d. assuming the price has fallen to $7.10.
f. Repeat again assuming the price has fallen to $6.10

 

 

 

Ch 8-
Problem 1 – Monopoly price and output
Problem:
Suppose a monopoly’s demand schedule is given by the first two columns of the following table. Its total cost of production is given in the next column.
Output Price Total Cost Total Revenue MC MR
0 $24 $10
1 21 14
2 18 20
3 15 28
4 12 38
5 9 50
a. Fill in the Total Revenue column by computing the firm’s total revenue associated with each output level.
b. By comparing total cost and total revenue, find the output level that maximizes the firm’s profit.
c. What price should the firm set to achieve maximum profit?
d. Complete the final two columns to verify that the same conclusions are reached using the MR = MC rule.
Problem .2 – Price discrimination
Problem:
Suppose a price-discriminating monopoly has segregated its market into two submarkets and can prevent resale between the two. Assume that its marginal cost is constant and equal to its average total cost of $8. The firm’s demand schedule for the first group is given by the first two columns of the following table.
Output Price Total Revenue MR
0 $24
1 22
2 20
3 18
4 16
5 14
6 12
7 10
8 8
a. Find the firm’s total revenue schedule for this submarket, entering the data into the table where indicated. Use these data to determine the marginal revenue schedule in this submarket.
b. What output level and price will maximize the firm’s profit in this submarket?
c. The firm’s demand schedule for the second group is given by the first two columns of the following table.
Output Price Total Revenue MR
0 $33
1 30
2 27
3 24
4 21
5 18
6 15
7 12
8 9
d.
Find the firm’s total and marginal revenue schedules in this second submarket. What output level and price will maximize the firm’s profit in this submarket?
e. Based on these prices, which submarket has the more elastic demand?
f. What is this firm’s total economic profit?

 

 

Architecture National Museum of Qatar

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

Building precedent: National Museum of Qatar
Architect:  Jean Nouvel
Envisioned as a “position paper”, the written component is to research, and analyze the use of design intentions as they inform the development of the  design interests utilized by the architect in the building selected for analysis.  The primary intent of the analysis is to identify and expand on the development of architectural language(s) employed in the design of the building.  Include supporting citations that document the architect’s global design interests, specific design intentions developing the building’s architecture and positions attributed to the architect by others such as historians or established architectural critics.

Format suggestions:
1 .General Design Intentions

  1. Organizational and Representational Strategies
  2. Architectural Language

Black Hawk Paint

Posted on | by admin3

 

Topic: Addie Wagenknecht, Black Hawk Paint (2007)
3-page descriiption of the topic, including a 3-5 item annotated bibliography on the subject. Scholarly sources are preferred; however, some contemporary
works will require web citations from sources such as Hyperallergic or Rhizome.

 

 

Legal Implications of School Finance

Posted on | by admin3

 

Chapter 3 of Owings and Kaplan (2020) explored the legal implications of school
finance ranging from the role of the federal government, the first education laws, state
laws regarding school finance and significant court decisions related to issues including:
vouchers, charter schools and charter schools. In this assignment, you will have the
opportunity to further explore court decisions related to school finance that may have an
impact on your decision making as a school leader, as you determine how to allocate
your resources.
Instructions:
Based on the Module 1 readings :
● Review some of the important court cases mentioned in Owings and Kaplan
(2020) that have impacted school finance reform in recent years. You may
also visit https://nces.ed.gov/edfin/litigation.asp for additional cases.
● Write a 5-7 page paper summarizing and describing the impact of each case.
As you analyze and reflect, provide some detail regarding how each case will
impact your work as a school leader.