Choosing a Course

Choosing a college major for some is easy; some people know exactly what they want to be when they grow up. For others, choosing a college major is probably one of the hardest decisions they will make in their life. It doesn’t help that there are now a lot of college courses and college programs among which you have to choose. There was once a time when choices were simple: good or evil, ketchup or mayonnaise, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts. Nowadays, you have to choose between shades of gray, one gazillion condiments and a plethora of majors.The trick in making a college major choice, they say, is to narrow things down as you go along. This article will help you do that. The following are some of the things you must consider when choosing a college course. Choosing your college major consideration # 1: Your Interest The most basic consideration in the choice of a college major or college course is, of course, what you want. Is there something that you’ve alway s wanted to get into, something that resonates within the very fiber of your being? If so, that may be where you’re meant to go. In the event that you don’t know or don’t feel that siren song, fret not.You can always go for career assessment care of your local guidance office. That would certainly make choosing a college course more systematic and easier. Choosing your college major consideration #2: Your Aptitude Choosing a college major also entails an assessment of your skills and talents. You may know what you want, but do you know what you’re good at? Interest and aptitude are two different things. Ideally, you should pursue a college course or choose a college major that allows you to explore both. In this less than perfect world, however, this is usually not possible for some people.In that case, you’d have to weigh your priorities: pick a college major you will be good at or pick a college course that is in line with your interest? Better y et, find a college course that you will be good at and has the potential of arousing your interest. Choosing your college major consideration #3: Your Values Every career comes with non-quantifiable stuff: fulfillment, meaning and purpose, pure altruism, you name it. They help determine what you’d like to get out of a career (and a college major) besides material compensation. Choosing your college major consideration #4: Money MattersMoney matters, in more ways than one. Money matters because it will dictate what course you can or cannot afford. Money matters should therefore be part of your college major choice. If it’s one thing you must always factor in, it’s reality. This can be broken down into a number of sub-considerations. How much money does the course require you to invest? How much money do you actually have on hand to invest? How much money will you (approximately) make if you take up a career in line with that college major? How much money would yo u like to earn after college?Choosing your college major consideration #5: Time and Practical Considerations You should also be aware of what you’re getting into when choosing a college major. What will your college course require you to do? Are you willing to do it? As a case in point, if you’re squeamish about the sight of blood, why should you decide to go for a Nursing Degree? How much time are you willing to invest in your college course and major? If you want school to be over and done with as soon as possible, then you should probably not choose a college course that won’t be useful without further study.Choosing your college major consideration #6: Your Commitment Choosing a college course requires you to look inwards and assess your commitment to your chosen path. Assuming that you have the issue of money and other practical considerations settled, do you actually possess the skills and the patience to go the distance? Moreover, do you actually want to do so? There’s also a chance that your parents may be expecting you to tread a certain academic path; will you have the strength and the will to stick it out against all odds? Choosing your college major consideration #7: The TimesNope, you don’t have to read the Times to know what college course to pick (Yup, that’s a lousy joke). Kidding aside, don’t ever forget to consider the times in your decision-making process. Case in point: the global economy was in a bit of a slump at the time I wrote this article. There are instances when certain courses may appear to be more profitable or more popular than others due to current circumstances. Choosing your college major consideration #8: Other People’s Feedback Besides guidance counselors, family and friends, you may also want to ask other people for their opinions regarding the matter.College alumni and alumnae always make for interesting interviews-been there, done that. Professors and classmates will also have a lot of significant input to offer. Choosing your college major consideration #9: Your Choices Also, do remember that there are some benefits to doing things by the book-or more specifically, the college’s catalogue of courses. Take a peek and note the unit and credit requirements for each course, along with whatever minors and electives you can take as part of the package deal.Choosing your college major consideration #10: Spiritual Considerations Finally, know this: you’ll most likely change courses-even careers! -as you go along, so don’t be overly fixated on any one course. No one course is the end all and be all. There are numerous examples of people out there who majored in one thing and built a career or three out of another. If you’re a believer, though, I strongly recommend that you pray about it ask God what He wants you to take. After all, only He knows what path you will ultimately tread.

Blue collar jobs Essay

Are blue collar jobs less appreciated? Mike rose, thinks there are no fair share of recognition among people in the working class society. Rose was stressing his point to say that, in as much as the white collar job (workers) are perceived in the society as higher educated people it brings conflict among us. Also making the minimal jobs look less valuable and cripple our ability to talk across cultural divides. Blue collar jobs are far more effective; without these kind of jobs, it will be pretty difficult to communication and relate with different culture or society of people.it creates hope for those who had little or no opportunity to have sound education. What makes us is the ability to fit into the society of different class such as upper class, middle class and lower class. If everyone are destined to be a lawyer, doctor, politician, banker, etc. it will cause inflation in the society, leading to lack of diversity in division of labor and mediocrity in the society. Looking at i t, we all are equal and none is indispensable of another. We all need each other to survive be it blue collar jobs or white collar jobs. Making blue collar jobs no less good than white collar jobs. As rose notes, ‘’Broad knowledge and intuition about the ways and the rhythms of the restaurant business. Waiting on seven to nine tables, each with two to six customers, Rosie devised memory strategies so that she could remember who ordered what. And because she knew the average time it took to prepare different dishes, she could monitor an order that was taking too long at the service station’’ (244). She was smart and knew how to deal with her workers and also customer knowing in mind she a family woman who got attention from male customer and tips on how to deal with their needs. According to rose, ’’Joe learned the most efficient way to use his body by acquiring a set of routines that were quick and preserved energy. Otherwise he would never have survived on the line’’ (248). His uncle learned and taught himself how to be efficient with time and also maxima the best out of the material and still come out with a great result of production. This can’t be learnt at school rather it requires  first hand approach with the knowledge of know-how, and create a skill and set of work to come out supper productive. In all, it’s convincing that hand work creates skill set. It opens the mind to explore and be adventures. Risk takers gain result, because once you fail, you learn from your mistake and correct yourself on how to go about it next time. It creates healthy environment for communication through service offered to customers e.g. hairstylist, plumber, Welder, driver, body guard, beauty salon, maid. Etc. Also mutual understanding is gained through hand gesture, sign, picture and even spending adequate time to clarify a point or idea.

Health and Social Care Essay

There are many indicators of health to find out about my volunteer’s present health. Firstly, there is the peak flow meter. My volunteer’s peak flow reading is 410 therefore this shows that she shows no signs of asthma and her breathing rate is average and shows that her health is in a positive state. My volunteers BMI shows that she is slightly overweight keeping this in mind I have set her targets which will help her to have a average weight. Last of all, my volunteer’s blood pressure is approximately a reading of 120/80 mmHg which is in general an average reading of blood pressure. Therefore this shows that she does not show signs of high blood pressure and this also indicates that she is not under a lot of stress or pressure from work and studies. This also reveals that my volunteer’s present blood pressure is proportional to average and that her present health is essentially positive. Page 1Zoom in Page 1 2 3 4 5 Next Level: GCSE Subject: Health and Social Care Word count: 1506 Save View my saved documents Submit similar document Share this Health and Social Care Download this essay Print Save GCSE HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE An extract from this document†¦ Task 1: There are many indicators of health. Indicators of health can help you find out about an individual’s health. The main indicators are: * Height weight charts * Body Mass Index (BMI) * Blood pressure * Peak flow meter * Resting pulse and recovery after exercise Height weight charts: When babies are born, they are weighed and measured regularly to display whether they are fed properly. They are also assessed to show their growth rates and see if they are growing properly. Also to see if the baby is underweight, overweight, average etc†¦ Additionally, they are weighed every week for the first two months of their lives. Body Mass Index (BMI): Body mass index is an indicator of good health as it measures the amount of fat in an individual’s body in association to his or hers height. It is a formula used to show your body weight in relation to your height to see whether you are underweight, average or overweight. BMI equals weight in kilograms divided by height in meters. Blood pressure: Blood is carried from the heart to all parts of your body in vessels called arteries. Blood pressure is the pressure in which the blood is applied in the arteries and the force in which the heart pumps blood. According to Google, they define blood pressure as, â€Å"the level of pressure that the blood exerts against the walls of the arteries as it passes through them. † This is also a successful indicator of an individual’s health as it measures how fast your heart is pumping blood therefore it advises you if you need to do certain things to help slow down the rate at which your heart pumps. As you can see, it’s a very positive thing and can help stop you from developing diseases such as heart disease and can make your kidney work harder which is very damaging. Blood pressure is very vital to the body and if it is average then your lifestyle will be much more satisfied. Peak Flow Meter: Another way of checking on your health is by using a peak flow meter. A peal flow meter is a special kind of instrument that measures the breathing rate and the volume of air taken in by an individual in the time of each breath. In addition, they are also used to distinguish how efficient a person’s lungs are. To use a peak flow meter, a person has to blow as hard as he/she can into the mouthpiece and then examine the pointer and check the reading however you must do this three times to assure that you get an accurate reading. The measurement is used to estimate the width of the air flow in the bronchi. This is a positive indicator and you can use it to find out whether an individual is breathing properly or if they are managing their asthma correctly etc†¦ Resting pulse and recovery after exercise: A person’s resting pulse rate is the pulse rate when a person is sitting still without moving. You can measure your pulse rate by placing pressure on your wrist or your neck. Your recovery heart rate is the number of beats per minute your heart drops when you stop moving. The higher the fitness levels the faster the drop in heart rate. The most common recovery heart rate can be measurement of up to 1 to 2 minutes however a complete recovery heart may consist of up to an hour. This is a positive indicator of health considering it shows how healthy and athletic your body is after exercise. If your heart does not pump that fast then you are in a healthy and fit state so your body can be affected by much less diseases or illnesses therefore it is very beneficial and helpful. Task 2: There are many indicators of health to find out about my volunteer’s present health. Firstly, there is the peak flow meter. My volunteer’s peak flow reading is 410 therefore this shows that she shows no signs of asthma and her breathing rate is average and shows that her health is in a positive state. My volunteers BMI shows that she is slightly overweight keeping this in mind I have set her targets which will help her to have a average weight. Last of all, my volunteer’s blood pressure is approximately a reading of 120/80 mmHg which is in general an average reading of blood pressure. Therefore this shows that she does not show signs of high blood pressure and this also indicates that she is not under a lot of stress or pressure from work and studies. This also reveals that my volunteer’s present blood pressure is proportional to average and that her present health is essentially positive. Task 4: I have set 3 targets for my volunteer to meet and stick to in order for her to improve her health. Those three targets that I have set are: 1) To have a balanced diet 2) To do regular exercise 3) To improve personal hygiene I think that to improve my volunteer’s health needs, she must stick to these particular targets so that her lifestyle can be developed and progressed so that she can achieve her overall needs. Task 5: Previously, I had chosen 3 targets for my volunteer to stick to in order to improve her health. Here is a health plan for each of those targets for my volunteer to know thoroughly how to improve and stick to her targets. Wash clothing and linens on a regular basis. However, the dilemma is germs and bacteria can develop and increase in your dirty clothes basket so try to be persistent on a weekly cleaning schedule.

Facing Poverty with a Richs Girls Habits by Suki Ki Assignment

Facing Poverty with a Richs Girls Habits by Suki Ki - Assignment Example At this stage, when her very wealthy father was a millionaire, and then he lost all his wealth overnight. After all that her world become so cold because she could not imagine that her father had actually lost that entire he had previously owned the shipping company, hotels and restaurants, and the mining business. She goes on to intimately recount how and why they had to flee. Apparently back then, in South Korea, bankruptcy was a very serious crime and, in fact, punishable by one being sent to jail to serve a term, so they had no other option but to flee, without any penny, to America. She vividly remembers how she had to do things that she had never been used to doing, for instance, using public transport, doing her homework without being helped and also how things became seriously messy with no house maids around (Duane, 2008). She had to humiliatingly wheel their dirty clothes to some bleak place-Laundromat for cleaning. While away she noticed some things she had never know n courtesy of culture shock, like the fact that people of different races have different skin colors. Also, unlike back in Korea where students were always bowing to their teachers. It baffled her that students had no respect for the teachers, she explains it by an incident in which a teacher was busy calling the roll call, a male student was French-kissing a girl. Another thing that shocked her was graffiti that covered the walls and the whole concept of having a policeman guarding the gate and checking bags. The writer’s main purpose is to share her agony and tribulations. She wanted to share her experiences of how she lived life of poverty after being used to life full of comfort. Adjusting was not an easy thing because she went into a country that she had never been to and having no option other than mingling with people she absolutely shared no tradition or culture. This kind of essay can be classified as a narrative because it is in the writer’s point of vie w and perspective. She gives an account of her life from her own personal point of view. The kind of audience the writer was targeting could be general audience because the content of the essay doesn’t look like it can be restricted to people of a particular age group, class or creed. The essay has a melancholic tone; this is because from the story one is compelled to experience a lot of melancholy and a great deal of sadness, as well as depression for the writer’s experience. This can be explained by the fact that the essay has some sadness and depression which is of profound thoughtful and introspective in nature (Periodical: English, 2008). The emotional response that I have for this essay is very sad. Sad in the sense that the writer went through a very traumatizing experiences which makes one feel very sorry for her. From living life full of opulence and lavish lifestyle to struggling and having a need to adapt to hard times. The essay of an emotionally touching story which makes the reader immediately not just to sympathise but to empathise with the

Comparison between Sultan Saladin and Baibars Essay

Comparison between Sultan Saladin and Baibars - Essay Example Sultan Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin) was the significant leader of the Ayyubid Rule from 1171-1250, and also the first Egyptian leader after the demise of the last Fatimid caliph. The successive period known as the Mamluk Period (1250-1517) was marked by the leadership of Al-Malik Baybars I. Saladin and Baybars are important historic leaders of their time periods and represented intelligently formed armies, great achievements and territorial progressions. Saladin, a Kurd and Baybars, a Turk, were both the famous Muslim leaders of middle Ages who fought valiantly against the crusaders and established glorious Muslim victories in the Middle East. Abu al-Muzaffar Yusuf b. Ayyub known as Salah al-Din which means the Reformer of the Religion was the fundamental founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty. The glorious dynasty ruled over Egypt, upper Iraq, Syria and Yemen for a long period of time. His claim to fame is considered as the capture of Jerusalem from the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187. He also played a crucial role in opposing the crusaders. In his initial years, Saladin was a part of the Syrian military expeditions in Egypt and fought to defend the Fatimid caliphate against the forces of Jerusalem. Saladin came into power and gained prominence when he was appointed as the commander of the Syrian forces. He proclaimed the return of Sunni Islam in 1171. Till 1186, he expanded the Muslim land and combined the lands of Egypt, Syria and Mesopotomia. With unifying major Muslim lands and gaining immense power, Saladin strengthened his grounds for facing the Christian crusaders and their threats (Bowering et al 2013). Saladin was very enthusiastic and religiously motivated while fighting the crusaders to protect the Holy Islamic lands and landmarks. Baha al-Din wrote about Saladin, â€Å"In his love for the Jihad on the path of God he shunned his womenfolk, his children, his homeland, his home and all his pleasures, and for this world he was content to dwell in the shade o f his tent with winds blowing through left and right† Thus, the writer has narrated that Saladin’s goals and desire for success were of utmost importance to him (Nicolle & Dennis 2011). Saladin ruled for twenty four years out of which he spent eight years in Cairo. He established schools, hospitals and improved infrastructure (Asante, 2002). Saladin was remembered even by his enemies because of his honesty, chivalry and generosity. Unlike other Muslim emperors he was not cruel to his subordinates. He altered tax structure in Egypt supported higher education (Frank N Magill, 1998). It was in his reign that he brought the Mamluk Circassians and Turks from the Black Sea region and they were also allowed to own land, raise families and even gain social prominence (Asante, 2002). The main achievement of Saladin was that he won the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and conquered not only Jerusalem but also much of the Crusader kingdom. In 1187, Saladin announced jihad against the Chri stians who had invaded the Middle East. The invasion included attempts to conquer the Holy Land. As commander of the Muslim forces, he gathered the Muslim allies, soundly defeated the Christians and regained rule in the city of Jerusalem. His army expressed acts of chivalry and nobility that were highly appreciated and admired by the enemies themselves and was contrasted with the crusaders; brutality. Saladin signed a peace agreement with the King of

Economics D319B1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics D319B1 - Essay Example There are a great number of studies on wage rates and their distribution among workers with certain social and/or demographic characteristics. This essay proposes a theoretical framework and provides an analysis which predominantly complies with the existing literature. The author investigates the reasons behind the wage rates in the manufacturing sector in order to provide a forecast for the next decade. Today's picture of wage-rates in the manufacturing sector is determined by foreign markets' competition and the increased complexity of the jobs, which are moving away form the usual routine. Over the last few decades, the demand for workers in the manufacturing sector has increased. Employees with a high school diploma or less now face an increasingly sophisticated market in which new basic, physical and mechanical skills are required. The nature of low-skilled workers' jobs has changed due to the changes in labor market institutions. New technologies changed workplace organization and new types of goods and services were introduced. This led to unionization and improved organizational structure of the manufacturing industry. Topel (1993) defines several wage-rates determinants: immigration, education, inequality and female labor force participation, changes in product demand, international trade, and human capital investment. A study of Tachibanaki (1975), which covers twelve years (1958-1970), pays special attention to the influence of certain factors for wage-rate differentials. Tachibanaki's (1975) research uses major variables like sex (male or female), occupation, size of the firm, experience of the workers, age, working hours, bonuses, special payments. Tachibanaki (1975) agrees that the principal wage-rate differentials: differentials in education; racial and sexual discrimination; age; trade unions. The last two decades were marked by the constant growing globalization which has been proven to affect the demand on the manufacturing workers' market. This negative impact results in lower wages. According to Bogliacino (2009) there are two possible outcomes in terms of competition-limiting norms, depending on the time period (short run and medium run). Since this essay's goal is to provide a forecast for the future of wage-rates and their determinants, attention should be paid to the results on the mid-run, where "lower productivity growth is detrimental to wage growth" (Bogliacino, 2009). The question is, how does the process of globalization affect the bargaining power of workers in the manufacturing sector For the purposes of the essay SID (Sectoral Innovation Database) produced at the University of Urbino will be used. SID mixes data from several surveys regarding the economic performance of the EU countries. The unit of analysis comprises 21 industries belonging to manufacturing sector in the countries that comprise approx. 80 per cent of the European economy, namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Poland and Norway in the period between 1994 and 2006 (Table No.1). Table No. 1 Manufacturing industries included in the SID Industries NACE Food, drinks and

Human sexuality movie 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human sexuality movie 2 - Essay Example The aspect has established a character where the bible is just a book to share, but not to administer its teaching and faith in truth and faith. â€Å"For The Bible Tells Me So† entails an American film, which explains the aspect of homosexuality and its conflicts with Christianity. Such conflicts entail a perspective where they invites the church to ratify the practice and associate it with race, gender, or nationalism. They request Christianity to engage freedom where the gays can marry. On the contrary, the church argues that marriage is a sacred practice initiated by God and therefore gay marriage does not stand a chance. Further, they demand their acceptance in the church where they can undertake the respective religious practices in the liturgy among other doctrines of the church. It is evident that the church stands on the contrary arguing that such an act encompass hypocrisy, which is wrong before the eyes of God (Boone, 36). They advocate for allowance to engage churc h leadership through their involvement in the clergy. However, the film argues that the clergy serves as a role model to the Christians where they should not be associated with homosexuality among other evil practices according to the biblical conventions. In a more critical review, the church has never considered the truth behind homosexuality where equality is a thorny aspect in the society. It is evident that many families live in challenges where the men engage dishonesty to the women on the aspect as well as the men to their women. It is evident that homosexuality solves the situation and protects the men from engaging certain diseases for instances, HIV AID. Further, some residents in the society lose taste to the opposite gender after divorce where their conscience leads them to commit suicide since they cannot live alone. Evidently, the church should consider homosexuality in the sense that such a perception will protect the life of

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project Management - Essay Example 2 weeks 5/1/11-5/15/11 (Project Manager and Owner) 4) Acquire bids from chosen suppliers for the unmodified trailers, equipment, food and general staples. 2 weeks 5/15/11-5/29/11( Project Manager and Owner-President) 5) Sign a contract with one supplier for the trailer and equipment and two suppliers for food and operational supplies.1 week 5/29/11-6/5/11(Owner-President) 6) Order trailer, equipment and materials from chosen suppliers for leasehold improvements and final trailer prototype.1 week 5/29/11-6/5/11(Project Manager) 7) Acquire bids and choose one fabrication shop for custom sub assemblies to be used in the trailer.1 week 5/29/11-6/5/11(Project Manager) 8) Choose and lease suitable commercial building for the warehouse and manufacturing area and corporate facilities for D'Angelo Pizzeria corporate headquarters. 2 weeks 5/29/11-6/12/11(Project Manager) 9) Incorporate D'Angelo Pizzeria Co. and franchise division. 2 weeks 5/29/11-6/12/11 10) Interview and hire personnel for Dà ¢â‚¬â„¢Angelo Pizzeria manufacturing and corporate operations. 4 weeks 5/29/11-6/26/11( Project Manager and Owner-President) 11) Assemble final trailer prototype and perform testing and debugging. 2 weeks 6/12/11-6/26/11( 2 x Assembly technicians ,Project Manager, Owner) 12) Choose and document final design parameters for trailer after prototype testing. 1 week 6/26/11-7/3/11 (Project Manager) 13) Research and secure two locations for the first corporate owned D'Angelo Pizzeria. 2 weeks 6/26/11-7/10/11 (Project Manager, Owner-President) 14) Establish and document all operational, training and franchisee procedures and develop the final draft for operational, franchisee, training, and employee manuals for review. 4 weeks 6/26/11-7/24/11 (Project Manager, Owner-President) 15) Develop the Strategic Marketing plan. 2 weeks 7/10/11-7/24/11 (Project Manager) 16) Assemble two ready to run D'Angelo Pizzeria trailer units to be used for the corporate owned pilot stores for the D'Angelo Pizze ria franchise. 3 weeks 7/3/11-7/24/11(2x Assembly technicians, Project Manager) 17) Finish corporate infrastructure for the launch of the D’Angelo private franchises within 6 months. 1 week 7/24/11-7/31/11(Project Manager) 18) Grand Opening of the first two corporate owned D'Angelo Franchises on 8/1/11 Project Cost and Operational Analysis As reviewed in the Time Phased Budget the project is divided in 18 tasks or deliverables which will be completed from 5/1/11 to 8/1/11, an 18 week period or 3.5 months (Kanodia, 2011). The total project cost has been streamlined to minimize project risks and maximize return of investment for the initial phase for the D'Angelo Pizzeria project launch. By limiting project scope to just building the company infrastructure and launching just the first two corporate owned D'Angelo Pizzerias; we are implementing a strategy that serves to maximize project speed, efficiency and ensures the best possibility to achieve timely completion of the projec t goals and within the allocated budget structure (Haughey, 2011). Although we originally underestimated trailer size and equipment requirements we were able to achieve significant cost savings in other project areas. By streamlining project requirements and limiting project scope to a working minimum we were able to minimize project costs and expenses and maximize the chances of a successful project completion (Projectstreamline, 2010). The total cost for the project has been revised to a total cumulative

Explain and evaluate the significance of the IAASB clarity project for Essay

Explain and evaluate the significance of the IAASB clarity project for UK audits - Essay Example As a result, any case of bankruptcy of corporations whose financial accounts were audited; would directly or indirectly point out the role and possible and probable contribution of auditors. Since the fall of Enron, WorldCom and the most recent global financial crisis, the role and practices of auditors have come under more scrutiny than ever before. And these scandals and termed as ‘audit failures’, defined as an event in which the auditor fails either to implement generally accepted accounting principles or to issue qualified report.( Francis, 2004). But, previous research suggests that audit failures result in the impairment of auditor reputation, as witnesses by a loss in market share (Firth, 1990; Wison and Grimlund, 1990; weber et al.2008), also lower audit fees (Davis and Simon, 1992). The recently emerged financial conditions have put more pressure on the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) to revisit some of the basic International Stand ards on Auditing (ISAs). Undoubtedly, the use and need of these international auditing standards is never more needed and felt than this time. In the current economic and financial global circumstances, the need and significance is timely understood and realised by the IAASB. In collaboration with other international professional auditing, accounting and other professional bodies, the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board began its working on the clarity project in the year of 2006 (Smith, 2010). This clarity project is designed and established to reduce the ambiguity in some of the standards on the auditing, and it is designed to enhance clarity on some of the standards. Additionally, another significant aim of this clarity project is introduced to enhancing understandability on some of the auditing standards. The new clarified audit related standards came into force in the UK and in Ireland for the purpose of audit of financial statements for period ending on or aft er the date of 15 December 2010, But, before going to explain and evaluate this clarity project for UK, it is vitally important to understand the main objectives behind the establishment of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. Background of International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board The IAASB is established to develop auditing and assurance standards

Perceptual completion experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Perceptual completion experiment - Essay Example There are other reasons too, like ‘cortical scotoma’. There have been numerous studies on the process of perceptual completion and various theories on how this process occurs have been put forward. The first person to notice the phenomenon of filling-in was the inventor of kaleidoscope, Sir David Brewster in the nineteenth century. In 1832, he wrote, â€Å"Though the base of the optic nerve is insensible to light that falls directly upon it, yet it has been made susceptible of receiving luminous impressions from the parts which surround it, and†¦the spot†¦in place of being black, has always the same color as the ground† (Crossland and Rubin, 2007). The phenomenon wasn’t studied for a long time until the twentieth century. In the recent times, however, this phenomenon has been largely studied using something called as ‘artificial scotomas’. V.S. Ramachandran and Richard Gregory developed â€Å"artificial scotoma†. In artificial scotoma, a small object such as a small dot is surrounded by a background noise. After steadily looking at the object for some time, the object vanishes in the background noise. (Pessoa & Weerd, 2003) But ‘filling in’ is not only influenced by the area around the blind spot. It is also influenced by attention and extended distance as shown by Ramachandran. If two orthogonal lines, one black and one white, of equal lengths, are running through the blind spot, you do not see a grayish smear at the centre. Instead, the line on which you focus more is more easily completed by perceptual completion. Now, if, one of the lines is longer, the line that is longer is more easily completed. (Pessoa & Weerd, 2003) Dennett, however, argues that there is no ‘filling-in’ but ‘finding out’. Dennett argues that our brain simply ignores the blind spot and there is no neural process involved in doing this. He further argues that if brain knows what

Credit Cards vs Debit Cards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Credit Cards vs Debit Cards - Essay Example Paying the credit card expenses within the billing period offers the user an opportunity to pay the money without interest. The disadvantage is that the interests pile up rapidly in case the money spent is not paid within the billing period. When used responsibly, credit cards can be of great help as they help the user build credit, which can eventually result in rewards and gifts. This paper focuses on effects that credit and debit cards has, how it can put you far in debt and how it impacts your credit. The advantage of having a debit card is that you can use it to shop in various places all over the world. Additionally, most ATM cards are pre-set such that they can provide debit option thus there is no need for cardholders to carry money around. On the other hand, credit card use entails purchasing good after which you sign or provide you credit card pin number as an assurance that you will pay the debt later (Nelson, Nelson, & Stroup, 2012). Most people prefer using debit cards t o credit card arguing that using debit cards prevents one from over expenditure since it makes one feel like you are using cash payments. The fact that debit cards are connected to a checking account enables the users limit purchases and only buys items that they can afford to pay for at the moment. Additionally, most establishments that offer debit cards do not have any charges for any transactions. On the other hand, credit cards holders have to pay quite a high interest if they fail to pay the bills in time in addition to card charges (Nelson, Nelson, & Stroup, 2012; Carbo-Valverde, et al., 2007). An advantage that credit cards have over debit card is that payments for goods purchased using credit card can be withheld till the buyer is satisfied that the quality of the product is satisfactory. On the contrary, sellers make instant deductions for goods purchased using debit cards. The Fair Credit Billing Act supports such action since it posits that the purchaser has no liability for fraudulent transactions and for goods, whose quality is unsatisfactory or undelivered services. This applies for any disputable purchases. This gives credit card holders protection against deceitful merchants or service providers or in case of theft (Basel, 2006). One disadvantage of being a debit cardholder is that, in case of debit card theft, you may have to pay for all purchase transactions done using your card, which may include overdrafts particularly if you fail to realize and notify your bank in a period of 60 days. Debit cards thus have restricted consumer protection as compared to credit cards. While doing online or over the phone purchases, credit cards are the preferable option since they offer protection to the user thus helps take care of any misadventure (Directgov, 2012), Credit card users have an opportunity to build a proper credit by ensuring punctual bill payment. Good credit history is important and can help in securing loans, insurance, or in getting a job. Loans borrowed by individuals with a good credit history have a lower interest rate as compared to those for persons with unsuitable or no credit history. Additionally, some credit card offer incentives that card holders can use to obtain gifts as well as get discounts (Barrett, 2009). Debit cards provide for overdrafts, which must be made at a specified period. However, it is advantageous in that the interest rates for such

Theories of Crime Essay Example for Free

Theories of Crime Essay Due to the high rates of violent crimes in California, the state law makers and the people approved in 1994 an important decision that changed the sentencing law of criminals. Called the Three Strikes Law and You’re Out, the law aims to prolong the number of months of imprisonment for criminals who have recommitted a crime. The law was a product of public concerns wherein many violent offenders after their release from prison would just commit another crime. The strategic intention of the Three Strikes legislation was to make prison sentences longer and to make them mandatory when defendants with qualifying, prior criminal records were convicted of new offenses (Zimring, Hawkins Kamin, 2001, p. 91). With this reasoning the ability of criminals to commit further crimes would be restricted or make them discouraged and protect public safety. It is said to get rid of repeat offenders and prevent potential criminals. Before the average sentencing was 21 months but it is now extended to 25 months to life for three-time offenders. In 2004, the state tried to revise the law but majority of the people of California rejected the change and the law still remains as it is today. As to the theory of crime causation closely associated to the law, I find the psychological theory very fitting in explaining how criminals develop anti-social behavior early in childhood that continues to adulthood and become repeat offenders. This theory seeks to identify the character of a criminal how he thinks and decides. There are several factors that influence his criminal behavior mostly from family and individual. Psychologists cited broken homes as a leading cause of criminal behavior. In my research, I discover that children separated from their parents or suffer abused are likely to offend than children whose families are intact. Broken families often become grounds for trauma where children undergo painful experiences that have damaging effects on their development. In addition, children of broken homes have no choice but to confront parental conflict, loss of parents, poverty, and neglect that could give them emotional problems. Hans Eysencks, well-known for his studies on crime and personality, said that people who offend are those with weak conscience due to poor state of mind. Often these people are neurotic (emotionally upset), psychotic (deranged/loss contact with reality) or extravert (assertive/thrill seeker). According to Eysenck people who are psychotic tend to do harm because their emotions are unstable, they are not compassionate, they are hostile and lack of understanding. The psychological theory clearly answers how the Three Strikes law came into existence and how it should be applied to repeat offenders. It is within this theory that I see how people develop criminal minds. People who have multiple crimes should be dealt differently and this law should remind criminals of the consequences of their illegal actions. This law should be applied to its fullest terms and conditions so that criminals in our society would be prevented from harming the public. I believe that this could help lessen criminality and seclude the bad elements in our community. Giving criminals more days in jail should make them reflect of their future and perhaps assist them in transforming their lives into better ones. These kinds of criminals can be treated psychologically through counseling and the law can provide criminals the time for their rehabilitation. Such law could also offer better opportunities for criminals to prepare themselves in coming back to society at the same time the people in the community to accept them once again. In addition, the law could give criminals a good transition period from prison life to normal life in the community. There will be more chances for both criminals and society to patch up things and once more live together in the same community. For law enforcement, it is necessary to know the minds of criminals so that they would be equipped with the right tools in confronting and rehabilitating future felons and repeat offenders. Reference Zimring, F. E., Hawkins, G. Kamin, S. (2001). Punishment and Democracy: Three Strikes and Youre Out in California. Oxford University Press US, New York. Law Library. (2008). Crime-Causation-Psychological-Theories. American Law and Legal Information. Retrieved March 28, 2008, from http://law.jrank.org/pages/811/Crime-Causation-Psychological-Theories-Conclusions.html

Healthcare Policy in the US

Healthcare Policy in the US A healthcare policy is a set of rules and regulations that are put into effect to assist in the operation and the shape of health delivery. A healthcare policy covers a range of issue including public health, chronic illness and disability, long-term care, the financing of health care, preventive health care and mental health. There are two models of a healthcare which consist of the single payer and the social insurance system. In the single payer model, taxes are paid to the government which then pays healthcare providers such as nurses, doctors, and dentists to provide health services to individuals. In a social insurance system, citizens must purchase health insurance from non-profit insurance companies who will then use this health insurance to pay for services provided by healthcare providers. Healthcare is financed through private insurance companies which individuals can access through their employers and for the many Americans that are uninsured, there are three programs in which they can go through called Medicare, Medicaid, and The State Childrens Health Insurance Program. Medicare mainly deals with Americans who are over the age of 65 or disabled. Medicaid deals with people who are of low income or maybe classified as being poor. The State Childrens Health Insurance Program deals with people who are uninsured or low income children. There are so many aspects that can make up healthcare policy and there will be many more that will have an impact on healthcare in the future. Principles of US Health Policy There are many principal features of the United States health policy, but to name a few critical ones are: government as subsidiary to the private sector; fragmented, incremental, and piecemeal reform; pluralistic politics; the decentralized role of the states; and the impact of presidential leadership. These key characteristics of health policy work together or separately to pressure the progress and growth of health policy to benefit the country. The United Sates is one of the few countries in the world that does have a national health care system where their government pays the majority and is the leader in the health care organization. That is not the case in the US. The private sector is the leader and the government takes a back seat in the majority of the development of health policies. It is funny that Americans prefer to have as less involvement from the government as possible in relation to health care financing, delivery, and policy. Being a capital nation we are under the notion that the private sector can best organize and operate the production and consumption of goods and services in our country rather than the government. The US health care system is fragmented so much that it is almost impossible to track. Employers provide a voluntary insurance program to their employees that are paid for through payments from employees and employers together. Then you have the elderly you are covered through Social Security tax, government subsidized voluntary insurance for physician, supplementary, and prescription drug coverage. The indigent obtain health care through Medicaid which is funded through federal, state, and local revenues. American Indians, Congress, members of the armed forces, Veterans, and the executive branch have health insurance that is financed through the federal government directly. Any type of reform in America is incremental and piecemeal especially health care. For example Medicaid has had many much needed changes since its beginning in 1965. First, Congress changed the policy to have more children become eligible and in 1984 pregnant women and children in two parent families were granted health care if income restrictions were met. Policy changes are met with an array of complex political roadblocks that make much needed reform difficult to accomplish. Often it takes a revolutionary presidential election to overcome such barriers. As in any other policy debates in the US politics interest groups pluralism have an effect on the health policy. Powerful interest groups involved in health care politics adamantly resist any major change (Alford 1975). Each group deeply believes that their interests are the best and will fight very hard to protect their interest. For instance, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for American citizens over the age of 50. They are one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States with over 40 million members. Because they are such a well organized interest group they are very effective in influencing the decisions on policies that affect the seniors in this country. A decentralized role of the states has its pros and cons. The states provide financial support for the indigent and disabled through comprehensive health care programs. They also take on the additional responsibility of implementing the governments Medicaid and SCHIP programs for the elderly and children. On the flip side critics have suggested there is too much state control in regards to health policy changes. With each state having control over their own health policy decisions makes it extremely difficult to create a unified national health care policy. New presidents have always been the stepping stone for policy changes in America. Every president from Johnson to Bush has made an attempt to reform health care in some shape or form. The most recent major historical change has come with the election of President Obama. He has done what no other President has done, Health Care Reform. He is putting the control of peoples health care needs in their own hands. President Obamas presidential leadership impact will reform health care by making it more affordable, making insurance companies accountable for their actions, and provide coverage to all Americans. Development of legislative health policy Health policy is a set course of action undertaken by governments or health care organizations to obtain a desired health outcome (Cherry Trotter Betts, 2005). The health care system, including the public and private segment, with the political forces influence how systems are shaped by the health care policy-making processes. Public health policies start from local, state, or federal legislation, regulations which manage the terms of health care services. There are also institutional or business policies related to health care in addition to public policies. In the private sector the policies are developed by hospitals, accrediting organizations, or managed care organizations. Nurses, the largest number of health care providers are the most familiar with institutional policies including those developed and implemented by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The decision making in the public or the private sector, the scope of the issue, and the nature of the policy all have an impact on the characteristics of a policy (Thurber,1996). A basic understanding of the policy process is the first step in having a strategy on how to encourage potential power and control important changes in the health care system. It is a process that uses multiple points of access in order to provide a vision that influences the decision makers involved at each stage. There are three stages of policy making: the formulation stage, the implementation and the evaluation stage. In the formulation stage, input of information, ideas, organizations, research from key people and interest groups are put together. The implementation stage involves disseminating the collected information and starting to put the policy into action. During this stage, the proposed policy is transformed into a plan of action (International Council of Nurses, 2005). Public policy endorsed b y local, state, or federal governmental identities is usually put into practice through the normal process that interprets the policy into a written set of rules issued by the government agency that is responsible for overseeing the policy. All concerned groups contribute in the development of health care policy by providing necessary information needed to decide on the implementation. Nurses are a very important part in the preparation and implementation of the policy. As the largest one group of health care providers, nurses can successfully sponsor health care policy project; they also have a distinctive point of view on health care policies and expertise to share with the responsible agents. Nurses are a strong voice and active advocated group that leads to positive change and build consensus on important issues. The policy process also includes an evaluation and modification phase when existing policies are revisited and may be amended or rewritten to adjust to changing circumstances (Longest, 2006). Most major public policies are subject to modifications in this process. Smaller changes in already existing policies are usually easier to be implemented than major changes as less clarification and efforts are required to be implemented. A good example would be when the Medicare Program has undergone since its enactment in 1965. Another change is when the U.S. Congress in 1998 added nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists as providers that can bill for Part B services they provide to Medicare beneficiaries. Congress has changed Medicare program many times after that and put a number of preventive services to the Medicare program. The most recent change was done to Medicare Part D and added a prescription drug program available for Medicare beneficiaries. Health care issue moves through the phases of the policy process, from a proposal to an actual program that can be enacted, implemented, and evaluated, the policy process is impacted by the preferences and influences of elected officials, other individuals, organizations, and special interest groups (Longest, 2006). Political interactions take place when people get involved in the process of making decisions, making compromises, and taking actions that determine who gets what in the health care system. Special interest groups and individuals with a stake in the fate of a health care policy use all kinds of influencing, communication, negotiation, conflict management, critical thinking, and problem solving skills in the political arena to obtain their desired outcome (Cherry Trotter Betts, 2005; Kalisch Kalisch, 1982). Health care system is continuously changing, nurses in many institutions are taking the advocacy role, working together to reflect nursings perception in health care policies and to be implemented. However, the legislative process needs to be well understood and policy advocates should be aware that they may run the risk of working with the wrong people or at the wrong time and therefore the policy may not be established. Well prepared professionals can always find ways to promote for a better health care system. For the more experienced professional there are many resources available to nurse policy advocates who want to learn more about how to make a difference in key health care issues using legislative and policy processes and working within the political arena. The Future of Health Policy The future of health policy is unknown and difficult to predict. The US has struggled with conquering the health care system as one comprehensive unit. Instead, there have been individual attempts at specific problems, resulting in fragmented solutions. The anti-socialist views of the US citizens have thus far prevented a nationalized health care system, but this has not and will not stop many influential leaders from trying. Regardless of health care being a universal or disjointed system, the future of health policy aims at containing costs, increasing access, and improving quality. On March 2010, President Obama signed a health care reform bill. A preliminary estimate claims that the bill will reduce the deficit by $130 billion in the first ten years and by $1.2 trillion in the next ten years (Jackson Nolen, 2010). State-based insurance exchanges will be implemented as a way to purchase insurance for those who do not have access through their employer. The Medicare prescription coverage donut hole will be closed by 2020 and seniors will receive a 50% discount on brand name medications. Medicaid will be expanded, will include childless adults, and illegal immigrants will not be eligible. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions and children will be able to stay on their parents insurance plans until age 26. Beginning in 2014, there will be an individual mandate that everyone must have health insurance or have to pay a fine, with exceptions for low-income people. Employers with greater than 50 employees will be required to offer health insurance. There is no telling what the ultimate success will be of this bill, as it is a continued hot debate between political parties, but it puts some definition on the future of health policy. The role of state governments in health care has become more substantial. They hold the majority of the responsibility for regulating all aspects of the health care system. In addition, states contribute to financing Medicaid services, finance health coverage for state/public employees and retirees, and subsidize the costs of health care services for the uninsured. States also have the role of protecting the publics health through controlling the spread of communicable diseases, protecting the environment, preventing injuries, promoting healthy behaviors, responding to disasters, providing health services to those without access, monitoring the populations health status, and developing health care policies to benefit the community. The future of health policy shows that states will continue to perform these roles. Conclusion In closing, we feel that an issue such as healthcare must be thought through and have a decision made based on the need of the American peoples as well as the needs of the American economy. By this we mean that a decision should be developed based on a way to keep this great country from going bankrupt or prevent the American people from going broke when a plan goes into effect. In todays world, the U.S health Care System of today is turning into a disaster because many people are getting to the point to where they are not able to afford healthcare services due to the fact that they are not able to afford it or have lost their jobs are may have partial health care benefits. We feel that all Americans must try to stand up for what they believe and fight for a healthcare policy that will enable everyone to be able to have healthcare coverage so that our government will see that there is a need for a change in the future. Resources 1. Shi, L. Singh, D.A. (2008.) Delivering Health Care in America: A Systems Approach (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers 2. Jackson, J. Nolen, J. (March 23, 2010). Health Care Reform Bill Summary: A Look At Whats in the Bill. cbsnews.com. Retrieved, April 20, 2010, from: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000846-503544.html. 3. Alford, R. R. 1975. Health Care Politics: Ideology and interest group barriers to reform. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 4. S M Williams-Crowe and T V Aultman, State health agencies and the legislative policy process. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1403499/?page=1 5. Pamela White, Tobie H. Olsan, Carolanne Bianchi, Theresa Glessner, Pamela Mapstone, Legislative: Searching for Health Policy Information on the Internet: An Essential Advocacy Skill. Retrieved from: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN

Enabling the Visually Impaired Individual

Enabling the Visually Impaired Individual 3.2 Independence in Movement: The most important thing considered as a sense of independence is being able to move freely. When we loss the power to move freely and safely, this is arguable and it is more inflicted by blindness. The training programs like OM training is a necessary condition for blind and impaired persons to bring them in society and make them interactive with the people around. This will surely help them to move inside and outside the walls easily. By having such exposures they will be less dependent on their family and peers. The remaining sense is sharpening with the help of certain types of sensory training. It helps to develop the coordination between the movements and it improves their sitting and standing postures. By such training and improvements in the physical condition of individual helps them to be accepted by their families and peers in society. (Koestler, 1976) 3.3 Social Integration: Daily activities are performed through mobility for example going for some grocery shopping, any common place, any of one’s sacred places, to visit some relatives, friends out in town. Inter-personal relations are built through this process and give a chance to individual to interact with other people. Both quality and quantity is enhanced through this and results in the integration in the community. If the individual wants to enhance the social interaction more, he or she can take some transport means and visit their friends and peers out of town and to some far places. 3.4 Self Confidence: Self-confidence is very helpful in anyone’s personality. When someone is not traveling from places to places, it will decrease their confidence level and they will not be able to interact with people easily. They will hesitate to share their views and ideas open. We observe that people with visual impairment will remain mostly in their houses and live a lonely life. (stone, 1995)They depend mostly on others if they have moved somewhere. But if they have self-confidence they will enjoy the freedom of movement independently and enable to perform all such activities without depending on others. This will increase in number of community participation of such infants. 3.5 Safety of the Individual: Safety enhances the confidence of the individual but also the people in his surroundings. It will influence them to have such confidence and become an independent person in society. It will correct their gait and postures. This will not only decrease the number of difficulties an infant is having but also to build a self-image in them. Mobility education is very much important, it keep the young people fit and smart. If they are physically fit they will get more hard training programs. 3.6 Comprehensive Rehabilitation: To move independently in society is the first step to be self-employed. They will get a job or an increase in economic rehabilitation or income generation. It is a big step towards the development of self-confidence of one person and he will not remain in the home forever but also will go out easily. The success of some vocational training programs also enhances the concept, need and demand for an independent travel. It also changes the attitude and thinking level of public towards impairment level. (Jane H. Hill, 1986) 3.7 Mobility and Sports: Very close relationship exist between mobility and sports. As we have discussed above training in OM is a first step in promoting sports activities among impaired persons. By participating in games they will enhance the society confidence, they will be aware of the economic conditions and it helps the individual to overcome its fear to move around in society. 4. Mobility Techniques: To travel safely in relation to the environment, a visually impaired person can use one of the following techniques or a combination thereof: 4.1 Sighted Guide: When an individual is approaching a narrow space, for example descending and ascending paths or stairs. They want to be helped by holding a chair or either passing through doorways. 4.2 Walking Alone: This is mostly trailing protective technique. It further includes the trainings of upper and forearm techniques, lower hand and forearm technique, Locating dropped articles. Further you can best use of yours landmark indoors and direct taking. 4.3 Cane Techniques: This technique includes some pre-cane devices like use of a long cane. It also depends on the type of cane we are using, its quality and how to how to hold a cane also matters a lot. 4.1 Sighted Guide: The only objective of OM training is to enjoy the freedom the individuals get in movement. It also focuses on the help of other persons under such situations become essential part. All individuals who are visually impaired person required help in crossing a busy road or if they are moving in such environment in which he or she is not familiar. They mostly find some visuals signs while moving in a crowded place. Salient Features: Some important silent features are given below: Travelling with a sighted companion requires a lot of skills. Training programs should be given to both the impaired and sighted person. A sighted person should know if in any situation how he is going to guide the impaired person. Family members are needed to know how to use the sighted-guide techniques. Non -verbal communication skills are developed in between sighted or impaired person. Basic techniques: The guide should stand next to the visually impaired person and face the same direction as impaired person is facing. Infant should know about the guide standing position and he should tap the shoulder of guide from back. He must be trained to figure out where the elbow of guide is Individual must hold the guide hand above the elbow with slight firm but the grip should be in that way the thumb is out of elbow. Infant should hold the guide elbow close to his hand and body, half step behind the guide with the shoulders directly in line with the guide. He should be either left or right side of the guide depending on which side he or she is feeling comfortable. When moving through some narrow spaces the guide should move his elbow towards the mid line of the back of the individual. And when the narrow spaces are over both should move back to the normal positions. When the techniques are over, guide should tell him that some changes are going to be occurring now. For example stop in front of the stairs so the infant is half step behind the guide. Now climb the steps in such a normal ways that impaired person is following behind, shift their weights forward by leaning forward. If there are some kind of railings and banisters up there impaired persons can be made, how to cross them as well. Same procedure should be followed while moving down the streets. 4.1.3 To guide a visually impaired person to sit in a chair, the guide should: Bring your impaired person close to the chair, and place one of his hands on the back of the chair and tell him that which side is they are facing and in what posture he is sitting. 4.1.4 When approaching a doorway, the guide should: Some possible steps impaired person should take while moving the doorway is : Guide should tell the impaired person in which way the door opens. Now open the door with his freehand and transfer the handle to the impaired person hand. Impaired person will pulls it open and follow the steps guide is showing to him. Now take hold of the handle that is on the opposite side, pass through the door, and pull it to close it down. Pre- Cautions: The guide or the sighted person should keep this thing in mind always that the impaired person is watching his footsteps. Impaired persons should not be pulled from their arms, or push back from their behind. Correct approaches should be taken where the steps and curbs are present. If the guide is telling the procedure from sides of stairs then may be the impaired person will get the wrong directions. When there are some holes or dugs around or there is a need of taking a small jump, guide must call it in loud voice and tell about the minor details of width and height of the jump. It is important for guide to tell him before leaving the impaired person at some safer place. It is good that if he left him where there is some standing pole around him, like a wall or chair. Infant person should always remain at the back of guide. When moving through the stairs, impaired person should be at the railing side so he can hold it. A guide should know about the proper steps need to train the impaired persons. Impaired person is visually impaired not hearing impaired so the guide should use his normal tone for speech. 4.2 Walking Alone Importance: For visually impaired persons, walking alone: Walking alone helps a lot to impair person, it will make them familiar to the environment. It will protect them from hitting many objects in their way. This practice will enable them to move alone in society, act as an independent person and unaided person. It will surely help them to perform their daily routine activities and personal grooming. This will increase their confidence level and they will be master of their own choice. It will prevent them being a dependent on others. They will walk in the pace of life and started to live and feel like a normal person. 4.3.4 Qualities of a Good Cane Some qualities that a good cane should have Good conductivity Durability Light weight Low cost, Strength and resilience Cosmetic and elegant appearance Easy availability Easy reparability Meeting the specific length requirements. 4.3.5 Holding the Cane The impaired person should hold the cane in any hand in which he feels comfortable When individual is holding cane, the thumb must be on the top of cane, his forefingers are in extended motion and the second middle finger is curled behind to support the cane All other fingers of hands must be relaxed and the elbow is slightly bent near the body. 4.3.6 Using the Cane Wrist Movement: the cane is moved slowly by extending wrists while the tips of hand touching the ground at every moment of hand.by doing this the arm should not move. Hand Position: the hand that is holding the cane will always remain in line with the body center and in front of the naval of your body. Arc: the tip of cane should touch the ground a little more widely than the width of the impaired person. In-step: by moving one step forward the cane should move in opposite direction i.e. backward. Let’s take an example to understand this phenomenon, if left foot is moved forwards then the cane will move in the right direction. Similarly as the right foot comes along, cane will move to the left direction. Rhythm: the movement of cane should synchronize with the body movements of impaired person. The speed will be the same. 4.3.7 Adaptation of the Cane Technique The cane techniques can be modified into several other techniques. Modification will make according to the Traffic conditions Surface conditions Rural or urban techniques. There are following modifications that are advisable as follow: When the impaired person is walking in urban area then he should move in the middle of the pavements to avoid any kind of hazards or harms sometimes found at the corners of the pavements. In busy and crowded areas, the lengths should be reduced and lower the grip by the help of which the impaired person is holding the guide. In some rural areas where pavements are not made properly and rough area is present the lengths can be increased. If the area is muddy, then the length of sweep must be reduced. They will swing the cane to touch the wall, and then they will swing it back to touch the other side. Cane should hit the wall lightly and ground on other side. When person is walking the cane should touch the walls around him. 4.3.9 General Cautions If by any chance the impaired person is interested that he wants to identify the objects that where his cane is located, then at this point the best strategy is to use of his free hand rather than cane. Impaired person should avoid swinging the cane not only on one side because it can be dangerous. In any case if there is any destruction or obstacle located by the cane, that area should be carefully explored by the guide and after carefully examined and satisfaction the next procedure must be take place. It is important to hold the cane in downward direct position and avoid waving in front. If there is any confusion about the position of cane, direction of person or their location, assistance should be provided by the sighted person. The cane impaired person is using must not be used to scare the animals. The cane should be in proper length and that depends on the height of the impaired person. REFERENCES Jane H. Hill, K. C. (1986). Dynamics of Syncretic Language. mexico: University of Arizona Press, 1986. Koestler, A. (1976). Life after death. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1976. stone, L. K. (1995). The Early Americas: History and Culture. BRILL, 2002.

costs and affects of quarrying in National Parks Essay -- essays resea

Mining and quarrying were the backbone of Britain’s economy since the start of the industrial revolution. Due to cleaner methods in energy production, which have been enforced during last 100 years and the course of developments in modern technology, Britain’s principle wealth is now governed mainly by the success of her tertiary businesses synonymous with the larger towns and cities. Nevertheless our standard of living also depends on the supply of aggregates, the most basic of building materials but most commonly used in the construction of buildings, transport networks, tunnels railroads and airports. According to Foster Yeoman (1994) the aggregates industry is five times the size of the domestic coal industry. However, such material often comes from quarries located in areas of high scenic value, which are often National Parks or Areas of Natural Beauty (AONB’s) and is raising cause for concern among environmentalists and local communities, but for different reasons. The National Parks of England and Wales were designated as such under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949. The purposes for which they were designated were to: ‘conserve the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of its area and to provide for the enjoyment and understanding of its special qualities by the public’ Association of National Park Authorities (ANPA 2001). Furthermore the National Park Authorities (NPAs) are also required to foster the social and economic well being of the communities within the park.’ Scotland however had a much smaller population; therefore the pressures on the land were deemed not to be as great. Consequently places of natural beauty did not warrant the designation of national park status. Nevertheless, the new Scottish Parliament is currently implementing National Park areas throughout Scotland. Described by Simmons (1974) protected landscape is a non-consumptive resource: the crop is of a visual nature and when this has been taken in by the consumer; the source remains the same and it is the aim of the management to perpetuate this attribute. It is the duty of the NPAs (and their governing body ANPA) to promote methods of sustainable development, which is commonly achieved by each NPA having a ‘balanced membership’, consisting of local people and those representing the national interest by virtue of their individual knowl... ...01 http://www.qpa.org/profile_ohme.html  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  02 May 2001 http://www.peakdistrict.org/Pages/Facts/fz2tour.htm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  02 May 2001 http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/~visimp.htm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  07 May 2001 REFERENCES Wallis E.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Geofile: UK Mines and Quarries  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  April 1992   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Edition 194 McGarvie M.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Foster Yeoman 75  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Butler & Tanner   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Pictorial History  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1998 Simmons I.G.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ecology of Natural Resources  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Edward Arnold   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1974 http://www.anpa.co.uk http://www.yeoman-poland.pl/e_ofirmie2.html http://www.qpa.org/profile_ohme.html

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Essay -- essays research papers

What do you understand by the phrase â€Å"stakeholder analysis†? Attempt a stakeholder analysis of an organisation that you are closely associated with. Introduction Stakeholder analysis is important for successful implementation of projects and/or strategic activities within any organisation. It is used to analyse the stakeholders in order to understand them and classify them according to their power, influence and interest. Stakeholders are people who have an interest in a commercial entity including those within the organisation and outside. These include the boss, senior executives, customers, suppliers, government, your co-workers, the team and others. All these people are important in the implementation and success of strategy. The tool stakeholder analysis is used to: - †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify people or groups and institutions that will influence your initiative †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anticipate the kind of influence, positive or negative, these groups will have on your initiative †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Develop strategies to get the most effective support possible for your initiative and reduce any obstacles to successful implementation of your program. The following are steps that may be followed in using stakeholder analysis: INDENTFY THE STAKEHOLDERS There is need to think of all people who are to be affected by the project or strategy, those who have influence or power over it or have an interest in its successful or unsuccessful conclusion. Stake holders for Delta corporation include:-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Government departments( Zimra, RBZ, Min of industry trade and commerce, ministry of sports and culture)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Municipal authorities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Standards association   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Customers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Employees   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trade union   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  National employment council   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Directors and shareholders   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suppliers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The community and the public   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My family and extended family   &... ...nbsp;  Ã‚  Who else might be influenced by their opinions? Do these people become stakeholders in their own right? Talking directly to the stakeholders will help answer most of these key questions. For IT projects meeting the key stakeholders in a forum to review progress on the project is key to its success. Therefore a well drawn up project plan will ensure that there is enough representation of the stakeholders at the regular project review meetings. Identify those stakeholders that may try to bring to a halt or slowdown the successful implementation of the project. CONCLUSION In any project it is important to do a stakeholder analysis in order to be able to identify the stakeholders and prioritise them by power and their interest to the success of the strategy or project. Once you identify them there is need to fully understand what motivates them in this project and what might be done to get their much needed support, thereby reducing obstacles to successful implementation. There maybe need to dangle carrots in order to get buy in from key stake holders. Incentives and rewards goes a long way in motivating other stakeholders to get results oriented effort.

Management and Information Systems

Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, 11e (Laudon/Laudon) Chapter 1 Information Systems in Global Business Today 1) Internet advertising is growing at a rate of more than 25 percent a year. Answer: TRUE 2) Developing a new product, fulfilling an order, and hiring a new employee are examples of business processes. Answer: TRUE 3) A fully digital firm produces only digital goods or services. Answer: FALSE 4) A business model describes how a company produces, delivers, and sells a product or service to create wealth. Answer: TRUE ) Information technology (IT) consists of all the hardware that a firm needs to use in order to achieve its business objectives, whereas information systems consist of all the software and business processes needed. Answer: FALSE 6) Computers are only part of an information system. Answer: TRUE 7) Information systems literacy describes the behavioral approach to information systems, whereas computer literacy describes the technical approach . Answer: FALSE 8) The dimensions of information systems are management, organizations, and information technology. Answer: TRUE 9) Knowledge workers assist with paperwork at all levels of the firm.Answer: FALSE 10) In order to understand how a specific business firm uses information systems, you need to know something about the hierarchy and culture of the company. Answer: TRUE 11) Business processes are logically related tasks for accomplishing tasks that have been formally encoded by an organization. Answer: FALSE 12) There are four major business functions: Sales and marketing; manufacturing and production; finance and accounting; and information technology. Answer: FALSE 13) A network requires at least two computers and a shared resource, such as a printer.Answer: FALSE 14) A substantial part of management responsibility is creative work driven by new knowledge and information. Answer: TRUE 15) Intranets allow firms to work easily with third-party suppliers and vendors. Answer: FALSE 16) An IT infrastructure provides the platform on which the firm can build its information systems. Answer: TRUE 17) UPS's use of Web-based tools that allow customers to embed UPS functions such as tracking and cost calculations into their own Web sites was an information systems solution used to achieve customer intimacy.Answer: TRUE 18) Government and private sector standards are examples of complementary social assets required to optimize returns from IT investments. Answer: TRUE 19) A firm that invests in efficient business processes is making an investment in organizational complementary assets. Answer: TRUE 20) In the behavioral approach to information systems, technology is ignored in favor of understanding the psychological, social, and economic impacts of systems. Answer: FALSE 1) The six important business objectives of information technology are new products, services, and business models; customer and supplier intimacy; survival; competitive advantage; operational excellence; and A) improved flexibility. B) improved decision making. C) improved business practices. D) improved efficiency. Answer: B 22) Dell Computer's use of information systems to improve efficiency and implement â€Å"mass customization† techniques to maintain consistent profitability and an industry lead illustrates which business objective? A) improved flexibility B) improved business practices C) competitive advantageD) survival Answer: C 23) The use of information systems because of necessity describes the business objective of A) survival. B) improved business practices. C) competitive advantage. D) improved flexibility. Answer: A 24) Which of the following choices may lead to competitive advantage: (1) new products, services, and business models; (2) charging less for superior products; (3) responding to customers in real time? A) 1 only B) 1 and 2 C) 2 and 3 D) 1, 2, and 3 Answer: D 25) Verizon's implementation of a Web-based digital dashboard to provide manage rs with real-time information such as customer complaints is an xample of A) improved flexibility. B) improved decision making. C) improved efficiency. D) customer and supplier intimacy. Answer: B 26) The move of retail banking to use ATMs after Citibank unveiled its first ATMs illustrates the use of information systems to achieve which business objective? A) improved efficiency B) customer and supplier intimacy C) survival D) competitive advantage Answer: C 27) An information system can be defined technically as a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store, and distribute information to support A) decision making and control in an organization.B) communications and data flow. C) managers analyzing the organization's raw data. D) the creation of new products and services. Answer: A 28) The three activities in an information system that produce the information organizations use to control operations are A) information retrieval, research, and analysis. B) input, outp ut, and feedback. C) input, processing, and output. D) data analysis, processing, and feedback. Answer: C 29) Order data for baseball tickets and bar code data are examples of A) raw input. B) raw output. C) customer and product data. D) sales information. Answer: A 0) The average number of tickets sold daily online is an example of A) input. B) raw data. C) meaningful information. D) feedback. Answer: C 31) Output A) is feedback that has been processed to create meaningful information. B) is information that is returned to appropriate members of the organization to help them evaluate the input stage. C) transfers data to the people who will use it or to the activities for which it will be used. D) transfers processed information to the people who will use it or to the activities for which it will be used. Answer: D 32) Converting raw data into a more meaningful form is called A) capturing.B) processing. C) organizing. D) feedback. Answer: B 33) An example of raw data from a nationa l chain of automobile stores would be A) an average of 13 Toyotas are sold daily in Kentucky. B) 30 percent increase in Toyota RAV 4 sales during September in Kentucky. C) 1 Toyota RAV4 sold March 3, 2008 in Louisville, Kentucky. D) all of the above. Answer: C 34) The field that deals with behavioral issues as well as technical issues surrounding the development, use, and impact of information systems used by managers and employees in the firm is called A) information systems literacy.B) information systems architecture. C) management information systems. D) information technology infrastructure. Answer: C 35) In a hierarchical organization, the upper levels consist of A) managerial and professional employees. B) managerial, professional, and technical employees. C) professional and operational employees. D) managerial, professional, and operational employees. Answer: B 36) Which of the six strategic business objectives did the NBA's use of Synergy Sports Technology help to achieve? A) customer and supplier intimacy B) improved decision makingC) new products and services D) operational excellence Answer: B 37) The fundamental set of assumptions, values, and ways of doing things that has been accepted by most of a company's members is called its A) culture. B) environment. C) atmosphere. D) values. Answer: A 38) Thomas Friedman's declaration that the world was now â€Å"flat† meant that A) the Internet has reduced the economic advantages of developed countries. B) globalization is starting to offer less advantage to large corporations. C) the global economy is increasingly commanded by fewer and larger corporations.D) global capitalism is homogenizing culture and business practices throughout the world. Answer: A 39) Data management technology consists of the A) physical hardware and media used by an organization for storing data. B) detailed, preprogrammed instructions that control and coordinate the computer hardware components in an information system . C) software governing the organization of data on physical storage media. D) hardware and software used to transfer data. Answer: C 40) The hardware and software used to transfer data in an organization is called A) data management technology.B) networking and data management technology. C) data and telecommunications technology. D) networking and telecommunications technology. Answer: D 41) Networking and telecommunications technologies, along with computer hardware, software, data management technology, and the people required to run and manage them, constitute an organization's A) data management environment. B) networked environment. C) IT infrastructure. D) information system. Answer: C 42) An example of a business using information systems to create new products and services is A) Wal-Mart's RetailLink system.B) the Mandarin Oriental hotel's customer-preference tracking system. C) Verizon's Web-based digital dashboard. D) Apple Inc. ‘s iPod. Answer: D 43) An example of a business using information systems to attain operational excellence is A) Wal-Mart's RetailLink system. B) the Mandarin Oriental hotel's customer-preference tracking system. C) Verizon's Web-based digital dashboard. D) Apple Inc. ‘s iPod. Answer: A 44) An example of a business using information systems for customer and supplier intimacy is A) Wal-Mart's RetailLink system. B) the Mandarin Oriental hotel's customer-preference tracking system.C) Verizon's Web-based digital dashboard. D) Apple Inc. ‘s iPod. Answer: B 45) Maintaining the organization's financial records is a central purpose of which main business function? A) manufacturing and accounting B) finance and accounting C) sales and manufacturing D) finance and sales Answer: B 46) Based on the examples in the chapter, if you were asked to formulate a plan for a regional drive-in restaurant chain's efforts to use information technology to develop a loyal customer base, what would be the best use of information tec hnology from the list below? A) Use IT to increase supplier loyalty.B) Use IT to increase operational efficiency. C) Use IT to create new products and business models. D) Use IT to help survive government reporting requirements. E) Use IT to achieve customer intimacy. Answer: E 47) The fact that online advertising revenues are growing at 25 percent a year, while offline traditional advertising revenues are growing at about 5 percent a year, suggests that A) Internet advertising is very inexpensive. B) offline traditional advertising is not very effective. C) the Internet is transforming the traditional advertising business model.D) new technologies are more efficient at selling to customers. Answer: C 48) Toyota Motor Company's vehicle orders management system allows it to improve efficiency by basing vehicle production on A) superior forecasts of regional demand. B) actual customer orders. C) improved decision making. D) customer preferences. Answer: B Diff: 3Page Ref: 15 AACSB: Us e of information technology CASE: Content Objective: 1. 1 49) In a business hierarchy, the level that is responsible for monitoring the daily activities of the business is A) middle management.B) service workers. C) production management. D) operational management. Answer: D 50) Which of the following are environmental actors that interact with an organization and its information systems? A) customers B) suppliers C) regulatory agencies D) all of the above Answer: D 51) From a business perspective, raw data is transformed systematically during various stages, transforming it into valuable information, in a process called A) the information value chain. B) the IT value chain. C) information processing. D) feedback. Answer: A 2) A corporation that funds a political action committee, which in turn promotes and funds a political candidate who agrees with the values of that corporation, could be seen as investing in which main category of complementary assets? A) managerial B) government al C) social D) organizational Answer: C 53) Apple Computer dominates the online legal music sales industry primarily because of a failure of recording label companies to A) invest in technology. B) adopt a new business model. C) invest in complementary assets. D) modernize their information value chain. Answer: B 54) An example of an organizational complementary asset isA) using the appropriate business model. B) a collaborative work environment. C) laws and regulations. D) all of the above. Answer: A 55) An example of a social complementary asset is A) technology and service firms in adjacent markets. B) training programs. C) distributed decision-making rights. D) all of the above. Answer: A 56) Disciplines that contribute to the technical approach to information systems are: A) computer science, engineering, and networking. B) operations research, management science, and computer science. C) engineering, utilization management, and computer science.D) management science, computer science, and engineering. Answer: B 57) The discipline that focuses on mathematical techniques for optimizing parameters of organizations, such as transportation and inventory control, is A) management science. B) MIS. C) operations research. D) utilization management. Answer: C 58) Sociologists study information systems with an eye to understanding A) how systems affect individuals, groups, and organizations. B) how human decision makers perceive and use formal information. C) how new information systems change the control and cost structures within the firm.D) the production of digital goods. Answer: A 59) Psychologists study information systems with an eye to understanding A) how systems affect individuals, groups, and organizations. B) how human decision makers perceive and use formal information. C) how new information systems change the control and cost structures within the firm. D) the production of digital goods. Answer: B 60) The costs for firms operating on a global scal e have been drastically reduced by A) networking technology. B) investments in organizational complementary assets. C) the Internet. D) the rise of digital content. Answer: C 1) Which of the following are key corporate assets? A) intellectual property, core competencies, and financial and human assets B) production technologies and business processes for sales, marketing, and finance C) knowledge and the firm's tangible assets, such as goods or services D) time and knowledge Answer: A 62) Overproduction or underproduction of goods and services, misallocation of resources, and poor response times are the results of a firm's having A) poor relationships with suppliers. B) poor relationships with customers. C) inadequate information. D) a surplus of information.Answer: C 63) A firm that must invest in new information systems capabilities in order to comply with federal legislation can be said to be investing to achieve which business objective? A) customer intimacy B) operational excel lence C) survival D) improved reporting Answer: C 64) Which of the following would NOT be used as an input for an information system? A) digital dashboard B) handheld computer C) bar-code scanner D) cell phone Answer: A 65) Which field of study focuses on both a behavioral and technical understanding of information systems? A) sociology B) operations research C) economicsD) management information systems Answer: D 66) The three principle levels within a business organization hierarchy are A) senior management, operational management, and service workers. B) senior management, middle management, and operational management. C) senior management, operational management, and information systems. D) senior management, middle management, and service workers. Answer: B 67) Engineers, scientists, or architects, who design new products or services for a firm, belong to which level of a business hierarchy? A) middle management B) production workers C) knowledge workersD) data workers Answer: C 68) Which main business function is responsible for maintaining employee records? A) sales and marketing B) human resources C) finance and accounting D) manufacturing and production Answer: B 69) Which of the following constitutes an organizational element in the UPS tracking system described in the chapter? A) the specification of procedures for identifying packages with sender and recipient information B) monitoring service levels C) promoting the company strategy of low-cost, superior service D) the use of handheld computers and networks for managing package delivery Answer: A 0) A managerial element in the UPS tracking system described in the chapter is A) taking inventory. B) providing package status reports to customers. C) the decision to use automation. D) in-house package tracking software. Answer: C 71) ________ is data that has been shaped into a form that is meaningful to human beings. Answer: Information 72) ________ is output returned to appropriate members of the or ganization to help them evaluate or correct the input stage. Answer: Feedback 73) ________ is a global network that uses universal standards to connect millions of different networks around the world.Answer: The Internet 74) Computer ________ consists of the detailed, preprogrammed instructions that control and coordinate the computer hardware components in an information system. Answer: software 75) The ________ is a service provided by the Internet that uses universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information in a page format. Answer: World Wide Web/Web/WWW 76) ________ are private corporate networks extended to authorized users outside the organization. Answer: Extranets 7) The key elements of an organization are its people, structure, business processes, politics, and ________. Answer: culture 78) In a(n) ________ perspective, the performance of a system is optimized when both the technology and the organization mutually adjust to one a nother until a satisfactory fit is obtained. Answer: sociotechnical 79) ________ makes long-range strategic decisions about the firm's products and services. Answer: Senior management 80) Investments in organization and management, such as investments in new business models and training, are also known as ________.Answer: organizational and management capital 81) Define operational excellence. How can information systems help achieve it? Answer: Operational excellence is the achievement of higher levels of productivity, efficiency, profitability. Information systems can help achieve operational excellence by improving communications to supplier and optimizing the supply chain. Information systems could help managers communicate with workers more efficiently, enable technological innovation in products, minimize warehouse overhead, streamline distribution. 82) You work for an auto manufacturer and distributor.How could you use information systems to achieve greater customer intimacy? Answer: You could create a Web site that allows customers to customize cars, communicate with support personnel and other car owners. You could create an automated e-mail service reminding car owners to take their car in for periodic checkups. You could have an information system that tracks customer preferences in local areas, so you can provide cars that reflect local customer needs and desires. 83) What is the difference between information technology and information systems? Describe some of the functions of information systems.Answer: Information technology (IT) consists of all the hardware and software that a firm needs to use to achieve its business objectives. Information systems are more complex. An information system can be defined technically as a set of interrelated components that collect (or retrieve), process, store, and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization. An information system: †¢supports decision making, coordinati on, and control †¢helps employees analyze problems †¢helps employees visualize complex subjects †¢helps create new products 4) You are a marketing manager for a national movie theater chain. Give an example of data that your department could use for creating meaningful information. What type of information could that data produce? Answer: Movie ticket sales from individual theaters would be an example of raw data. Meaningful information from this would be: average number of tickets sold to seniors on certain days of the week. 85) Define business process. What might be a business process used at a hospital? Answer: A business process is a set of logically related tasks and behaviors for accomplishing work.Hiring a new employee, customer intake, and filing medical records are examples of business processes at a hospital. 86) You are starting a small bike messenger company. Given your type of services (hand-delivering packages within a small geographical area), could you r firm be a digital firm? If so, what would make this a digital firm? Answer: Being a digital firm doesn't purely rely on having digital goods and services. A digital firm would have most of its relationships with customers, suppliers, and employees be digitally enabled.Ordering deliveries, assigning deliveries, managing employees and assignments could certainly be digitally enabled; using cell phones, information systems, and handheld devices to connect customers, delivery management, and bike messengers. 87) This chapter discusses how each organization has its own culture and sets of values shared by most of its members. What kind of shared values might you find at a law firm? Answer: Shared values at a law firm might be: The legal system works, the legal system is fair, lawyers help people, and people need help with the legal system because it is complicated. 8) You work at the business headquarters for a chain of movie theaters. Describe this firm's information value chain. Answ er: An information value chain adds value to data at various stages, transforming it into valuable data. At a chain of movie theaters, data would be gathered from ticket sales and concession sales. Information systems would help transform this into meaningful information, such as determining the types of movies popular in certain regions, times and days of the week that people most often saw movies, what snacks were the most popular.This information would be valuable in making decisions, such as offering ticket discounts during less popular time slots, and offering more popular snack items. Further feedback based on the results of these decisions could determine whether these decisions were effective. 89) How does a company's use of information systems affect its corporate strategies? Provide an example. Answer: A firm's ability to effectively use information technology is interdependent with its ability to implement corporate strategies and achieve corporate goals.More and more, th e ability to compete and succeed depends on a company's ability to implement technology. What a business would like to do in the future can depends on what its systems will be able to do. Examples of this might be a company who invests in information systems that enable it to create new products or to make its distribution system more efficient, allowing the company to become the low-cost producer. 90) The information systems of Accenture, a global consulting firm, allow for a highly decentralized organization without a traditional headquarters.Based on your reading of Chapter 1, which of the six strategic business objectives does Accenture's information systems contribute to? Answer: Student answers will vary. The following is an example of a possible answer: Accenture's information systems allow its mobile workforce to be within easy, constant reach of its customers, contributing to the business objective of customer and supplier intimacy. Additionally, the ability of employees to connect to and work with local branch information systems in standard ways, regardless of their location, contributes to more efficient processes and operational excellence.