Skills Gap Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Skills Gap - Article Example The labor force is suffering a great deal. However, Murphy (2014) indicates that the solution to skills gap lies in the hands of the entire society. In the event that training programs are invented, the skills crisis will be solved a great deal. Additionally, competitive wages can be paid to the workers as a way of motivating them. The government can also link up with community colleges in an endeavor to provide them with funds that can help create a skilled workforce for the present day demanding market (Murphy, 2014). Prior to completing their studies, college studies can be absorbed in the market so as they can attain the expected skills before getting fully absorbed. These students will also be imparted with the right skills that are required of their careers. Murphy (2014) argues that a lot of career builders are wary of the present skills gap. The statistics of these career builders stand at 80% though half of these professionals do not care much about the existing problem (Murphy, 2014). A lot of employers have resulted to being choosy when hiring employees. The employment standards have risen with the hope of getting the best persons for the right kind of employment. With the many requirements piling up on the desks of many managers, the skills gap is likely to increase with the day (Murphy, 2014). Still, with lots of employers failing to settle for a lesser candidate, the process of hiring is also likely to get more complicated with the day. The logic of the skills gap is indeed real. Even with many business persons thinking of the fact as a fantasy, it is evident that a lot needs to be done regarding the issue (Murphy, 2014). It is recommended that businesses take the initiate of bridging the gap that exists in the labor force. As opposed to compiling of the incompetence of the employees, the managers may opt to hire workers then initiate training programs that will help the workers make a difference in the labor market

Reserach Methodology Essay Example for Free

Reserach Methodology Essay 3.1 Research Design This study is a quantitative-descriptive in nature where the purpose is to describe the level of student’s satisfaction on services provided by the school towards the enrollment system through quantitative research method to quantify and reflect in numbers the observation made of the respondents being studied (Sampa, 2012). It attempts to explore and explain while providing additional information about the topic. This is where research is trying to describe what is happening in more detail, filling in the missing parts and expanding our understanding. This is also where as much information is collected as possible instead of making guesses or elaborate models to predict the future the what and how, rather than the why. The researchers used a modified questionnaire which answers the first two objectives of this study which is the extent to which students meets and/or exceeds their expectations and perceptions towards the enrollment system provided by the University of Mindanao. 3.2 Research Respondents The respondents of this study were the students of University of Mindanao selected randomly according to their year level and their type (freshmen, old student, and transferee). 3.2.1 Population Population, statistically, refers to the entire aggregate of items, i.e., group of people or element, who shares common set of characteristics or interest, from which samples can be drawn, in which the researcher wishes to investigate. University of Mindanao has large population of students from both Bolton Campus and Matina Campus, hence, the population refers to the University of Mindanao students who are enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.2.2 Sampling Frame Sampling Frame refers to the target population. In this study, 60 respondents was selected from students currently enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.2.3 Types of Sampling Technique The researcher chose the simple random sampling whereby every element is selected independently and the sample is drawn by a random procedure from  the sampling frame. Sekaran(2003) as cited by Abdullah (2005) points out that through simple random sampling technique, all elements in the population are carefully weigh and each element has an equal chance of being chosen as the subject. If the main objective of this study is to generalize the ability of the findings to the whole population then, this sampling design is best suited. 3.2.4 Sampling Size It is concerned with how many people that should be surveyed. The sample size larger than 30 and less than 500 are appropriate for most research (Roscoe (1975) cited by Abdullah ( 2005)). It is believe that large sample generates inevitable results than smaller samples. However, it is not necessary to sample the entire target population or even a material portion to have reliable results. With this, the researcher only chose 60 sample units as the sampling size randomly due to the time constraints, cost and other human resources. Sixty questionnaires were being distributed to respondents who are currently enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.3 Research Instruments The researchers used a survey questionnaire in checklist form. This instrument was modified by the researchers to establish the level of student’s satisfaction on enrolment system provided by University of Mindanao. The instrument determined, among others, the gender, type of student (freshmen, old student and transferees), and year level of the respondents. The Itemized Rating Scale survey was the selected questionnaire type as this enabled the respondents to answer the survey easily. Though, it is somewhat similar to Likert Scale but it uses other than agreement /disagreement item statement. This rating scale requires the subject to indicate his or her level of satisfaction to a statement. In this type of questionnaire, the respondents were given five response choices.

Strategic Goals Within The Automobile Industry Management Essay

Strategic Goals Within The Automobile Industry Management Essay This Report looks the performance of Firm C against strategic goals within the automobile industry. We will be looking on how Firm C has used the strategic principles and theories in order to compete with other six automobile firms in same industry. Basing on the areas of study we can see how Firm C has managed to utilize the resources. Using simulation technology over a number of weeks the company used market information to inform strategy and monitor performance. In retrospect, as this report concludes, much more informed decision-making processes and governance would have assisted in ensuring the performance of the company and achievement of the mission of Firm C. However through this simulation game, individuals have managed to relate the theory they have learnt in class and apply them in the really field. A companys strategy is managements game plan for growing the business, staking out a market position, attracting and pleasing customers, competing successfully, conducting operations, and achieving targeted objectives. (Thompson, Strickland and Gamble 2005, p 3) As described Thompson, Strickland and Gamble (2005) who explained that for a company to have a sustainable competitive advantages, needs to have a differentiated products with features such as added performance , high quality and wider product choices. This is what Firm C tried to achieve by reducing cost of production so that the price of cars should go down, the reasons for this is to get to a wide range of customers. Therefore, the firm concentrate on the price sensitive category, value seekers, customers with more disposable income and fairly price sensitive customers. Strategy Thinking One of Firm Cs strategies was to have a first mover advantage. This can be defined as: an organisation that moves down the experience curve by getting into a market first should be able to reduce its cost because of the accumulated experience it builds up over its rivals by being first. (Thompson, Strickland and Gamble 2005) Firm C has done this by being one of the first firms to produce a new concept car and by being the only firm to focus more on quality and safety. Adopting the Boston Matrix, Kotler and Keller (2006), the company used market feedback to place products in the market into the appropriate categories and used this to inform investment decisions. Using market data (consumer and external trading conditions) the company contextualised their strategic decisions by understanding customer needs, available market spend and trends linked to the overall economy, such as affordability and luxury. One key strand to ensuring high performance was focusing the models produced on a core market, but to provide a number of models. This approach allowed a diversification of products without overstretching the companys range of products. This, in turn, would allow for marketing to focus on the core offerings of the products. Through focusing on the core market, and limited development of new products, whilst maximizing plant capacity and marketing, it was considered to be part of the long term strategy to offer a return to investors and increase the value of the company without compromising customer perceived valued of the products and brand. Short-Term versus Long Term Considerations All decision -taken on these six periods was to ensure the company is doing well in car manufacturing industry and keeps on meeting customers expectations. This would give a company to have efficient production and hence result to profit maximization. The Short-term investment in product development allowed minor upgrades to come to market quicker in response to customer demands for safety and quality above luxury. No long-term decisions were taken at the immediate outturn whilst the company assessed the long-term prospects. The long term was taken when there was a necessary change in what customers prefer and in order to go together with the technology changes. Firm C has one of the highest technology capabilities in terms of interior, quality and styling with the highest technology capability than any other firm in the StratSim world to produce safe cars. This is one reason that has made Firm C to have competitive advantage over other firms in StratSim world which has set our cars to be safest over all cars. Mission Vision Mission and vision can be defined as: A mission is a general expression of the overall purpose of the organisation, which ideally, is in line with the values and expectations of major stakeholders and concerned with the scope and boundaries of the organisation. (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington 2005, p 13) The firms mission is to deliver a long-term high return for investors over the lifetime of products Vision is an integral part of strategic management and adds value to the process by integrating the products of strategic planning into a coherent and meaningful whole. (Wilson 2003, p 65) The firms vision is to produce the safest cars for people who want to travel safely. External Environment Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2005) explain that the growth rate in an industry may affect the degree of competitive rivalry in an industry. For example, in situations of growth an organisation might expect to achieve its own growth through the growth in the market place whereas when markets are mature this has to be achieved by taking market share from competitors. Another example is high exit barriers; high investment in non transferable fixed assets may also increase competition because there is likely to be the persistence of excess capacity. Within this exercise, Firm C benefited from the lower performance of rival companies in the earlier stages. This ensured that the market place was one where companies could grow a significant market share in the early periods. Following major production years (period 4 and beyond), the market became more competitive with other company output increasing at a time when Firm C were decreasing output and incurring additional costs through utilizing a lower percentage of production capacity without the associated decision to reduce manufacturing capacity. Other factors included general population wealth and market factors (GDP) and the sensitivity of oil prices, focusing consumers to look not just at the short term purchasing price of vehicles, but the longer-term running costs. This explains the greater interest in hybrid models as the exercise progressed. Low-end market for gas vehicles remained robust for those with purely a purchase price consideration; this benefited Firm G in the short term, although longer term investments and a reduction in dealerships as well as manufacturing capacity hindered the companys ability to meet market demand related to external factors. Internal Environment The internal environment within the company is much easier to maintain a longer-term strategy, as well as making short-term adjustments to meat company objectives. However, it is the control of the internal factors that proved to be the single weakness in the deliver of the company strategy. Thorpe and Homan (2000) suggest that cost efficiency is determined by a number of cost drivers: for example, economies of scale. This was a key consideration in reaching the top performing market share as low-cost production created value for consumers and permitted a higher volume of unit production sales. In periods 2 4, the company strategy appeared to be paying dividends. Stock value price was attractive to investors in the early stages due to a large dividend pay out and strong sales / production outputs, promising even greater returns as a result of a longer-term strategy and the companys market position. In many of the key indicators set out in the appendices, Firm C was indeed the market leader. This led the company to believe that the existing strategy was correct and to maintain investment in the key areas that were driving performance. However, a number of internal factors were changed that hindered the product lifecycle, including decreasing the number of dealerships that then prevent the sales of our star products. Additionally, an overproduction of a vehicle coupled with a move towards producing a new type of hybrid vehicle distracted from the core performance resulting in poor sales across the board. As a result of the poor sales, reactive marketing spend was increased to try to attract a formerly strong consumer based. This reduced the investment in research and development and plant capacity, in turn hitting the bottom line of the company. In effect, it was a rapid downward spiral of performance. This poor performance, slow sales, inefficient manufacturing, loss of market share (through dealership reduction) reduced the overall market value of the company and therefore the attractiveness to shareholders. Irrespective of the strength of the core product, the company allowed itself to become distracted from what was going well, onto a short-term reactive stance without out any return. One area not monitored was the percentage return on sales. This would have been a better indictor of the overall health of the company as opposed to market share or sales totals. By periods 5 onward, the company failed to take any meaningful decisions related to market intelligence, and was starting a rapid decline in all key indicators. By period 7, the decline of the company had seen it outperforming rivals to rival companies taking the market share and sales off Firm G, whilst the stock price collapsed. The inactivity, rather than the activity, in decision making was the most significant cause of the companys failure in these periods. Internal considerations and decision-making chronology are set out in appendix 4. Personal learning The textbook did provide many very useful theories which made decision making more measurable, for example, the strengths and weaknesses of the SWOT theory. This did not however take out the uncertainty of decisions such as which car will be the best option to produce first, one learned that this can be reconciled by playing it safe as to not produce the Hybrid car first which the firm thought everybody will see as a new opportunity and instead focused on a different car design and see what the strategic moves of the competitors will be and then react to that with a better version car. The purpose and the priorities of the firm was not clearly established from the beginning of the StratSim exercise, this made it difficult to set the firms objectives and developing steps to achieve objectives in the long term and short term. In retrospect, the corporate governance of the firm was not planned very well. The company should have worked out a corporate governance method by splitting the responsibility of decisions between the team members. For example team member 1 was responsible for the inventory of the firm and team member 2 responsible for the marketing and so forth. This way, a more in depth understanding of the StratSim world would have been the result. In contrast, the time management of the firm was in the beginning stages more managed, but towards the end of the StratSim exercise the cooperation of the firm disappeared, a personal lesson learned was to for future references, to agree on set times when decisions needs to be made. More research should have been done on how the StratSim world works and what requirements were necessary to perform well. For example, the firm did not plan the firm inventory very well, resulting in too little or too many cars being produced. Furthermore, plant capacity was in the beginning stages below 100,000: this increased the unit cost and decreased profits. Conclusion This report has set out the strategic goals and rationale for Firm C; this was explained by giving an explanation for the short and long-term goals and decisions that was taken to gain a share in the vehicle manufacturing industry. The performance of Firm C started out healthy but because of poor informed decision-making processes and governance, the performance of Firm C radically declined and resulted in the failure of the firm to realise their mission which was to become one of the biggest car manufacturing firms in the StratSim world. The decisions the firm took reflected a reactive management style as opposed to a proactive one, for example with the inaccurate inventory control which saw the firm producing too little or too many cars and reacting to competitors decisions as appose to developing steps to become the market leaders. Strategic Models that were available for example, the Boston matrix, the product lifecycle and Value chain were never completely integrated into the companys decision-making which resulted in uninformed decisions been made, with consequences that resulted in shareholders loosing an interest in the firm and sales spiralling downwards. Reference Arthur, A., Thompson, Jr., Strickland, A. J. and Gamble, J.E. (2005) Crafting and Executing Strategy, 14th Edition, New York, McGraw-Hill Irwin Johnson, G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy, Text and Cases, 7th Edition, Essex, Prentice Hall Kotler, P. and Keller, K.L. (2006) Marketing Management, 12th Edition, New Jersey, Prentice Hall Stacey, RD. (2000) Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics, 3rd Edition, Essex, Prentice Hall Segal-Horne, S. (2001) The Strategy Reader, Oxford, Blackwell Business Thorpe R. and Homan G. (2000) Strategic Reward Systems, Essex, Prentice Hall Wilson, I. (2003) The Subtle Art of Strategy, London, Praeger Appendix Final Results Decision Summary: Firm C, for Period 6 Technology Capabilities Interior Styling Safety Quality Curr. Expenditure (mill.) $240 $330 $399 $412 Product Development Dev Ctr Project Class Status Size HP Int Sty Saf Qua Curr Exp 1 Cameo Economy upgr: launch Per. 7 22 135 5 5 5 6 $129 2 Cafav Family upgr: launch Per. 7 28 155 4 3 5 4 $124 3 Crash Truck upgr: launch Per. 7 77 230 3 6 5 4 $124 Total (mill.) $376 Consumer Marketing Budget (mill.)   Regional Corp. Adv. $40 Direct Mail $3 Public Relations $8   Ã‚  Total $51 Direct Mail Targets:  Value Seekers(1), Families(2), Singles(3), High Income(4) Product Marketing Vehicle Platform MSRP   Dealer Disc.  Ã‚   Adv.   (mill.) Adv. Theme Promo. (mill.)  Ã‚   Cafav No Change $20,350 15.0% $70 Safety $60 Cameo No Change $13,500 18.0% $70 Styling $55 Crash No Change $21,598 16.0% $65 Interior $50 Total $205 $165 Plant Capacity Current Capacity (000s) 3,050 Capacity Change (000s) 0 Vehicle Production Vehicle Previous Sales  Ã‚   (000s)   Current   Inventory (000s)   Scheduled Production (000s)  Ã‚   Flexible Production Retooling Costs  Ã‚   (mill.)  Ã‚   Cafav 660 0 660 X $0 Cameo 605 0 605 X $0 Crash 442 8 450 X $0 Total 1,707 8 1,715 $0 Dealerships North South East West Total Dealer Inc./Dec. 0 0 0 0 0 Training and Support (mill.) $3 Financing Amount ($ mill.) Bonds Issued $60 Stock Repurchase $50 Dividends Paid $100 Bonds Issued Issued Amount (mill.)   Rate  Ã‚   Status Period 4 $10 8.5% callable in 1 year Period 5 $60 9.0% callable in 2 years StratSim Ind:ind1 Firm:c Period 5 User gre9313

Gift and Novelty Economics Forecast :: essays research papers

Economic Forecasts The retail consumer market must take into consideration many indicator forecasts that help estimate what the economic market will be like for the future. The following information contains two or more forecasts based on our teams six pre-selected indicators. This team will provide reconciliation between both forecasts and will apply economic theory in deciding which one may be the most relevant to the gift and novelty industry. GDP Information retrieved from the Economist Intelligence Unit Data Services (2005), the GDP (in billions) is expected to be 13034.5 in 2006 and 13766.2 in 2007. However, according to the data retrieved from the Blue Chip economic indicator, the forecasted GDP (in billions) is 12907 for 2006 and 13617 in 2007 (The White House, 2005). Foreign investment is a factor that is increasing the overall GDP. Over a period of time this will eventually bring higher gross domestic investments, resulting in more productive physical capital in the U.S economy. The additional capital will make labor more productive, which provides an increase in GDP and wages. Based on this information, it is thought that the EIU forecast is more correct than the Blue Chip indicator. Unemployment Unemployment is another area that can affect this industry. Data retrieved from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) projects that the unemployment rate in 2006 will be at 5% (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2005). Data derived from the Blue Chip consensus indicator, however, projects the unemployment rate for 2006 will be at 5.2% (The White House, 2005). By taking into consideration many outside indicators, such as the GDP—that show a slow but constant growth, will allow private investment to remain constant. This will encourage private industry to maintain their employment at a constant level. In understanding what this nation faces in the near future, this team recognizes that many of the Baby Boomers will retire, which reinforces the premise that unemployment will eventually stay at or fall below 5 %. Housing Starts Housing starts seems to be one of the most visible in regards to economic growth. Based on the analytical tables provided by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Steele Analytics, 2005 and 2006, housing starts will decline slightly. NAHB shows that 2005 housing starts (in thousands) at 1,969 decreasing in 2006 to 1,855 (NAHB, 2005). Steele Analytics also shows housing starts (in thousands) for 2005 start at 1,883 with a slight decrease in 2006 to 1,825 (Steele Analytics, 2005). It

Real Friend

A real friend is one who stands by his friend in the hour of his need person deserts his friend at a time when he needs him the most, he cannot be called a real friend if two persons simply know each other, and they can call friends. The real test of friendship is, therefore, not mere acquaintance but the will to render timely help to a friend in distress. It is indeed very di to find a true friend in this world. Of course, there have been a few examples of true friendship in this Lord Krishna and Susana were class-fellows. They had studied under same Guru.When they grew up, Lord Krishna became a king, but became a pauper. Once Sudama went to Lord Krishna to seek his help, Krishna welcomed his old friend with open arms. He sent out his men to a palatial house for Sudama and gave liberal financial assistance to his ft to overcome their poverty. Lord Krishna thus proved to be a real friend of’ Sudama. Another classical example is that of the abiding friendship between’ Ma rx and Engels. Karl Marx was a great philosopher but very poor, where friend Engels was a rich mill-owner. The friendship between them was so1 that they wrote books together.Engels always helped his friend Marx money. Nowadays true and faithful friends are very rare. All that glitters is gold. We should always distinguish between good and bad friends. We should remember that only a person who is sincere and honest prove to be a good friend. A good friend is a source of happiness he not only our joys but also our sorrows. A rich student can help his poor friend with money. If the poor friend is brilliant in studies, he can help his rich friend by helping him in his studied other words, each person should help the other with whatever one Friendship is a two-way traffic.It grows on mutual trust and help. I am very fortunate that I have a real friend. He is Mr. Mohan Lai. He best friend. We have been studying together in the same school for teeny He lives near my house. We spend most of our time together. My friend belongs to a rich family. His father is the Manager and mother is also employed. She is a teacher in a Public School. They live bungalow. Though his parents are well off, they are not proud of their wealth. They are very God-fearing persons. They treat me as their own son. They love me very much.My friend is a brilliant student. He always stands first in the class. We study together. He helps me in studying subjects in which I am weak so that I may catch up with him. I am not jealous of him. Rather, I am grateful to him for helping me in my studies. Unfortunately, my friend was not very good in sports. But I am a very good player of cricket. I have, therefore, been coaching him in the game of cricket. He has learnt a lot about this game. By constant and regular practice under my guidance he has become a first class player of cricket.His health has also improved a lot. He is grateful to me for grooming him in the game of cricket. My friend is the monitor of our class. He is very popular among our classmates. He is liked by his teachers. He has cordial relations with one and all. He helps the poor in every possible way. He coaches them in his spare time. He lends his books to them. If a poor student is unable to pay his fee, Mohan Lai comes to his rescue by paying his fee. Once my friend won a cash prize of Rs. 200 for writing the best essay on a given topic he donated the entire amount of Rs. 00 to the Poor Students’ Fund of our school. He is well-known for his compassion for the poor. My friend hates evil but not the evil-doer. He avoids bad company but does not hate those who have fallen prey to it. He feels that is better to reform them. Our friendship has stood the test of time. We have always helped each other all these years. We have never allowed any misunderstanding to come our way. We stand by each other through thick and thin. We are proud that we are real friends and will remain so throughout our lives.

To Learn English as an English Teacher

Omar Alfaro Reyes ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TO LEARN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Why learning English as a second language? Nowadays learning another language is important because it is the most common language in the world, almost 60% people in the world use English regularly. Sometimes people think that learning English is difficult because most of the students can have different difficulties and problems in learning another language for example they make mistakes in their pronunciations, grammar, spelling and vocabulary usage.However it is worth for the wealth of information and the opportunity to open up for a person, for instance, the use of information and communication by internet or traveling abroad the world, they are two advantages for learning English. Also most of the students think to learn English is difficult because they speak English as speak Spanish or because students have lack vocabulary and they are two disadvantages to learn English as a second language. The ability to speak English fluently opens up a world of information and communication for a person.Information and communication by internet is a good idea for people or students that can surf in the web sites for looking examples or exercises about grammar for studying more in English. This is the best way for people can study another language, for instance the use of internet will allow them to chat with people from all over the world in chat-room. The second advantage is traveling abroad the world. English is often spoken in other country as a universal language for example Trinidad y Tobago, Puerto Rico and other ones. Knowing English is a great advantage to learn English because they can improve their knowledge in a real way.A much more serious problem for learners of English is the extent of the vocabulary. People think they can speak English as speak Spanish, this is the reason for a lot of misunderstandings happen when two non-English people talk with each other in English. S ometimes is confused because the people do not practice a lot and they are think that is really difficult. Second problem is that people have lack vocabulary, also for people are really difficult to learn English because they want to communicate but all the time is stressful for do not have a lot of vocabulary. 0% of people in Mexico think that English is really difficult to learn for instances because they do not have feeling for learning English and this are big disadvantages to learn English. In conclusion, the most important thing to do in this situation is to maximize your opportunities: to speak English, and not only speak English also try to practice a lot and try to understand in class and use English whenever possible outside the class. If you follow these rules, you will not have problems to learn a second language.

Facts and Figures About Seismosaurus

Facts and Figures About Seismosaurus Most paleontologists refer to Seismosaurus (pronounced SIZE-moe-SORE-us), the earthquake lizard, as a deprecated genusthat is, a dinosaur that was once thought to be unique, but has since been demonstrated to belong to an already existing genus. Size of the Seismosaurus Once considered among the biggest and most impressive of all dinosaurs, most experts now agree that the house-sized Seismosaurus was probably an unusually large species of the much better-known Diplodocus. Theres also a distinct possibility that Seismosaurus wasnt quite as big as once believed. Some researchers now say this late Jurassic sauropod weighed as little as 25 tons and was considerably shorter than its stated length of 120 feet, though not everyone agrees with these drastically scaled-down estimates. By this accounting, Seismosaurus was a mere runt compared to the gigantic titanosaurs that lived millions of years later, such as Argentinosaurus and Bruhathkayosaurus. Discovering the Seismosaurus Seismosaurus has an interesting taxonomic history. Its type fossil was discovered by a trio of hikers, in New Mexico in 1979, but it was only in 1985 that the paleontologist David Gillette embarked on a detailed study. In 1991, Gillette published a paper announcing Seismosaurus halli, which in a burst of reckless enthusiasm he said may have measured over 170 feet long from head to tail. This certainly generated impressive newspaper headlines, but one imagines it didnt do much for Gillettes reputation, as his fellow scientists re-checked the evidence and calculated much more petite proportions (in the process, of course, stripping Seismosaurus of its genus status). The (indisputably) extreme length of Seismosaurus neck- at 30 to 40 feet, it was much longer than the necks of most other sauropod genera, with the possible exception of the Asian Mamenchisaurus- raises an interesting question: could this dinosaurs heart possibly have been strong enough to pump blood all the way to the top of its head? This may seem like an arcane question, but it bears on the controversy of whether or not plant-eating dinosaurs, like their meat-eating cousins, were equipped with warm-blooded metabolisms. Its most likely that Seismosaurus held its neck roughly parallel to the ground, sweeping its head back and forth like the hose of a giant vacuum cleaner, rather than in the more taxing vertical position. Quick Facts Habitat: Woodlands of southern North AmericaHistorical Period: Late Jurassic (155-145 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 90 to 120 feet long and 25 to 50 tons.Diet:LeavesDistinguishing Characteristics: Enormous body; quadrupedal posture; long neck with relatively small head