Transaction Management And Concurrency Control Computer Science Essay

Transaction Management And Concurrency Control Computer Science Essay As more networks and databases are connected together, the importance of a solid database management system becomes apparent. Transaction and Concurrency Control, Recovery and Backup, and Security are major functions that should be examined when choosing the correct system. Databases which contain your companys valuable information must be properly protected, backed up, and secure from data loss and unauthorized access. In response to this requirement, both Oracle and Microsoft have implemented strong features into their database products. This paper compares the offerings of the two databases in terms of features, functionality, and ease of management. Table of Contents Introduction Overview a) SQL Server Overview b) Oracle Overview Transaction Management and Concurrency Control a) Overview of Transaction Management and Concurrency Control b) SQL Server TM and CC c) Oracle TM and CC d) Comparison Backup and Recovery a) Overview of Backup and Recovery b) SQL Server B and R c) Oracle B and R d) Comparison Security a) Overview b) SQL Server Security c) Oracle Security d) Comparison Conclusion Introduction This paper will provide a comparative review of three database management system functions: transaction and concurrency control, recovery and backup, and security, between Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. The purpose is to enhance understanding of database functionality and, through comparison, provide insight into the commonalities and differences between two different systems. Overview of Database Management Systems Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database server, with its primary languages being T-SQL and ANSI SQL. ANSI SQL is the American National Standards Institute standardized SQL and is used as the base for several different SQL languages, including T-SQL. T-SQL is a proprietary extension that uses keywords for the various operations that can be performed, such as creating and altering database schemas, entering and editing data, and managing and monitoring the server. Any application that works through SQL Server will communicate via T-SQL statements. T-SQL has some differences/extensions to basic SQL, including local variables, control of flow language, changes to delete and update statements, and support functions for date and string processing, and mathematics. Version 1.0 of SQL Server was released in 1989 and originated in Sybase SQL Server. Microsoft later ended the co-licensing agreement with Sybase and went on to develop their own version of SQL Server. The latest version is SQL Server 2008, released on August 6, 2008, and includes many improvements to speed and functionality, which will be discussed in further detail below. Sample SQL Server Architecture Diagram 1 Oracle Database is a relational database management system produced by Oracle Corporation. Users can utilize the proprietary language extension to SQL, PL/SQL, or the object-oriented language Java to store and execute functions and stored procedures. Oracle V2 was first released in November 1979 and did not support transactions, but had basic query and join functionality. The latest version is Oracle Database 11g, released in 2007, and includes many enhancements to functionality, which will be discussed in further detail below. Sample Oracle 11g Architecture Diagram 2 Transaction Management and Concurrency Control Overview A transaction, a single logical unit of work, is an action or series of actions that are performed by a user or application which can access or change the database contents. A transaction results in database transformation from one consistent state to another, and can either result in success or failure. A failed transaction is aborted and the database restores to the previous consistent state. The Database Management System is responsible for making sure all updates related to the transaction are carried out, or that stability is maintained in the case of a failed transaction. Transactions have four basic properties: Atomicity, Consistency, Independence, and Durability (ACID). Atomicity means that it is a single unit of work. Consistency ensures that data is always held firmly together in a coherent state, even after a failed transaction or crash. Independence ensures that the effects of an incomplete transaction are contained and not visible to other transactions. Durability ensure s that successful transactions result in permanent changes to the state of the database. Concurrency control is the process of managing and controlling simultaneous database operations. This is required because actions from different users and operations must not interfere with functionality, or the database could be left in an inconsistent state. Potential problems that concurrency control can solve are lost updates, inconsistent analysis, and uncommitted dependencies. The two main concurrency control techniques are locking and timestamping.  [3]   SQL Server TM and CC SQL Server fulfills the ACID requirements by using transaction management, locking, and logging. An explicit transaction is created in SQL Server by using the BEGIN TRANSACTION and COMMIT TRANSACTION commands. ROLLBACK TRANSACTION rolls back a transaction to the beginning or another save point within the transaction. SAVE TRANSACTION sets a savepoint within the transaction by dividing the transaction into logical units that can be returned to if part of the transaction is conditionally cancelled. Locking ensures transactional integrity and database consistency. In SQL Server, locking is automatically implemented, and provides both optimistic and pessimistic concurrency controls. Optimistic concurrency control assumes that resource conflicts are unlikely but not impossible, and allows transactions to execute without locking resources. Pessimistic concurrency control locks resources for the duration of a transaction. SQL Server can lock the following resources: RIDs, keys, pages, extents, tables, and databases. It utilizes several lock modes, including shared, update, exclusive, intent, and schema locks. Shared locks allow for concurrent read operations that do not change or update data, such as a SELECT statement. Update locks prevent a common form of deadlock that occurs when multiple sessions are reading, locking, and potentially updating resources later. Exclusive locks are used for data modification operations, such as INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE, and ensure that multiple up dates cant be made on the same resource at the same time. Intent locks are used to establish a lock hierarchy, and include intent shared, intent exclusive, and shared with intent exclusive locks. Schema locks are used when a schema dependent operation of a table is executed, and include schema modification and schema stability locks.  [4]   A deadlock occurs when two transactions have locks on separate objects and each user is waiting for a lock on the other object. SQL Server can set deadlock priority by scanning for sessions that are waiting for a lock request, and the SET DEADLOCK_PRIORITY command to customize deadlocking. The SETLOCK_TIMEOUT command can set the maximum time that a statement waits on a blocked resource, because the timeout period is not enforced by default.  [5]   Oracle TM and CC Oracle Database offers two isolation levels, providing developers with operational modes that preserve consistency and provide high performance. Statement level read consistency automatically provides read consistency to a query so that all the data the query sees comes from a single point in time when the query began. The query never sees any dirty data or changes made during query execution. Transaction level read consistency extends read consistency to all queries in a transaction. Oracle uses rollback segments, containing old values of data that have been changed by uncommitted or recently committed transactions, to provide consistent views and does not expose a query to phantoms. Oracle Real Application Clusters (RACs) use cache-to-cache block transfer to transfer read-consistent images of blocks between instances. It uses high speed, low latency interconnects to answer remote data block requests. Isolation levels provided by Oracle Database are read committed, serializable, and read-only. Users can choose the appropriate isolation levels for transactions depending on the type of application and workload, using these statements: SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED; SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL SERIALIZABLE; and SET TRANSACTION READ ONLY. The ALTER SESSION function can then be used to change isolation level for different transactions. Read committed is the default transaction isolation level. Each query executed by a transaction sees data committed before the query began. Oracle Database does not prevent other transactions from modifying the data read by a query, so that data can be changed by other transactions between two query executions. This can lead to non-repeatable reads and phantoms in cases where the transaction runs the same query twice. This isolation level is good for when few transactions are likely to conflict, and can provide higher potential throughput. Serializable transactions see only changes made at the beginning of the transaction, plus changes in the transaction itself through INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements. These transactions do not experience non-repeatable reads or phantoms. This isolation level is suitable for large databases and short transactions that update few rows, when there is a low chance that two concurrent transactions will modify the same rows, or where long-running transactions are primarily read-only. A serializable transaction can modify a data row only if it can determine that prior changes were committed before the current transaction began. Oracle Database uses control information in the data block to indicate which rows have committed and uncommitted changes. The amount of history that is retained is determined by the INITRANS parameter of CREATE and ALTER TABLE. To avoid having insufficient recent history information, higher values can be set for INITRANS for tables that will have many transaction s updating the same blocks. If a serializable transaction fails with the CANNOT SERIALIZE ACCESS error, the application can either commit the work executed to that point, execute additional statements with ROLLBACK, or undo the entire transaction. Read-only transactions see only changes made at the time the transaction began and dont allow INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE statements. Oracle Database uses locks to control simultaneous access to data resources. Low-level serialization mechanisms called latches are used to protect shared data structures in the System Global Area. Oracle automatically gets the necessary locks when executing SQL statements, using the lowest applicable level of restrictiveness to provide the highest possible data concurrency and data integrity. The user may also lock data manually. There are two modes of locking: exclusive and share lock modes. Exclusive lock mode prevents the associated resource from being shared, and is obtained to modify data. The first transaction to lock the data is the only one which can modify it until the lock is released. Share lock mode allows the associated resource to be shared, depending on the operations. Users reading data can hold share locks to prevent a writer access. Multiple transactions can have share locks on the same resource. All locks created by statements within a transaction last until the tr ansaction is completed or undone. Because row locks are acquired at the highest degree of restrictiveness, no lock conversion is needed or performed. Oracle automatically converts table lock restrictiveness from lower to higher as appropriate. Lock escalation is when multiple locks are held at one level of granularity, and a database raises the locks to a higher level of granularity. An example is converting many row locks into one table lock. Oracle Database never escalates locks, because this increases the chances of deadlocks. A deadlock occurs when two or more users are waiting on data locked by each other. This can prevent transactions from continuing to work. Oracle automatically detects deadlocks and solves them by rolling back one of the statements. User generated deadlocks can be avoided by locking tables in the same order for transactions accessing the same data. Oracle Database locks fall into three general categories: DML locks (data locks), DDL locks (dictionary locks), and Internal locks and latches. DML locks protect data (i.e. tables, rows). The purpose is to guarantee the integrity of data accessed by multiple users. Row locking is the finest granularity and has the best possible concurrency and throughput. A transaction always acquires an exclusive row lock for each individual row modified by INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and SELECT with the FOR UPDATE clause. If a transaction uses a row lock, it also uses a table lock for the corresponding table. Table locking is mainly used for concurrency control with DDL operations. Table locks are used when a table is modified by the INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, SELECT with FOR UPDATE, and LOCK TABLE DML statements. These statements require table locks to reserve DML access to the table for the transaction and to prevent conflicting DDL operations. Table locks can be used at both table and subpartition level for partitioned tables. A table lock can be held in the following modes, from least to most restrictive: row share (RS), row exclusive (RX), s hare (S), share row exclusive (SRX), and exclusive (X). A row share table lock is the least restrictive, and has the highest degree of concurrency for a table. It indicates the transaction has locked rows in the table and intends to update them. It is specified by the statement LOCK TABLE IN ROW SHARE MODE. A row exclusive table lock is slightly more restrictive, and indicates the transaction holding the lock has made one or more updates to rows in the table or issued a SELECT FOR UPDATE statement. It is specified by LOCK TABLE IN ROW EXCLUSIVE MODE;. A share table lock is made automatically for a table specified by the statement LOCK TABLE IN SHARE MODE;. A share row exclusive lock is more restrictive and is made for a table specified by the statement LOCK TABLE IN SHARE ROW EXCLUSIVE MODE;. Exclusive table locks are the most restrictive and are specified by the statement LOCK TABLE IN EXCLUSIVE MODE;. DDL locks protect the structure of schema objects (i.e. table definitions). Internal locks and latches are automatic and protect internal data structures such as data files. Only individual schema objects that are modified or referenced are locked during DDL operations. The entire data dictionary is never locked. DDL locks have three categories: exclusive DDL locks, share DDL locks, and breakable parse locks. Exclusive and share DDL locks last until DDL statement execution and automatic commit is complete. Most DDL operations require exclusive DDL locks for a resource to prevent interference with other DDL operations that might reference the same object. If another DDL lock is already held, then the operation must wait until the other lock is released to proceed. DDL operations also create DML locks on the modified schema object. Some DDL operations require share DDL locks to allow data concurrency for similar DDL operations. A share DDL lock is created for the following statements: AUDIT, NOAUDIT, COMMENT, CREATE (OR REPLACE) VIEW/ PROCEDURE/ PACKAGE/ PACKAGE BODY/ FUNCTION/ TRIGGER, CREATE SYNONYM, and CREATE TABLE (if CLUSTER is not used). Breakable parse locks are acquired is created for a SQL statement and each schema object it references. A parse lock does not restrict any DDL operation and can be broken to allow conflicting DDL operations. It is created in the parse phase of SQL statement execution and held as long as the shared SQL area for the statement is in the shared pool. Latches and internal locks protect internal database and memory structures. Users cannot access them. Latches are simple, low-level serialization mechanisms to protect shared data structures in the system global area. The use of latches is dependent on the operating system. Internal locks are higher-level, more complex mechanisms and include dictionary cache locks, file and log management locks, and tablespace and rollback segment locks. Dictionary cache locks are very short and are on dictionary caches while the entries are being modified or used. They make sure that parsed statements dont have inconsistent object definitions. They can be shared or exclusive; shared last until the parse is finished and exclusive last until the DDL operation is finished. File and log management locks protect different files. They are held for a long time because they indicate the status of files. Tablespace and rollback segment files protect tablespaces and rollback segments. All instances must agree whether a tablespace is online or offline. Rollback segments are locked to make sure that only one instance can write to a segment.  [6]   Comparison Microsoft SQL Server is enabled to lock smaller amounts of data at a time, which is a big improvement. There is row-level locking, so now SQL Server locks only the rows that are actually being changed. However, SQL Server has no multi-version consistency model, which means that reads and writes can block each other to ensure data integrity. The difference with Oracle is that the database maintains a snapshot of the data, which prevents queries from hanging without performing dirty reads. Backup and Recovery Overview Database backup and recovery mechanisms ensure that organizations have prepared a copy of their data, or have the tools necessary to recover from a failure. A failure is a state where inconsistency prevents transactions from reaching the desired results. Some types of failures are transaction failure, system failure, media failure, and communications failure. Transaction failure may be caused by deadlocks, time-outs, protection violations, or system errors. Transaction failures can be solved with either a partial or total rollback, depending on the extent of the failure. System failures can be recovered with a restart, or rollback to the last consistent state. Restore/roll forward functions help with restoring the database after a media failure. SQL Server B and R SQL Server databases consist of two physical hard drive files, the MDF and LDF files. MDF files contain all of the data being stored. LDF files contain a record of every data change. Logging data changes make undo operations and backups possible. The log file is cleared, or truncated, after a certain amount of time, which is determined by the database recovery model. SQL Server can maintain multiple databases, with different recovery model settings. The recovery model can be either simple, full, or bulk-logged. With simple recovery, log files are not kept permanently, so when this setting is activated, a full backup must be done. Full backups restore all of the data and cannot be set to a specific time. The full recovery setting refers to a database with a transaction log file history. The log files keep track of every data change operation. The database will stop working if the log file runs out of space, so the auto grow function can be enabled. When running in full recovery, differential and transaction log backups become available. Differential backups copy all data changes since the last full backup. Every time a full backup is run, the differential backup is reset. Transaction log backups copy all data changes since the last full or transaction log backup. They are usually very small and fast. The disadvantage is the level of recovery; if any log backup is damaged or unusable, the data is not recoverable past the last good backup.  [7]   Oracle B and R Oracle databases can be backed up using export/import, cold or off-line backups, hot or on-line backups, or RMAN backups. Exports extract logical definitions and data from the database to a file. Cold or off-line backups shut down the database and backup all data, log, and control files. Hot or on-line backups set the tablespaces into backup mode and backup the files. The control files and archived redo log files must also be backed up. RMAN backups use the rman utility to backup the database. More than one of these methods can and should be used and tested to make sure the database is securely backed up. On-line backups can only be done when the system is open and the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode. Off-line backups are performed when the system is off-line; the database doesnt have to be in ARCHIVELOG mode. It is easier to restore from off-line backups because no recovery is required, but on-line backups are not as disruptive and dont require database downtime. Point-in-time recovery is available in ARCHIVELOG mode only.  [8]   Comparison Starting with version 10g, Oracle Database adopted the Automatic Storage Management (ASM) feature, which automates storage management after a certain point. The DBA allocates storage devices to a database instance and it automates the placement and storage of the files. SQL Server storage management must be done manually, using the Share and Store Management Console in SQL Server 2008, or must purchase a separate tool. Oracles Flash Recovery feature automates the management of all backup files. The Flash Recovery area is a unified storage location for all recovery related files in the Oracle database. The DBA can also change the storage configuration without having to take the database offline. SQL Server also provides the ability to manage backup files, using a backup wizard to manage the relevant files, but does not do it automatically. SQL Server 2008 introduced improvements in backup compression. With compression, less disk I/O and storage is required to keep backups online, resu lting in increased speed. Tradeoffs seem to be between SQL Servers speed and Oracles increased functionality. In Oracle, backups are fully self-contained, but in SQL Server the DBA must manually recreate the system database using the install CD. Oracle also uses the Data Recovery Advisor (DRA) tool to automatically diagnose data failures, show repair options, and execute repairs at the users request. Oracles Flashback technology allows for instant recovery of dropped tables and logical data corruptions. SQL Server provides for data recovery by rebuilding the transaction log, running repair to fix any corruptions, and ensure the logical integrity of data is not broken.  [9]   Security Overview Security is an important part of any organizations database management system. According to Dr. Osei-Brysons lecture notes, security breaches are typically categorized as unauthorized data observation, incorrect data modification, or data unavailability. Unauthorized data observation discloses confidential information to users without the proper permissions. Incorrect data modification can be either intentional or unintentional, but can be devastating to database consistency and can result in unreliable data. Unavailable data can be very costly to an organization, depending on how the data is used. Three requirements for a data security plan include secrecy and confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Secrecy and confidentiality protects data from being accessed by unauthorized parties. Database integrity is important to protect the data from incorrect or improper modification. Availability means preventing and minimizing the damage from unavailable data. Database management systems include some form of access control mechanism to make sure each user has access to only the data they require to perform their jobs. Users are granted certain authorizations by a security administrator to determine which actions can be performed on each object. The database administrator is responsible for account creation, assigning security levels, and granting/revoking privileges. SQL Server Security Security is an integral part of SQL Servers package, according to a recent White Paper commissioned by Microsoft.  [10]  Security features for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 include policy-based management to apply policies to database objects. These policies contain a collection of conditions that can be used to enforce business and security rules. Oracle Security Oracle 11g uses supports strong authentication through KPI, Kerberos, and Radius for all connections to the database except connections made as SYSDBA or SYSOPER. Tablespace encryption provides an alternative to transparent data encryption column encryption by enabling the encryption of the entire tablespace. This is best used with large amounts of data. The transparent data encryption master key can be stored in an external hardware security module for stronger security. 11g also provides increased password protection, secure file permissions, optional default audit settings, and controls on the network callouts from the database.  [11]   Comparison In SQL Server, transparent data encryption encrypts and decrypts data in the database engine and doesnt require more application programming. The functionality is included in SQL Server 2008, but requires a $10,000 per processor additional charge with Oracle Database 11g. SQL Server 2008 allows Extensible Key Management and Hardware Security Module vendors to register in SQL Server and provide management that is separated from the database. This separation of keys from the data provides an additional layer of defense. SQL Server 2008 also has auditing support through an Auditing object, which allows administrators to capture and log all database server activity. The National Vulnerability Database, provided by the National Institute of Science and Technology, reported over 250 security vulnerabilities with Oracle products over a four year period, and none with SQL Server. The report did not list the type and severity of the vulnerabilities, or which specific products were affected, but there seems to be a trend toward vulnerability. Microsoft Update is a fairly straightforward and easy to use patching solution for SQL Server. Computerworld called Oracles patch management system involved excruciating pain and two-thirds of Oracle DBAs dont apply security patches. Oracle seems to be behind in patch management at this time. SQL Server can also prevent highly privileged users from accessing sensitive data through use of the auditing object, assigning individual permissions, module signing, Policy-based management, and additional functionality. Oracle uses Database Vault to control privileged access, but costs 20k per processor. Conclusion The comparative review of Transaction Management and Concurrency, Recovery and Backup, and Security functions on Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle 11g database has shown that there are many similarities in the functionality between the two companies, but also key differences in database management philosophy. I learned that SQL Server seems to have the edge on speed and better security, but Oracle is making many advances in high level functionality and is starting to automate many features than in previous years. I was also able to improve my understanding of the DBMS functions by examining their practical application in separate systems.

Identification of Key Problems in Panera Bread Essay

Synopsis of the situation Panera Bread is a fast food company that aims to provide a quality product. They make and sell specialty breads, salads and soups. They started strong in 1981, and currently have over 1800 stores with company managed and operated as well as franchised locations (Panera Bread, 2012). The company jumped into the frontline of restaurant chains and has gained, with great effort, a good number of customers. If you go to any one of their restaurant locations you will find similar services in each and every store. There is always a choice to dine indoors or outdoors, a fire place which aims to make you feel at home while reading your paper or drinking you coffee in the morning, especially in the winter months. They are also known for their services of free refills on coffee, tea or fountain drinks as well as complimentary water with slices of lemons. There is also free access to the internet through Wi-Fi, making Panera locations a great study environment for college students. It is also well equipped with screens that display the  product they offer which adds another great feature to their appealing design. Although they have been growing so fast, they still maintain a competitive place in the market. This is all due to their great design, dining atmosphere, fresh products, reward cards, accessible study and work environment, and efficient services. The experience that a customer is provided with at Panera is unique in the fast food industry. All of their competitors, such as McDonalds and Burger King for instance, only offer a fast product that may be cheaper in monetary price than Panera, but at the expense of health and sometimes quality. Panera Bread combined all of their competitor weaknesses and now provide fast food services, with quality, healthy products to millions of customers and this is the secret to the business’s success (Panera, 2014a). Key issues For us to identify the key issues at Panera Bread, we have to look at them from a competitor stand point and compare them to what others have. It is necessary to first examine Panera Bread. Panera Breads’ focus is on small neighborhood environments and will rarely be found in a major or large city. When lunch time comes and we start to think about what and where we should go for lunch, then Panera Bread is one of the options. After finding one and driving there, you will be shocked with how busy the place is and will doubt that you will have time in the one hour lunch to wait on line to place an order and pay around 11-13 dollars for a quality meal. Then, due to the large number of customers, they usually give a machine that vibrates and flashes when your order is ready. By that time, you should run to your car and eat your meal while driving because this meal might cost you your job, on top of what you just paid. Even if you have time and decided to dine in, there will be no place to sit because most tables have been occupied by others and will probably resemble a library, since most people are sitting with their laptops open or reading a book. A regular value meal costs a minimum of 11-13 dollars. This is their â€Å"You Pick two† value meal, which includes two items of your choice; your choice combinations of sandwich, pasta, and soups, which all come with a small  piece of French bread (Panera, 2014c). The same amount of money would probably feed 2 people at McDonalds with desserts, two at Quiznos, and possibly one at Applebee’s. Being identified as a fast food chain, just like McDonalds and Quiznos, Panera Bread involves a longer wait time. Finding a location, then parking your car and walking in to just wait on a huge line to make an order and then wait for your meal to be ready takes time. Even though they are efficient at their job, it still is not as fast as the other fast food competitors. Panera Bread is very attractive environment for someone looking to spend the day especially with their unlimited free refills of drinks both cold and hot. A college student might sit there from sunrise to sunset studying, just like what I am doing right now, working on my assignments and leaving no place for a family or group to sit. Identification of one key problem and the opportunity The problem: College students mostly are sitting on most of the tables without any space left for the neighborhood families or the other short term customers. In some way Panera has replaced the libraries for a lot of students due to their free drinks, as mentioned earlier. Panera is proud of their achievement of having established these types of customers. As long as they are not interfering with the other type of customer, then it is a great idea asset. However, in reality, when most of who are sitting and occupying the tables are students and almost no other type of customer, then the business operation will be compromised. When you buy a meal, you need to be able to sit to consume it and this is not possible when everything is occupied, which creates unhappy customers who are less likely to return. The opportunity: It is possible to be able to accommodate both types of customers by making parameters to serve the needs of both parties of these types of populations. What attracts students is the free Wi-Fi that Panera provides and by intelligently controlling this feature, they can actually control the student population in the establishment and create a balance  between these two populations by serving both of their needs. The solution made through Wi-Fi control is an opportunity after identifying the problem that Panera is having. The solution involves shutting down the Wi-Fi service during lunch peak hours. At the beginning students will probably relocate and then they will most likely adapt to the change and come right back since they know they cannot get what they get at Panera at any other place. So the new lunch time hours without free Wi-Fi would be from 11am-2pm. It is important for Panera not to scare their current student population away, because these are already established customers. When it is not peak hours and the place is filled with these students, this helps to create a relaxing and a very attractive dining that is only linked with Panera locations. This opportunity and approach will serve both of these customer populations and help build a healthy relationship with both types. This is better than just targeting one population over the other and makes it possible for both to be happy and have a good experience at Panera. Alternative solutions to the one key problem There are some other available strategies to deal with the issue of too much student population occupying the tables at Panera. A fee for the Wi-Fi could be charged. This would, however, make them less likely to choose Panera as their study spot. This solution will not only decrease the number of student occupants, but it will also have an impact on the environment that Panera created in their locations as being known for their special dining experience and this will hurt their reputation in the long run as a friendly and welcoming restaurant. Many of the Panera locations already have a limit of half an hour on Wi-Fi in lunch peak hours, which has left some unhappy customers (Panera, 2014b). These customers argue that Panera is advertising free Wi-Fi, but not providing the service. In reality, thirty minutes is not enough for anything. Also, Panera bread is well known as a casual place for meetings for some businesses and workers and limiting the Wi-Fi to 30 minutes is  limiting the ability for customers to treat the restaurant as a work environment. This could easily transform Panera from a friendly experience to an unfriendly one (Graham, 2012). This type of control of Wi-Fi will not solve the problem in reality. Thirty minutes of Wi-Fi is not enough and it will only make people run away and be reluctant to bring their computers. Another potential solution to this problem would be to enforce table sharing by students. Instead of one student spreading his or her papers all over a big table, he or she could sit comfortably with having someone else sit and share the table. This will make more seats available for usage by both populations of students and regular everyday customers. Another possible solution is to identify the number of regular customers that the restaurant gets on a daily basis and know how many table is needed to serve them appropriately. Or they may just chose a number of tables that is only selected for students to sit in and limit their access to other tables. This is done by placing flags on the tables or by just disabling the electric outlet on these tables, since most students require an electric outlet to access their computers. Selected solution and why it was chosen Panera Bread should accurately identify the amount of tables needed to accommodate all of the different populations of customers. After that, they should determine the number of tables needed to accommodate for students and the other customers who might remain seated for long periods of time using the free internet services. Then, they should mount a flag in the middle of these dedicated tables that says â€Å"Student Friendly. â€Å" This way, the student customers will respond better and not feel as if they are being chased out of the restaurant. This will also help maintain the environment and Panera’s image as a friendly and welcoming restaurant. As a matter of fact, the customers will show more loyalty to the business. When I go to Panera Bread myself, I notice how many student customers are sitting at the tables and the number is overwhelming. It is hard to only think about one consumer base and neglect the other, as both are important to the business. As a matter of fact, the student customers are actually  the one that gave Panera Bread its unique image. Some important questions that need to be answered include: What would a Panera manager do in a location where the number of student customers would interfere with the business of the short term customers, especially during peak hours? Regardless of the answer, whether that is to leave them alone, ask them to leave, or limit their internet use, there is actually no good permanent solution for the future success of Panera to be maintained. Recommendation(s) on how to implement the selected solution In order for the selected solution or change to be successful it has to be done smoothly without interrupting any of the current customers’ population. This is done by taking the necessary steps that would make the change as smoothly as possible. Also, this change has to happen at all of Panera’s locations. Since Panera keeps a record of a large number of customers through their reward cards, they should have access to their emails. They should start by sending emails to their customers informing them about the current change at least a month prior to the actual change. This announcement should also take place at all of their locations by posting signs and giving out fliers notifying customers to the new change. These fliers could be given with a customer’s receipt. The notification would have to explain what the change is and the reasons behind it. Panera has to clearly state that they are willing to accommodate both types of customers and be able to satisfy them at all levels without significantly affecting the environment of the business and trying to keep a balance between both types. If this is done, the change will be smooth and with just little effort it can effectively implement the change with the least amount of stress on the customers. When this is complete, the needs of both types of customers are met without significant interruptions. Most importantly, Panera will still be recognized as having respect for all of their customers without forcing them to new changes that they might not like. This will lead to effectively utilizing the tables for both types of customers. For students, sharing will be a possibility to a maximum number matching the number of chairs on each table as opposed to only one student sitting and unnecessarily occupying the  whole table. Summary Panera bread is a very successful business that was established a long time ago, with a great and unique environment that they created to suit customers of both types. They have some key issues that are still waiting to be solved but the main issue and the most important one is how to control the effect of student customers, who are utilizing the business tables as libraries, with keeping the balance of not hurting the regular everyday short-term-stay customers. For the problem to be solved, they have to find a solution that will serve both types of customers without significantly changing the current services that both get. One of the solutions would be to control the Wi-Fi access in a way that will serve the everyday short term customer and without significantly altering the access of Wi-Fi that is attracting the student consumer base and at the same time not compromise the business operation. The best possible solution involves limiting the number of tables that the student custom ers could use after identifying the number of tables needed to serve this purpose. References Panera (2014a). (n.d.). Our History. Our History. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/company/about-panera/our-history.html Panera Bread. (2012, June 25). Nation’s Restaurant News, 46(13), 27. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA295171410&v=2.1&u=lom_davenportc&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=593729bfd26cc732941cbf2cefe738ed Panera (2014b). (n.d.). You’re connected to the Panera wi-fi network.. WiFi. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/wifi.html Graham, J. (2012, May 17). Talking Tech: Customers clog Panera’s free Wi-Fi. USATODAY.COM. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/talkingtech/story/2012-05-16/panera-bread-wifi/55028144/1 Panera (2014c). (n.d.). You Pick Two. You Pick Two. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/featured-menu/you-pick-two.html

Biology Short Answer - 717 Words

Reflection Essay 1- Tree Huggers 1. Summary of the Article: The Articles discussed the issue of lianas’ massive overgrown over the trees in Amazon forests. There are both good news and bad news about it: the good news is that: the lianas provide food and water for animals passing the forest during the dry season,when water and food are relatively hard to find for animals. (Fountain,A Tree Hugger,2011). The bad news, however, is that the stems of the vines have grabbed soil nutrients,water and light away from the trees, which are essential for trees to grow and survive.(Fountain,A Tree Hugger,2011)Besides, the lianas have caused death to trees because as they grow surrounding the trees, they get more weight and eventually they become†¦show more content†¦The forest is actually the main player for this carbon sink process, as the forest include a huge amount of trees. When the leaves absorb the carbon dioxide by photo synthesis, the carbon is stored in the tree as energy, thus reducing the CO2 level in the environment.Therefore the forest is the big garage for storing carbon and reduce CO2. When the forest is destructed,, there will be less trees cleaning the CO2 in the atmosphere through the process of separating the carbon,storing energy and release oxygen, so not only is the oxygen level get reduced, but CO2 level rises as well, as they can’t be get rid of. The CO2 is the main one that is responsible for green-house effect, thus destructing the forest harms our environment and the whole planet’s welfare. Sources Cited: Carbon Sink, Cambridge Dictionaries Online http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/british/carbon-sink 3. The most interesting thing in the article is the way that the lianas survive and gain nutrients. 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Mandatory Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients Essay

The process of drug testing individuals who are applying or receiving welfare benefits has recently become the focus of a widely spread controversy. Florida, the first state to pass the law, now requires all individuals applying for public assistance to undergo drug testing. The state of Kentucky, among others, have considered following this trend. State lawmakers hope to prevent the squandering of taxpayer dollars on drugs by proposing similar guidelines. Alabama’s states representative Kerry Rich clearly affirmed his state’s position on the matter, â€Å"I don’t think the taxpayers should have to help fund somebody’s drug habit† (qtd. in Time). A decision to implement mandatory drug testing may be an imperative step for preventing welfare†¦show more content†¦Many question this policy. Worrying, the majority of people who are applying for state benefits may not have the ability to cover the upfront expense. Therefore, needy families would go without food. While there are many benefits to passing this law, we must consider the other possible problems and solutions as well. Selling food stamps for drugs is not the sole issue at hand. Welfare abuse comes in many forms. Until recent changes in identification verification practices by physicians and medical centers, Medicaid fraud was also an ongoing issue. People without medical coverage would often borrow the medical card of a friend or family member, and then go to a doctor or dentist. In other words, it was not diligent auditors or highly mandated policies that reduced Medicaid fraud. In fact, the meticulous works of insurance companies are responsible. Today, physician offices place a patient’s photograph in the chart. Verifying the patient’s identity helps certify insurance claims are filed on behalf of the actual member. As a result, the state’s Medicaid program benefited from this much-needed change. The more widely recognized form of welfare abuse, practiced for decades, occurs when people sell food stamps for cash. In the eighties food stamps were in the form of coupons and assigned a monetary value. It wasShow MoreRelatedMandatory Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients1526 Words   |  7 PagesBreez Arann Ms. Holiday English 12 11/04/15 Mandatory Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients When the United States’ welfare program was created during the Great Depression, it was meant to temporarily relieve the burdens of the one-fourth of American families who were unemployed, and struggling financially. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Social Security Act in 1935, then amended it in 1939 to create programs to assist families with unemployment compensation, and to create government agenciesRead MoreMandatory Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients1613 Words   |  7 Pagestime-welfare reform. 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People have been looking for a way to cut the costs of welfare for many years. And then Welfare drug testing was proposed. At initial thought it seemed like a grand idea and a great way to cut costs and to eliminate all the drug users in the system, and because of that welfare drug testing has been put into action in 13 states. But, welfare drug testing is completely ineffective. Welfare drug testing