BusMGT Unit3 & 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

BusMGT Unit3 & 4 - Assignment Example With the belief that the company can stand on its feet again, the morale returns to the employees and this will help the company get back to where it was in the long-run. To increase the profit margins of the company, the most important thing to do would be to focus the finances towards the out-dated product lines of the company. This can be done by conducting a market analysis to figure out the consumer demands and what they prefer in the product. By attending to the needs of the consumer, we are actually paving a way for higher profits in the future because we’ll be giving the consumers what they want. Moreover, by understanding the consumer demand it’ll become easier for us to redesign our product to the desired specifics and the chance of losing sales due to undesirable characteristics would be reduced. To analyse and incorporate the effects of the external environment into our organization’s business plan, it would also be beneficial to point out who our com petitors are. An in-depth research of the competitors and the products that they sell is very important because it gives us an insight into how we could give our products a USP (unique selling point) in comparison to that of the competitors. Also, the objective is not to duplicate the competition products but to manufacture good-quality products with features that give us a leg up. The best way, in my opinion to ensure success finance-wise, is to create products that are not already supplied in the market but have a high consumer demand. In order to reach this goal, the organization design will have to be rearranged in several ways. First, all the major contributors will be divided into teams, which will be assigned by the ideas of the new business plan. Next, one main objective or goal will be given to all the teams to focus on, and it will be made sure that it has all the expertise and knowledge required to efficiently achieve that goal. The team-members will assist each other in completing the goal. They will also have a set role, with the Team leaders and Managers to look over the entire process. This structure will mean that we can focus on our customers and suppliers, as they will be the force that drives the organization towards product redevelopment, changes in the hierarchy and so on. Moreover, the inter-departmental communication flow will be clearer and faster, leading to more efficient decision making for the organization. Also, meeting the needs of our consumers will provide us with a competitive edge in the market. Moreover, in order to manage the problem of the competition of internal resources, a BCG matrix analysis can be conducted to point out the stars, cash-cows, problem-child and dog products. This is essential because, it will help us manage the portfolio competently. The unprofitable products will be eliminated freeing up resources to be injected into other products that are likely to give us higher returns. For the problem of adversaria l communication faced by the organization, it is important to lessen the pressure in the organization to provide an environment that encourages open and honest communication. (Hunter, 2011) The primary role of managers in a company is to try to aim on the highest efficiency. For this

Total Quality Management Case Essay Example for Free

Total Quality Management Case Essay Total Quality Management (TQM), is a management philosophy that gained its momentum in the 1980s. W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, and Kaoru Ishikawa are the founders who set forth the fundamentals of total quality management. In a matter of a decades time total quality management turned into a social movement and gained a significant level of acceptance in the U.S management community (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). The primary authorities of the total quality management movement are of the opinion that being in business is the main objective of any organization. This in turn helps in the stability of the community and provides a platform for the growth and satisfaction of the organization members (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). Hence we can say that total quality management refers to a management process that involves everyone and all the activities in an organization to ensure that the customer requirements are met at the same time the goals of the organization are satisfied and helps in the self-improvement of employees. Total quality management has radically changed the way in which traditionally quality was handled. A comparison and contrast of the two approaches highlights the advantages of total quality management over the traditional style. Traditionally quality was defined internally in an organization. Products or services were assumed to be of good quality if the organization thought so. But according to total quality management customer satisfaction is the primary criteria to define quality. It was believed that poor quality was a resultant of poor and inefficient work exhibited by the workers but total quality management attributes the quality assurance to the management and not the workers alone. Apart from team building total quality management stresses on the principle that the efficiency of cross-functional teams increases quality. This is in contrast with the traditional thought of building teams and concentrating on high amount of efficient teamwork. Inspection was a common method used earlier to maintain quality but total quality management stresses more on assuring quality by enforcing certain processes. (TQM Vs Traditional management style. Retrieved on 04/27/2007, from http://www.leanmanufacturingconcepts.com/TQMVsTraditionalManagementStyle.htm) For a long period of time quality was localized to the organization where it was determined but in the recent times globalization is the buzzword. Economic globalization refers to the integration of the various markets across the world to promote their respective business. It is the exchange of capital, products and services at a global level. When we look at the impact that globalization has caused on quality the most striking feature is that quality must be demonstrated at a global comparison level. Globalization has led to the development of international trade and new opportunities for any business to grow and expand to become competitive in an international market. To survive in the international market there is a need for constant improvement in quality and other management practices. Globalization has brought with it high levels of competition and progress in technology and innovation that it becomes mandatory to adhere to international standards for quality assurance. The certification of the quality by an international body is one method to achieve it. Businesses involved in international trade rely on the government for developing national quality policies, which shows the nations quality consciousness that in turn, will be reflected in the international scenario. While applying total quality management in any organization, best practices must be developed and followed across the organization to realize the philosophy of total quality management. Some of the most commonly used techniques are described below. â€Å"Formation of short-term problem-solving teams with the overall objective of simplifying and streamlining work practices.† (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995) the problems addressed by these teams include issues in cross-functional involvement and with-in unit workflow problems (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). While implementing total quality management in an organization there is a need for investing time and money in training the employees of the organization. â€Å"Top-Down implementation† is a very important practice that focuses on the philosophy that quality is the responsibility of top management (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995).   The top management is first introduced to the quality practices that are then passed on to the lower levels in the hierarchy. To know what are the customer preferences greatly helps in satisfying the customer hence it is necessary to device mechanisms to obtain customer data. Methods that can be used to obtain customer data include â€Å"toll-free complaint lines, market research firms and customer focus groups† (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). â€Å"Competitive benchmarking and employee involvement† are features that are in the most recent times being used in implementing total quality management. Benchmarking is useful to understand customer requirements, In order to meet customer requirements it is some times essential to opt for alternatives in work processes and determining the goals that have to be achieved in terms of quality (J. Richard Hackman, Ruth Wageman, 1995). To aspire the employees of the organization to become more and more quality conscious it’s a good idea to introduce methods by which the employee can be involved in quality. Some of the well-known methods are celebration of quality related events and use of quality days or weeks to stress upon quality improvement. At the same time programs must be developed to ensure employee satisfaction by providing proper appraisals based on performance. Ultimately the implementation of total quality management in an organization should be in-sync with the fundamental philosophy of â€Å"†¦perpetual improvement in everything we do.† (Dexter A. Hansen) References Richard Hackman.J, Ruth Wageman (1995). Total Quality Management: Empirical, conceptual, and Practical Issues. Journal article Administrative Science Quarterly, 40 Total Quality Management Vs Traditional Style, retrieved date 04/27/2007 http://www.leanmanufacturingconcepts.com/TQMVsTraditionalManagementStyle.htm United nations economic commission of Europe, Best Practice in the Creation of Quality Systems for Enhancing Competitiveness of SMEs, retrieved on, http://www.unece.org/indust/sme/quality.html

Strong relationship Essay Example for Free

Strong relationship Essay Perhaps, growing up as a member of the third sex, most especially in a black community, is one of the most significant challenges that one could face. Black communities are centered on the traditional function of an institution, which is mainly directed in opposing the lifestyles that are deemed to be transgressing the code of morality. Historically, people of color have been faced with serious hardships and obstacles, and these add up to the pressure of being a part of the third sex. Fortunately, such experiences have been my stepping stone to become aware of what it is like to be involved in a subject that few have dared to discuss. Though I am lucky enough to grow up with a strong support system, I still had and continue to have my share of difficulties which eventually changed my perspective in the governing body that permeates our community. I was once a member of the Navy, and I was discharged from the service on the basis of sexual orientation. My firsthand account of the institutional discrimination became my guiding force to pursue a legal profession which I believe would pave the way for me to bring to public interest an issue that is often taken for granted. As an individual who has spent a considerable time working in the paralegal environment, I believe that education and exposure are imperative tools in bringing changes in the perspective of individuals. Likewise, the attainment of understanding towards an issue can only be possible if individuals are aware of the current situation. Hence, armed with a strong desire to pursue law, I will strive to bridge the gap between the gay community and the public. Similar to other applicants who wish to apply for the university’s law program, I offer credentials that highlight my capability as an individual. Alongside my education and work experiences as a paralegal practitioner in both the international and local landscape, I also actively participated in community outreach programs which became a ground for me to fully recognize my capabilities as a legal practitioner. From there, I managed to have an account of providing legal assistance and education among people of different backgrounds specially those that were impacted with the discriminatory practices present in the workplace. Likewise, I was able to share my experience as a person of color and a member of the third gender. I account the continuous increase of my professional knowledge to all my experiences in working with people of diverse background. Having been able to deal with individuals who offer varied and inspirational stories catapulted my desire to understand further the ins and outs of the industry. For these reasons, I strongly believe that (name of university) would offer me the education that would bring me a step closer to attaining my goal of becoming an attorney. My strong commitment to diversity as well as excellent program would enable me to achieve my objectives and broaden my perspective in legal aspects. In addition, when identifying potential schools, I sought out institutions that extend their efforts to areas that would prepare me excellently for public interest works and would fully equip me with academic input which, in the long run, would enable me to give out possible improvements with the issues present in the field of law. I also believe that (name of university) is a ground for me to reconstruct my plans for a better career path and would allow me to take on valuable options that are essential for establishing strong relationship with the community that I am about to work with. The combination of my strong educational background, practical experiences and my pursuit to expose and rectify the injustices permeating in our society would ensure my success in the university’s law program. For the foregoing, I believe that (name of university), with its purpose-driven programs, is the ideal institution to embark upon the study of law.

Restatement problem definition technique

Restatement problem definition technique Task 1 The purpose of the task is to choose one of the scenarios and to apply the Present state/Desired state, Duncker Diagram and Statement/Restatement problem definition technique. The scenario 1 is about the problem associated with the recycling of post-consumer waste. It has been observed that even in the most cooperative and environment conscious communities, bins of recyclable waste contains 10% of wrong recyclable or non-recyclable material. For disposing non-recyclable material present in recyclable bins, recycling company has to spend lot of money. The problem needs investigation from the recycling company CEOs point of view. Summary of additional information gathered Generation of waste is strongly associated to population and urbanization [1]. Improvement of existing waste management technique is a prime concern for developing countries. In past, the most inexpensive practice for disposing waste was to place it in landfills. Despite the fact that the landfills were used to manage the waste, the need for restitution of the landfills, release of toxic gases, limited accessibility of the land for the landfills etc., still remains a great challenges for metropolitan cities. The ever increasing post-consumer waste has many adverse effects on the health of people, such as pollution of underground water and soil, bad smell from landfills and release of green house gases like CO2 and CH4 [1]. The concept of 3Rs which says reduce, reuse and recycle has become a key notion for waste management. The finest way to manage waste is not to create it. Generation of waste should be minimized at household level by avoiding excess use of non-environmental friendly goods. Recycling is the also one of the best option for waste management as it offers several advantages like utilization of waste which would otherwise be dumped in landfills and also decrease in use of new resources [2]. Novel methods of sorting non-recyclable waste from recyclable should be brought in use. The production capacity of paper in Malaysia has reached up to 1,300,000 T/year [3] but it is still low as compared to the consumption of paper there. Paper mills in Malaysia are now relying on machines which can sort different grades of paper. After sorting, high quality paper can be recycled. Malaysian paper mills are saving lot of money, energy, reducing the amount of landfills, reducing incineration and above all conserving their natural resources [3]. Shutting down of Freshkills Landfills in Staten Island in 2001 has strained the city of New York to find other methods of waste management. To dispose huge amount of waste, New York City is exporting parts of its waste to Virginia and its neighboring state. Remarkable increase in disposal tipping fees in recent years has forced New York City to find other methods for waste management. Recycling provides a striking alternative as it helps in decreasing pollution, providing employments and preserving energy. Municipal Corporation in New York City is now relying on materials recovery facility (MRF). MRF collects waste, segregates wrong or non recyclable waste from recyclable waste, recycle the waste and stores it as raw material for manufacturing industry. By doing this, City of New York is saving nearly $46 million per year from the total amount it spends today for waste disposal [4]. Present state/Desired State Technique Discussion: The present state talks about the presence of wrong or non-recyclable material whereas desired state talks about maximizing companys profit by proper separation and disposal of non-recyclable waste. There is no match between the present state and the desired state. Further reworking of statements is required. Discussion: These states are matched, but there is no clear difference between the present and the desired state. Desired state somewhat solves the issue in present state i.e. company has to spend money for disposing non-recyclable waste. Actual problem is not resolved yet therefore further reworking of solution is required. Discussion There is perfect one to one mapping between present and desired state. The problem addressed in present state is completely resolved in desired state. The desired state focuses on attaining zero percent contamination in recyclable bins. Therefore, if there is no non-recyclable or wrong recyclable material in recyclable bin there is no point in disposing it and there is no cost for disposing it. These statements can therefore be considered as the best statements for actual problem. Duncker Diagram Statement-Restatement Technique Original problem statement: Bins of recyclable material contain 10% of wrong or non-recyclable material and recycling company has to spend money for its disposal. Trigger 1: Emphasizing on different words and phrases Bins of recyclable material contain 10% of wrong or non-recyclable material and recycling company has to spend money for its disposal. Is there any other way to collect waste? Bins of recyclable material contain 10% of wrong or non-recyclable material and recycling company has to spend money for its disposal. How can we reduce percentage of wrong or non-recyclable material? Bins of recyclable material contain 10% of wrong or non-recyclable material and recycling company has to spend money for its disposal. Can we make use of these wrong or non-recyclable materials? -Some materials like used polythene bags can be reused as trash bags in houses for trash cans. In this way consumer can reduce the use of non-recyclable material. Bins of recyclable material contain 10% of wrong or non-recyclable material and recycling company has to spend money for its disposal. How can we reduce cost for disposing non-recyclable waste? Trigger 2: Substituting the explicit definition Containers of reusable materials are contaminated with non-reusable materials that are in fact, expensive to dump. Trigger 3: Making opposite sentence How to make bins of recyclable material contamination free, thus company has to spend no money for its disposal? Trigger 4: Use relaxing constraints Bins of recyclable material are never contaminated and there is no cost for its disposal. This technique helps us to think in different way. It motivates to develop a method so that recycle bins never get any contamination. Trigger 5: Replacing persuasive words The problem statement implies that we obviously want zero contamination of recyclable waste so that company has to spend no money for its disposal. Thus, if we could avoid contamination at source by marking the bins and classifying non-recyclable and recyclable waste for consumers. Trigger 6: Expressing words in the form of equation This statement can be expressed in equation form: Contamination in recyclable bin is directly proportional to presence of non-recyclable material. Therefore, By replacing, proportionality sign (with proportionality constant (k). This trigger helps us in thinking in alternative way. What factors affect the value of k? How can we minimize the presence of non-recyclable material? Proper tagging of bins, classification of non-recyclable materials and recyclable materials for consumers, reducing use of non-recyclable material etc. can help in reducing contamination of recycle bins. References Moldes, Y. Cendon, M. T. Barral, â€Å"Evaluation of municipal solid waste compost as a plant growing media component, by applying mixture design,† Bioresource Technology, vol. 98, no. 16, November 2007. V. W. Y Tam, C. M. Tam, â€Å"A review on the viable technology for construction waste recycling,† Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 209-221, June 2006. M. O. Rahman, M. A. Hannan, E. Scavino, A. Hussain, H. Basri, â€Å"An Efficient Paper Grade Identification Method for Automatic Recyclable Waste Paper Sorting,† European Journal of Scientific Research, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 96-103, 2009. A. J. Dubanowitz, â€Å"Design of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) For Processing the Recyclable Materials of New York Citys Municipal Solid Waste,† M.S. thesis, Dept.Earth and Environmental Eng., Columbia Univ., May 2000 [online]. Available at http://www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/dubanmrf.pdf, retrieved on 09/29/09.

Overpopulation and Environmental Degradation Essay example -- Explorat

Overpopulation and Environmental Degradation At the time of the agricultural revolution, nearly ten thousand years ago, the population of the globe was no more than ten million. Today the world population is estimated at over six billion. In the last hundred years the population has more than tripled. With the population rising at an enormous rate of 1.7 million a week, the world as a whole is being drained of its resources. (Southwick, 1996) Different theories have prevailed on what will occur as the population continues to explode ranging from the Malthusian apocalypse to absolutely no effects at all. Over the last two centuries as agricultural and technological advancements came about, the planet's overall carrying capacity increased dramatically. It is estimated that the world could support over twenty times its current population living at 120 per square meter in 2000-story buildings. (Dolan, 1974) Overpopulation not only adversely affects the "environment," or nature, but also has a large impact on human societies today. Environmental degradation and population growth go hand in hand. As more people enter the world, there is a greater need for space, furthering damage to our surroundings. As populations grew in response to the agricultural revolution of ancient times more land was required for cultivation to feed the rising populations. Forests were cleared, waterways were diverted, and the soil exhausted, all a result of the expanding populace. Even today in parts of the world, especially third world countries, land is being cleared by slash and burn methods for grazing land and urban development. Whole species of organisms in areas like the Amazon rainforest have most likely been lost due to this method of deforestatio... ...devastating effects, notably poverty, disease, and famine, on poorer countries that cannot handle the needed health care for their mounting populations. Rapid growth of the human population is occurring today with three births for each death. (Southwick, 1996) The modern countries of today cannot turn their back on the third world as everything that occurs on this planet is related. These issues are becoming more and more difficult to solve and are escalating each day. More time and effort needs to be done to look at the root of these issues if there is any hope to fix them. References: Dolan, Edwin G., Ch. 5 from "TANSTAAFL: The Economic Strategy for Environmental Crisis" 1974 Southwick, Charles H., Ch. 15 from "Global Ecology in Human Perspective" Oxford Univ. Press, 1996 Tennenbaum, Erica. http://www.tulane.edu/~rouxbee/kids98/egypt3.html October 20, 1998

National Transportation Safety Boards Report Case Study Essay -- Essay

National Transportation Safety Boards Report Case Study STATEMENT OF PURPOSE This report provides a summary of the National Transportation Safety Boards Report on the accident involving a Douglas DC-8-63, N827AX, operated by ABX Air Inc. (Airborne Express). The description provides a brief synopsis of accident flight. The discussion is an examination of the history of the flight and discussion on those findings I found were most causal to the accident that were covered by the National Transportation Safety Board during their investigation. The report also explores those probable causes that attributed to the accident and action provided by the National Transportation Safety board in the prevention of similar mishaps. DESCRIPTION On December 22, 1996, at 1810 eastern standard time, a Douglas DC-8-63, N827AX, operated by ABX Air Inc. (Airborne Express) impacted mountainous terrain in the vicinity of Narrows, Virginia, while on a post-modification functional evaluation flight. The three flightcrew members and three maintenance/avionics technicians on board were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by the impact and a postcrash fire. The functional evaluation flight, which originated from Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina, was conducted on an instrument flight rules flight plan and operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable causes of this accident were the inappropriate control inputs applied by the flying pilot during a stall recovery attempt, the failure of the nonflying pilot-in-command to recognize, address, and correct these inappropriate control inputs, and the failure of ABX to establish a formal functional evaluation flight program that included adequate program guidelines, requirements and pilot training for performance of these flights. Contributing to the causes of the accident were the inoperative stick shaker stall warning system and the ABX DC-8 flight training simulator’s inadequate fidelity in reproducing the airplane’s stall characteristics. DISCUSSION In all the National Transportation Safety Board concluded there were twenty-three findings that directly contributed to this airplane accident. I will address the ones I feel carried the most impact where if the instance was removed the accident would have be... ...stall characteristics. Recommendations include requiring the Douglas Aircraft Company change maintenance and calibration requirements for all DC-8 stall warning systems, improving the fidelity of the simulators in reproducing the stall characteristics of the airplanes they represent, ensure ABX incorporates the revised functional evaluation stall recovery procedure in its FEF program and developing an advisory circular advising aircrew on correct stall maneuver procedures. Additional requirements were for the FAA to identify operations that require special consideration and require special training and operational guidance. They were also to take a more active role in surveillance of FEF programs for air carriers and modify current operating instructions to clarify airworthiness and operational procedural requirements for conducting FEF’s in transport-category aircraft. The Safety Board also reiterated its standing recommendation to present pilots with angle-of-attack information in a visual form at and to train them to use the information to obtain maximum possible climb performance. Bibliography: National Transportation Safety Board, Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-97/05

Essay --

As a part of my endeavor to pursue higher studies I humbly submit the Statement of Purpose. This statement would succinctly recapitulate my ambitions and credibility as a promising zealous student in your institution. First of all, I would like to introduce myself as Mr. Satyanarayana Shiva Mantravadi, an undergraduate B. tech Engineer with Electronics and Communication Engineering specialization from Koneru Lakshmiah University, one of the very distinguished and esteemed universities in our country. Right from my school, I was always fascinated by Mathematics, Science and Research in general. And then again in high school, it was this propensity which led me to take up Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry as my major subjects. This passion eventually made me to opt for Electronics and Communication Engineering as my field of expertise. I would like to present my past performance as the bona fides for my success in my future endeavors. My innate strength has always been my quantitative and analytical abilities, which instilled me with a penchant for Mathematics and Physics. I opted for the same in my 12th grade and secured a score of around 96% in core subjects. I was placed in the top 3% of five hundred thousand aspirants who took entrance examination for IITs. This performance helped me in getting admission into Koneru Lakshamiah University, Vijayawada, India. During the course of my preparation for this exam, I had realized that my interests lay in the broad principles of scienc e and its basic fundamentals and I ascertained Electronics and Communication Engineering to be the apt subject, catering my taste. It was the time when technology had slowly begun to repose the lives of the people. Electronics and Communication Engi... ...of academic excellence accompanied by proficient Faculty and research facilities. Moreover, your institution being the confluence of people from every race, religion and nationality provides the right kind of exposure needed for upbringing of one’s natural skill. I especially thank you for giving me the opportunity to express about myself. Hailing from an educated family, I am confident that I possess the required perseverance and commitment and am sure that I’ll cope with your expectations. It would be a great honor to my family and my country if I could attain remarkable achievements in my field. I assure you that I would keep up my diligence and good demeanor during the course. I hope you find my purpose definitive and I fit in to your image of a promising research student. I look forward to prove myself. ( Satyanarayana Shiva Mantravadi) Essay -- As a part of my endeavor to pursue higher studies I humbly submit the Statement of Purpose. This statement would succinctly recapitulate my ambitions and credibility as a promising zealous student in your institution. First of all, I would like to introduce myself as Mr. Satyanarayana Shiva Mantravadi, an undergraduate B. tech Engineer with Electronics and Communication Engineering specialization from Koneru Lakshmiah University, one of the very distinguished and esteemed universities in our country. Right from my school, I was always fascinated by Mathematics, Science and Research in general. And then again in high school, it was this propensity which led me to take up Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry as my major subjects. This passion eventually made me to opt for Electronics and Communication Engineering as my field of expertise. I would like to present my past performance as the bona fides for my success in my future endeavors. My innate strength has always been my quantitative and analytical abilities, which instilled me with a penchant for Mathematics and Physics. I opted for the same in my 12th grade and secured a score of around 96% in core subjects. I was placed in the top 3% of five hundred thousand aspirants who took entrance examination for IITs. This performance helped me in getting admission into Koneru Lakshamiah University, Vijayawada, India. During the course of my preparation for this exam, I had realized that my interests lay in the broad principles of scienc e and its basic fundamentals and I ascertained Electronics and Communication Engineering to be the apt subject, catering my taste. It was the time when technology had slowly begun to repose the lives of the people. Electronics and Communication Engi... ...of academic excellence accompanied by proficient Faculty and research facilities. Moreover, your institution being the confluence of people from every race, religion and nationality provides the right kind of exposure needed for upbringing of one’s natural skill. I especially thank you for giving me the opportunity to express about myself. Hailing from an educated family, I am confident that I possess the required perseverance and commitment and am sure that I’ll cope with your expectations. It would be a great honor to my family and my country if I could attain remarkable achievements in my field. I assure you that I would keep up my diligence and good demeanor during the course. I hope you find my purpose definitive and I fit in to your image of a promising research student. I look forward to prove myself. ( Satyanarayana Shiva Mantravadi)