Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Replacement Movie Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Replacement Movie - Assignment Example It clearly shows his ability to analyze different situations in the game and to know when it is appropriate for him to make a move with the ball towards his opponents. Secondly, just before the game starts we see that how calculative he is concerning the goals. He believes that certain actions like coming to the match or game late have the potency of providing negative results during the game and he is also not welcoming on taking excuses from his fellow teammates regarding the game. This we see in his conversation with Keanu on why he reported late to the game. Brooke as a character in the movie also shows leadership in how she interacts with Keanu regarding him going to the game. Brooke shows social responsibility which amounts in civic responsibility as she is sure that Keanu’s car will not allow him to be in time for his game. She volunteers to drive Keanu in her car. In addition, she displays integrity because when she asked Keanu to join her in her car, she was genuine a nd willing to drive Keanu to the game (The Replacements). John Madden and Pat Summerall also show leadership based on social responsibility. They have taken the role as the play by play announcers to ongoing match that is being played by the two teams. We see their ability to communicate effectively and clearly during the game. In most cases, people are always anxious when placed in fronts of cameras, but in the movie, they show the ability to stand before large crowds of people in front of cameras and deliver.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Starbucks CRM Recommendations report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Starbucks CRM Recommendations report - Essay Example The coffee beverage company is located in Seattle, America. Starbucks has coffee chains all over the globe including the United Kingdom, Japan, and China. The company is widely recognized for its powerful customer care that has enabled it to enjoy customer loyalty in the beverage industry (Jargon, 2009). In reference to Keightley (2014), the act of customer journey mapping is an important method used by many organisations in order to visualize the real experience of their customers. A touch point describes the interface of a brand with the customers.In the process of an interaction, it enables the company to understand how customers visualize the company’s products in their journey. In accordance with my previous assignment, I highlighted several touch points in terms of customer experience whether positive, neutral or negative. In this report, the touch points with a baseline or a negative experience have been analysed. The recommendation report aims to narrow down on the effectiveness of the touch points and the necessary measures that should be carried out in order to achieve the business objectives of Starbucks. The process of implementing the suggested remedies is clearly outlined in the last sections of the work. The IDIC framework that has been used to analyse the effe ctiveness of the touch points is well known to render excellent results in terms of customer relationship management. The first step in this model includes the ability to reach out to the customers on an individual basis. The type of relationship developed here ensures that the business enterprise identifies its loyal customers. It does not mean that you need to know them by names but aims at finding a way to ensure that the same customer comes back for the product another day. The customers differ from each other in terms of their value to the business. This means that for a

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Reflect on a personal experience within our time at our clinical rotation

Reflect on a personal experience within our time at our clinical rotation The purpose of this caring paper is to reflect on a personal experience within our time at our clinical rotation in which a patient experienced two of Watsons lower order of needs. Doris Grinspun (2010), a professor from York University defines caring as thinking, doing, and being representing the ways in which nurses enact caring work and manages relationships and present key courses of action in which nurses enact their work focusing on rules of engagement and inequalities. From this, we can establish that caring involves every interaction a nurse has with a patient, from the first introduction, throughout the healing process and the termination phase between the nurse and client. Caring science embraces all ways of knowing/being/doing: ethical, intuitive, personal, empirical, aesthetic, and even spiritual/metaphysical ways of knowing and Being (Watson, 2008). This paper will focus on a description of my patient and their diagnosis, caritas processes, two of Watsons lower order of needs which will include activity/inactivity and sexual intimacy, and possible nursing interventions that can be put into place to help improve the quality of care for the hospitalized patient. The personal encounter with a patient with two of Watsons lower order of needs was diagnosed with dementia, or failure to cope. Dementia is the development of multiple cognitive deficits, manifested by memory impairment and other deficits affecting language, inability to carry out motor functions, failure to recognize or identify objects and a disturbance in functioning (Jarvis, 2009). It was evident when dealing with this patient that she had a cognitive impairment. I introduced myself to her on the first day, and when I returned to her bed side the following morning to get her up and take her vital signs, she had no recollection of who I was from the previous day. I had to continuously remind her who I was throughout the course of the two days I was in clinical. She referred to the nursing students as the kids in blue. Her diagnosis mainly affected her ability to remember people, place, and sometimes memories, but when it came to retaining facts, she was very capable; an example wa s the recreational therapy that she attended in which she was always able to answer the trivia questions or the answer to the crossword. Over the course of the two days in which she was my assigned patient that I was to care for, I got know her well. She trusted me from the beginning because she knew I was just doing my job. She quickly began to open up to me and told me about her family. She came from a large family of six kids, of that she had four brothers all of whom always looked out for her and her sister. She was born and raised, and lived in Oshawa her entire life. While growing up, her family lived on a farm. Herself and her siblings assisted in the chores around the bard, including milking the cows and gathering the chicken eggs. My patient married her husband in her twenties and had four kids; three sons and one daughter. She informed me many times that she loved her family and enjoys when any member of her family is able to come and visit her. One of Watsons lower orders of needs is activity/inactivity. One of the health challenges my patients experiences was the fact that she was non-ambulatory. She was only allowed to be in her bed or in her wheelchair because she had a high risk of falling. Due to her lack of ability to move around, her muscles would slowly start to experience atrophy. Deconditioning is a process or physiological change following a period of inactivity or bed rest that results in a decrease in muscle mass, weakness, functional decline and the ability to perform daily living activities (Gillis MacDonald, 2008). It is observed in an increasing frequency as a consequence of hospitalization for many older adults. While in the hospital receiving care, many elderly patients, due to age, begin to grow frail and are at a greater risk of falls. To counteract this problem, many patients are assigned bed-rest, or stay in their wheel-chair all the time. This limits the patients ability to get up and walk around. A recent study concluded that older hospitalized patients 70 years and up showed a decline in activities of daily living associated with deconditioning on discharge (Brown et al., 2004). To prevent deconditioning, a nursing intervention must be to look for risk factors and intervene proactively. This is assuming that nurses have the prerequisite knowledge, skills and attitudes to recognize and respond to the specialized needs of hospitalized older patients. I found that my patient had a hard time accepting the fact that she was unable to get out of her wheelchair and walk around. At one point she was so determined she unbuckled herself and attempted to get out and walk. Having to go in there and tell her otherwise was a challenge because seeing the disappointment in her eyes upset me. Physical inactivity is a risk factor for many conditions experienced by the elderly. Exercise helps older people feel better and enjoy life more, even if they think they are too old or too out of shape (Ebersole et al., 2008). Gerontological continuing education programs should contain a core component on the prevention of deconditioning (Gillis MacDonald, 2008). It should focus on diagnosis and assessment of risk for deconditioning, prevention, interventions, and strategies for the patient and family teaching. I believe that due to her inactivity, or lack of mobility, her routine was rather repetitive; get up, vitals, bed bath, get dressed, get into whee lchair and sit there until she wanted to go back to bed. A persons need for activity/inactivity is fundamental and central to ones life, as it affects the ability to move about and interact with his or her environment and to control ones external surroundings (Watson, 2008). To maintain competency in the field, the nurse must use his or her knowledge, skill, judgment, attitudes, values and beliefs to perform in a given role, situation and practice setting (CNO, 2002). It is important to establish best practices in gerontology and implement them in a consistent manner to improve the knowledge of nurses. This will enhance the confidence level and provide to the elderly the quality care that they deserve. The other lower orders of need of Watsons that will be discussed in this paper is sexuality and intimacy. Touch affects almost anything we do; all humans require touch (Ebersole et al., 2008). To a palliative patient in a hospital or in a nursing home, they tend to lose the sense of touch, which can be a form of comfort or help decrease anxiety, from their loved ones, due to them passing on or the distance put between the patient and the remaining family members. Hollinger and Buschmann (1993) proposed that attitudes toward touch and acceptance of touch affect the behaviour of both caregiver and patient. As a nurse, either a task related touch, or even an expressive form of a touch such as holding the patients hand will show a supportive nature, and that is all the patient requires, a form of touch and belonging. When working with my patient, although she had a few family members who did come to visit her, they lived a bit farther away so travelling to pay a visit was a challenge. With her diagnosis of dementia, she also tended to not remember clearly. She told me various times that everyone just forgot about her, no one cared and she was stuck in the hospital until she was gone. She did not lack the companionship of others; she just tended to forget about it sometimes. Nurses provide health services to an increasing number of older adults in acute care settings (Turner et al., 2001). Although there are many patients requiring care in either a nursing home or on a geriatrics ward of a hospital, every patient requires the companionship of others, especially if the patient does not have visitors to come. Just a couple minutes taken out of your day to talk with, or give a back rub to a patient is all they need rather than being stuck with a window to look out of, or a roommate that does not want to talk, or sleeps all day. We all need each other to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Nurses need to think about touching as part of caring (Ebersole et al., 2008). A nursing intervention that could be helpful to improve this order of is the type of culture that you were born into. It will give you the experience you need and will have a large influence on your comfort level with touching others. Be sure to assess a patients readiness to being touched with a social touch. Enhance the knowledge and skills of staff nurses in providing care to elderly patients (Turner et al., 2001). One cannot enter into and sustain Caritas practices for caring-healing without being personally prepared (Watson, 2008). Developing and sustaining a helping-trusting caring relationship is one of Watsons Caritas Processes (2008). For a nurse to be personally prepared means knowing and understanding the practice to which will be carried out and providing the best safe, competent, quality care to which the patient deserved. For this process to be carried out in regards to caring for an elderly patient would be to be a positive role model who understands the job description and articulates professional practice while providing care. As a nurse, the best way to provide care to any patient, no matter what the diagnosis is to develop a caring relationship of skills and caring competencies, not necessarily about the technique. As a nursing student, while I was caring for the patient I described above, although I learned the technique to take vital signs, perform a bed bath, and perform asse ssments, it is about the relationship which I form with my patient. From the beginning, ensure that the patient feels a sense of trust and feels care, not just the sense from the nurse this is my job, Im just doing my job and leaving, making the patient suffer the consequences of noncaring such as fear, helpless, and vulnerable. Authentic caring relationship building is concerned with deepening our humanity; it is about processes of being-becoming more humane, compassionate, aware, and awake to our own and others human dilemma. Being present to, and supportive of, the expression of positive and negative feelings is another of Watsons Caritas Processes (2008). The first priority nurses should consider when caring for patients is their health and safety. In order to do this, a nurse must be open and supportive of the care that is being given to the patient. It is through being present to and allowing constructive expression of all feelings that we create a foundation for trust and caring (Watson, 2008). When caring for my patient described above, there was a moment where she was having negative feelings about being in her wheelchair. I allowed her to express all her thoughts and opinions on the issue she was having and from there, using communication and problem solving, together we were able to solve her problem. The best way to achieve a solution when dealing with a client with a problem is through the connection with the patient. A nursing intervention is to allow the patient to express his or her feelings , whether they are positive or negative. By allowing the facilitation of expression, the nurse permits the process of personal expression and acceptance of ones feelings while also creating an awareness of feelings put out into the open to release and form a constructive way to deal with them. The nurse can provide the older adult with a therapeutic environment that supports the clients independence (Arnold Boggs, 2007). Make sure the client feels safe both physically and emotionally to open up and express the problem and ensure that the problem will be resolved if both the client and nurse collaborate together to fix it. While caring for clients during clinical, we learn hands-on skills, experience things first hand, make mistakes and learn from them, and provide the best quality care to patients. The best parts of caring for the older patients are the conversations, positive attitudes, even though they are in a hospital and the encouragement they give. The encouragement that our group of nursing students will be great nurses, and have the qualities of a good nurse to provide safe, competent, quality care. Given the increase age of population and the small decrease in the number of family physicians, we need to do a better job preventing frailty and common conditions of aging (Frank, 2010). This can be done through advocacy and health promotion. Enjoy the interactions with the elderly people as a special part of providing care. The caring component of nursing practice has become an increasingly visible activity of nursing (Clarke, 2007). Patients expect nurses to provide treatment to assist with heal th promotion, but they also expect to receive safe, competent care. The patients do not want to feel that they are a hassle, or are looked down upon because of a disease or diagnosis. A nurse must respect each individual need and not pass judgment. The role of a nurse is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him or her; caring, healing, loving relationships are natural (Nightingale, 1969).

Friday, October 25, 2019

A report about Internet/intranet and server requirements :: Computer Science

A report about Internet/intranet and server requirements The internet server An Internet server delivers WebPages to computers via a telephone or broadband connection called a dial up connection. This can be done to computers anywhere in the world as long as they are connected to the internet. An internet server has something called DNS enabling. This allows a website to be found from that websites own server e.g. when someone types www.microsoft.com, the website is associated to Microsoft server so the website is delivered to your computer screen. The Intranet Server The intranet server is similar to the internet server as it delivers WebPages to computers however it is for LAN (local area networks). This means the pages are private and run through localised cabling. The WebPages are not available to computers outside the LAN and dial up connections are not enabled. Organisation the internet and intranet Internets are organised by numerous internet servers connected through a permanent broadband connection. For protection the servers are protected from other computers putting viruses and harmful materials by firewalls. Intranets are local so other computers outside the Local area network (LAN) cannot connect to the network. Ways of connected to the internet 1. Dial up modem-mainly used at home, works by dialing a telephone number of an internet server and connects via that. Standard connection is 56kb. This means it sends 56,000 bits per second. 2. LAN-Delivers the internet to a network of computers via a proxy server. The proxy server connects to the internet and delivers the internet to all the connected computers in a local area network. 3. ISDN (integrated services digital network)-a telephone connection that is designed to deliver digital information for computers but also can deliver audio signals for telephone conversations. It is generally faster than standard modem connections, usually 64kb or 128kb per second. 4. Broadband-Digital telephone connection that is constantly connected, delivering data much quicker than other connections at speeds 10, 20 or even 50 times quicker than your standard 56kb connection. Instead of using a modem it uses a router allowing a permanent connection. Web Server Requirements Web servers can be as fast or powerful as the user requires. This is dependent on what system they are running. A standard internet server will be 500MHZ, have 256MB of RAM and have around 8GB hard drive space. Of course all of these can be expanded dependent on the users needs. Also it depends on how many users are on the network. The more users, the faster the server will be required to allow a good internet

Thursday, October 24, 2019

History of Circular Saw Essay

Circular Saw- As changes in the economics of the industry occurred, developments in powered machinery began that had an impact on both preparing and assembling. In 1805, Brunel took out a patent for large circular saws particularly associated with veneer cuttingand in 1807 developed the saw further in association with block-making machinery. However, one of the most important developments was not on this scale at all. The small circular saw of up to seven inches diameter, often operated by a treadle, was one of the keys to the success of small-scale furniture makers. This saw enabled makers of cheap furniture to square up, mitre and rabbet cleanly, accurately, and quickly, allowing the frames of cheap carcase work to be simply rebated and nailed. This method of rebating, using a circular saw, was particularly useful for drawer-making which was traditionally a place for using dovetail joints. The advantage of this cheap method was that a dozen drawers could be made in the time it took to merge joint just one. History behind the chair- Thomas Lee was the first to build and found the Adirondack Chair. He made it simply for relaxation for his family members. It was a great success and all his family members really liked the chair. He decided he would show it to a carpenter named Harry Bunnell. Bunnell really liked Lee’s chair and decided that he should start making them more than just for family but for a profit. Without Lee’s knowledge he patented the chair idea and began making his own Adirondack chairs with the same design as Lee’s. It was a big hit around the region and soon in the history of furniture. Originally it was named the Westport chair but then later on it was renamed the Adirondack Chair. Bunnell’s Adirondack chairs were made of hemlock, painted in either dark brown or green, and signed by the carpenter himself. Today, Bunnell’s original chairs come at a hefty price, about $1,200 each and he sold them for only $4.00.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Cost Analysis

Table of content Introduction: Financing decisions and investment decisions are considered to be two of the most vital decisions that corporations have to take. Cost analysis is one of the factors that should be taken into consideration while evaluating financial and investment decisions. This paper reviews the concept of cost analysis, how it is used in decision making, and how firms usually involve cost analysis in evaluating different projects. Furthermore, the paper discusses some of the main concepts that are derived from cost analysis such as cost allocation, cost-effectiveness analysis, and cost-benefit analysis. In addition, some of the advantages and disadvantages of cost analysis will be discussed. Moreover, the concept of intangible cost analysis will be introduced. Then, the results and findings of the research paper will be illustrated. Finally, few recommendations that are based on the results and findings will be made. Literature Review: Due to its high importance in the decision making process, cost analysis has been discussed in many books by several authors who illustrated different aspects of cost analysis. In his book â€Å"cost-benefit analysis,† E. J. Mishan discussed in depth the concept of cost-benefit analysis, which is a form of cost analysis. Professor Mishan focused on some of the key concepts that are related to cost-benefit analysis. The author started his book with few examples of cost analysis in order to illustrate to the reader the meaning of cost-benefit analysis. Then, Mr. Mishan illustrated the economical aspect of cost-benefit analysis and showed how opportunity cost could be related to cost-benefit analysis. Furthermore, Mr. Mishan tried to show how cost-benefit analysis is limited and can be used partially in the decision making process. A notable section of Mr. Mishan’s book is certainty equivalence. In this section, the author developed an assumption that â€Å"enables us formally to rank a number of alternative uncertain benefits without first reducing each to a certainty equivalent. In his article â€Å"Ways to Deliver More for Less,† Harry E. Roberts, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Boscov’s Department Stores, discussed how cost analysis can be used to reduce IT spending. Mr. Roberts discussed how the IT budgeting has changed over time. The author suggested ways to enable Information Technology, which is a cost center rather than a profit center, to â€Å"deliver more than what is expected and at a lower cost than what was budgeted. † Then, Mr. Roberts suggested that a revision for different costs, such as variable costs, fixed costs, and payroll costs, should be made. The author concluded his research by emphasizing on the fact that â€Å"every dollar invested on a cost item must deliver as much value to the business as its highest-margin product or service. † Cost Analysis: Definition According to The U. S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, cost analysis can be defined as â€Å"the process of obtaining cost breakdowns, verifying cost data, evaluating specific elements of costs and examining data to determine necessity, reasonableness, and appropriateness of the costs. Both financing and investment decisions are highly affected by cost analysis as corporations usually pay a great deal of attention to the different types of costs that are involved in the different projects that will be taken into consideration either to raise funds or to invest surplus funds that a corporation has. Sometimes cost analysis is perceived as a tool that is used only to reduce costs. In contrast to this point of view, cost analysis is believe d to be a tool that helps management to choose the best possible solution or project among many different alternatives. In their article â€Å"â€Å"Using Cost Analysis In Evaluation,† Meg Sewell and Mary Marczak believe that cost analysis methods and uses are â€Å"complex, require very sophisticated technical skills and training in methodology and in principles of economics, and should not be taken lightly. † Three Types of Cost Analysis: Three of the main concepts that are derived from cost analysis are cost allocation, cost-effectiveness analysis, and cost-benefit analysis. These three methods are usually used simultaneously in order for corporations to evaluate different decisions or projects. Some of these methods might seem simple and easy to use; however, they should never be ignored or taken slightly as they can be of great benefit in determining the right decisions. Cost Allocation: Cost allocation is the simplest among the three concepts that were mentioned earlier. Sewell and Marczak stated that cost allocation refers to â€Å"setting up budgeting and accounting systems in a way that allows program managers to determine a unit cost or cost per unit of service. Furthermore, Sewell and Marczak illustrated that in many corporations, cost allocation is used to provide â€Å"some of the basic information needed to conduct more ambitious cost analyses such as cost-benefit analysis or cost-effectiveness analysis. † Therefore, it can be concluded that cost allocation is a prerequisite to both cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis. Example: The following table shows the monthly cost allocation for 3 different projects It is important to note that firm s usually allocate their costs based on previous experience and estimation. However, firms should expect costs to change, which can be due to financial crises, inflation, or other factors, and try to adapt their cost allocation systems in such a way that it will handle the new changes. Based on the costing method that the company uses, such as activity-based costing, a more detailed cost allocation system can be structured in order to determine the unit cost as precisely as possible Once costs have been identified and allocated, more advanced cost analysis methods, such as cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis, are used. Cost-effectiveness Analysis: According to Sewell and Marczak, the concept of cost-effectiveness analysis holds that â€Å"a certain benefit or outcome is desired, and that there are several alternative ways to achieve it. † However, cost-effectiveness analysis should not be used separately during the process of evaluating projects or decisions as it will favor the cheapest option. Instead, cost-effectiveness analysis should be used along with cost allocation and cost-benefit analysis in order to provide more precise and more informative outcomes. It is important to mention that cost-effectiveness is a comparative tool that compares the cost of separate projects and favors the least expensive one. If we only used cost-effectiveness to decide which machine to buy, machine 1 will be favored by cost-effectiveness since it will generate products cheaper than machine 2. However, this is not necessarily the correct decision since cost-effectiveness analysis fails to take into consideration certain criteria such as the time each machine requires to generate the product and the quality of the generated products. Cost-benefit Analysis: According to smbtn. com, cost-benefit analysis can be best described as â€Å"An analysis tool that measures the results or benefits of a decision compared with the required costs. † Cost-benefit analysis is perceived as a powerful tool that management usually use whenever a â€Å"buy-or-build† decision needs to be taken. Buy-or-build decisions are usually taken when a firm faces a situation where it has two options: (1) To buy or outsource a certain part of its business (2) To internally manufacture or perform a certain part of its business. Cost-benefit analysis can assist in taking buy-or-build decisions as it will illustrate the benefits and costs that are expected if buy decision or build decision is taken. Cost-benefit analysis consists of several tools, such as benefit-to-costs ratio, that are used to analyze and compare benefits and costs that are involved in a certain project. According to Sewell and Marczak, benefit-to-costs ratio is â€Å"the total monetary cost of the benefits or outcomes divided by the total monetary costs of obtaining them. Despite the fact the cost-benefit seems to be the most powerful tool to analyze costs and taking cost related decisions, it should be used along with other tools such as cost-effectiveness analysis and cost allocation. Using cost-benefit analysis separately from other tools can result in misleading decisions that can cost management dearly. If the benefits-to-costs ratio is greater than 1, then the project should be analyzed further, compared to other projects and taken into consideration as a potential project that the firm can invest in or use to raise funds. Advantages of Cost Analysis: Cost analysis can be of great help for management as it can be used as a tool in the decision making process. Some of the most important advantages of cost analysis are: Cost analysis can clarify all costs that are involved in a certain project. Cost analysis will draw attention to costs that may not be obvious at first. Consequently, allowing managers to take more precise financing or investment decisions. Cost analysis can help management prioritize tasks and processes when budgets are limited. It is believed that managers can distribute budgets more effectively when all costs are identified; therefore, it will be possible to get the most out of available resources. Disadvantages of cost analysis: On the other hand, cost analysis is not always sufficient by its own for management to make decisions. Some of the facts that cost analysis cannot provide information about are: _As Sewell and Marczak mentioned, cost analysis cannot always tell â€Å"whether the least expensive alternative is always the best alternative. _† Cost analysis by its own is not always enough to determine the best alternative. Usually, other criteria that cannot be determined by cost analysis, such as time, have an effect on the decision making process. Cost analysis is very complex and requires great deal of skills and expertise. Cost analysis requires not only background in finance and accounting, but also economic and decision making skills. It is common nowadays for organizations to outsource cost analysis if it cannot be done effectively in-house. According to _Sewell and Marczak, â€Å"sometimes costs and monetary values are considered less important than other, more intangible values or program outcomes. † Intangible cost analysis: Despite the fact that corporations frequently use cost analysis in evaluating the different decisions that have to be made, intangible cost analysis is not always taken into consideration. In his book â€Å"Intangible Management: Tools for Solving the Accounting and Management Crisis,† Ken Stanfield described intangible cost analysis as set of processes that â€Å"[allow] executives to identify, measure, and reduce costs that the organization has always been aware of, but has not been able to previously measure and control. Intangible cost analysis allows corporations to increase efficiency and productivity as well as decrease costs. According to Stanfield, in contrast to old cost analysis methods where tangible costs were the most important selection criteria, modern cost analysis methods favors alternatives, decisions, or projects â€Å"with the lowest total real cost (tangible costs + intangible costs). † Some of the intangible costs that should be taken into consideration are knowledge costs, time costs, and relationship management costs. Many organizations started to take intangible costs more seriously and established departments that are dedicated to deal with such costs such as knowledge management department. Intangible cost analysis is more complex than tangible cost analysis due to the fact that it depends on estimation skills and past experience. Therefore, possessing intangible cost analysis skills can be considered as a competitive advantage as it will result in better cost management and lower incurred costs. Results and Findings: Cost analysis is one of the most sophisticated concepts in business, and many economists wrote several books about it. The following points illustrate the results and findings of the research paper: Cost analysis consists of multiple tools and techniques that are usually used simultaneously to reach the best decision possible. Cost analysis not only allows firms to find ways to reduce costs, but it also suggests methods that can be applied to turn a cost center into profit center. It is vital for decision makers to be aware that cost analysis consists of tools that can estimate costs, which might differ from costs that will be incurred in reality. Intangible cost analysis should not be taken slightly as it has a great affect on the business of any company, especially on the long run. Cost analysis fails to take into consideration some factors such as time and quality Cost analysis needs advanced skills and is considered to be a competitive advantage for firms that have employees specialized in it. Recommendations and Conclusion: Using multiple cost analysis tools, which is due to the fact that the use of only one or few tools will result in misleading decisions Pay great attention to intangible cost analysis as it can make the difference between success and failure. Take into consideration factors that cannot be quantified and analyzed such as time and quality. Due to the fact that cost analysis has become a vital part of the decision making process, firms have to ensure that they possess the required cost analysis skills or outsource to specialized cost analysis firms. In conclusion, it is vital to emphasize on the fact that cost analysis is just one tool that can be used in the decision making process. Financing decisions and investments decisions are so critical that many tools and selection criteria have to be used while analyzing and evaluating these decisions. Nowadays, the world is facing a financial crisis that is affecting all companies; consequently, firms are starting to analyze costs to determine how best to protect themselves. Bibliography Mishan, E. J. Cost Benefit Analysis: An Informal Introduction, 1982. Ramji, Al-Noor, Linda Reino, Harry E. Roberts, eds. , Inside The Minds: Ways To Reduce It Spending : Leading Executives On Managing Costs, Negotiating Pricing & Reducing Overall Technology Expenditures. United States of America: Aspatore, 2004. Sewell, Meg and Mary Marczak. Using Cost Analysis In Evaluation. The University of Arizona; available from http://ag. arizona. edu/fcs/cyfernet/cyfar/Costben2. htm; Internet; accessed 1 November 2008. Stanfield, Ken. Intangible Management: Tools for Solving the Accounting and Management Crisis. Academic Press; 1st edition (July 1, 2002). The U. S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement: Federal Assistance Manual. Washington, D. C. , 1998; available from http://www. osmre. gov/fam/defin. htm; Internet; accessed 16 November 2008.