Tuesday, August 6, 2019

People Learn in Different Ways

People Learn in Different Ways We are faced with a lot of different learning experiences, which has greater impacts than others in our lives and one can chalk this down to the learning approach this is the process where individuals define information about their environment and has a different learning style, and by this I mean the way in which they absorb, analyze, and retain information which makes every one of us unique in our own special way. All individuals learn differently, some by stimulation of their five senses, and when enhanced greater learning takes place. Every individual has a method by which they learn; therefore one persons way of learning is very different from that of their peers. Understanding the learning approach of individuals consists of the question, what is a learning approach? which is the preferred way of acquiring knowledge and processing information. This approach affects how we learn, solve problems, partake in different activities and react to the environment. The original research work to the approaches of learning was carried out by F. Marton and R. Saljo (1976),where they explored an individuals approach to learning and identified two main approaches: surface and deep. Surface learning is the silent acceptance of information, memorization and unlinked facts which leads to superficial memory. Whereas deep learning involves critical analysis of new ideas, and principles, leading to the understanding and long term memory of concepts which is used for problem solving. The basis of this understanding is to identify the individual with a fixed approach to learning and an opportunity to encourage that individual to adopt a particular learning approach. Most of us are easily confused with the difference between learning and acquiring knowledge, they are different; learning is the continuous process of addition, and acquiring knowledge is memory, an idea stored up as experience. Learning as the cognitive process of acquired change in behavior, results from a learners interaction with the environment which brings about experience. Learning is the acquiring of new knowledge, skills, values, preferences and understanding. It also strengthens, organize and shape our brains. Learning effectively entails the possession four abilities: concrete experience; reflective observation; abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. These styles were developed to challenge an individuals mode of learning that seeks to reduce the potential of their intelligence. There is a lot of information about how one learns and many of us understand that each individual learns differently or has a preference to learning. David A. Kolb (1984), a pioneer in this field of experiential learning, created four learning elements and states we learn by following this cycle. Honey and Mumford (1992), defined four styles based around these four stages of Kolbs learning cycle, and these styles were developed to challenge an individuals mode of learning. Depending on an individuals preference, they are classified as: Reflectors are substituted for divergent (reflective observation), these are people who are thoughtful analyzers of situations, they listen to others before speaking, collect data and analyze before making decisions. Theorists are substituted for assimilator (abstract conceptualization), these people are objective rather than subjective, they collect, analyze and use logical approaches in developing theories concerning a given course of action, and likes theories that makes sense. Pragmatists are substituted for converger (concrete experience), these people are interested in trying out new ideas to see if they work, they like getting things done rather than seeing ideas discussed and delayed for consideration, they stick with long term activiti es if it shows promise of working or being functional. Activists are substituted for accommodators (active experimentation), they are risk- takers, are willing to try new experiences and are open-minded to new things, enjoy challenges and are bored easily with long term activities. Learning takes place through a wide variety of methods and styles, which encourages an individual to challenge new ideas, views and beliefs. The effectiveness of this approach caters to the different learning styles each individual brings to the fore. There are a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds of different people and individuals that have opportunities to learn from their peers through discussions, debates and joint study. As a Social Care student applying learning styles, these helps service users learn by structuring what works for them which supports their learning and creates character. Service users are individuals that need motivation in order to learn, which in turn develop their learning styles to help them with problem solving, exploring new ideas and issues based on their intelligences. They have to make their learning a priority and the benefits of the learning styles help them to identify with their ability to learn, which gives them an outline on the effectiveness they have learned from experience. Learning styles determine the things people learn and the methods they use to learn them. The elements of these styles are to highlight the individuals preferred learning style which will equip them to choose learning opportunities that expands their knowledge to reflect, which improves ones learning and performance, by identifying what that individual had done well and what should be improved for that same individual to become an all-round learner, which in turn makes them a success for the future.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Peter Honey And Mumford Learning Styles

Peter Honey And Mumford Learning Styles Learners have developed different learning styles which suites them best to take studies. Each learning styles has its own strength and weaknesses which differ from the others and It is essential for every learner to know about his or her learning styles because this helps to see areas of weaknesses and look for possible solutions to that weakness. Literature overview There are different theories on learning styles which are David Kolb, Peter Honey,Alan Mumford, Anthony Gregorc , Chickering and Gameson.,Carl Jung and Richard M.Felder . Kolbs learning style According to Kolbs original model, Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience, (David A. Kolb, 1984:1). He introduces four learning styles which are Concrete Experience it is when a learner has a new experience compared to previous experience and has to do .Reflective observation these varies between understanding and previous experience. Abstract Conceptualization Reflection gives rise to a new idea or a modification of an existing abstract concept (Kolb, 1984:1) this is when a learner adjusts to new learning styles. Active Experimentation here the learner uses the knowledge acquired in the real world. Kolbs learning styles are therefore divided into four categories which are assimilators convergers, accommodators and diverges. Assimulators are learners that learn best using sound logical information An assimulator greatest strength lie in creating theoretical models Other strengths are understanding what they are working on this gives them a better direction to solve problems. Curious and enjoys problems this give them more knowledge as more questions are answered. Plans well in advance for exams this makes them more ready to tackle problems. Can organize facts and material well .However they have they have some weaknesses which includes the need of too much information before getting down to work, does not like to try new approaches ,not creative and keeps a number of problems to himself. Collects to much information. Convergers uses practical applications there need what is relevant to them .These one are more interested with facts and desire to go straight to the point. Can wor k well alone which makes them less dependent on others. Get things done in time this does not involves them in late submissions. Pays attention to detail .However there have a number of weaknesses which are Lack of imagination .Not very interested in presentation of your work. Believes that there is only one way of doing things. Does not like others ideas. Accommodators are those who want hands on experiences .Divergers are the one that learn best when they are allowed to observe and collect things from a wide range of collection these learners observe and collect. They have the following strengths unhurried that is there are more stable to situation like exams .Listens to others and shares idea this give them more ideas and different points of view. They are good at seeing the big picture. They can see long-term implications of things. They can see new ways of doing things and has creative solutions. They can multi-task .However they have the following weaknesses they forget the im portant details while understanding the big picture .Does not organize work well .Does not like work or revision timetables.Forgets to bring important books. Gregorc Learning Styles There are divided into three categories which are concrete random, concrete sequential, abstract sequential, abstract random. On concrete random according to Gregorc,They use their instincts and intuition when making decisions.(Gregorc)The learner is divergent ,experimental, inventive therefore the learner is much more involved in creating and acting and usefulness and application of learning .They have a lot of questions about what surrounds them .Concrete sequential efficient and well informed and the learner is more practical and active in making things work. According to Gregorc,They notice and recall details easily and remember facts ,specific information ,formulas, and rules with ease,(Gregorc)They do not rely more on others and hardworking and their work is consistent and has facts. Abstract sequential reflects on information and think about it. According to Grgorc,they prefer systematic processes and are thorough in their work,(Gregorc) .Abstract random is imaginative and ref lect on an previous experience, emotional and holistic .According to Grgorc,they prefer are very perceptive students ,(Gregorc)This one visualize and is intuitive when dealing with ideas . Chickering and Gamson From research there are seven learning styles which are visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social and solitary. According to ( Chickering and Gamson, 2012: 1 ) there is visual/spatial which prefer using pictures and spatial understanding That is one uses visual abilities to learn something for example understanding the demand law by seeing cartoons pictures or lecture videos however this is an disadvantage to the blind. For visual there are helpful tips like turning notes to pictures and making mind and concept maps Aural /auditory-musical is when one prefer using sound and music as a learning style One can learn from playing recorded sound tracks and the helpful tips are repeating materials out loud and in your own words .Verbal /linguistic :You prefer using words, both in speech and writing, These one understand more using their ears , logical(mathematical) prefer using logic, reasoning and systems these prefer facts not theories and they should be convergers Social (interpe rsonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people. Solitary (intrapersonal) prefer to work alone and use self-study. They enjoy independency. Richard M.Felder learning styles These learning styles are in seven categories which are active ,reflective ,sensing ,intuitive ,visual ,verbal and sequential learners .Active learners best understand by practising something which is active with it .For example discussion the in group works .They also like the idea of explaining to other learners and application of knowledge. Reflective learners are more independent and they prefer to figure out things alone than in groups. Sensing learners they like to solve problems and dealing with facts that connect to the real world. Intuitive are innovative and can easily get bored with repetitions .Visual learners they learn best using diagrams ,films and pictures. Verbal learners uses sound and audio and get more out of sound .Sequential learners they understand things step by step and easily gets confused well a step is missed or not understood well. Global learners like the big picture and collects large amounts of information without seeing the connections between them an d they get it later. Peter Honey and Mumford learning styles They divided learning styles into four categories which are activist, reflector, theorist and pragmatist. Activists like new ideas and experience and they enjoy to act first .They learn best when they work in team work and given challenges and like the idea of leading discussions a lot. They learn less in lectures, thinking on their own and writing. Reflectors like to use different perspectives and learn best by observing for example groups explanations. They learn less when they are leading a discussion .Theorists learn best when they are have clear understanding of a situation and when they are able to ask question to create ideas. Pragmatists they are curious about new things and learn best when give an example to copy .They learn less when there are no recognized benefits and when there are no guidelines Carl Jung learning styles These styles are divided into four learning styles which are extraverts, sensors, thinkers and judgers. He extraverts like to try ideas and thinks on the outer world of the people. Sensors are practical they love details and facts they are also known as intuitors. Thinkers make their choices based on logic and facts. Judgers works with targets. From a research I discovered that I am an accommodator with a number of weaknesses and strengths which I need to adjust. The weaknesses examples are as follows ;does not check work, prioritize well ,neglects subjects that does not interest and not good. My areas of strength like getting involved, working well with people, ask a lot of questions, enthusiastic A diverger is creative and good in seeing the big picture listen to other and share ideas but he or she forgets the important details while understanding the big picture, does not organise w By completing the graph I found that Iam an accommodator and on the positive side an accommodator is totally involved in something of interest for example if he has passion for Maths he or she is mostly likely to spend much of his or her time working out Maths problems, likes to take risk of his or her ideas this means that an accommodator is to much experimental for example writing an exam without being fully prepared. Has a lot of curiosity that as he or she asks a lot of questions and this the accommodator an advantage because as many questions come also means more answers.An accommodator works quickly and he or she is active this benefits a lot in exam time management. Has the capabilities of using senses well that is seeing, feeling and hearing .Which is an advantage if the person does not have any of the disability on senses .However of the other hand an accommodator has the following weaknesses like poor planning of work in advance this is a disadvantage as the accommodator is most likely not to get assignments properly done and does not pre-read before lectures, rarely checks work this leads to many errors in writing essays and assignments, does not understand the question but hurries to write for example answering a question wrongly because of assuming what the question wants this results in loss of marks . An accommodator has a poor time management for example attending lectures late ,forgetting assignments .D oes not prioritise well and easily get distracted with circumstances this diverts all attention to something of a lower priority for example concentrating more on reading books which does not relate to the actual subjects. This accounts for the accommodators failure By recognizing and understanding your own learning styles, you can use techniques better suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your learning. This can be aided by practicing helpful tips like taking study breaks and physical exercises,

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Philosophy of Educative Assessment Essay -- essays research papers

Philosophy of Assessment Assessment of students is a crucial part of their education. It is one thing to be able, with some degree of confidence, to say that 'Johnny knows x' but it is quite another to be able to say 'Sarah can x'. It is clear that assessment at its core is involved in the measuring of something and that if I expect students to reach above a certain level of 'something' then I must clearly communicate that to them. The backwards design that we are familiar with goes someway towards achieving this goal. The notion that we state at the outset our expectations for student learning and then design activities to achieve that stated goal appears to be common sense. However, the tendency for teachers to rely upon pre-existing testing materials and adjust their high expectations to either teach to the test or adopt a less ?radical? approach is tempting. I think that new teachers are so overwhelmed with the day to day business of running a classroom that assessment, perhaps the most vital and under examined area in education, takes a back seat pretty quickly. A frustrating aspect of modern education is the concept of differentiation. It is often presented in the sense that each student learns differently, has different strengths and weaknesses and accordingly should be afforded assessment opportunities that allow them the best chance of success. That approach is daunting to new teachers because the intimation is that individualized assessment is preferable and with one hundred and six students of different grade levels and their own relative areas of skill, individualized assessment appears too hard a challenge. I have begun to examine my own assessment with a view to finding ways to improve it and improve ... ...stances students find among themselves, the absolutes are the text and the definitions available in the Oxford English Dictionary. The variable of teacher interpretation is also reduced because the student uses evidence form the text to prove their assertions. In addition to which, I contend that the explication meets the criteria for an educative assessment in that it allows for the academic growth of the student as the result of the features of the passage that are illuminated. Students see different things in the same text and express their findings differently but the value of their findings is the measure to take. The goal of educative assessment appears to turn ?traditional? assessment on its ear. The notion that the assessment is teaching something is a challenge to many teachers, particularly teachers with a vested interest in producing test scores.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Cadbury Schweppes :: Business and Management Studies

Cadbury Schweppes Criterion 1F My chosen businesses are Cadbury Schweppes, which is a PLC COMPANY, and Formbend is my LTD company. I chose these two businesses because I love Cadburys chocolate and thought it would be interesting to study and it also has a very informative website. I chose Formbend Tube Manipulators because my Uncle is the Technical Director for the company and said that he would be able to give me all the information I need. I know that there are lots of different Cadbury sites across Britain but my main focus will be the Bournville site in Birmingham. See appendixes and . History of Cadbury John Cadbury founded Cadbury in 1824. See appendix He developed his name as a chocolate manufacturer in 1831 by creating Cadbury’s drinking chocolate. See appendix .John Cadbury’s first shop was on Bull Street in Birmingham. See appendix .Then in 1847 the business had expanded and needed bigger premises so they moved to Bridge Street, which had its own canal linking the factory to the Birmingham Navigation Canal and the main ports in Britain. John Cadbury retired in 1861 and handed the business on to his two eldest sons Richard and George. The business ran from that site for 32 years, but then expanded even more which found them moving to Bourneville. See appendix .George Cadbury spurred the idea of better living conditions in Britain, which resolved in the Bourneville homes, which now cover over 1,000 acres. Aims and Objectives Aims Cadbury’s objective is to keep up the high standards of chocolate and to continue to make a difference too many people involved in the Bourneville site. They also want to make a profit on sales and to beat other competitors such as Nestle. Cadbury’s also want to continue making good quality products so they survive and maximise sales. They also need to make sure that they are environmentally friendly and make sure that quality is kept at a very high standard. Objectives 1. To continue to lead in the area of community interest 2. To introduce new products successfully to customers 3. To continue to help fund education in a number of ways 4. To improve communication with customers to help improve the standards of chocolate 5. To have a higher quality of products than other competitors. 6. To sell a lot of the products that they have and imp[rove any that need to be improved. 7. To take part in more activities than they did last year to get a good public voice. For Cadbury to achieve these aims and objectives they must spend a lot

Friday, August 2, 2019

The Impact of International Interest in Afghanistan’s Access to Oil :: Essays Papers

The Impact of International Interest in Afghanistan’s Access to Oil Newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the web: everywhere one turns, the media confronts our society with news concerning Afghanistan. Although September 11th was the peak of Afghanistan’s spotlight in the international media, this event was not the first time that Afghanistan has gained international attention. Beginning with its political relationship with Russia, Afghanistan slowly gained recognition, acknowledgment and even popularity among world powers. Moving towards the present, in which the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, and China are competing for Afghanistan. Why all this commotion over a politically-torn, landlocked, Middle Eastern country? Although each country has several potential interests invested in Afghanistan, all of these nations share the common interest of Afghanistan’s access to oil. Many political conventions have resulted form the global interest in creating oil pipelines through Afghanistan. Although Afg hanistan is not a world power, the fact that this country can provide access to rich oil and gas reserves has allowed Afghanistan to have influence over and even affect international diplomacy. To begin, it is important to understand the political history of Afghanistan in order to comprehend the current political tension and issues concerning this country. Afghanistan’s history is complete with numerous wars and invasions throughout various historical periods. Majority of these conflicts occurred because of a political Afghan leader’s desire to continue holding the state of power in the country or because of foreign invasion. Desire to maintain power becomes an issue in Afghanistan due to the multi-ethnic nature of the population1. To begin, â€Å"the location of Afghanistan astride the land routes between the Indian subcontinent, Iran, and central Asia has enticed conquerors throughout history†2. First, the Muslim-Arab conquests left Afghanistan a Muslim country in the late 7th century. In the following centuries Afghanistan was invaded from the north by Genghis Khan and later by the Moguls. The conquests up to the 17th century lef t devastated Afghanistan. However, authorities invested the majority of their interests in attempting to control the political power against rebellious activities preventing swaying them from focusing on social and economical forms as well as the development of the country. The first unified Afghanistan State was not established until 1747 by Ahammad Khan Durani.

Just In Time Essay

Just-In-Time or J-I-T is defined in the APICS dictionary as â€Å"a philosophy of manufacturing based on planned elimination of all waste and on continuous improvement of productivity. † To put it simply, it means products are produced in the necessary quantities at the necessary time, basically, everything happens just in time. It promises to provide a tailored solution for business matching none of the off-the-shelf software available in the market. It believes that it must adapt to its customers not the other way around. It takes its name from the idea of replenishing material buffers just when they are needed. Also known as lean production or stockless production, it seeks to improve profits and ROI by the reduction of inventory levels, by increasing inventory turnover rate, by the reduction of variability, by the improvement of product quality, by the reduction of production and delivery lead times and by the reduction of other costs like those that are associated with machine set up and equipment breakdown. It applies to repetitive manufacturing processes where it involves the same products and components being produced over and over again. J-I-T, a recognized philosophy, technique or way of working takes its root in Japan. Developed by the Toyota Motor Company in the mid-1970’s, it was originally known as Toyota Production System (TPS). Toyota’s Taiichi Ohno is after all the credited father of this way or working. He developed a system of production based on waste elimination. Waste, according to Ohno includes time and resources as well as materials. Just-in-time and autonomation were then born. The former means that items move through production as and when they are needed; and the latter means that production system must be automated to include inspection, where human attention was only called for when a defect was detected automatically, signaling a temporary stop in the system until the problem has been solved. J-I-T believes that waste and its many forms must be eliminated. These wastes can be in the form of materials, space and labor. Problems that may lead to the production of such wastes are paid close attention to. There has been a constant improvement on operation and procedures to finely tune them in to an increase in productivity. Ordering or holding costs can be reduced. And there must also be a continuous effort to strive to improve. This means an improvement on processes and systems to an efficient and competitive one. Moreover, a certain respect among the workers must be maintained. It assumes a stable environment and requires an active participation among the employees, the basics of industrial engineering, continuous improvement, small lot sizes and total quality control. Stock or inventory, overproduction, time spent waiting, transportation or movement, processing time as well as defects are considered to be unnecessary wastes. This techniques promises to render its users the benefits ranging from consistent high quality products, quality as a responsibility of every worker, uniform Master Production Schedule, standardization of components and work methods, product focus, preventive maintenance, reduced scrap, reduced re-work, reduced cycle times, lower set up time, smoother flow of production, less inventory, cost savings, higher productivity, more skilled and multi-tasking work force, reduced space requirements and improved relationships with suppliers and continuous improvement. Setting it apart from all the other traditional techniques applied which provides large amount of options available to its customers and accepts almost all orders, J-I-T targets a limited market in order to deliver high quality services at low cost. In terms of capacity, a traditional technique employs excess capacity designed into the system anticipating problems that may arise, they are highly utilized and are inflexible as opposed to that of J-I-T that minimizes waste of having extra capacity, and such is flexible and moderately utilized. In the traditional technique, there is a lot of space for inventory storage. Job shops are often converted to cellular manufacturing when J-I-T technique is employed. Traditional technique believes that long lead times allow more time to make decisions and get the job done. J-I-T on the other hand, believes that more accurate forecasting and planning can be done in short lead times. In terms of layout, a job shop in a traditional set up are spread-out to accommodate areas for stock rooms, tool cribs and work-in-the process inventories between the equipment. It even requires automated or semi-automated materials handling equipment in the form of conveyors and forklifts, another addition to an already big space requirement. In a J-I-T system, manual transfer is employed. Equipment is as close together to aid the handling over of parts from one worker or machine to the other. In terms of quality, in a traditional technique, goods are inspected at critical points and scrap rates are tracked. In the case of the J-I-T technique, workers themselves inspect parts to achieve the zero defects goal in the end. Toyota and its suppliers were alone in the use of the TPS for almost a decade. Not until the late 1970’s when other Japanese automobile manufacturers in the likes of Mazda, Honda and Nissan adopted the concept of J-I-T to continue to compete with arch rival Toyota. Then in the mid 1980’s US and European manufacturers like Chrysler, Ford and General Motors benchmarked the J-I-T philosophy. Other firms such as CM, Ford, Bendix, Harley-Davidson, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T and others have been strongly advocating J-I-T. There have been progresses in regaining competitiveness. Many firms are once again at if not near world class status. But J-I-T is not a revolution but an evolution. Not all accounts will be success stories. Managers only implement J-I-T when they are convinced that it can enhance the firm’s performance. This is true even though there have been a lot of testaments to the benefits that it claims to deliver to its clients. There have been studies that show that the implementation and maintenance of the J-I-T manufacturing systems will eventually reap rewards as measured by improved financial performance. J-I-T is not the end of an evolution- it actually is just the beginning. There will be new J-I-T generations to be born in the years to come. We all have to then learn how to embrace changes in order to improve and gain control of our growing enterprises. We can always take a pick amongst the ones available. The choice is ours to make. References Donath, Bob. Reduced warehouse storage/inventory costs. The IOMA Handbook of Logistics and Inventory Management, p. 310. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://books.google.com/books?isbn=047120935x.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

The Acquisition Team

The Acquisition Team is an information-based organization that is composed of more specialists than in the traditional command-and-control organization. Members of an acquisition team consist of multi-organizational as well as cross-functional, i. e. contractors, suppliers, acquisition professionals (Engelbeck, 2002). The focus of this paper is to present the students selection of a business opportunity offered by the Department of Energy and found at http://www. fbo. org/. This student will analyse the posting and then â€Å"reverse engineer† the notice to create the ideal agency’s acquisition team that could have prepared this solicitation. This student will also cite and summarize the FAR provisions for the formation of the acquisition team, describe the nature and specifications of the project, identify every area of expertise needed on the acquisition team, using the â€Å"Bodies of Knowledge† diagram in Engelbeck, Chapter 2, as a basis, and justify the involvement of each team member by describing his or her specific contribution to the solicitation/ request for proposal and later steps of the procurement process. Finally, the student will describe the steps to follow and ensure that the solicitation notice is complete, clear, and accurate before submitting it for posting on the FedBizOpps. gov Website. FAR Provisions for the formation of the acquisition team. The dissemination of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in 1984 replicated the Congress' intention to create a structure that was uniform for Executive Branch federal contracting. Prior to the introduction of the FAR, civilian agencies and the defence services had different and self owned set of regulations. The FAR is codified at Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations. It consists of regulations and rules as articulated by the United States federal government that governs the procurement processes for the government. The FAR contains the standardized procedures and policies for acquisitions by any and all federal government agencies. After the circulation of the FAR, the standardization goal was destabilized by the diverse agency-specific supplements (Vacketta, 1999). The FAR enforces the implementation of nearly every decision-making plan related to procurement. It is also within the FAR mandate to accomplish every stage of the process of acquisition. FAR 1. 102 (d) stipulates that: The function of every member of the Acquisition Team is to ensure the exercise of individual initiative and effective business decision while providing the best value product and service that meet the needs of the customers (Acquipedia, 2012). It further explains the scope and procedure of the acquisition team. This consists of the federal government team members responsible for integration tasks constraint and contracting negotiations including the requiring activity, the paying agent team, the contracting officer, financial management and others. Summary of the FAR Provisions for Acquisition Team Opportunity: Supply of Silicon Drift Detector Summary of Opportunity Opportunity is typically defined as the occasion and time that present favourable circumstance to attain precise goals. The details of opportunity identified on http://www. fbo. org/ are as presented below: a. Opportunity title / project location: Supply of Silicon Drift Detector b. Solicitation Number: RC238923 c. Agency: Department of Energy d. Office: Brookhaven National Laboratory (DOE Contractor) e. [Office] Location: Brookhaven f. URL: https://www. fbo. gov/? s=opportunity&mode=form&id=a95ff19f0cbf7a7448fbd5503527130b&tab=core&_cview=0 Nature and Specifications of the Project This is a short-term project in which a federal government body requires the supply of Silicon Drift Detectors. The Contractor is required to deliver 1 Silicon Drift Detector to the US Department of Energy. The project requires fixed pricing terms. The Silicon Drift Detector should be delivered within 180 days upon the signing of the contract at the Department of Energy office, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Brookhaven. The timings are required to be identified by the COR Feb 01, 2013 11:59 pm Eastern: Provision 333 — Machinery Manufacturing/333999 — All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing, many others as stipulated in AMS – Form – 010, rev. 5, should be considered for the entire process involved in the solicitation and acquisition. Technical specifications of the Hitachi Vortex Silicon Drift Detectors are that it must have a cylindrical Snout. The length of the snout should be 638 millimetres. The detector must be Ultra High Vacuum compatible with active detection area of not less than 500mm2. The unit must be usable indoor/outdoor with 12. 5 ?m window. The detector must operate with power supplies operating at 220-240 volts. Area of Expertise Required The â€Å"bodies of knowledge†, for this project consists of contracting, finance, engineering, logistics, legal, test and evaluation and cost estimates as identified by Engelbeck (2002). The areas of expertise are as outlined below: Contracting expertise will be required since it will facilitate the selection process of a contractor or vendor of Silicon Drift Detectors. The expertise includes communication skills that will enhance the process of dealing with the customer and the supplier. This will help develop trust among the acquisition team. The drafting of the contract will become easy relative to the project priorities. Risk allocation will be easily identified in managing beforehand to make the deal successful. Financial expertise will be required for the project in establishing the financing terms and budgets related to the project. This expertise will facilitate the valuation of the project for the valuable price to be considered for solicitation. Engineering expertise will be required since it will facilitate the classification of technical stipulations required for the project at hand. References for at least three successfully-manufactured, assembled, tested and delivered single-element detectors with similar complexities as the quoted product must be provided. Logistics is a central part of the project since it specifies the items and timings for the project delivery. It will also facilitate the control of the inventory and related costs to be effective in controlling extra costs. Any project under FAR should be incorporated to the law governing the situation hence Legal considerations will be critical as the terms and conditions must be aligned to FAR. Test and evaluation are as important as any other consideration because failure to create standards for the project will make it impossible to create effectiveness in the project. Evaluation is important to be considered as it will facilitate the future course of actions. Cost estimates are critical as they present the bottom-line of project. All the financials related to this project are based on cost estimates. The cost estimates are an underlying factor to the evaluation of the quality standards. Involvement of Team Members Contemporary, the integration of team members is fundamental to acquire the quoted product with the required specifications to effectively complete the processes and projects on time. The contribution of each member in the team will create synergy. Their presence during the project will act as a positive energy for team success. The involvement of each team member is based on their area of expertise: The end user is the definitive team member. In this case, the end user is the staff at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The staffs represent the Department of Energy which offers valuable resource for the Silicon Drift Detectors being procured. The Program Manager will make sure that the ensuing agreement meets the long- and short-range requirements of the project’s mission and that the design produce the intended results. The contracting officers will make sure that all contract activities comply with relevant laws, regulations, executive orders, and other applicable measures including approvals and clearances. Financial managers will ensure the provision of information needed by the team to make decisions on the amount of money available. The legal counsel will ensure continuous provision of guidance related to legal compliance and interpretation of regulations and laws. All team members will provide necessary and continuous support throughout the project lifecycle. Steps for Solicitation Completion There are a number of steps that will be applied to make sure that the solicitation notice is clear, complete, and accurate prior to submission for posting on the FedBizOpps. gov Website. Prior to finalization of the draft solicitation, the officer in charge of contracting may issue a draft solicitation to obtain questions and comments from a group of potential (but not eligible) candidates before releasing the final solicitation. This will help to better refine the solicitation and clarify any vagueness. Posting the draft solicitation will allow exchange with industry in the form of questions, suggestions, corrections and comments that can improve the final solicitation. The contracting officer will also make a request for a review of the draft solicitation by the counsel and project officer in harmony with procedures prior to release. Upon review, the contracting officers should then seek and obtain the concluding approval from the agency leadership (Gouder, 2007).