Role of A Computer Programmer

Computer programmers write, test, and maintain the detailed instructions, called programs, that computers must follow to perform their functions. They also conceive, design, and test logical structures for solving problems by computer. Many technical innovations in programming-advanced computing technologies and sophisticated new languages and programming tools-have redefined the role of a programmer and elevated much of the programming work done today. Job titles and descriptions may vary, depending on the organization. Computer programs tell the computer what to do, which information to identify and access, how to process it, and what equipment to use. Programs vary widely depending upon the type of information to be accessed or generated. For example, the instructions involved in updating financial records are very different from those required to duplicate conditions on board an aircraft for pilots training in a flight simulator. Although simple programs can be written in a few hours, programs that use complex mathematical formulas, whose solutions can only be approximated, or that draw data from many existing systems may require more than a year of work. In most cases, several programmers work together as a team under a senior programmer's supervision. Programmers write programs according to the specifications determined primarily by computer software engineers and systems analysts. After the design process is complete, it is the job of the programmer to convert that design into a logical series of instructions that the computer can follow. The programmer then codes these instructions in a conventional programming language, such as COBOL; an artificial intelligence language, such as Prolog; or one of the most advanced object-oriented languages such as Java, C++, or Smalltalk. Different programming languages are used depending on the purpose of the program. COBOL, for example, is commonly used for business applications, whereas Fortran (short for â€Å"formula translation†) is used in science and engineering. C++ is widely used for both scientific and business applications. Many programmers at the enterprise level are also expected to know platform-specific languages used in database programming. Programmers generally know more than one programming language and, because many languages are similar, they often can learn new languages relatively easily. In practice, programmers often are referred to by the language they know, as are Java programmers, or the type of function they perform or environment in which they work, which is the case for database programmers, mainframe programmers, or Web programmers. Programmers often are grouped into two broad types, applications programmers and systems programmers. Applications programmers write programs to handle a specific job, such as a program to track inventory within an organization. They may also revise existing packaged software or customize generic applications called middleware. Systems programmers, on the other hand, write programs to maintain and control computer systems software, such as operating systems, networked systems, and database systems. These workers make changes in the sets of instructions that determine how the network, workstations, and central processing unit of the system handle the various jobs they have been given, and how they communicate with peripheral equipment such as terminals, printers, and disk drives. Because of their knowledge of the entire computer system, systems programmers often help applications programmers to determine the source of problems that may occur with their programs. Most systems programmers hold a 4-year degree in computer science. Extensive knowledge of a variety of operating systems is essential for such workers. This includes being able to configure an operating system to work with different types of hardware and having the skills needed to adapt the operating system to best meet the needs of a particular organization. Systems programmers also must be able to work with database systems, such as DB2, Oracle, or Sybase. Programmers in software development companies may work directly with experts from various fields to create software, either programs designed for specific clients or packaged software for general use, ranging from games and educational software to programs for desktop publishing and financial planning. Much of this type of programming takes place in the preparation of packaged software, which constitutes one of the most rapidly growing segments of the computer services industry. In some organizations, particularly small ones, workers commonly known as programmer-analysts are responsible for both the systems analysis and the actual programming work. Advanced programming languages and new object-oriented programming capabilities are increasing the efficiency and productivity of both programmers and users. The transition from a mainframe environment to one that is based primarily on personal computers (PCs) has blurred the once rigid distinction between the programmer and the user. Increasingly, adept end-users are taking over many of the tasks previously performed by programmers. For example, the growing use of packaged software, such as spreadsheet and database management software packages, allows users to write simple programs to access data and perform calculations. Required skills vary from job to job, but the demand for various skills generally is driven by changes in technology. Employers using computers for scientific or engineering applications usually prefer college graduates who have degrees in computer or information science, mathematics, engineering, or the physical sciences. Graduate degrees in related fields are required for some jobs. Employers who use computers for business applications prefer to hire people who have had college courses in management information systems (MIS) and business and who possess strong programming skills. Although knowledge of traditional languages still is important, employers are placing increasing emphasis on newer, object-oriented programming languages and tools, such as C++ and Java. Additionally, employers are seeking persons familiar with fourth- and fifth-generation languages that involve graphic user interface (GUI) and systems programming. Employers also prefer applicants who have general business skills and experience related to the operations of the firm.

Four P’s of Redbox

4 P’s of Redbox: Product Redbox’s products consist of DVD, Blu-ray disc and video game rentals. Each of the discs come secured with a barcoded DVD case and are vended from a kiosk. These kiosks are self-serve, customer- interactive computer terminals that are available for public use. Each of Redbox’s kiosks can hold up to 200 titles and 630 discs. Redbox is known for their signature color, being red, displayed on both their kiosks and their product cases. The color red was chosen to stand out and assist in attracting customers. At these kiosks customers can browse the selection of DVD’s by categories such as genre, latest releases, most popular and alphabetical order. The rental period for the discs end at 9:00 the night after they were rented; and can be returned to any Redbox kiosk location regardless of where they were rented from. 4 P’s of Redbox: Place Like mentioned above, the DVD’s and video games are dispensed from Redbox kiosks. The kiosks can be found in grocery stores, pharmacies, mass retailers, convenience stores and fast food restaurants. There are approximately 31,500 kiosk locations across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. If a customer wants to know where the closest Redbox location is or is having trouble finding a Redbox location, they have two options; they can download the Redbox mobile app on their cell phone or text the word â€Å"FIND† to the number ‘727272’. According to the official Redbox website, 68% of the United States population lives within only a five minute drive of a kiosk, which is very convenient for the customer. 4 P’s of Redbox: Price The movie rentals originally started out at just $1 a day (including tax), but due to expenses the company has incurred, the movie rentals are now up to $1.20 a day. Blu-ray discs are $1.50 and video games are $2 per day. The DVD’s and video games can be purchased with only a debit or credit card. For every extra day the customer holds onto the disc, they will be charged for another rental period. The maximum rental period is 25 days, and the maximum rental charge is $25. So, once the maximum charge is reached, the disc becomes the owners to keep and does not need to be returned.4 P’s of Redbox: Promotion For promotion, Redbox offers their â€Å"Redbox Text Club† which sends out deals, freebies and free promo codes every month to customers who have signed up to receive text messages from them. Redbox also offers their â€Å"Refer-A-Friend Program†. With this program, individuals can receive rental credits for referring new cus tomers; these rental credits can then be redeemed and used towards getting a free rental. Individuals can also receive freebies, reviews, and the latest news from if they follow Redbox on Facebook. If customers decide to reserve a DVD or video game ahead of time, they can also receive rental credits and get their first reservation rental for free.

Arms Race

The great war of 1914 was one of the bloodiest conflicts modern man has yet experienced. Its consequences reached far from the battlefield and into the towns, homes and families of the soldiers. There are many arguable points one could debate regarding the origins of WW1 but much guilt resides on the part of the arms race. An arms race can best be described as one country adding a portion to Its military then a neighboring country doing the same because It is nervous.The two countries continuously keep adding to their military might to keep up with one nother. Edward Cray, Britain's foreign secretary from 1906-1916 offered a good examplel . If one country builds a rail way to the border of a neighboring country, then that country will feel threatened and subsequently will build a railroad of its own to the border. Anticipating an attack, the first country will begin to mobilize its army and perhaps build weapons. The second country now feels incredibly threatened and mobilizes its ow n army calling in all the reserve troops possible.Gray assessed that the only way to stop an arms race is war. An arms race does not simply start on its own. There is indubitably some event that triggers the arming of a country. In WWI, that can be attributed to the treaties between European countries2. When Austria and Serbia get into a dispute, Austria Issues an ultimatum with ten conditions. Serbia agrees to all but one and starts looking around for backup In case of attack. Serbia forms an alliance with Russia because Russia hates Austria. When Austria finds out they call their friend Germany for an alliance.Russia subsequently calls France knowing that France is looking for an easy shot to get back at Germany Tor tne Franco-Prusslan war Trom akes them pay dearly n w cn Germany aeTeats France ana for the loss3. On the day of the ultimatum, Austria declares war on Serbia, Russia declares war on Austria, Germany declares war on Russia, and France declares war on Germany. French an d German Military development France had bounced back fairly quickly after the Franco-Prussian war and paid off their debts ahead of time. They were quickly becoming an industrialized nation with many assets.Their progress made both Germany and Britain wary because they both wanted to be the most powerful country and were insecure about any sort of threat. Around 1912 when things were beginning to heat up in Europe Russia, Germany and France began to ramp up their military forces4. Germany Added 120,000 men to its army in anticipation of trouble. With Germany beginning to arm, France passes a compulsory service law that required all men ages 20-40 to serve in the military for a set amount of time. For twenty years, Frances army had been growing faster that Germanys.This changed drastically though when Germany decided to start pouring majority of their resources into their military. Germany, although not one hundred percent responsible for the war, certainly did not back away from it . They participated in arms races such as these and instigated others such as the naval arms race. When war came about, Germany was more than ready for it because to their years of preparation due to the arms race. English and German Army development Around this same time Germany was trying to cause an issue between France and Britain over the country of Morocc05.Germany was trying to cause issues over the independence of Morocco mainly because they themselves had personal commercial interests in the area and they wanted to insight strife between the two fore mentioned countries. An international conference was called and Germany did not get its way. This critically weekend the already strained relations between Britain and Germany and France and Germany. After Germany failed to get what it wanted, it stopped relying so much on diplomacy and more and more on brute military power.As a result of this, Britain formed an elite group of men numbering 150,000 in size that was ready to cro ss the English Channel at a moment's notice to invade Germany6. Germany knew this and was made nervous by it prompting them to mobilize even more. Russian and German arms Development When Russia saw this, they became concerned and added 500,000 to their own army and launched the â€Å"Great Military Program† that would add 10 percent to its army each following year. Russia had the most available man power but it was also the least industrialized of the major powers which would prove to be a very serious setback.Germany had not been really bothered by France and Russia arming themselves until they formed the Franco Russian Alliance in 18947. If war were to break out, Germany would be fghting on two fronts instead of only one which could spread their resources to the limit. Because Russia's army was 300,000 men bigger tnan Germanys In IYUU, Germany Increased ne growtn 0T Its army even more In anticipation of having to fght a raging battle on two fronts. Russia's army was consid ered a steam roller and was believe to be able to Just â€Å"roll† over any obstacle in its path with no trouble at a118.By this point, Germany, Russia, England, and France all had the new intentions of war such as the maxim gun, airplanes, and gas. They also had the factories to produce them. Some had better infrastructure already in place but they all had the capability. Germanys advantage ver both Russia and France was its incredible train system that would allow it to mobilize much quicker. The land arms race in general It is quite impressive to look at the spending of European countrys on their defense system in the years leading up to World War 1. Looking at the data, it seems quite obvious that we were on the brink of war.As far as defense spending goes, Germany was the most dramatic influx in spending per capita. While most countries populations are increasing at the about average rate while Russia more than doubles in size. As fore mentioned they were a formidable am ount of man ower yet not yet quite industrialized enough to use these men to their full potential. Britain and German Naval Race In the years preceding WWI, Britain had been making an effort to expand their navy. Due to their status as an island nation, it was imperative that they maintain a powerful naw to protect their interests.Also, in the days of empires, Britain had to maintain a powerful maritime force to protect their interest across the world. In 1889 Britain passed a series of laws known as the â€Å"Two Power Standard†10. This policy states that Britain must maintain a fleet at least as big as the fleets of two other ountries combined. When this policy originally passed, they were looking at Russia and France. Whenever these two nations built new ships, Britain would build an equal or greater numDer In order to stay at or aoove tne same level 0T prestige.Britain encountered some trouble when The United States of America, soon to become the most powerful, prestigiou s, and desirable country in the world, started building an elite naval fghting force. At this same time, Japan and Germany were both developing their maritime forcesl 1 . Originally, Germany wanted to threaten Britain into Joining he triple alliance by building their naw but this had the opposite effect. Winston Churchill pointed out that Germany did not really need a naval force and it was more of a â€Å"luxury' while Britain's was a necessity.Sir Edward Gray stated that Britain's naw is to them what Germanys army is to Germany. They also argued that Germany was only producing a naw to threaten Britain's commercial trade interests and their imperial colonies. However, Britain is not the kind of country to sit around aimlessly while they feel threatened. They responded by building a new type of ship powered by a turbine engine called the Dreadnaughtl 2. This new fghting wonder was supposedly capable of sinking an entire fleet of it's less powerful and agile predecessor the common battle ship.Germanys strategy was not to build a naw so significant that it could beat Britain's in an all-out display of might but one Just big enough to keep Britain's naw busy. By continuing to build ships with no intent of outbuilding Britain, they kept Britain nervous and spending a lot of money they did not necessarily have to. After England introduced the dreadnought, Germany was not far behind. Although they did not want to out build Britain, they could not afford o be outnumbered by ships of such a superior caliber.As it stood in 1914, Britain had 23 dreadnaughts, 10 battle cruisers, 30 pre-dreadnoughts, 47 cruisers, 61 light cruisers, 225 destroyers and 70 submarines13. This was the biggest naw in the world. Germany was in second place with 13 dreadnaughts, 6 battle cruisers, 30 pre- dreadnoughts, 14 cruisers, 35 light cruisers, 152 destroyers, and 30 submarines. We can attribute the fact that Germany is most renowned in this wasr for the use of submarines due to their sin king of high profile targets like the Lusitania.Also, Britain's submarines would not have had the great opportunity at sinking ships German submarines did because there were not as many German trade ships floating around. Looking at these numbers, we can tell that Germany had precisely built the amount of ships they needed to keep the Englanders occupied and nervous. This was a very good plan on Germanys part because every dollar Britain was pouring into their naw was a dollar that would not go towards their land force. Germanys army was far bigger than England's and they wanted it to stay that way.In 1912, Britain ctually tried to reach a settlement with Germany regarding the future of the arms race but it proved unsuccessful when Germany rejected it14. Britain did not want to keep pouring as much money as they were into their naw or military at all. As a result of Germanys refusal, Britain recalled all their ships across the world back to home waters to be ready for an attack. The other Naval Powers France ta s tnlra place wltn 14 areaanaugnts, no Dattle crulsers, 15 pre- dreadnaughts, 19 cruisers, 6 light cruisers, 81 destroyers, and no submarines. America came in behind France in fourth place.We had 10 dreadnaughts, 1 battle cruiser, 7 pre-dreadnaughts, 8 cruisers, Slight cruisers, 106 destroyers, and 39 submarines. We ruined Britain's 2:1 policy in 1916 when Woodrow Wilson passed a law that required our naw to be at least as big as Britain's. Russia also had a mid- sized naw although it was iced in to their cold and inhospitable harbor at St. Petersburg. They possessed 4 dreadnaughts, 1 battle cruiser, 7 pre-dreadnaughts, 8 cruisers, 5 light cruisers, 106 destroyers, and 36 submarines15. Japan was also a cause of worry for both Germany and Britain at first hen they emerged from their mystical land with a not inconsequential navy.They possessed 4 dreadnaughts, 2 battle cruisers, 2 pre-dreadnaughts, 9 cruisers, 1 5 light cruisers, 56 destroyers, and 15 subm arines. All these naws had been escalating dramatically over the years leading up to World War 1 even though most of the fghting was to be on land. This was because if one country could have a big enough naw to hold a blockade across a main importing port of the enemy to cut off their supplies. In conclusion, I think we can definitively say that Sir Edward Gray was correct when e stated that the only means to end an arms race is through war.Once things begin to escalate, there is only a small disturbance that is necessary to catapult the countries involved into all-out war as seen in The Great war. Once an army is mobilized and hostile with another country, the only thing necessary to get the ball rolling is a degrading remark from a high up official or perhaps a trigger happy soldier. All this could be avoided if the countries had not been trying to compete against each other in the development of arms, armies, and navies.

Web Services. Design Patterns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Web Services. Design Patterns - Essay Example Web services have appeared as a most attractive and extensible technology that facilitates application-to-application interaction, using open standards and protocols. At the present, the use of web service has become very common. Basically, a web service is a software application that is purposefully designed for running over the internet. In this scenario, the web server is used to host a web service that is accessible to its users for use over the internet. Once the web service is created, it has to be uploaded on a web host, with the intention that Web service can be made available to everyone over the Internet. We should not use web server for the purpose of testing a web service. A web service can be tested by making use of a local web server (VKInfotek, 2012; Wang et al., 2004). Basically, the web services are created to address the need of connecting applications from incompatible and mismatched environments, for instance UNIX and Windows, or J2EE and .NET. The main theme behi nd the emergence of Web services was basically to efficiently deal with the challenge of interoperability and integration of applications developed in diverse platforms. In addition, Web services support almost all the programming languages on any platform. Additionally, the web services can also be used in the case when there is need to apply a specific functionality, feature in a wide variety of business applications. In this scenario, the integration of a web service to a business application improves the functionality and scope of that particular application. Furthermore, a web service can be integrated with web applications, windows applications, mobile applications and websites (VKInfotek, 2012; Wang et al., 2004). In addition, there exist a wide variety of web services across the web that have the capability of carrying out simple as well as complex tasks for instance performing the simple task of information processing as well as executing complex business processes. Also, w e have a variety of standards and protocols that have been developed to deal with web services such as Web Services Description Language (WSDL) that presents machine-readable information of Web services, simple object access protocol (SOAP) that enables exchange of messages between Web services, a Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry which is a directory of Web services WSDLs (Wang et al., 2004; Phu, 2005). In the light of the above discussion, we can conclude that in the near future, Web application development will be dominated by Web Services, and it is expected that most web application development will involve just the calling of existing Web Services. DQ2: Other Design Patterns This week we discussed and implemented the MVC design pattern for Web based database interfaces. However, there are otherdesign patterns that may be directly applicable to PHP programming, orweb programming in general. Find another design pattern which could be used for web b ased development and write a synopsis on it, pointing out whether it would be applicable for use within your project or not. Comment as applicable on design patterns that other class membersprovide. â€Å"A design pattern points to an issue that can take place repeatedly in a programming environment, and then points out the idea of the way out to that issue. In this scenario, this solution can be applied to this or any other similar problem a million times over, even there is no need to do it the same way twice" (Wallace, 2000). In simple words, a design pattern describes a problem and its solution. However, descriptive name should be used for a design pattern so that it can be

Cultural Dimensions of Wal-Mart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Dimensions of Wal-Mart - Case Study Example The cultural dimension affects not only the human resources, but the company is also affected by the culture of the country/ region of its operation. There were widespread protests in December 2006 against the game, "Left Behind: Eternal Forces". This game was being marketed by Wal-Mart. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged Wal-Mart to stop retailing this game. Their contention was that this video game propagated religious violence. The group reminded Wal-Mart of its corporate social responsibility to take along people of all culture and faith (UPI Security & Terrorism, 2006). Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas Wal-Mart Stores (Wal-Mart) is the largest retail chain in the world. Since it caters to a wide variety of customers, its HR strength too belongs to a wide range of culturally diverse groups and communities. The company operates retail stores in the form of supercenters, discount stores and neighborhood markets. Wal-Mart has its footprints in many big markets like US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Japan, China and Mexico. Besides the physical stores, the company also provides an opportunity to its customers to buy the products online from its website. Since the company's market base is very wide, it is very crucial for the company to take care of the cultural values and emotions of different communities, ethnic groups and societies. For example, now a days the company is actively pursuing its ventures into the Indian market. From the marketing perspective Indian market is said to be a potential market, therefore taking fullest advantage of globalization o f economy and rapid liberalization of Indian economy, most of the big companies/ MNCs are making it a point to see that their venture into Indian market sees light of the day as soon as possible. Wal-Mart too is in talks with a leading Indian business group Bharti Enterprises Ltd. (Bharti) for exploring business opportunities in the Indian retail industry. Indians are supposed to be very much protective about their values and cultures, for example though a vast majority of Indians enjoy non-vegetarian food, but some non-vegetarian items like beef and pork a strict no-no in the public domain, because of religious reasons. These items are not supposed to be advertised in the media, not to be sold publicly. Wal-Mart will have to take care of such sensibilities. In the context of cultural dimension, the 'Wal-Mart effect' is known to have a range of effects signifying the ways in which Wal-Mart carries out its business operations (Fishman, 2006). The Wal-Mart effect in essence is the reshaping of shopping habits, draining out of viability of traditional local shopping areas, downward pressure on the prices, and the success of a large business at the expense of its rivals. The company therefore tries to take into account the local character. Some of the strengths of Wal-Mart are its strong market position in US, a world class supply chain, and a strong portfolio of private label products. Farra (2006), states that while the principles of retailing could be universal but the actual implementation of these principles varies from country to country based on country, culture and context. A study conducted by A T Kearney finds out that from 2002-06,

Portfolio Cover Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Portfolio Cover Letter - Essay Example However, the main assignments made me come to the realization that I had a long way to go to become an accomplished writer. The connect assignment, the literature review and rhetorical analysis essay as well as the class wikis were some of the assignments we engaged in and while the first ones were pretty simple, however as they became more structured and complex in nature it became more challenging. Assignments such as the forums, essays and creating my Twitter page about Journey to the west were all helpful in enabling me to better structure my writing and integrate the skills that I had gained from connect assignments. Each subsequent writing assignment enabled me to better my skills and open my mind to new, unique and creative ideas. I had the most difficulty with the wiki assignment since I had not yet learned how to be flexible in my writing enough to provide what was needed by the professor. It was also the first time creating a wiki and while I had thought that the presence of links within the information I was giving was optional, I did not do the assignment with as open a mind as I should have had. I also had a difficult time clearly researching on the provided topic which I think actively contributed to the low grade that I got. I did feel a sense of disappointment but fast came to the realization that I could improve and I therefore decided to take the comments that I had been given to heart instead of looking at it from a negative point of view. The connect assignments were also key in my growth; when we first began, I thought that it would be easy since I was familiar with the use of verbs and shifting tenses however the intensity and difficulty of the assignments got to me and I soon found that I was struggling to keep to the set time for handing in the assignments. However, while I was at times late, my level of engagement in each of the assignments I did was consistent and on point since I was driven by

Is there a need for Public Health Nutritionists to be accredited as a Essay

Is there a need for Public Health Nutritionists to be accredited as a regulated and professional body in the UK Discuss - Essay Example On the other hand, a growing number of information is now accessible through internet and various media types. There is then a conflict on who to believe when it comes to nutrition. In this case, although voluntary registration appropriately assesses capabilities of public health nutritionists, there is still a need for mandatory regulation and accreditation as a professional body in United Kingdom that will address the complex nutritional demands of its citizens. British culture in relation to food made some gradual alterations. As surmised by Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2008), â€Å"there is a healthier pattern of intake†¦ but there is still need for immediate actions to ensure further improvements in patterns of food consumption and intake of several nutrients.† In this area, although progress has taken place, guidance to guarantee its continued rise is still required. The role of organizations is to keep up with the current trend. Presently, the Nutrition Society is the leading organization in the â€Å"advancement of scientific study of nutrition and its application to the maintenance of human and animal health† (Buttriss & Daniels, 2003). This ensures proper screening of individuals and legal organizations in nutrition and related fields. The said organization offers a voluntary approach in registration processes, wherein â€Å"assessment mechanisms focuses on attainment of minimum standard of compete ncy in knowledge, skills, and attitudes on the required tasks† (Davies, Margetts & Hughes, n.d.). The minimal techniques employed seemed to contradict the graveness of the situation involving the present overall nutritional status of British people. Specifically, Nutrition Society initially was in charge during the creation of voluntary registration for public health nutrition (PHN). In an article entitled Overview of the Public Health Nutrition Landscape (Anon., n.d.), it defined public health nutrition as