Skype Improvement

In todays devices and services world more and more people choose to use Skype from devices like smartphones and tablet PCs hat rely on battery power, that on average have less processing power than modern desktop computers, and that are not physically or permanently connected to the Internet. This shift in the way people use Skype has required to enhance Skype's P2P connectivity as well as conserving battery and processing power, while delivering even more of the functionality and reliability that our users expect.Skype clients will continue to evaluate bandwidth, connectivity and firewall settings to select the most appropriate path for the call and continue to connect devices for P2P calls across the Internet so that users get audio and video connections that ‘Just work. As Skype continue on this Journey, these new technologies are helping to drive improved battery life and improved connections making Skype as a whole more resilient and providing a platform for exciting new f eatures.Introducing new features Skype have to introduce exciting new features such as video messaging which lets you catch up whenever or wherever the users are, connecting the users with the special people in their life even when their schedules conflict. Skype should invest in ringing new Skype scenarios online, putting the people who matter most to the users Just a click away. For example, in Outlook. com the users are enabled to connect through Skype without leaving your browser.Improving registration and account security Skype should improve their sign-up, sign-in, and security features. Great new features such as two step verification, will bring additional security to the users. As Skype continue to their new secured communication platforms, such as Xbox, Microsoft account will mean that the users have Just one account to remember and an unlock communications with a growing community of over 700 million Microsoft account users worldwide.Improving Skype chats Skype users send billions of chat messages every month, and enhancing the performance and quality of this core messaging experience is one of the key improvements the Skype should highlight. The Skype cloud should add the ability to queue and deliver chat messages even if the intended recipient is offline – so you can be ‘always reachable' to the people who matter most. Skype also should broaden

The Cheesecake Factory

There are a couple Of particular thoughts inside the set Of accepted rules that has some seriousness to the Cheesecake Factory†s business. It is basic that this set of principles is secured in light of the fact that staff parts must comprehend the Cheesecake Factory's morals and conviction framework in correlation to different associations in light of the fact that it may vary as to social substance, values, and requesting of convictions (Machines & Von, 2005). The principal critical thought in the set of accepted rules is clash of investment.The organization particularly expresses that a worker must keep away from circumstances in which a clash of investment would exist or have the presence of a clash of premium. This is greatly critical to the business on the grounds that it will keep workers from having the presence of giving special treatment to relatives, foremen, and business engages. In the event that the organization were to permit such conduct it could open them up to poor business exchanges that may not be beneficial and in addition block the current connections they have shaped with endorsed business associations.A typical case of this is if a general supervisor of an area had a relative who as a cry businessperson it would be disgraceful for that GM to use that relative to plan and offer requests of whimper to the restaurant. Besides, the set of accepted rules has procurements that make preparations for requesting. The non-requesting condition expresses that all workers and visitors should not feel influenced to buy or engage in merchandise and administrations that are non organization related.This is to help maintain a strategic distance from a circumstance where the organization's advantage ND brand is erroneously coincided with an alternate organization's advantage and brand. This can turn into a significant issue with a business in light of the fact that it can unmistakably open a business up to undue legitimate liabilities. Case in point, if a worker is offering corrective items inside the restaurant and the items cause a client to have a hypersensitive response the organization can be held at risk on the grounds that they gave the appearance they were embracing the items to the client.These two particular territories are greatly critical to the practicality of the business on he grounds that they can both open the organization up to undue obligation and are regularly two zones inside a set of accepted rules that can without much of a stretch be misconstrued. The key steps that can be taken by the executive to safeguard that the understood rules are followed by making the staff mindful of the set of principles. This is possible essentially by making it a vital piece of the employing procedure where the representative needs to sign that they read the set of principles and additionally being given a duplicate.This guarantees hat all workers are made mindful of the doe of behavior and having a duplicate promptly access ible when they are confronted with a circumstance they accept may have suggestions inside the set of principles. The Cheesecake Factory should then consider workers responsible to the implicit rules. This is possible through activity notices and verbal censures when there are infringement if the set Of accepted rules. For instance, the set of principles entirely forbids clashes of investment.In the event that the former case we expressed were to happen between the GM and the cry councilperson it would be basic that the representative is composed up expressing the infringement and the conceivable outcomes of their activities. It will be critical to distinguish the infringement on the implicit rules and additionally referencing their marking of the set of principles demonstrating they were mindful of the strategy'. Notwithstanding this It is critical that the Cheesecake Factory makes an environment where morals are esteemed.This is through the consolation of great choices through appl ause and in addition secretly decrying dishonest resistances. This is basic on the grounds that morals give a worker values that will figure out if their activities are correct or wrong and in addition if the result of such choices will be great or awful (Kicking & Grittier, 2004). When you make the best possible environment for morals to flourish you can guarantee that a set of accepted rules is maintained and hotly taken after. Finally, the Cheesecake Factory has a huge number of chances that could permit it to be all the more socially responsive in the groups in which it works.

Analytical Hierarchy Process Essay Example for Free (#2)

Analytical Hierarchy Process Essay The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) provides a structure on decision-making processes where there are a limited numbers of choices but each has a number of attributes. This paper explores the use of AHP for deciding on car purchase. In the context of shopping, it is important to include elements that provide attributes that make consumer decision making easier, comfortable and therefore, lead to a car purchase. As the car market becomes more competitive, there is a greater demand for innovation that provides better customer service and strategic competition in the business management. This paper presents a new methodological extension of the AHP by focusing on two issues. One combines pair wise comparison with a spreadsheet method using a 5-point rating scale. The other applies the group weight to a reciprocal consistency ratio. Three newly formed car models of midsize are used to show how the method allows choice to be prioritized and analyzed statistically. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a structured technique for helping people deal with complex decisions. Rather than prescribing a â€Å"correct† decision, the AHP helps people to determine one. Based on mathematics and human psychology, it was developed by Thomas L. Saaty in the 1970s and has been extensively studied and refined since then. The AHP provides a comprehensive and rational framework for structuring a problem, for representing and quantifying its elements, for relating those elements to overall goals, and for evaluating alternative solutions. It is used throughout the world in a wide variety of decision situations, in fields such as government, business, industry, healthcare, and education. Users of the AHP first decompose their decision problem into a hierarchy of more easily comprehended sub-problems, each of which can be analyzed independently. The elements of the hierarchy can relate to any aspect of the decision problem. Once the hierarchy is built, the decision makers systematically evaluate its various elements, comparing them to one another in pairs. In making the comparisons, the decision makers can use concrete data about the elements, or they can use their judgments about the elements’ relative meaning and importance. It is the essence of the AHP that human judgments, and not just the underlying information, can be used in performing the evaluations. The AHP converts these evaluations to numerical values that can be processed and compared over the entire range of the problem. A numerical weight or priority is derived for each element of the hierarchy, allowing diverse and often incomm-ensurable elements to be compared to one another in a rational and consistent way. This capability distinguishes the AHP from other decision making techniques. In the final step of the process, numerical priorities are derived for each of the decision alternatives. Since these numbers represent the alternatives’ relative ability to achieve the decision goal, they allow a straightforward consideration of the various courses of action. For instance let’s consider cars (an example) which touch the lives of hundreds of millions of people nearly everywhere on this planet on a daily basis. Other than a house, a car is perhaps the largest purchase that we make. With the average cost of a car well over US$ 15,000, choosing just the right one becomes a major decision. Buying a new car is regarded as a decision-making problem and a reflection of customer preference. Someone shops for a new car, he or she want to take a look at finances and options. The possible budget is then a constraint in the decision on which car to buy. Most people shopping for a new car rank safety high among their purchase considerations. Other important attributes include: fuel economy; comfort and convenience features; insurance information; specification and warranties and resale value. Constant changes in customer demands lead manufactures to produce new and improved designs. Automation of manufacturing technologies allows this. Recently the production life cycle has become shorter. For example, General Motors in the USA is leading the industry in developing ground-breaking technologies to improve the driving experience and to meet the changing needs and life styles of modern drivers. They are making efforts to lower the cost of the technology to a level that will make advanced cars an attractive purchase. As the automobile market becomes more competitive, the industry has no choice but to adopt innovation that brings better customer service. Many customers seek advice from car experts or friends when purchasing a car. In many cases, there are times when the price and special features do not match the budget. An appropriate decision-making method for selecting the best car is useful to both customers and producers. An analytic method not only reduces the dealer’s burden, but also may increase sales The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is an intuitively easy method for formulating and analyzing decisions .It was developed to solve a specific class of problems that involves prioritization of potential alternate solutions. This is achieved by evaluation of a set of criteria elements and sub-criteria elements through a series of pair wise comparisons. The AHP model depicted in this paper uses the following decision criteria: exterior, convenience, performance, safety, economic aspect, dealer, and warranty as well as 39 sub-criteria. For the implementation of the AHP, we considered the three midsize passenger car models as alternatives The source for deriving the evaluation criteria candidate was: 1. A telephone interview with dealers who are part of companies that make the models. The manufacturing company with the highest market share considered graceful body styles and smart design of facilities related to safety to be most important. On the other hand, warranty on the car and the dealer’s strategies for marketing are regarded as important customer criteria; 2. The use of personal experiences recorded on an online bulletin board was corrected using the Internet; The AHP model shown consists of three levels. Exterior involves components and factors seen from the outside such as color, length and width, tyres, trunk, wheels, doors and headlamp styles. It includes the following sub-criteria: model, style, length, quality of interior decoration, number of available color types, and instrument cluster. Convenience is related to the design of the equipments for easy operation. It includes: inside width, ease of loading or unloading packages, convenience of operating instruments, modern fittings (such as electronic systems and a burglar alarm), forward visibility and quality of the audio system. Performance is related to the functioning of the car. It includes maximum torque, maximum speed, fuel tank capacity, braking ability, cornering ability, inside noises and traveling comforts. Safety is enhanced by a body designed to protect the drivers and passengers against collisions. The most important safety features are those that reduce the risk of death or serious injury. It includes: airbags, antilock braking system ABS, impact protection systems, trunk safety, seat belts, safety of the body and number of alarm facilities. Airbags provide total chest and face protection. The ABS allows drivers full steering control and shorter stopping distance in adverse situations. The economic aspect refers to the price and cost of a new car, or maintaining the car within budgets, etc. It includes: purchasing prices, fuel consumption per month, insurance costs and installment conditions, resale prices of used cars and optional equipment costs. The dealer criterion refers to personal characteristics and attitudes that lead the customer to make the purchasing decision. This criterion includes: visits or calls needed to persuade the customer to buy, the dealer’s attitude, the dealer’s expertise and belief in the dealer’s promises. The warranty criterion include: the number of service stations, ease of acquiring spare parts, customer satisfaction after services, and the average repair time for minor troubles. We mailed questionnaires to each of two groups. The first group was given a questionnaire that contained a pair wise comparison sheet. The members consisted of 13 managers who were serving in the sales department and who had experience exceeding 10 years (see Appendix A for this questionnaire). Respondents were domain experts who easily recognized their own sales products and have valuable knowledge about the customer requirements and preferences. Twenty-two potential customers with experience over 7 years were in the second group (see Appendix B). They answered about their satisfaction with their current car. A procedure of prioritizing each car model is shown in Table 1 shows the C.R. for each individual, where the circle represents meaningful C.R. Using Expert Choice, we obtained the synthesized priorities of the main criteria and sub-criteria. The reason that the group’s weight is 1/C.R. is to assign higher weights for higher consistent persons. As a result, safety gains are the highest priority in the main criteria. The body safety is especially important. The synthesized priorities and ranks resulted in Table 2 (Case-II). The priorities of the sub-criteria are not proportional to those of the main criteria. This means the decision-makers have different opinions on the importance of the main criteria. By synthesizing the drivers’ rating values with the priorities, we obtain the priorities of the car models and the ranks with respect to the goal and synthesized priorities for each main criterion when the C.R. is bounded by the limit (see Table 3). In Case-I and Case-II, the computational methods used are reasonable when the groups’ consistency is more important than the individual ones. Because the conventional AHP has no choice but to increase the Delphi rounds in order to increase the groups’ consistency, much effort is required to reduce the C.R. If the Delphi rounds are not sufficiently processed, it is unreliable through the inclusion of inconsistent matrices [12]. Using the Spearman rank correlation test [1], accepting H0 means that the ranks are either uncorrelated or negatively correlated. That is, two decision makers exhibit an insignificant level of agreement in ranking for each criterion. Rejecting H0 means that the ranks are positively correlated. As shown in Table 4, we conclude that there are significant effects between groups since the rate of the H0 acceptance is 83% (65/78 Ãâ€"100). This shows that Case-I is the more appropriate method. It rejects greater agreement between groups. Sensitivity analysis allowed us to verify the results of the decision. A sensitivity analysis can be formed to see how sensitive the alternatives are to change with the importance of the criteria. The Expert Choice implementation of AHP provides four graphical sensitivity analysis modes: dynamic, gradient, performance and two-dimensional analysis [4]. Here performance sensitivity analysis is employed. It depicts how well each alternative performs on each criterion by increasing or decreasing the importance of the criteria. In addition to this, each sub-criterion performs on each main criterion by increasing or decreasing the importance of the main criteria. It should be noted that if a criterion is not sensitive, it would be better to eliminate it from the AHP model. In the case of increasing importance of a criterion to the maximum value of 1.0, we assigned the alternative that gained the highest rank to score 5 and the lowest rank to score 1. The value of Model 1 is 25, Model 2 is 21 and Model 3 is 15. In summary, we can conclude Model 1 is the best among the alternatives, although the highest priorities were different in Case-I and Case-II. This paper presents a decision-making method for selecting the best passenger car models through combining the AHP and a spreadsheet model. The C.R. is used as the decision-maker’s weights. As an implementation of the AHP, three car models were prioritized. Through the sensitivity analysis, the fact that Model 1 ranked the highest is consistent with the result of the highest market share. E.H. Forman, T.L. Saaty, M.A. Selly, R. Waldron, Expert Choice, Decision Support Software, McLean, VA, 1983 T.L. Saaty, K. Kearns, Analytical Planning: The Organization of Systems, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1985. Y Wind and T L Saaty, ‘Marketing Applications of Analytic Hierarchy Process,’ Management Science, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 1980 Analytical Hierarchy Process. (2016, Dec 31).

People at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

People at work - Essay Example ACAS also helps the employees to resolve their workplace conflicts and offers them various services like mediation, conciliation and arbitration with their employers so that the employee gets the best services. There are mainly two areas where Andy requires advice: grievance related to work exploitation and insult; and threat of dismissal. Andy has genuine case of grievances. When ‘Whinnberry Clothing’ introduced new area of services and made Andy the sole person to manage the new line clothing which could be hired for special occasion, his service contract was not revised and he performed the new set of services without any helpers, while still continuing with the his previous duties. Apart from not having getting extra remunerations for the extra work, he was made to handle the huge and heavy packages single handedly at the great risk of his physical wellbeing and health safety which had indeed resulted in severe health problems which were deliberately not acknowledged by his manager. Another major reason was that he was also publicly humiliated by his manager when he refused to lift the heavy packages. The threat of unfair dismissal was another major area where Andy needed imminent advice and support from ACAS. Andy was earlier praised for making the new venture the successful and profit making but was not shown any consideration when he started having serious health problems due to hazardous nature of the work. Instead he was publicly humiliated and issued dismissal threat. The first step of grievance procedure that Andy must follow is to give a letter to his employers which would give a ‘stage 1 of statement of grievance(s)’ (emplaw.co.uk). This step is mandatory before the case can be put to employment tribunal. The step is designed to promote amicable settlement of grievances and dispute resolution with ‘out of court’ settlement, if any, between

Health Care Organization As Metaphor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Health Care Organization As Metaphor - Essay Example This metaphor of the organism can be used to understand a lot of different organizations including multinationals such as the Public Health Institute (PHI). Part I: Health Care Organization as Metaphor For the last three years, I have been working as a public health nurse with the Public Health Institute (PHI). The PHI is an internationally recognized public health organization known for its dynamic leadership in helping to improve the health of women, youths and children across the world. The main objective of the organization is to uncover health disparities existing among these identified groups, understand the causes of these disparities, and address each of them using evidence based solutions. The Public health Institute addresses various issues affecting women, children and youths and including asthma, obesity, and sexual and reproductive health on the international scene. In America the organization specifically focuses on nutrition, maternal mortality, depression and breast c ancer among women. The vision of the organization is to raise the social status of young people, girls and women by equipping them with desirable leadership skills and health education. The PHI is internationally funded by a diverse group of individuals and corporate entities to help it advance its course. My role in the organization was to focus on helping women and children under one year of age to overcome their health challenges. This involved working with women to fight breast cancer and depression, and advising them on proper nutrition to prevent them from contracting preventable diseases and helping to reduce the mortality rate. I also engaged with little children less than one year of age to help them fight asthmatic problems and other diseases prevalent among children in this age group. The PHI being an international organization, I had an opportunity to work overseas with different communities advancing the objectives of the organization. In my role as a public health nurs e with the PHI, I have gathered a lot of experience and knowledge in public health. I now understand fully how organizations in the public health sector operate, and I can relate running these organizations to various organizational theories that have been developed over time. Gareth Morgan’s theory of metaphors of organizations, for instance, can be relied upon to understand how the Public Health Institute (PHI) is structured and how it manages its affairs. My knowledge of these metaphors of organizations has greatly impacted my general understanding of public health as a nurse and as an administrator in one of the largest global public health organizations. Gareth Morgan (2006) in Images of an Organization stipulated that an organization can be best understood based on various images or metaphors that relate the organization to its environment and the need to be competitive and run into the foreseeable future. Among the images used by Gareth Morgan are machine, culture, pol itical system, organism, and the brain (Morgan, 2006). The image that can best be relied upon to understand the PHI is that of the organism. The metaphor of the organism considers all organizations to be as living organisms (Jim, 2000). Indeed, there are so many similarities between an organization and a living organism. As an organism, an organization is in a constant state of change and growth. Just as organisms, all organizations have very complex needs to thrive and survive over

The Theory and Practice of Investment Management Essay

The Theory and Practice of Investment Management - Essay Example The computations are shown in the following table. Table no.1 Number of contracts necessary to be hedged Contract Amount $ 7,500,000.00 Hedge Ratio 0.5 Price 97 No of contracts 38660 Part 2 I. In order to close the position, the company should buy futures contracts for March 2013, at the price 97.6. II. The transaction on the futures market brought a loss equal to: no of contracts *(selling price-buying price). The computations are shown in the following table. Table no.2 Final position from the futures transaction Price (short position) 97 Price (long position) 97.6 No of contracts 38660 Loss $ - 23,195.88 Part 3 I. The relationship between the price of the future contract and the interest rates on the market is an inverse relationship. So, for this example, the price of the future contract has raised implying a decline in the interest rate. II. The company has fixed its borrowing cost only for 50% of the exposure. The effective borrowing cost is computed as: r= 100- 97= 3% So, the company will borrow money at 3%. III. The company did not hedge all the risks involved by the transaction above. Firstly, it only hedged 50% of its interest rate exposure. Secondly, risks related to changes in the principal borrowed, or the currency in which this one is expressed are not hedged. Question 2 There are various theories related to dividend policies. One of the most important theories in this matter is the irrelevance thesis of Modigliani and Miller (Fabozzi and Drake, 2009). Under certain assumptions, Modigliani-Miller argues that dividend policy is irrelevant (no taxes, no transaction costs, no issuance costs, no insider information, a fixed investment policy). In other words, the management’s decision to change dividend value does not determine a shift in firm value too because the shareholder wealth is determined by the income generated through the investment policy of the firm, and not the way the firm distributes the income (Miller and Modigliani, 1961). Ano ther theory is based on the â€Å"bird - in – the- hand† hypothesis. This assumes that the financial markets are characterized by uncertainty and imperfect information, and because of this, dividends should be considered differently than retained earnings. Moreover, all investors would want to receive dividends i.e. cash (â€Å"bird-in-the-hand†) rather than future capital gains from the evolution of the stock (â€Å"two in the bush†). So, a firm which offers a high dividend ratio would deliver good signals to the market, boosts the stock market, and finally increases the firm’s value (Walter, 1963). A theory which contradicts the â€Å"bird-in-the-hand† theory is based on the tax-effect hypothesis. This theory states that a lower dividend policy would lower the cost of capital of the firm and in this way increase the stock value and the shareholders wealth (Bajaj and Anand, 1990). The starting point for this conclusion is considering the hi gher taxation of dividends compared to capital gains. Furthermore, the dividends are taxed right after are paid, whereas capital gains are taxed until the moment of sell. This consideration of tax advantages of capital gains compared with receiving dividend determine investors to be attracted of companies with higher retained earnings than a higher dividend policy (Pettit, 1977). Considering the company Swan Dane Ltd., which is keeping constant a high dividend policy, can be supported by the â€Å"

The e-government and e-procurement situation in the GCC countries Research Paper

The e-government and e-procurement situation in the GCC countries - Research Paper Example Oman has a high level of economic growth and has a free economy.The new trade and investment laws provide better degrees of vitality and flexibility to E-commerce and the government actively participates in the E commerce initiatives to provide for better business conditions (2).Qatar is more closed up and does not allow FDI in some sectors like banking, insurance, real estate, commercial agencies. Further more not more than 40% of foreign ownership is allowed unless there is a sector like Agriculture, industry, health, education, tourism, leisure and development of natural resources, energy, and mining (2).The UAE is the fastest growing economy with the recent government’s allotment of $13.4 billion towards the development of the non-oil sector, much of which will be spent on telecommunications and information technology. A recent initiative is the Dubai Internet City which is a great move to UAE’s future internet economy (2).Bahrain is an important business center and is only recently warming up in the internet race. It is located half way between the time zones of East and West, and give that the GCC countries (mostly import oriented) have an estimated population of more than 19 million, and added 100 million to adjoining neighboring countries that leads to enormous consumer bases potential. It is reported that the Bahrain government is striving towards E-procurement in the sectors of business & financial services, tourism, information technology, telecommunications, healthcare & education (2).... Qatar is more closed up and does not allow FDI in some sectors like: banking, insurance, real estate, commercial agencies. Further more not more than 40% of foreign ownership is allowed unless there is a sector like: Agriculture, industry, health, education, tourism, leisure anddevelopment of natural resources, energy and mining (2). The UAE is the fastest growing economy with the recent government's allotment of $13.4 billion towards the development of the non-oil sector, much of which will be spent on telecommunications and information technology. A recent initiative is the Dubai Internet City which is a great move to UAE's future internet economy (2). Bahrain is an important business centre and is only recently warming up in the internet race. It is located half way between the time zones of East and West, and give that the GCC countries (mostly import oriented) have an estimated population of more than 19 million, and added 100 million to adjoining neighboring countries that leads to enormous consumer bases potential. It is reported that the Bahrain government is striving towards E-procurement in the sectors of business & financial services, tourism, information technology, telecommunications, healthcare & education (2). In a similar vein Saudi Arabia has followed suit and an even better climate is found in Kuwait where as any Kuwaiti or GCC national over 21 years of age can carry commerce in Kuwait. In Kuwait public procurement is dealt with government of law 37 of 1964, Law 18 of 1970 and Law 81 of 1977. There is no internet procedure for most of the tendering procedures and this has yet to change to promote public procurement (2). 2. Role of Internet and the other emerging ICT ways of communication in

Ethics in Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics in Human Resource Management - Essay Example .. Any other form of imprudent or non-diligent conduct by a financial advisor or any failure to protect client’s interests contravenes these duties and constitutes a breach of the fiduciary relationship (Koslowski, 2009, p. 39) Similarly, bankers will have to devise approaches that will not only cater to the needs of their clients but also comply with the needs of the â€Å"society as a whole† (Clerk, 2011 p. 5). Customers are the most important asset of a business, and they must be dealt with the most efficient way possible. Nevertheless, social responsibility should not be taken for granted; thus, â€Å"practitioners of ethical banking make the choice to only finance projects and organizations that contribute to a more sustainable society and they define absolute criteria about who they will lend money to† (Clerck, 2011 p. 5). There are several approaches that a bank may sustain in order to strengthen the aforementioned values in its employees. It may employ a â€Å"Customer Satisfaction Appraisal† program that will give opportunities for clients to voice out their opinion on the services provided, as well as their evaluation of the specific bank officer that handles each of their account.

Ergonomics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ergonomics - Research Paper Example (Berkeley University, 2008) This text is an outline for a research proposal concerned with ergonomic principles, ergonomic issues in the workplace and their effective solution through research. Ergonomic principles and problems will be discussed followed by the research methodology for finding solutions. This will be followed by the solutions and an accompanying conclusion. Background Ergonomics can be broadly classified into three major distinctions: 1. Physical Ergonomics: related to human’s anatomical, biomechanical, physiological and some anthropometric activities. 2. Cognitive Ergonomics: related to mental processing in human beings. 3. Organizational Ergonomics: related to optimizing social and technical systems along with organizational structure, processes and policies. This research focuses solely on physical ergonomics in general and on physiological and anatomical issues in particular. The ergonomic problem under focus is carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndro me has been chosen as it is a common and well investigated problem. The chances of locating reliable sources for carpal tunnel syndrome are high. A discussion is available below for carpal tunnel syndrome in context of applicable ergonomic principles. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is experienced as pain, numbness, burning or tingling sensation in the hand and fingers. Repeated actions of the hand and wrist in certain postures are known to cause CTS in certain workers. (Hutson, 1997) The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway that connects the lower palm to the wrist’s bottom. This passageway houses various tendons that aid finger movement as well as the median nerve. The median nerve is responsible for movement of the hand as well as for sensation in it. The carpal tunnel is enclosed on the inner side of the wrist by tissue better known as transverse carpal ligament. If CTS sets in, the passageway is made narrower by the surrounding tissues. This could occ ur due to increased pressure on tissues or due to fluid buildup inside tissues (also known as oedema). As the tissue size increases, the median nerve is stressed out. Pressure on the median nerve is enhanced whenever flexion (bending of the fingers and wrist) occurs. Pain and numbness are felt as the median nerve is stressed and compressed. (NHS, 2010) Symptoms of CTS The biggest symptom of CTS is sporadic numbness experienced within the thumb, index finger, long finger and in the radial half of the ring finger. (Walker, 2010) In most cases, the numbness is more pronounced at night because most people sleep with their wrists flexed. As the wrist is flexed, the median nerve is compressed more thereby causing the numbness. (Shiel, 2010) The persistence of CTS over a long period is known to cause permanent nerve damage. This results in a constant feeling of numbness as well as loss of picking power of the wrist. (Uemura, Hidaka, & Nakamura, 2010) The pain experienced in CTS is actually numbness that is intense enough to cause a person to wake up from sleep. Causes behind CTS Currently the causes behind CTS are classified as idiopathic1. Investigation over the years has revealed that CTS arises from a variety of causes that pressurize the median nerve present at the wrist. These conditions can be common such as the use of oral contraceptives, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, trauma and hypothyroidism. (Katz & Simmons, 2002) Other than these causes, intrinsic and extrinsic complications that exert pressure on the carpal tunnel may cause CTS too.

Compare the impacts that Mable has on the drama in making history to Essay

Compare the impacts that Mable has on the drama in making history to that of Tailor and Ella in vernon god little - Essay Example character of Mable definitely commands a considerable influence over the male protagonist in ‘Making History’, the characters named Taylor and Ella push the male protagonist in ‘Vernon God Little’ in two utterly diverse situations that further adds to the conflict of characters and situations inherent in this drama. ‘Making History’ by Brian Friel is a historical play that deals with a unique moment in the Iris history defined by a tribal chief Hugh O’Neill. This play is as much a dramatical elaboration of the historical facts, as an amorphous display of the human endowments like the strength of character, frailty of temperament, identity and pride. O’Neil is delineated by the writer as an astute character that is discernibly torn between his loyalty for Queen Elizabeth who elevated him to the position of Earl of Tyrone and his devotion to the Catholic cause in which he is aided by Archbishop Lombard and his close friend Hugh O’Donnell. If history could be interpreted as a conflict between a thesis and antithesis that is eventually resolved through synthesis, then the character of Mable is certainly the one that helps in bringing to fore this conflict inherent in O’Neill’s consciousness. In fact Mable is the one that to a great extent unravels the duplicity and complexity inherent in O’Neill’s character to which Lombard alludes to as a â€Å"random catalogue of deliberate achievement and sheer accident (Making History 67).† Thus ‘Making History’ involves mature characters with complex and intricate personalities. Hence the influence of Mable in this play is very subtle, refined and indirect that most of the times borders on the verge of unpredictability and nebulousness. On the contrary, the impact of Taylor and Ella in ‘Vernon God Little’ is not so wispy and suave though being influential as this play is more of a contemporary urban sociological commentary that relies on the intricacy of events then on the complexity of

Guns, Testosterone, and Aggression Essay Example for Free

Guns, Testosterone, and Aggression Essay Hypothesis: Can aggression be increased by the presence of weapons in the environment and by the hormone testosterone. Research Method Used: Experimental design and correlational study Test Subjects/ Participants: The test subjects were thirty male college students ranging from the ages 18 and 22 Variables that are being examined: The variables that are being examined are aggression, and testosterone levels How they are operationally defined and measure: The subject’s aggression was operationally defined by the amount of hot sauce in grams that they poured into the cup of water, it was measured on a scale. The testosterone levels were defined by the difference in the saliva from time 1 and time 2 briefly, what procedure was employed: Before the experiment begun both the experimental and the control group were asked to give a 6-ml sample of their saliva, which was used to measure their starting testosterone levels. The subjects were then placed in similar rooms with a particular item on a table. For the experimental group, the particular item was a pellet gun identical in size, shape and feel too a Desert Eagle handgun. The Control subjects object was the children’s game Mouse Trap. Subjects were then told to handle the objects for 15 minutes and other tasks pertaining to the object. After the 15 minutes were over another saliva sample was taken. The subject was then told to take a sip of water with a single drop of hot sauce. The subject was then told that the sample had been prepared by a previous subject and to rate the taste of the sample on a provided scale. The subject was then told to create a sample for the next subject by placing as much hot sauce in the water that they wanted but was assured that neither the next subject nor the experimenter would know how much hot sauce they put in it. Lastly the subjects had to watch a relaxing video of nature scenes and classical music. What were the results: The subjects who interacted with the handgun showed a greater increase in testosterone from the 1st saliva sample to the 2nd sample. Also subjects who interacted with the gun added more hot sauce to the water meaning that interacting with the gun increased aggressive behavior. Lastly the amount of hot sauce placed in the cup was positively correlated with changes in testosterone level.

Comprehensive Problem Essay Example for Free

Comprehensive Problem Essay Dr. Harold Wolf of Medical Research Corporation (MRC) discovered a unique electronic stimulator that is said to have the capability of reducing the pain from arthritis. Even though the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) still has to approve the device, and the testing is in the early stages, the interest generated is powerful. Dr. Wolf has received three offers from interested parties and needs to decide which offer would make the most business sense. Offer One includes additional monetary incentives depending on the success of the device, Offer Two proposes a percentage of profits that would increase as sales are expected to increase and the final offer is the setup of a trust fund in an annuity over the next eight years. For discussion purposes here, each offer will be calculated to find the present value and then summarized; the offer with the highest present value will be identified for Dr. Wolf to review. Offer OneIn this offer, Dr. Wolf is expecting a future value of $4,200,000 in 15 years at a 10% interest rate, in which the probability of the expected future value is 70%. The numbers used in getting the future value is to add the present values of $1,000,000, $200,000, and $3,000,000. The present value for the first offer is $1,005,446.61 which is an increase of $3,194,553.40 for the future and since this calculation has a 70% probability of happening, the first offer would be a good decision. See the calculations below:FV=1,000,000 + 200,000 + 3,000,000 =$4,200,000N =15I =10%PV=$8,974,419.42Offer TwoIn this offer, 30% of the buyers gross profit on the product for the next four years is the incentive Dr. Wolf must decide on. Zbay Pharmaceuticals would be the buyer whose gross profit margin was 60%. If offer two were accepted by Dr. Wolf, his future value after just four years would have amassed approximately $3,138,300. This value assumes that he did not withdraw his profits and let the balance sit and gain 10% interest on the balance of the money and that sales grew by 40% in each of the subsequent years as anticipated by Zbay. Waiting till the fourth year to withdraw funds allowed the unused balance to compound interest payments. In general, this would be a good decision for the Dr. to accept, even considering the tax consequence that he would assume at the end of the four years. With the product not being approved by the FDA, Zbay Pharmaceutical has assumed all the risk which makes the offer even more lucrative. PV:2,000,000 the first year and 40% Growth each additionalFV: $5,488,000N: 4 yearsPV Profits: $360,000 year times 10%interest ($396,000)I: 10%FV Profits: $3,138,300Offer ThreeFor Offer three, Dr. Wolf may opt for a trust fund over the next eight years. Once that period was over, he would receive the proceeds discounted back to the present at 10%. At that time, he would receive semi-annual payments in the amount of $400,000 per year beginning immediately in an annuity due. This may be a worthwhile option to consider depending on the future business plan Dr. Wolf has. This would make the present value $1,721,216. The chart is shown below. Periods: 12 3 4 5 67 8$400,000 400,000 400,000 400,000 400,000 400,000 400,000 400,000Present Value (PV) = $1,721,216Highest Present Value and ReasoningPresent value is the value on a specific date of a payment or payments in the future that have been calculated to show the time value of money as well as other factors. These calculations are used industry wide as a method of the comparison of cash flows at different intervals over the life of the project. The basic present value formula is: PV=FV∙PVIF(r, n). The formula for an annuity is similar: PV=PMT∙PVIFA(r, n). In that case, n=number of periods, r=interest rate in the period, PV=present value at the beginning and FV=future value at time n. There are many financial arrangements that are set up with structured payment schedules and the term annuity is used to refer to that set up. A stream of cash flow that has a limited number of payments periodically that are to be received at given times is an annuity. If the payments were to be received indefinitely, then it would be perpetuity (Block, 2005). Based on this information, Offer I has the highest present value at $8,974,419.42At first glance, it is difficult to determine which offer might be the most beneficial offer for Dr. Wolf to choose. The first offer includes additional incentives relating to the success of the device, the second offer a percentage of profits also relating to the success of the device, while the third is an annuity in trust over the next eight years. Offer One has a present value of $8,974,419.42, Offer Two has a total present value of $2,524,713 and Offer Three has a total present value of $1,721,216. Given that Offer One of Dr. Wolf expecting a future value of $4,200,000 in 15 years at a 10% interest  rate, in which the probability of the expected future value is 70%, this would be the most advantageous offer for him to accept. References: Block, Stanley B., Hirt, Geoffrey A., Foundations of Financial Management (11th ed.),Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2005, Burr Ridge, IL.

The Use of Mixl1 in Ex Vivo and Chimeric Organ Regeneration

The Use of Mixl1 in Ex Vivo and Chimeric Organ Regeneration Anokhi Kashiparekh   TA: Goheun Kim Regenerative medicine is a field in biology that uses the underlying cell properties of differentiated growth to create entire tissues and organs from that cell. Regeneration in its true form, applies human pluripotent stem cell (hPSCs) differentiation, to make new organs like the natural regeneration of the human liver or that of the zebrafish heart (Mostoway et al, 2013). A very useful area for such a technique is the organ donation and replacement discipline. One of the greatest challenges for organ replacement is the shortage of organs donated for the cause. This is where the field of regenerative medicine can come in use. If the cells of the person in need of the organs can differentiate in a way that fills up the niche left by the diseased or missing organ, there could be a remarkable decrease in the need for organ transplantation and organ rejection. However, the development of the human organs is a gradual process and may take longer than the time the patient has to survive. A tactic to increase the speediness and the efficiency of organ regeneration is to manipulate certain genes to promote either ex vivo differentiation or differentiation in a chimeric host with a faster developmental time than humans. Specific genes can be engineered to perform specific functions, like prompting apoptosis using the Bcl-2 gene or assessing mesodermal markers using Wnt3 (Wu et al, 2016). Inducing Mixl1, the endoderm and mesoderm formation transcription factor, can play an important role in generating organs from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Mixl1 plays an important role in chimeric and ex vivo regeneration models; although further research is required on the viability of these models. The Mixl1 transcription factor binds to the Mix gene and is a part of the hox gene family that codes for homeodomain proteins. The most important function of the Mixl1 is the regulation of cell fate and differentiation during the developmental stages of an organisms life. It regulates the formation of the endodermal and mesodermal layers and consequently can be used to manipulate hPSCs towards a particular lineage of growth. This principal property of the Mixl1 gene, as well its interactions with other genes, has been the focus of genetic regenerative medicine, in order to understand the role and consequent use of said genes. Various experiments have tried to incorporate the Mixl1 system in stem cell growth but two of the most widely known models are the ex vivo regeneration model and the chimeric model. Both of these models rely on the property of Mixl1 to guide iPSCs towards either endodermal or mesodermal fate. The basic difference between these models is the environment in which these cells are allowed to differentiate. The ex vivo model allows cell differentiation and growth outside an organism, generally in a laboratory. It is a widely preferred model due to the fact that cells from an organism can be extracted, cultured in a lab and placed back in the same organism. Each step in the experiment can be tracked and monitored and all the cells are cultured in a sterile environment. Thus, the cells placed back inside the animal are safe from potential bacteria or viruses. However, this also means that the organs generated from this may not be compatible with the surrounding tissue when introduced in an organisms body, due to the lack of interaction with other cells. Ex vivo culture of cells and ultimate organ regeneration is a step towards solving the problem of limited availability of desired cells. This ex vivo model of organ regeneration makes use of different substrates to recreate a natural differentiating environment for the cultured cells. However most times it is hard to push the hPSCs towards a particular lineage of growth, i.e. mesodermal or endodermal. The Mixl1 gene with its property to establish cell fate, is useful in resolving this. The forced expression of Mixl1 in hPSCs, in the right environment, with particular substrates and specific protein mediums, can promote ex vivo cell differentiation. Ex vivo culture, with connection to the Mixl1 gene is efficient due to the control over time of forced expression of the Mixl1 gene as well as external monitoring of the growth. Liu et al (2011)3 established this by using Là °Ã‚ Ã‚ Ã‚ °5ÃŽÂ ²1 and Là °Ã‚ Ã‚ Ã‚ °6ÃŽÂ ²1 protein ligands to promote Mixl1 induced hPSCs, in a BMP4 medium. The procedure included purifying polypeptides, culturing the hPSCs and allowing them to differentiate. The results showed that the differentiation of cells peaked on the third (to) fourth day of culture when both the LÃŽÂ ±5ÃŽÂ ²1 and Là °Ã‚ Ã‚ Ã‚ °6ÃŽÂ ²1 protein ligands were used. This gradual growth was tracked using immunofluorescence and analyzed by flow cytometry. The results of this experiment encompass both the usefulness as well as the disadvantages of an ex vivo regeneration of organs using Mixl1. The biggest challenge encountered in an ex vivo organ regeneration model is the limited number of substrates that the hPSCs can use and differentiate into a mesodermal lineage. In various cases, Mixl1 is induced unsuccessfully. This is due to the high substance substrate specificity of the iPSCs that do not survive long enough for Mixl1 to express and differentiate. Another case seen in Liu et al was the very minute expression of Mixl1 when cultured with various other individual ligands, showing that this procedure also requires the correct combination of substrates. Various agencies have also raised ethical concerns over culturing animal cells in labs. The obtaining of cells, external media and substrates from animal bodies is cited as animal abuse (cruelty). To minimize the use of animal products, a more specific area of the ex vivo model has been developed, called the xeno-free culture. Typically, all components required for a xeno-free culture come from the same organism while taking care that it is completely free of animal or human elements, like bovine blood for culturing media, etc. As a replacement to these essential components, researchers are trying to synthesize new protein ligands that can function in a similar pattern4. To reiterate, genetic manipulation of the ex vivo model has the potential to save lives but requires a deeper study in the areas of limited substrate compatibility and availability. In contrast to the ex vivo model, the chimeric model revolves around cell differentiation inside a living body. Chimeras are organisms made up of a combination of two or more zygotes and thus this model introduces extraction from and cell differentiation in two different individuals. Generation of embryonic chimeras is of both practical and conceptual importance as it provides a method to assess the developmental competence of cells. The cells of the different individuals on the same embryo can be tracked and genes can be manipulated to create a chimeric organism that can act as a vessel for organ generation. Blastocyst complementation and target organ complementation are two important techniques in chimeric organ regeneration. While blastocyst complementation uses iPSCs transferred to an embryo of another species, generally a porcine embryo, target organ complementation is focused on the regeneration of specific organs of the body. Due to the unconventionality, the adherence to soci al and ethical limitations is of great importance and requires more research to be conducted. Experiments combining this regenerative model and the forced expression of the Mixl1 gene have been successful in producing organs in different hosts. By trying to reconcile the idea of targeted generation of organs derived by using the patients own PSCs as seen in the case of the mice, Kobayashi et al (2016) makes use of blastocyst complementation to create pancreatogenesisor nephrogenesis-disabled mice. Blastocyst complementation is a technique that makes use of induced human pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) transferred to an embryo of another species; thus, following cell growth in another body. This study used Pdx1-LacZ heterozygous mice as the chimeric hosts and injected humanized pancreatic cells in the blastocyst. This complementation was followed by the forced induction and expression of the Mixl1 gene using the pRosa26-tTA-Mixl1 vector. The data was analyzed by Western blotting and flow cytometry. The immediate result showed chimeric cells throughout the bodies of the mice. The mice were then introduced to a cell medium without Doxycycline (Dox). Immunofluorescence confirmed the distribution of cells being confined to just the guts, showing that specific target organ regeneration is possible with suitable environmental conditions and resources for the culturing cells. The forced expression of the MIxl1 gene represses mesodermal fate determination and promotes endodermal fate determination, thus helping to induce the formation of target specific organs, including the pancreas or the liver, in the disabled mice. In order to test for the amount of time Mixl1 takes to express, these mice were injected with Dox at various time intervals and the results were examined using EpCAM, an endodermal genetic marker. The cell growth apex was noted on the 4t h day of Dox administration. This leads to the belief that time is an important factor in understanding cell growth in chimeric organisms. To understand the regulation of Mixl1 based on biological functions, it was allowed to express under the influence of Oct3/4, a genetic marker seen to express in early development. The absence and presence of Dox in the host chimera was compared to establish that its absence would achieve specific target organ regeneration as compared to cell growth throughout the body. The data implied that Mixl1 presence was necessary until the epiblast stage. This gives way to the inference that the time taken for Mixl1 to express can be reduced, thus giving way to a quicker technique of organ regeneration. This model, although promising, is questionable due to the ethical controversies like the formation of human neural cells or germ cells in the host animal. This is a cause for concern due to the fact that the idea of a human brain trapped inside a mute animal is disturbing. Proper manipulation of cell differentiating genes like Mixl1 is essential to keep hPSCs from turning into cells that could humanize the host animal. While understanding and experimenting on techniques that help in human advancement, there has to be a larger focus on the social and ethical concerns of utilizing them. In conclusion, although it is limited by growing ethical concerns, genetic manipulation in chimera may help save lives with the advancement in understanding cell repair and regeneration. Thus, the idea of organ regeneration using chimerism should be looked into by science but in a way that can appeal to social principles. Another problem associated with this model of regeneration is the low success rate of differentiation in non- rodent animals2. Majority chimera experiments include rodent species as the main focus, due to both the size and relatively easy manipulation of the rodents. Although recent experiments have shown (that) porcine hosts act as good carriers for human pancreatic growth6, there is a lot of research to establish pigs as conventional hPSC hosts in order to continue chimeric research to generate bigger organs like the human heart or the human lungs. While comparing the advantages and the disadvantages of both these techniques of organ regeneration, the role and function of Mixl1 itself cannot be overlooked. Mixl1 has been shown to express within 4 days of being induced. More research may lead to a quicker expression time. Mixl1 has also helped to achieve a target specific organ regeneration by promoting mesodermal differentiation as required. The use of Mixl1 is enormous in the field of regenerative biology and can be used in other projects as well as models of regeneration. In conclusion, both ex vivo regeneration and chimeric regeneration have flaws but it is possible to refine them for better and more specific results. While the usefulness of Mixl1 cannot be denied, better models of regeneration must be established to achieve maximum efficiency for its expression. References: Mostowy, S., Boucontet, L., Moya, M. J. M., Sirianni, A., Boudinot, P., Hollinshead, M., Colucci-Guyon, E. (2013). The zebrafish as a new model for the in vivo study of Shigella flexneri interaction with phagocytes and bacterial autophagy. PLoS Pathogens, 9(9) Wu, J., Greely, H. T., Jaenisch, R., Nakauchi, H., Rossant, J., Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte. (2016). Stem cells and interspecies chimaeras. Nature, 540(7631), 51-59. Yang, L., Wang, X., Kaufman, D., Shen W. (2011) A synthetic substrate to support early mesodermal differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. Biomaterials. 2011 Nov;32(32):8058-66. Karnieli O., Friedner O., Allickson J., Zhang N., Jung S., Fiorentini D., Abraham E., Eaker S., Yong T., Chan A., Griffiths S., When A., Oh S.A consensus introduction to serum replacements and serum-free media for cellular therapies. Cytotherapy , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , 155 169. Kobayashi, T., Kato-Itoh, M., Nakauchi, H. (2015). Targeted organ generation using Mixl1-inducible mouse pluripotent stem cells in blastocyst complementation. Stem Cells and Development, 24(2), 182. Matsunari, H., Nagashima, H., Watanabe, M., Umeyama, K., Nakano, K., Nagaya, M., . . . Nakauchi, H. (2013). Blastocyst complementation generates exogenic pancreas in vivo in apancreatic cloned pigs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(12), 4557-4562.

Discipline In The Classroom: Past And Present Essay -- corporal punish

Discipline in the Classroom: Past and Present Throughout the history of classroom education, many different types of disciplinary systems have been applied by teachers and other authority figures in schools for the sole purpose of controlling student behavior. These systems include corporal punishment, psychological abuse or neglect, and assertive discipline. Although two of these three topics are illegal at this time, they were all widely used in schools across the country a short time ago. Corporal punishment in general can be defined as the infliction of pain or confinement as a penalty for an offense committed by a student. During the time that corporal punishment was used by schools all over the United States and Canada, parents did not have any say in school discipline. It was completely up to the school authority figures on the type of punishment and the severity of the punishment given to the student. The classroom teacher had the most say in the matter since it was the teacher who usually administered the punishment to the students. Because of this, some teachers (who especially liked the idea of physical punishment) took advantage of the minor guidelines set by the principal to protect students from excessive physical beatings. These guidelines varied from school to school, but often included length, width and thickness of the paddle or any other weapon used, the amount of times the student may be struck by the weapon, and other minor details about other types of physical punishment. The list of weapons that were acceptable for teachers to use include long: rubber hoses, leather straps and belts, sticks, rods, straight pins, hard plastic baseball bats, and arrows. If at the time a teacher did not have his/her weapon, they would often resort to punching, kicking, slapping and shaking as ways to "get children's attention". Besides these common manoeuvres of punishment, other and often more painful techniques were used by teachers. Children in a class for the learning disabled claimed that their teacher, and her aide banged their heads into their desks until some students were unconscious, twisted their arms, and even tried strangulation. Another teacher shook hot tabasco sauce in the mouths of the troublesome student and smeared it in their faces. When parents found out about this specific act of cruelty, they we... ...hment. This includes writing certain things out 1000 times, to copying a page of a dictionary for homework. This is an all around unpleasant thing to do, and is probably one of the better systems used. Throughout all the different discipline plans, each teacher must be positive but stern while punishing students. Verbal apprehensions in private also may have a positive effect on misbehaving students. Of all the different types of discipline studied, Assertive discipline has the most positive results on students. It has been proven to be better at stopping students from unacceptable behaviour, as well as not damaging them emotionally, or physically. Both Physical and emotional abuse have a very negative effect on students at the time, and the emotional scars created last a life time. Bibliography Canter, Lee and Marlene Canter. Assertive Discipline. Santa Monica, CA: Lee Canter and Associates, 1992 Hyman, Irwin A. Reading Writing and the Hickory Stick. Toronto: Lexington Books, 1990. McManus, Mick. Troublesome Behaviour in the Classroom. New York: Nichols Publishing, 1989. "World Book Encyclopedia". Toronto: World Book Inc, 1991 edition. pp.88- -89

Significance of the Earth and Sky in the Film Yellow Earth :: Movie Film Essays

Significance of the Earth and Sky in the Film Yellow Earth Yellow Earth is a foreign film that takes place in China. Although the film was made in the 80’s there is a timeless feeling to the movie, as if the events could be happening at any time. The movie follows a soldier, referred to as Brother Gu as he travels China’s poorer regions recording folk songs. During his travels he stays with a family. While witnessing the poverty of their daily lives, Gu begins to speak about the benefits of the army he is with, the Communists, for the commoners. In the movie we see two arranged marriages contrasted against the Communist city where a woman could marry who she wished or join the army. In the end we are lead to believe Cuiquao, the daughter of the family Gu stayed with, has died trying to reach the Communist army who she believes will save her from the marriage she was forced into. We also see Cuiquao’s younger brother Hanhan running to Gu when he returns. Hanhan was in a prayer meeting where all the villagers where praying for water. When we see him running to Gu we get the impression that Gu, or rather the Communists, will save the villagers. These two events affirm that this is a political film trying to portray the Communist party as the savior of the people of China. There is a particularly poignant shot where the Father, Gu, Cuiquao, and Hanhan are eating outside after Gu has helped the Father plowing. During this shot we see the four characters sitting on the ground eating. We then see the Father stand and talk about life and the harvest. While he is talking we see mostly sky in the background, but the sky is all white giving a very closed in impression. The father then sits back down and we then see an aerial shot with them eating and the majority of the frame is taken up by earth. The earth in this frame looks like a mountain or cliff so that it appears that the earth has been cut open and we are seeing a slice of the inside of it. We then see two more frames of the family and Gu eating.

The Effect of Family Violence on Youth Violence :: Expository Cause Effect Essays

The Effect of Family Violence on Youth Violence    Everyday, a child witnesses an act of violence. Not on television but in their own home. "Family and home are not havens in which a child finds nurturing and safety, but rather a battleground where fear, anxiety, confusion, anger, and disruption are significant threads in the tapestry of home life," Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. Children of family violence are often abusers or victims of abuse themselves. Family violence is a cycle that is very hard to stop. A home is supposed to be a safe place where children learn how to love and relate to others. If they are constantly seeing violence in their parent's relationship, then they assume that a normal relationship is also filled with violence. Often, children do not understand why the violence occurs and may be afraid to share their emotions because of fear. They may associate love and pain together, because this is witnessed in their home. This could lead to psychological problems and confusion about relationshi ps. Children who witness family violence tend to have behavioral, interpersonal, and emotional problems. Some of the behavioral problems children of family violence suffer from are aggression, withdrawal, and frustration. Children of family violence are often more violent than other children (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing). Some stress management techniques that children learn are bursts of anger. Violence is learned as an efficient way to solve problems. They often model their parent's conflict resolution techniques. These children are often withdrawn and internalize their emotions. Most of these children are isolated from their peers. Frequent change of residence could be a cause of children's isolation from peers (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing). Children of family violence are often frustrated because they can not deal with their problems. Often, their education is disrupted by family violence and they start having problems concentrating at school and with truancy. Most are underachievers as a result of low self-esteem which leads to low pa rticipation in class or other school activities (Children's Services Plan). Children of family violence also have many interpersonal problems. They usually assume the victim role. Weak and unhealthy relationships are frequent in adults that grew up in violent homes. Children of family violence have trouble forming intimate relationships and have problems understanding others emotions. (Berry 105). "Each year, millions of children witness their mothers being emotionally abused, physically battered, even sexually assaulted by their fathers or other men in the home" (Berry 104). The Effect of Family Violence on Youth Violence :: Expository Cause Effect Essays The Effect of Family Violence on Youth Violence    Everyday, a child witnesses an act of violence. Not on television but in their own home. "Family and home are not havens in which a child finds nurturing and safety, but rather a battleground where fear, anxiety, confusion, anger, and disruption are significant threads in the tapestry of home life," Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. Children of family violence are often abusers or victims of abuse themselves. Family violence is a cycle that is very hard to stop. A home is supposed to be a safe place where children learn how to love and relate to others. If they are constantly seeing violence in their parent's relationship, then they assume that a normal relationship is also filled with violence. Often, children do not understand why the violence occurs and may be afraid to share their emotions because of fear. They may associate love and pain together, because this is witnessed in their home. This could lead to psychological problems and confusion about relationshi ps. Children who witness family violence tend to have behavioral, interpersonal, and emotional problems. Some of the behavioral problems children of family violence suffer from are aggression, withdrawal, and frustration. Children of family violence are often more violent than other children (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing). Some stress management techniques that children learn are bursts of anger. Violence is learned as an efficient way to solve problems. They often model their parent's conflict resolution techniques. These children are often withdrawn and internalize their emotions. Most of these children are isolated from their peers. Frequent change of residence could be a cause of children's isolation from peers (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing). Children of family violence are often frustrated because they can not deal with their problems. Often, their education is disrupted by family violence and they start having problems concentrating at school and with truancy. Most are underachievers as a result of low self-esteem which leads to low pa rticipation in class or other school activities (Children's Services Plan). Children of family violence also have many interpersonal problems. They usually assume the victim role. Weak and unhealthy relationships are frequent in adults that grew up in violent homes. Children of family violence have trouble forming intimate relationships and have problems understanding others emotions. (Berry 105). "Each year, millions of children witness their mothers being emotionally abused, physically battered, even sexually assaulted by their fathers or other men in the home" (Berry 104).

Nordstrom Case Analysis Essay

Former Nordstrom employees accuse them of using unfair labor and discriminatory practices to intimidate employees and force them to perform tasks like stocking and picking up merchandise during non-working hours . Nordstrom employees receive little formal training when hired or promoted to new positions, but they are expected to perform their duties consistent with the â€Å"Nordstrom Way† which is customer service above and beyond the call of duty. Training is informally provided through on-the-job communication, which increases the opportunity for miscommunication. This communication can be deliberate due to peer competition and pressures to succeed from managers, or lack of knowledge by co-workers and managers from whom they are encouraged to seek training. Management skills are not required to manage employees, nor is training provided to employees who achieve management positions. There is no real evaluation system in place to measure employee performance. There is no goal setting process that requires â€Å"manager – employee pair sets benchmarks for measuring progress, particularly when the employee is new in the role† (Harvard Business School Press, 2007). Goals help to define what managers expect from their employees. The only employee metric used that is measurable is Sales per Hours (SPH) even-though there are other performance criteria such as customer service and teamwork which are part of the employee evaluation process. Employees who do not achieve the minimum required SPH are categorized as under-performers. If SPH is consistently below the minimum standard set by the department manager, this can lead to termination or isolation as employees feel uncomfortable and inadequate. Upon being hired by Nordstrom employees are told that â€Å"the three Nordstrom performance criteria: customer service, productivity and teamwork† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003) are needed to be promoted. However employees are not advised as to how the criteria will be evaluated. The only evaluation employees receive is from their manager, there is no secondary layer of management to review the employee performance evaluation to ensure fairness. Nordstrom does not have a formal company-wide evaluation form, therefore there is no consistency in the evaluation process. The evaluation technique is different for each manager, making it difficult to compare employee performance across the different functional areas in the company. Employees performing tasks not directly related to merchandise sale, are not compensated for hours worked. Observational learning was used to encourage employees to work non-selling hours off the clock â€Å"If one employee is donating a lot of time it forces others to do the same† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). Employees are forced to adhere to the informal organizational culture or they are not considered team players. Nordstrom should establish formal and consistent Standard Operating Procedures, to which their employees can resort to for guidance. Managers should be required to attend training programs. This would enable managers to provide their employees with formal training base on the company’s policies and procedures. Formal training along with on-the-job training would help to alleviate some of the obstacles faced by current or new employees who are promoted to new positions within the organization. Employees should be provided with handbooks and/or training materials that specifically outlines how performance criteria will be measured and evaluated. Managers and employees need to establish goals and ways to achieving them. They should meet on an on-going basis to discuss employee progress for each performance criteria. Nordstrom has used their decentralized management approach to build a very successful and profitable retail empire. They encourage entrepreneurial opportunities among their employees. New employees are given business cards and encouraged to build relationships with their customers, by creating personal â€Å"thank you† letters, and keeping records of merchandise they sell. They are also encouraged to develop a solid customer base. Nordstrom allow employees to be involved in the decision making process, by not restricting them with lots of rules, for instance â€Å"Nordstrom replaced its 20-page rule book with a one-page sheet and few words of wisdom: â€Å"Use your best judgment in all situations† (Buller, Paul F. nd Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). This allows employees to do whatever it takes to ensure their customers are satisfied. Self-motivation courses are offered to both employees and managers with emphasis on setting daily accomplishments. Employees are allowed to set their own personal goals and the pace at which they achieve those goals. For example one employee stated â€Å"the first year I consciously set quarterly goals to achieve the Pacesetter requirement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and closely monitored my progress† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. 2003). Employees are given the flexibility to essentially manage themselves and track their own progress with one objective: keep sales per hour high relative to hours worked. Employees are duly compensated for their hard work and dedication â€Å"Nordstrom employees earn some of the highest salaries in the retail business† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). They also encourage hard work by promoting from within which motivates employees to work hard as a promotion could lead to a higher salary and other incentives. Nordstrom uses positive reinforcements by providing various incentives to employees to encourage them to achieve high SPH, for example free dinners, cash rewards and store discounts. Employees who achieve the highest sales are recognized by having their picture displayed in the store and also having their names broadcast over the store’s loudspeaker system. Employees can track how they are performing in relation to their peers on a regular basis, as SPH figures are displayed for all to see via charts and electronic printouts. The problem arose because Nordstrom did not have any formal company policies which are necessary in order to establish required behavior from individual employees. Employee expectations were not explicitly communicated and expectations were established by managers without employee involvement. Managers did not take the time to â€Å"find out what employees think of the proposed expectations† (Harvard Business School Press, 2007). Their only focus was ensuring that Sales per Hour (SPH) remained high, employee development was not important to managers. Nordstrom’s hiring policy requires employees to be innate â€Å"Nordies. † Nordies are â€Å"nice, motivated, hardworking†¦.. self-empowered people who have an entrepreneurial spirit† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). Employees and managers never collaborate to set individual goals, instead goals were set by departmental managers or store managers, but employees are still expected to achieve goals. Outstanding performance was expected from all employees even-though goals were not individually tailored. Employees who â€Å"regularly had trouble meeting sales quotas or coping with pressure to improve performance were dismissed† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). Steep negative consequences were suffered by employees that did not perform up to par with their peers. Setting individual employee goals and ways to achieve them will yield the most desired result in the long term. By providing formal training to employees, and explicitly stating what is expected from the employee, will result in more productivity from employees in the long run and reduce the company’s turn-over rate. This will also reduce the cost for hiring new employees, as replacing employees cost one and a half times the current employee salary to hire a new employee, therefore saving Nordstrom money in the long term. On-going review of employee progress will help to level the playing field and relieve some of the pressures and intimidation some employees feel working at Nordstrom. Formal training of employees is both costly and time consuming. The time spent training employees lowers SPH as this time would be considered non-selling hours. Employees who are successful under the current system might resist changes. Employees might not have the educational capacity to learn new techniques. Employee training is the best option, and will yield the most desired long term results. Develop and roll out a company-wide Standard Operating Procedure handbook using input from outside sources in order to achieve desired results. Develop a company-wide evaluation form enabling standardization of the way employees are evaluated by managers. Roll out on-the-job training for all employees, ensuring that all employees understand how to perform their job functions. Provide employees with written job descriptions. Establish consistent company-wide goals. Goals can then be tailored for each department. Collaborate with each employee to establish how the goals will be achieved and the milestone dates for achieving those goals. Establish a specific time frame for reviewing employee goals. Offer employee feedback on an on-going basis.

Human Resources Group and Individual Incentive Plans Essay

There have been many discussions in business regarding the relative merits or offering group or individual incentive plans. Research shows each option has its merits and drawbacks. Group incentive plans Advantages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Disadvantages Group bonuses encourage collective effort. 1) Disadvantage the hardest worker Boosts worker morale 2) Can lead to individual resentment Raises lowest worker production levels 3) Reduces production to average levels Encourages teamwork 4) Discourages individual flair Easier to calculate rewards 5) Financial disadvantage for dedication Individual incentive plans Advantages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Disadvantages Directly impacts on worker pay. 1) Tends to discourage teamwork Individual talent recognized 2) Can cause friction in the workplace Rewards commensurate with effort 3) Creates inequality Improves chances of career advancement 4) difficult to control production Envisaging a position where I will become the owner of a Dance Club, my personal choice of incentive plan would be for the individual method. The reason for this is that in my view the personal and business sides of the human character respond best to a competitive situation. We set ourselves targets to better ourselves, and thus the expectation is that we will be rewarded for this. We strive to be better than others to be the best in our chosen role, and we expect for this to be recognized. Whilst being a team player is important, being recognized for achievement is extremely important. A good example of this can be seen in sport, where soccer players play as a team, but like to be recognized and appreciated for their individual talents.

Macbeth Coursework Essay

Refer ring to the three main scenes that the witches appear in, write about the effect they give to the play as a whole and also how they influence Macbeth to behave as he does. Macbeth, a tragic story of how greed can corrupt the mind. Written in 1606 for King James the first, people did actually believe in witches. I my-self believe that William Shakespeare used the witches as the â€Å"fuel† for his play, I think this led to the massive success of â€Å"Macbeth†. When people thought of King James the first they may have also thought of witches. After all James did publicise his belief’s and thought in witches. He believed that they had an effect on his life. The people of his countries (England and Scotland) would have thought it was completely normal. Now a day, if someone accused someone of being a witch, the accuser would be looked upon in society as insane. The idea of witches over the years has simply dried out. In class we have watched and studied two different films based on Macbeth. One was â€Å"Macbeth on the Estate†. This was extremely different to what I expected. Produced in 1996 it’s quite a modern film. I thought it was incredible how they managed to use every word from Macbeth, (the play its-self) and fit it into a modern set. The film was filmed on an estate on Birmingham and the main characters were young street â€Å"yobs†! Personally I think it must have been a hard job for the film producers to re-film Macbeth into a modern time. Another film was just called â€Å"Macbeth† produced in 1971 it’s quite an old film. It was though exactly what I expected. It was a brilliant film and only a few features let it down. Music which I think plays a big role in films and plays because it allows us to understand the mood and feeling of the play/film. I think technology was to blame for this though! Did the witches have an effect on the audience? Yes of course did. Why? Simply because witchcraft played an big part in the lives of the people who lived during the period of the 1500’s to the 1600’s. I mean, going out to town, bowling is all normal but what about going to see the local witch been executed publicly? 300 years ago this would as normal as any of the activities above. Back then I think people were fascinated with witches. Witches held so much mystery and had a force of fear surrounding them. Of course this is what people thought, if people went to see â€Å"Macbeth† at the theatre in Leeds, obviously I don’t think people would have as much interest as people 300 years ago. There would be interest in the witches – I’m not saying the opposite, but not as much as back then. I think it would make the audience wonder how and why the people of the 1600’s lived like they did. The witches appear in three main scenes in Macbeth: Act 1 scene 1 Act 1 scene 3 Act 4 scene 1 In act 1 scene 1 they, to me, introduce the play. Although we often forget that the play is all about witchcraft, thinking about it, the witches do play an important part in Macbeth. I think when Shakespeare wrote act 1 scene 1 his intentions were to grip the audience at the very beginning. The witches do not appear to do anything in this scene it seems as if they’re there to introduce them-selves, they don’t really appear for a reason. I think it’s just to hype the audience up for the rest of the play. In act 1 scene 3 the witches tell us basically what Macbeth is about. Shakespeare grips the audience even tighter when they say: FIRST WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Glamis. SECOND WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor. THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter. I think Shakespeare here uses repetition really well. It adds mystery and feeling to the play. A Victorian audience at this moment must be really â€Å"into† the play. The mystery deepens even more when less than a few scenes away a messenger arrives to tell Macbeth that he is now Thane of Cawdor. A modern audience at this point must shiver with excitement. A Victorian audience may have done the same, after all these people did fear witches in their day. In act 4 scene 1 I don’t really feel that this scene does much for the play. Some people may disagree and I can see why. I mean people sat their reading the book must be thinking, â€Å"how the hell can a tree move?† This is because Macbeth says: MACBETH: Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix its earth-bound root? This will keep the reader wondering, â€Å"I wonder when this prophesy will come true?† I think they would think this because they want to see how the tree ends up moving this was clever on Shakespeare’s part this would have helped keep the audience interested. There are three prophesies all which tell Macbeth when to start worrying. The language the witches use is strange even for Shakespeare’s time! Another thing is that the lines are shorter than the lines in other parts of the play. I don’t think this is a coincidence, I personally think Shakespeare did this to keep the witches rhymes simple. I think he did this to keep the audience interested and not put them off. The use of rhyme – people often forget that poetic writing doesn’t have to rhyme, in fact in the play there isn’t really much rhyming going on, but when the witches speak in Macbeth there’re speeches do rhyme unlike most parts of the play. To add even more mystery to the witches they use strange ingredients in their potions! I mean we all expect strange items but not that strange. Cat’s tongues, guts, eyes what more do we want? I think this would have helped Shakespeare with his audience. I think they would have loved the idea of witches around a cauldron especially James! Going back and looking at these two scenes: Act 1 scene 3 Act 4 scene 1 We see that Macbeth is involved in both scenes. In act 1 scene 3 we see Macbeth as a worrier for his country, a gentleman. In this scene he â€Å"bumps† into the witches with Banquo his best friend. From what I can tell Macbeth is a bit shocked I think this because he basically asks them what they are, I think he doubts that they are human. I think this because Macbeth says: MACBETH: Speak if you can: what are you? The witches then tell Macbeth that he shall be Thane of Cawdor then King. Banquo interrupting seems more enthusiastic about talking to the witches who then tell Banquo his children shall be Kings. Maybe Macbeth is trying to take in what he’s just been told. I think Macbeth wants to believe the witches but he doesn’t want to get his hopes up. That’s why he’s looking for a reason, he asks: MACBETH: By Sinell’s death I know I am Thane of Glamis, But how, of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives A prosperous gentleman; The witches then vanish and Macbeth is left talking to Banquo. I think Macbeth is still avoiding taking about him been King, he says: MACBETH: Your children shall be Kings. In Act 4 Scene 1 we see Macbeth as a murderer and a evil man or should I say – King. He barges onto the scene and demands answers from the witches I know this because he says: MACBETH: Howe’er you come to know it, answer me: Three apparitions then go on to tell Macbeth three things: One that he should be aware of Macduff, Two that he should he should be aware of anyone not born from a women’s womb and Three that he should we weary when the woods begin to move. I think at this point in the play Macbeth is worried about Banquo’s children and what the witches told Macbeth at the beginning of the play. I think this because he says: MACBETH: Can tell so much-will Banquo’s issue ever Reign in this Kingdom? The witches do not give Macbeth his answer. I think the reason for this is because if the audience know the answer to this question then they can figure out the end of the play. As I’ve already said, I do think the witches played an enormous part in Macbeth. I also think that they play a rather big part in Macbeth’s life after all aren’t they really the ones responsible for King Duncan’s death? I think they are. I think this because at the end of the day the witches gave Macbeth the idea of killing the witch. I think as soon as the third witch says: THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter. I think this is, in a way the poison been injected into Macbeth’s blood. It’s only a matter of time before it begins to kick in, and when it does Macbeth will think up his plans to murder King Duncan. Another reason I think the witches are to blame is because Macbeth wouldn’t have done it with out them I think this because Macbeth says to his wife when she pushes him into murdering Duncan: MACBETH: We will proceed no further in this business He also says: MACBETH: So foul and fair a day I have not seen. I think the above proves he wouldn’t have murdered Duncan if he had not met the witches. I don’t think the witches are all to blame though, I don’t think Lady Macbeth helps either she’s always trying to push Macbeth into committing murder. Some people in the audience may wonder if Lady Macbeth is a witch or perhaps the witches have put a spell on her? I have seen two different versions of the witches on screen and both were extremely different. Obviously the two versions were Polanski’s version and Macbeth on the Estate. In Polanski’s version the witches were what you would expect, old ugly women who lived in a dirty smelling cave but in Macbeth on the estate’s version the witches were played by three children who lived in an old abandoned flat. I thought this was a rather interesting (and clever) concept. Both films were very good but if I had to choose one which I thought was the most effective (concerning the witches only) I would choose Polanski’s version. This is because the witches were exactly what I expect and want. You don’t want sweet little children playing the part of horrible witches. It just isn’t Macbeth. It rips the whole idea of witches into shreds or to be more precise it doesn’t follow the stereotype. Some people may think this is a bad thing but I would have to disagree with them. However in Polanski’s version the witches are brilliant they’re ugly, they’re old, they’re dirty and they’re naked. I also think Polanski’s version was better because we saw the witches using magic. For example when they faded out into thin air. It was what I expected and the reasons above are the reasons I choose Macbeth over Macbeth on the Estate.

Benefits and Effectiveness of Accounting Essay

The research was based on two variables these are computerized accounting systems which comprise of definitions, components of computerized accounting software and benefits and limitation of computerized system and financial reporting which also comprises of definitions of financial reports, benefits and effectiveness of accounting system used at National Water and Sewerage Corporation. The study will enable management to understand the significance of preparing quality and reliable financial reports. The study will point out weakness in the accounting system which management needs to address. The Government of Malaysia through the Department of Accountant General (MDAG) has instructed MARA to implement the Standard Accounting System for Government Agencies (SAGA). This is a total Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System, developed based on web-based application and is using an accrual basis of accounting. The SAGA financial system enables its users, particularly the government agencies to close their accounts on a daily basis, monitor their daily financial activities as well as produce standardized financial reports to the stakeholders at any place and any time. However, upon completion of the SAGA financial system analysis, MARA identifies that the system could not cater all MARA business activities. Processes such as disbursement of scholarship and loans to students and entrepreneurs are not covered by the system. As such, MARA still has to maintain its existing databases and therefore made special request to the MDAG to exclude the implementation of SAGA while awaiting MARA ICT consultant’s recommendations on the development of a new MARA Total Information and Financial System. As a conclusion, the SAGA financial systems could not be used by MARA on its own. The end-users in MARA need to operate both, SAGA and its own systems at the same time. This situation could lead to users’ confusion if they are to use different type of system when updating certain type of financial transaction. This is because the end-user of MARA Computerized Accounting System could only utilized the SAGA Financial System just for ordinary operating expenditures whilst any disbursement of expenditure pertaining to subsidiary system, they still need to use the existing MARA Financial Systems. Consequently, internal controls and security functions may not be easily built in the systems. Concurrent use of both systems may affect job satisfaction and performance of the end-users. Introducing Computerized Accounting Information Systems in a Developing Nation: Egyptian International Motors This study aims to assess the implementation of accounting information system on a company in a developing nation. To answer this question this manuscript attempts to do the following: (1) identify the reasons for the shift to an automated system and the main goals that the company aim to achieve form this shift, (2) determine the company’s strategic decisions like choices between outsourcing versus in-house development, and ready made packages versus tailor made software, (3) describe the steps of implementation, (4) understand the reaction of the employees to the new automated system, (5) study the required changes on the organizational chart and human resources qualifications that are required, (6) recognize the problems that the company met during the process, (6) point the advantages of the shift to the automated system. A computerized accounting System provides many advantages over manual systems, for example entries do not have to be recorded in multiple ledgers so as to fulfill the cardinal rules of financial reporting.A single entry is made and the system will populate all the appropriate corresponding accounts automatically. Computerized accounting also makes it possible for people in other departments,not just accounting to enter data.It does not require avast amount of accounting knowledge for a payroll clerk to enter wages details into the accounts,a basic understanding of how to use the system is sufficient The study intends to find out the effect of a computerized accounting system on the quality of financial reports generated by an organization. To examine the effect of computerize accounting systems quality financial reporting. To determine the challenges encountere by organizations before and after implementing a computerized accounting system. To identify strategies/measures of ensuring quality financial reporting. An accounting system is part of the organisation’s management information system therefore a good or decent accounting system must be able to produce reports like trial balance, aged debtors and aged creditors. Accounting systems must provide data that should enable the production of management accounts, statutory accounts and must also assist the managers and accountants in discharging their stewardship roles. Production Of Accounts A good system should enable the firm to produce its management reports and management accounts at short notice. This will enable the organisation to monitor performance, to take decisions quickly and to make decision based on objective and verifiable information. Audit Trail Audit trail is very important as it will enable auditors and senior managers to monitor transactions entered in the accounting system and this will ensure that there is information integrity. A good system should document the changes that have been made in the system, who made the changes and it should also be able to track what was changed. Compatibility With Other Programmes A strong characteristic of a good accounting system is that it must be compatible with other systems. For example, it should easily be configurable so that it can communicate with other programmes like Excel or Crystal. An accounting system should be able to export transactions and reports into Excel and it should allow data and transactions to be imported from an external source. This will lead to time savings as there will be no need to duplicate a role or process. Error Detection If an accounting system does not dictate errors then it is not a good accounting package as it is failing to perform a basic functionality. An accounting package should decline to post transactions that do not balance for example the total debits should equal the total credits and if this is not the case, then the accounting system should automatically flag this error. Internal Controls Internal controls are the eyes and ears of the organisation and a good accounting system should embed these internal controls into the system. Internal controls enable prevention and detection of fraud and error. An accounting system should enable internal control tools like segregation of duties, reconciliations and account allocations. A good accounting system should not allow users to delete data that has been posted into the system. Manual Vs Computerized Accounting Computerized accounting systems provide more benefits than manual ones, allowing for more accurate calculations, in less time. Compared to manual accounting, with a computerized system errors are far less common, eliminating human error. And with accounting programs that are industry-specific, you can benefit from various preset templates for your general ledger, saving more time. You can store virtually endless information, without any trouble at all. And if you later want to review financial information from several years ago, with a computerized accounting system you can do it easily, while with a manual one you would have to sort through stacks of paper ledgers. Bottom line, both systems may be useful to some extent. But for more accurate bookkeeping and increased efficiency, a computerized accounting system seems to have more advantages. You can find several free versions online, as well as more proficient accounting software available for purchase. Search online for such accounting systems, read about their features and decide which one would be better for your particular business needs. Although they will not allow you to physically handle the ledgers, it will provide a better accounting solution. The advantages of Computerized Accounting seem to be unknown by business owners and individuals who are in doubt of purchasing Accounting Software. Accounting Software has been a trend nowadays. With the vast Computerized System Providers and wide range of versions to choose from, Accounting System has evolved to be one of the trends in information technology. Computerized Systems are designed to create more value in Financial Accounting. Value can be relayed in terms of speed, accuracy and reliability of accounting data. With Computerized System, invoices can be transmitted in an instant through email; inventories are appropriately monitored; and disbursements are tracked for payments to be done before due dates. It helps Bookkeepers to reduce manual activities. When transactions are entered in the Accounting System, automatic entries are posted to generate data needed for financial reporting. Accounting Software enables Bookkeepers and Accountants to adjust necessary accounts to reflect the correct amount of each Account. Computerized Accounting allows Accountants to trace erroneous data and entry in a creative and organized manner through the help of summaries, list of accounts and original entries. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Tsang Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7017983 Computers are extensively used in accounting and there are multitude of computer software for Accounting, MIS, CRM. HiTech Financial Accounting is one such software which has been customized for users in many segments in business and services. Payroll accounting was the first commercial area to become widely computerized. The calculation of wages or salaries involves a number of variables which relate to the personal details of each employee, such as gross pay or rate for the job, individual deductions, tax liabilities of the employees and so on. These facts can be retained in the computers and processed every month of produce pay slips for the employees. The computer helps to exercise the type of stock control needed by the organization. It up to dates the sales and purchases records, determines optimum re-order levels for different items and prints out the stock lists when desired. The system can be so designed that it triggers orders when stock level reaches order point for variou s material items; tests those item which are slow moving or gives list for over stock items. Programming can be done for any sales accounting system. The computer will pin point defaulting debtors, determine the right limit for credit for each debtor and maintain stores ledger. Costing and budgetary control can be affected through the computer, the computer will point out the variations from the planned performance.The computer also helps greatly in production planning and control. It is possible that scheduling of the work may become necessary due to break downs etc. A new critical path may have to be worked out. A critical path is the shortest path to be followed in production to achieve production objectives. The computer helps the management lay down this new critical path. The increasing competition and the highly demands of globalization, Malaysia government attempt for Small Medium Enterprise, SME for the development of innovative, competitive with high technology. Computerized accounting system (CAS) adoption may be decisive factor for an organization to be success and also to survive. This research project which aimed to investigate SME practice of CAS and to identify the factor affecting the adoption among SMEs in Melaka. A survey was carried out through a set of questionnaires to examine the CEO Innovativeness Factors Scale, Perceive Usefulness Factors Scale, Perceive Ease of Use Factors Scale and Business Competitiveness. The sample selected comprised of CEOs of SMEs in three districts in Melaka, namely Melaka Tengah, Alor Gajah and Jasin. The data gathered were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics, linear regression analysis, Pearson Correlation analysis and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).This study reveals that CAS adoption rate in SMEs in Melaka is high. Results from the analysis also shown the significant of independent variables and proved the relationships have been substantiated to the dependent variable which contribute to the usage of CAS adoption between SMEs in Melaka. The findings indicate that CEO innovativeness; perceive ease of use and business competitiveness negatively correlated to the adoption of CAS. Results reveals that only perceive usefulness are significantly positive correlated to CAS adoption. Therefore it can be deduced that adoption of CAS among SMEs in Melaka is caused by its usefulness. The findings reveal that types of business and business location influence the adoption of CAS. However, size (paid up capital, sales turnover and number of employee) do not influence the adopter. Results also indicate that CEO literacy on ICT, accounting and CAS has influence the responded CEO to adopt CAS in their business. However, the advantages by using the accounting systems software were not fully utilized by CAS adopters. http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijbm/article/view/18273