General frequency response program calculates frequency response of system, open at any specified element

The general frequency response program provides the frequency response of any linear feedback control system including the open loop control system. The system characteristic matrix, obtained from the Laplace transformations of the dynamic and control equations, is input to the program. A variety of outputs are available

A comparison of the information technology knowledge of United States and German auditors

The International Federation of Accountants has stated that competence in information technology is imperative for the professional accountant due to its pervasive use in the business world. Auditors would normally be expected to have higher knowledge than the average accountant since they must audit the work of many different clients with diverse information systems. We surveyed 2,500 United States and German auditing professionals to determine their self-reported knowledge levels (IT self-efficacy) of 36 information technologies, some of which include various emerging technologies. Responses totaled 587 for a 23.5% overall response rate. A factor analysis of the 36 individual technologies revealed five underlying general constructs. Response statistics indicated both countries lacked significant knowledge for three of these five constructs. Scores were then culturally standardized to appropriately compare United States and German responses. German auditors had significantly higher knowledge for the construct of networking and data transfer. U.S. auditors had significantly higher knowledge for three constructs: ecommerce technologies, general office automation, and audit automation technologies. No differences were found for the construct of accounting firm office automation technologies. This study provides a foundation and methodology by which future researchers can measure whether, as an “emerging technology” matures, greater convergence will occur over time across cultures in factor analysis, as in the case of the more mature construct, general office automations.La Federación Internacional de Contables ha declarado que la competencia en la tecnología de la información es obligatoria para los contables profesionales, debido a su uso penetrante en el mundo de los negocios. Los auditores habrían esperado normalmente tener un conocimiento más elevado que un contable medio, ya que ellos deben auditar el trabajo de un gran número de diferentes clientes con sistemas de información diferentes a su vez. Encuestamos a 2.500 profesionales de auditoría de EEUU y Alemania, con el objetivo de determinar sus niveles de conocimiento auto-declarados (autoeficacia informática) en cuanto a las 36 tecnologías de la información, algunas de ellas incluyendo varias tecnologías emergentes. Las respuestas obtenidas fueron 587 por un tasa general de respuesta de 23.5%. Un análisis factorial de esas 36 tecnologías individuales reveló cinco constructos generales subyacentes. Las estadísticas de respuesta indicaron que ambos países no tenían un conocimiento relevante de tres de estos cinco constructos. Las calificaciones estaban entonces estandarizadas culturalmente para comparar de forma apropiada las respuestas de ambos países. Los auditores alemanes tenían un conocimiento mucho más elevado de las constructos de redes y transferencia de datos. Los auditores de EEUU tenían un mayor conocimiento sobre los tres constructos: tecnologías del comercio electrónico, la automatización de oficinas, y las tecnologías de automatización de auditorías. No se encontraron diferencias en cuanto al constructo de tecnologías ofimáticas para empresas de contabilidad. Este estudio proporciona una base y metodología con la que los futuros investigadores puedan medir si, a medida que una “tecnología emergente” madura, se producirá una mayor convergencia con el tiempo entre las culturas en el análisis factorial, como en el caso de un constructo más maduro, las automatizaciones de oficina

Marketing: A Changing Concept in Changing Times

Pork Powerhouses 2000, the annual report from Successful Farming magazine changed this year when they recast the report as the 50 largest commercial pork producers in North America. Recognizing the movement of pork production in the international sector, while not innovative in itself, indicates the changes in agriculture taking place in the world. The minimum number of sows to make the list increased sixty-six percent (66%) from 1999\u27s 7,200 sows to 12,000 sows this year. Eight Canadian firms made the list this year with a total of 202,200 sows

Value-Added: “For the Long-Term”

Farm Factors that Create Value - Farm products can be produced in a number of ways that create value in the minds of consumers. Animal production systems such as pork production that eliminate the use of antibiotics would be one example. Humane treatment in animal production systems, from reduced confinement to free range to careful handling and transporting, is another. Specific genetics can be used which improve the quality, appearance or eating characteristics of the meat. Crops likewise can be of certain genetic material, raised organically or produced to meet a food grade standard for a specific product

Agricultural Management Advisory Groups for Pork Producers

Pork producers face complex management decisions and they need assistance with this complexity. Pork producers need to increase their awareness of the value of intangible assets such as relationships and knowledge. Pork producers must value, employ, and extract value from the use of intangible assets. Agricultural management advisory services assist producers in extracting vale from the use of intangible assets such as knowledge. Pork producers need to participate in advisory services. Pork producers can use group efforts to effectively create such services. Advisory services can improve the well being of producers by increasing their knowledge of and ability to deal with external influencers that affect their businesses

Value-Added: “For the Long-Term”

Farm Factors that Create Value - Farm products can be produced in a number of ways that create value in the minds of consumers. Animal production systems such as pork production that eliminate the use of antibiotics would be one example. Humane treatment in animal production systems, from reduced confinement to free range to careful handling and transporting, is another. Specific genetics can be used which improve the quality, appearance or eating characteristics of the meat. Crops likewise can be of certain genetic material, raised organically or produced to meet a food grade standard for a specific product

Marketing: A Changing Concept in Changing Times

Pork Powerhouses 2000, the annual report from Successful Farming magazine changed this year when they recast the report as the 50 largest commercial pork producers in North America. Recognizing the movement of pork production in the international sector, while not innovative in itself, indicates the changes in agriculture taking place in the world. The minimum number of sows to make the list increased sixty-six percent (66%) from 1999\u27s 7,200 sows to 12,000 sows this year. Eight Canadian firms made the list this year with a total of 202,200 sows

An evaluation of free amino acids as chemotaxonomic markers in Protea L. species

One of the major functions of a Botanic Garden should be that of research. When a research laboratory was established at Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden in 1984, it-was decided to start investigating chemical parameters of our indigenous plants, since this is a field that has not received adequate attention in the past. It was hoped to contribute towards the classification of plants by applying chemotaxonomy or chemosystematics, whereby chemical evidence is incorporated with morphological and other information. The genus Protea L. was an obvious choice for the initial material of such research as it is one of the best-known and most prominent genera of our indigenous flora and its taxonomic revision, based mainly on morphological data, was recently completed by Dr. J. P. Rourke (1980) of the National Botanic Gardens, Kirstenbosch. It was hoped that a phytochemical study of Protea species, whereby their free amino acid composition was determined by paper partition chromatography, might be of use in contributing to its taxonomic classification

Basis Changes in the Pork Pricing Structure

In December 1998 hog prices fell to unprecedented levels. Adjusted for inflation these were some of the lowest prices received by pork producers. The basis relationship (the difference between a futures contract price for a commodity and a local cash price for that commodity) between the cash markets and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures contract on lean hog carcasses increased to record proportions as well. Was the record wide basis a one time event, based on the futures markets inability to drop as quickly as the cash bid, or are there underlying fundamental changes in the basis for hogs

The Hog Industry in 2005

The hog industry enjoyed a remarkable year in 2005. The USDA, December 1st Hog and Pig Report estimated the market herd at 100.3 percent, breeding herd at 100.7 percent, and total herd at 100.4 percent of December 1, 2004 numbers. For the third year in a row, producers increased production while receiving profitable prices