Asset Management and Its Importance to the Transportation Sector
The Definition of Asset Management

In order to fully understand the rest of the discussion in this paper, one must first understand what asset management really is. Depending on the source that is asked the question, there are several different definitions of asset management. Several will be presented here for consideration. Asset management has been defined by some as "A systematic process of maintaining, upgrading, and operating physical assets cost- effectively. It combines engineering principles with sound business practices and economic theory, and it provides tools to facilitate a more organized, logical approach to decision-making" (Hamilton, 2001, p.2).

However, there are more specific ways to define asset management as well. The focus of this paper is on asset management in transportation, and The Federal Highway Administration Office of Asset Management defines asset management as: "A business process and decision-making framework that covers an extended…...

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Works Cited

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). (1997). "21st Century Asset Management, Executive Summary." Prepared by the Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.

Bittner, Jason & Thimm, Wesley. (2002). Transportation asset management web site: final report. Midwest regional university transportation center. College of engineering. Department of civil and environmental engineering. University of Wisconsin, Madison.  http://www.mrutc.org/research/website/Asset%20Management%20Website%20Report.pdf 

Cambridge Systematics. (2005). Asset Management.  http://www.camsys.com/asset02.htm .

Federal Highway Administration. (2005). FHWA White Paper: Federal lands highway and asset management. United States Department of Transportation.   / infrastructure/asstmgmt/amppflh.htmhttp://www.fhwa.dot.gov 

Ethical Situations in Asset Management Service
Ethical situations that arise with asset management services

Ethical issues in business (or corporate ethics) are ethics in the form of application or professional ethics that usually evaluate the principles of ethics and the troubles associated with ethics and morals that develop in the environment of a business. This is applicable to all the components of a business and its conduct and it is very essential for all the entire staff in an organization. Ethics of business include both descriptive and normative dimensions. This specific area is normative. Academicians that seek to gain knowledge on the behavior by implementing descriptive methods in their course. The amount and range of issues in business ethics describe the link between non-economic issues and profit maximizing. Many started gaining interest in the ethics of business rapidly from 1980 to 1990. This was true in academia and corporations. For instance, currently…...

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Reference

Buckman, J.M., & International Association of Fire Chiefs. (2006). Chief Fire officer's desk reference. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Hoffman, W.M. (2007). The ethics of accounting and finance: Trust, responsibility, and control: from the Tenth National Conference on Business Ethics. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Quorum Books.

Nash, L.L. (2008). Good intentions aside: A manager's guide to resolving ethical problems. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.

Preston, N. (2009). Ethics for the public sector: Education and training. Annandale, N.S.W: Federation Press.

information technology) has opened the door for opportunities and risks. Organizations are increasingly facing competitions in the contemporary business market environment and to achieve competitive market advantages, many organizations are increasingly using EP (Enterprise resource planning) to decline costs and offer quality products at cheaper prices. EP is a business integration software assisting organizations to collect, manage, store as welling as interpreting data of business activities. (Vasilec, Avdejenkov, & Sosunov, 2009). Essentially, EP integrates core of business process using a real-time database system to achieve business functions such as asset management, purchase orders, production, track business resources and share data across various departments. Assets are very critical for organizational efficiency because assets assist organizations to generate revenues to enhance stakeholder's value. However, effective asset management is very critical for organizational efficiency. To manage organizational assets, increasing number of medium and large organizations are using asset management system integrated in…...

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Reference

Chisholm, M. (2004). How to Build a Business Rules Engine. Morgan Kaufman Publishers.

Infor (2012).Infor EAM User's Guide. Infor.

Oracle (2013). Oracle Enterprise Asset Management. Oracle Inc.

Smaizys, A. & Vasilecas, O. (2009). Business Rules Based Agile ERP Systems Development. Informatica, 20(3): 439-460.

GIS Systems: Asset Management
A Geographical Information System (GIS) is not simply a useful tool to find one's place geographically. The best way to think of GIS as it is used in finance is as a kind of a 'smart map' that can link multiple databases and show the relationships between different bits of information (Armstrong 2008). These smart maps offer windows into the information resources of the database when users submit queries, and engage in the analysis and editing of the information (Armstrong 2008). This makes GIS a powerful business intelligence and knowledge management tool. GIS technology enables financial professionals to graphically visualize patterns, relationships and trends in the marketplace (Armstrong 2008). GIS technology is an acknowledgement of how the presentation of information affects how the mind can process information. The same data can look very different and yield different patterns than it would if it were presented in a…...

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References

Armstrong, K. (2008). Using GIS technology for document and asset management.

Iron & Steel Technology, 48-53. Retrieved from  http://www.atsi.com/pdf/using_GIS_technology.pdf

Ethics and egulation in the Professional Asset Management Industry
Asset management is an operation that involves the diligent management of the investor's funds in a professional way. The asset manager thus is an agent hired to do the job on account of his or her peculiar financial ability. Professional firms that are into asset management thus have duties not only to the investors, but also to the stock market, the financial and government bodies in keeping their activities above board. The managers are often entrusted with the task of dealing with billions of dollars or assets of like proportions. It is when dealing with such a huge cash flow that there comes the problem of ethical dilemmas. The unethical models of behavior has brought forth many regulations and guidelines that have been issued by the government and the financial agencies -- these form the laws and other than that the managers…...

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References

Bines, Harvey E; Thel, Steve. (2004) "Investment Management Law and Regulation"

Aspen Publishers.

Boatright, John R. (2010) "Finance Ethics: Critical Issues in Theory and Practice"

John Wiley and Sons.

Asset Allocation and Industry Sectors:
There are several economic concepts that affect an individual's daily finances and investments such as asset allocation and industry sectors. Asset allocation is primarily described as the manner with which an individual divides his assets among various asset categories like cash, bonds, stocks, and real estate. This fundamental principle also refers to an investment strategy with which an investor can lessen risks through diversification. One of the major goals of asset allocation is that it seeks to balance risk and reward through distributing a portfolio's assets based on a person's goals, investment horizon, and risk tolerance. Notably, the process of determining which combination of assets to retain in a portfolio is usually a very personal one ("Beginner's Guide to Asset Allocation," 2009).

The other common financial term or concept is industry sector where the two words have been used interchangeably to refer to a group of companies.…...

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References:

"Beginners' Guide to Asset Allocation, Diversification, and Rebalancing." (2009, August 28).

Office of Investor Education and Advocacy. Retrieved from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website:  http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/assetallocation.htm 

Holden, J.P. (1983). Recent Developments Affecting Multiple Corporations: Sections 304, 306,

and 368. Retrieved from College of William & Mary Law School website:  http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1460&context=tax

Asset- Liability Management (banking)
The business system that enables a company to collect, maintain and manage a complete list of all the components possessed by the company is known as asset management. The main objective of the asset management is to enable the company to manage the financial facets of the ownership, estimation of the costs of ownership, record of items on hand, spare parts, replacements, depreciations, maintenance and insurance. (Asset management: www.infobeagle.com) The concept of asset-liability management has different meaning in different fields. Normally the banks and insurance companies employ accrual accounting for practically all their assets and liabilities. They are required to take on the liabilities and to invest on the assets and by so doing the reorganize the assets and liabilities from the hidden potential risks involved. (Asset Liability Management: Contingency Analysis) The objective of the Asset Liability Management Resources is to entail analysis, instruction and guidance in…...

The vision Oracle has is one of unifying all of their enterprise applications into their Fusion architecture and creating a single unifying Service oriented Architecture (SOA) was first announced in 2006 (Krill, 13). Since that time Oracle has continually strived to create an SOA in Fusion that would appeal to its corporate customers. The proposed Fusion SOA platform has been designed to be robust and scalable enough to encompass enterprise-level applications including Enterprise esource Planning (EP) applications while also being flexible enough to provide for individualized application development. There are critics of SOA in general and Fusion specifically, with industry analysts considering it too difficult to create a process-centric model that allows for pervasive, in-depth applications necessary for mission-critical business while at the same time allowing for significant scalability (Handy, 2005). Despite these concerns however Fusion continues to gain market acceptance and provide Oracle with a path to the fulfillment…...

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References

Oracle

Alex Handy. 2005. Oracle Fusion: The 'Frankenstein' of SOA? Software Development Times, October 15, 6

Paul Krill. 2006. Oracle Does SOA. InfoWorld, August 14, 11-13

Security

Please see Appendix a for a give year ratio analysis of Starbucks Corporation illustrating the significant effect the recession is having on gross margins. Yet despite this pressure, Starbucks continues to be successful in keeping its gross margins above industry average at 9.67% for the latest fiscal year. Also noteworthy about their financial performance is the increase in evenue Per Employee from $53,864 in 2004 to $59,156. This speaks to the fact that Starbucks is being successful with their long-term strategy of delivering exceptional customer experiences, so much so that there is greater levels of repurchase of drinks and food even in a recession (Churchill, 2008). All of these factors point to the critical need for managing customer experiences more closely than ever, with a strong orientation towards giving customers and opportunity to have their voices heard on potential new products. Starbucks has excelled in the area of social…...

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References

Bernoff, J., & Li, C.. (2008). Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3), 36-42.

Chris Churchill. (15 July 2008). Starbucks competitors get jitters: Local coffeehouses, facing woes of their own, cast wary eye on chain's recent closings. McClatchy - Tribune Business News

Fridell, G. (2009). The Co-Operative and the Corporation: Competing Visions of the Future of Fair Trade. Journal of Business Ethics: Supplement, 86, 81-95.

Burt Helm. (2007, April). SAVING STARBUCKS' SOUL: Chairman Howard Schultz is on a mission to take his company back to its roots. Oh, yeah -- he also wants to triple sales in five years. Business Week,(4029), 56.

Management Technologies in American Corporations
An exploration of knowledge organizations and their management of information using both the Internet and digital means

This paper will explore the pros and cons of both, and make recommendations for implementing them into companies, both large and small, and finally show real-world examples of these technologies in use in some of the most prominent American companies today.

Today, we live in a very complex world. Technology is proliferating at an exponential pace, and we are constantly bombarded with new technologies and ways of accessing information. Some of us find it very hard to keep up with all these technologies in our own homes (some of us may not even know how to use the internet). But these problems are much more problematic for businesses.

hile we might be able to still operate, and live our everyday lives despite our lack of technical knowledge, companies and organizations simply…...

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Works Cited

Holt, DH 1997, Management Principles and Practices, Prentice-Hall, Sydney.

Aldrich, Douglass. 1999. Mastering the Digital Marketplace. John Wiley, New York.

Nonaka, Ikujiro and Toshihiro Nishiguchi. 2001. Knowledge Emergence. Oxford UP, Oxford.

Levine, Rick. 2000. Talk is Cheap. The Cluetrain Manifesto. Perseus, Cambridge.

Furuholt, (2006) argues that lack of management engagement to the acceptance of information systems has been a barrier to the implementation of information systems. The issues are even common with organizations in the developing countries where management does not give enough priority to the information systems implementation. Importantly, implementation of information systems requires management support since management will need to approve fund that would be used for IS implementation. Generally, younger people are more interested in the it tools than older people. In a situation where number of older working team outnumbers younger working team within an organization, the IS implementation may be cumbersome.
More importantly, lack of knowledge of information systems may serve as barrier to its implementation. In the developed countries, private and public organizations have already aware the importance of information systems to the organizations. Many organizations in developed countries already realize that it tool is a…...

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References

Abukhzam, M. & Lee, a. (2010). Factors affecting Bank Staff attitude towards E-banking adoption in Libya. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries: 42(2): 1-15.

Ali, S.N.A. (2010). E-government services: an exploration of the main factors that contribute to successful implementation in Libya. PhD thesis, University of Portsmouth.

Bartol, K.M. (1982). Managing Information Systems Personnel: A Review of the Literature and Managerial Implications. MIS Quarterly.

Boh, W.F. & Yelling, D. (2007). Using Organizational Architecture Standards in Managing Information Technology. Journal of Management Information Systems. 23 (3): 163 -- 207.

Asset misappropriation schemes are frauds in which the perpetrators use trickery or deceit in order to steal or misuse the resources within an organization. When asset misappropriation occurs the specific assets of the organization are taken directly for the benefit the specific person who is committing the fraud. People who are in a position to commit asset misappropriation related crimes cane be employees within an organization, vendors or customers of an organization, or it could also be people who are totally unrelated to the victim organization. A distinguishing element when it comes to asset misappropriation is the fact that the assets belonging to the organization are taken through deceitful or trickery means rather than through force. The actual act of asset theft concealment and conversion should all be present. Asset misappropriation is a major problem in organizations all over the world. esearch suggests that organizations loose almost 7% of their…...

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References

Albrecht, C., Kranacher, M., & Albrecht, S. (2010).Asset Misappropriation Research White Paper for the Institute of Fraud Prevention. Retrieved September 6, 2013 from  http://www.theifp.org/research-grants/IFP-Whitepaper-5.pdf 

Peltier-Rivest, D. (2011).Detecting Occupational Fraud in Canada. Retrieved September 6, 2013 from  http://www.acfe.com/uploadedFiles/ACFE_Website/Content/documents/rttn-canadian.pdf 

Coenen, T. (2012).Three Basic Fraud types. Retrieved September 6, 2013 from  http://www.allbusiness.com/crime-law-enforcement-corrections/criminal-offenses/6635361-1.html 

Barret, B. (2011).Different Types of Business Fraud. Retrieved September 6, 2013 from  http://www.brighthub.com/office/finance/articles/123108.aspx

The Improve Phase of the DMAIC process is also essential for managing the piloting and testing of the Six Sigma solutions discovered. It is also essential during the new product development process for measuring and quantifying the unique value proposition of the product or service being produced as well. The final phase, Control, is essential in both a Six Sigma and new product introduction process as well (Pestorius, 2007).
Conclusion

The DMAIC process aligns very well to the new product development and introduction process and is used extensively for that purpose in applying Six Sigma to marketing. Six Sigma can change an entire company's culture and make the many processes synchronized and in unison in making new product introductions more profitable and capable of gaining market share as a result.

eferences

Brian Cocolicchio (2007). Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way. Quality Progress, 40(9), 79. Link: http://www.sixsigmaselling.com/six_sigma_selling/2006/07/about_sales_and.html

Fundin, a.P., & Cronemyr, P. (2003). Use…...

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References

Brian Cocolicchio (2007). Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way. Quality Progress, 40(9), 79. Link:  http://www.sixsigmaselling.com/six_sigma_selling/2006/07/about_sales_and.html 

Fundin, a.P., & Cronemyr, P. (2003). Use customer feedback to choose six sigma projects. ASQ Six Sigma Forum Magazine, 3(1), 17-21. Retrieved from  http://asq.org/sixsigma/2005/03/use-customer-feedback-to-choose-six-sigma-projects-en.pdf 

Hasan, M., & Kerr, R.M. (2003). The relationship between total quality management practices and organisational performance in service organisations. TQM Journal, 15(4), 286-286.

 http://www.ijbmss-ng.com/vol1no1_ijbmss/ijbmss-ng-vol1-no1-pp113-128.pdf

Asset Protection
When an emergency situation arises, quick action is imperative in order to protect assets and minimize losses. A security supervisor bears the burden of ensuring that a disaster management plan is effectively carried out, but he or she cannot act alone. The supervisor must coordinate with state and federal agencies that become involved in larger disasters. Special events may also necessitate coordination and collaboration with other groups that are involved in the organization and administration of the event (Innace, 2008). Security directors can effectively manage emergencies by developing a plan ahead of time in conjunction with others that may be involved in the case of such an emergency. They should also implement the incident command system and media relations.

In preparation for an emergency, the security supervisor should identify priorities including minimizing the number of victims and extent of harm that comes to them and protection of the business assets…...

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References

FEMA. Incident Command System (ICS).  http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/Incident 

CommandSystem.shtm

Hill, D.W. (2008). Security and Medical Response. In S.J. Davies & C.A. Hertig (Eds), Security Supervision and Management (3rd ed.) (303-307). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Innace, C. (2008). Supervising During Special Events. In S.J. Davies & C.A. Hertig (Eds), Security Supervision and Management (3rd ed.) (293-302). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

S. DHS "Strategic Plan," 2008, http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/strategicplan/) ealistically acts of terrorism, domestic or foreign are exceedingly rare, though slightly more common than they have been in the past and at least marginally more violent in nature, they occur very, very rarely. (Lewis, 2000, p. 201) Though maintaining serious preparedness the mitigation of natural disasters, most which cannot be avoided is an issue needed to be addressed almost yearly, on both small and large scales, across the nation and is much more likely to directly effect people and resources on an intimate level and should be the Emergency Management system's first and primary concern! Though worst possible case scenarios, regarding the use of WMDs is important it is not where all the resources should go.
(5. In the course, you have been introduced to the various responsibilities of different levels of government in the homeland security effort. What level of government do you…...

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References

Daniels, R.S. (2007). Revitalizing Emergency Management after Katrina: A Recent Survey of Emergency Managers Urges Improved Response, Planning, and Leadership and a Reinvigorated FEMA -- the Federal Government Has Responded by Making Most of the Recommended Changes. The Public Manager, 36(3), 16.

Department of Homeland Security Website www.dhs.gov

Depoorter, B. (2006). Horizontal Political Externalities: The Supply and Demand of Disaster Management. Duke Law Journal, 56(1), 101.

Hulnick, a.S. (2004). Keeping Us Safe: Secret Intelligence and Homeland Security. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Outline: Cryptocurrency Technology and Impact on the Financial Industry

I. Key Components of Cryptocurrency Technology

A. Blockchain
- Decentralized distributed ledger
- Records transactions chronologically and securely

B. Cryptography
- Encryption and hashing algorithms
- Ensures confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity

C. Consensus Mechanisms
- Methods for validating transactions and adding them to the blockchain
- Examples: Proof-of-Work, Proof-of-Stake

D. Smart Contracts
- Self-executing agreements stored on the blockchain
- Enforce specific conditions automatically

II. Impact on the Financial Industry

A. Decentralization and Transparency
- Removes intermediaries, empowering users
- Provides transparency and auditable records

B. Cost Reduction
- Eliminates transaction fees and other banking charges
- Streamlines cross-border....

I. Introduction

1. History and Background
   
   

   1. Foundation and early years
   
   
   2. Major acquisitions and mergers

2. Overview of Business Lines
   
   

   1. Retail banking and wealth management
   
   
   2. Commercial and investment banking

II. Body

1. Retail Banking and Wealth Management
   
   

   1. Branch network and customer base
   
   
   2. Products and services offered

2. Commercial and Investment Banking
   
   

   1. Advisory and underwriting services
   
   
   2. Trading and market making

3. Other Business Lines
   
   

   1. Asset management
   
   
   2. Private equity

III. Conclusion

1. Summary of Key Business Points
   
   

   1. Size and global reach
   
   
   2. Diversification of revenue streams

2. Outlook and Future Trends
   
   

   1. Technology and innovation
   
   
   2. Regulatory landscape

Capital Intensity and Competitive Pressures: Why Robust Financial Metrics are Crucial for Sustaining Competitive Advantage

In highly competitive environments characterized by high capital intensity, the effective use of robust financial metrics becomes imperative for organizations to maintain a competitive edge. This essay explores the importance of financial metrics in such demanding circumstances, drawing insights from established research and industry perspectives.

Defining Capital Intensity and Competitive Pressure

Capital intensity refers to the proportion of fixed assets, such as machinery and equipment, employed in a company's operations relative to its overall assets. High capital intensity typically indicates significant upfront investment requirements and long-term operational expenses.....

Key insights can be gained from existing literature on AI in construction management by analyzing the various applications, benefits, challenges, and future trends associated with the integration of AI technologies in the construction industry. Several studies have highlighted the potential of AI to revolutionize construction management practices and improve project efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and safety.

One key insight from the literature is the role of AI in enhancing project planning and scheduling. AI technologies such as machine learning algorithms and predictive analytics can analyze historical data, identify patterns, and make accurate predictions about project timelines and resource requirements. This can help....