Public policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Public policy - Essay Example But they are a happy and hospitable people. It is a common public policy to smile and be hospitable to any foreigner who comes in and visit one of their islands. The Filipinos are proud of their race. They smile when they see a tourist: that’s tourism policy number one. Tourism has been a flourishing industry in the Philippines and an attractive business venture because of its beautiful scenic spots, baroque churches, white beaches and various heritage sites, a legacy of the hundreds of years of Spanish colonization, and subsequently the American colonization which led to the Philippine independence on June 12, 1898. However, the Philippine tourism industry has passed through various stages of decay and then development. If public policies had been enforced to the letter, the Philippines could have been the number one tourist destination in Asia because of its rich heritage, historic spots, rich natural resources, and a hospitable people willing to receive any guests who have entered into their shore lines. Tourism was used for political purposes during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos. Tourism policies during Marcos’s time were concentrated on government efforts to gain support from foreign governments, especially during the period when he declared martial law. There was no popular support or cooperation from the local community who had mixed feelings of fear, hatred and remorse over the dictatorship. Human rights violations were rampant. Resorts, hotels and other business establishments were owned by Marcos ‘cronies’. Rebel groups started to surface, and there almost anarchy in the streets. People power led by Corazon Aquino, wife of the martyred opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. led to the toppling of the dictatorship. Tourism was totally down at that time. (Gray, 2008, p. 369) When the dictator Marcos was overthrown by a people-power revolt, Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino took over, and once again, her government used

E-Library System Essay Example for Free

E-Library System Essay This chapter presents the software development methodology used by the researchers in the design and development of the proposed Online Library system of UCNHS, the scope and delimitation, the date gathering techniques, and the sources of data. Software Development Methodology The Modified Waterfall Model in software engineering came into existence because of the defects of the traditional Waterfall Model. The phases of the Modified Waterfall Model are similar to the traditional Model. The main change is that phases in the Modified Waterfall Model life Cycle are permitted to overlap. A lot of flexibility has been introduced in the Modified Waterfall Model in software engineering due to overlapping phases. At the same time, a number of tasks can function, concurrently, which ensures that the defects in the software are removed in the development stage itself and the over head cost of making changes to the software before implementation is saved. The Modified Waterfall Model is more relaxed approach to formal procedures, documents and reviews. It also reduces the huge bundle of documents. Due to the development team, the devote to work on the code has more time and does not have to bother about the procedures. The researchers used Modified Waterfall Model because documentation is produced at every stage of the software development. This makes understanding the product designing procedure, simpler and will closely work with the school and users to understand their needs. The figure below describes the structure and activities in the Modified Waterfall Model (Bhakti Satalkar, 2010). Requirement gathering and analysis System Design. Implementation Testing Maintenance Figure 2. Modified waterfall Model Requirement gathering and analysis. All possible requirements of the system to be developed are captured in this phase. Requirements are a set of functions and constraints that the end user (who will be using the system) expects from the system. The requirements are gathered from the end user at the start of the software development phase. These requirements are analyzed for their validity, and the possibility of incorporating the requirements in the system to be developed is also studied. Finally, a requirement specification document is created which serves the purpose of guideline for the next phase of the model. In this phase, the researchers gathered data that might be used in the proposed system and also through an interview with the library staff, performed observation to the transaction and conducted survey with students of Urdaneta City National High School. System Design. Before starting the actual coding phase, it is highly important to understand the requirements of the end user and also have an idea of how should the end product looks like. The requirement specifications from the first phase are studied in this phase and a system design is prepared. System design helps in specifying hardware and system requirements and also helps in defining the overall system architecture. The system design specifications serve as an input for the next phase of the model. In this phase, the researchers will use USE CASE, DFD, ERD to evaluate and design the system in accordance to the requirements needed. Implementation. On receiving system design documents, the work is divided in modules/units and actual coding is started. The system is first developed in small programs called units, which are integrated in the next phase. Each unit is developed and tested for its functionality; this is referred to as unit testing. Unit testing mainly verifies if the modules/units meet their specifications. The researchers will use visual basic 2010 as programming language to create and develop the system. Likewise, MS SQL as database is used as the back end to store, maintain and manage the database integrated to the system. Upon implementation, several testing will also be done to ensure that each module is working properly. Testing. As specified above, the system is first divided in units which are developed and tested for their functionalities. These units are integrated into a complete system during Integration phase and tested to check if all modules/units coordinate between each other and the system as a whole behaves as per the specifications. After successfully testing the software, it is delivered to the customer. In this phase, the researchers will test the system to ensure that the developed system functions are according to its requirements and to avoid errors. Maintenance. Inevitably the system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the school library. There are many reasons for the change. Change could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system and it could directly affect the software operation. The software should be developed to accommodate changes that could happen during post implementation period. In case there are changes necessary it has to be fixed to make the system usable or to make it comply with the library staff wishes. In this phase, the researcher will instruct the librarian on how to operate and maintain the system. Meanwhile other features that will be implementing in this phase are beyond the limitation of the researchers. Scope and Delimitations This project covers the development of Digital Library System of Urdaneta City National High School. Specifically, it will cater all the processes done in inventory, borrowing, returning, and reservation of books. The Digital Library System of Urdaneta City National High School can access by the admin which is the Librarian, students in UCNHS, teachers of UCNHS and guest which is the alumni and students from different schools. Guest can only inquire for books availability and reserve it personally. However, the proposed system limits on the contents of book that can be viewed digitally, only the title page, table of contents and its overview are applied. Only the students and teachers are allowed to reserve and borrow book through online. The guest is not allowed to reserve books through online. Teachers and students referral is not included in the system. Data Gathering Techniques The researchers gathered information of the system through structured interview, questionnaire and document analysis to the UCNHS library staff and students. The use of references allowed additional information about software and system Requirements as well as how some organizations use the Internet in making achieves for records that later becomes a collective library on the internet. Structured Interview. Means of collecting data for a statistical survey. In this case, the data is collected by an interviewer rather than through a self-administered questionnaire. Interviewers read the questions exactly as they appear on the survey questionnaire. The choice of answers to the questions is often fixed (close-ended) in advance, though open-ended questions can also be included within a structured interview. In a series of interviews, researchers knew exactly what information are needed and prepared a list of pre-determined question that will be asking to the respondents. The researchers gather some viewpoints of the people around the system that could make more efficient particularly to library and employees. Document Analysis. Technique used to gather requirements during the requirements elicitation phase of a project. It describes the act of reviewing the existing documentation of comparable business processes or systems in order to extract pieces of information that are relevant to the current project, and therefore should be consider projects requirements. In support to the structured interview, the researchers gathered and examined thoroughly the existing documents like catalogue, logbook, and book card. Questionnaire. Research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case. Questionnaires will be distributed to the students as input to the design of the proposed system. Likewise, with their feedbacks, features can be determined. Sources of data The Librarian, Library staff and students were interviewed as primary respondents. Also books and thesis manuscript were used to determine other requirements of the propose system. The researchers used websites, online libraries and other similar studies as references in this study. In addition to this, the researchers will distribute questionnaires to the Urdaneta National High School students to get information that will help in the progress of the development of the project study. Table 1: List of Respondents RESPONDENTS| NUMBER OF RESPONDENT| Librarian| 1| Library Staff| 2| Students| 100| Teachers| 50| Total| 153|.

My Educational Philosophy Essay example -- Philosophy of Education Tea

My Educational Philosophy A question that I have heard from several people in my life ever since the school year started is, "Why do you want to be a teacher?" Originally, I thought I just wanted the summers off. The truth of the matter is, I just want to make a difference in the lives of students. I have had teachers in my life that have pushed me way beyond even my own expectations of myself, and have had a very big influence in my life. I have also had the teachers that just accepted mediocrity, that didn't push the envelope, and those teachers I can honestly say I did not learn anything from. It was one of the influential teachers that prompted my decision to enter the teaching profession. I was in a completely different program of study, heading towards a totally different goal, until one day he looked at me and said, "What are you doing? This isn't you. You have potential to do so much more, and you'll never reach it doing what you are doing." It was this statement that made me sit back and realiz e that something needed to change. It was that something that led me to the Teacher Education Program at Concord. Once I started thinking about the reason that I wanted to be a teacher, I realized how incredibly idealistic it sounded. When we discussed educational philosophies in class, and when we went over the idealist, I thought, "that is definitely the philosophy that is geared towards what I want to be and the environment that I want my classroom to have." My goal as far as what I want when I enter the teaching profession is to be an effective history teacher. I love History, and I believe that my interest in History spurs off of the fact that I had several excellent History teachers in high school tha... ...ld be free to test all their ideas and explore values. He believed that children should participate in determining what their education should be. Schools are public servants. They are there for the children, and if they don't meet the needs of the children, they have failed as a public service institution. Once I graduate from Concord, I hope to pursue a Master's Degree and further my educational prospects. I have no idea what kind of teacher I will be. My ambition of course, is to be the teacher that every student loves and respects. Furthermore, I want to be the teacher that someone will look back at one day and say, "I am part of what I am because I had her for a teacher." Idealistic, yes, but if I don't believe in myself, and my students then I am defeating my whole purpose as an educator, and that is to make a difference in the lives of my students.

Examination Day and Harrison Bergeron Essay

The short stories â€Å"Examination Day† by Henry Seslar and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut, both examine the idea of a world where governments have total control over its citizens. The main characters in the stories are Dickie Jordan and Harrison Bergeron. In â€Å"Examination Day† discrimination against intelligence is portrayed through Dickie who is eliminated because his â€Å"intelligence quotient [was] above the Government regulation.† This quote depicts the governments authority in its society and how the government eradicated the people who questioned them through an intelligence exam. The irony of this examination is that success was seen as negative. Whereas, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† explores the theme of forced equality in American society in the not so distant future. Right in the introduction, the three main issues concerned throughout the story are given, † Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better lookin g than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution.† Thus, absolute equality in intelligence, physical beauty, and athleticism have been ratified into law by the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, respectively. Both stories share a conflict in regards to person versus society and both the protagonists die at the end. In â€Å"Examination Day† Dickie is on his own when it comes to the test given by the government. Before the test when Dickie asks his father what the test is for, his father tells him†the Government wants to know how smart [Dickie] is.† Later on, the story ends with an automated message from the government with the reason for his death and preferred funeral arrangements. In â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† Harrison knew better than to follow government regulations and tried to make a difference. In the end, he was killed as â€Å"Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a  double-barreled gauged shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.† This quote shows the government’s control over what is accepted and what happens to those who exceed government regulation. Harrison wanted an end to the absolute equality so he stood up for the citizens of the country who did not realize how absurd their society was becoming; in the end, he died trying to make a difference. In â€Å"Examination Day† the setting invokes sympathetic feelings towards Dickie. Dickie , a week after his twelfth birthday, was sent from his â€Å"little apartment† to the â€Å"great pillared lobby† within the â€Å"polished† governmental building. This contrast of settings invokes sympathy for Dickie because he is limited to living in a small home while all the money is used by the government to develop large, modern government buildings. Also, Dickie is taken to a place that is foreign to him, with large intimidating architectural masses which makes him seem insignificant and isolated. The story compares the â€Å"dim† and â€Å"cold† room within the government building to the â€Å"warm†, â€Å"bright† house that Dickie lives in. The cold, clinical description of the government building is symbolic of distinction being taken away from humanity. It demonstrates the idea that Dickie is being taken from the comfort of his home and into the control of a frightening, overpowering government. Contrary to Harrison in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† who is a fourteen year old boy that poses such a terrible threat that he has been shackled with more handicaps than anyone else. Giant earphones instead of the small ear radio his dad has. Large glasses to obscure his vision and give him headaches. So many weights that he â€Å"looked like a walking junkyard.† On top of it all, he is so handsome that they gave him a clown nose, shaved off his eyebrows, and blacked out his teeth. Also, Harrison is so frightening that he is arrested â€Å"on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.† The government’s news bulletin describes him as â€Å"a genius and an athlete, [†¦] under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.† In conclusion, both â€Å"Examination Day† and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† examine the idea of a world where the government has total control over the government and individuals living within the government.

Second Life Ready for Business

1. What problems can Second Life help businesses solve? Second Life provides businesses with tools for online conferencing, online collaboration, knowledge management, and prototyping. Companies can test new products using Second Life’s 3-D rendering programs. They can experiment with new marketing and advertising campaigns to see how people react. They can receive feedback on real-world products or services. 2. Considering what you have learned about Second Life, how could you, as an individual, create a modest start-up business on the Grid? What goods would you sell? Why would this be a good choice of product? What, in simple terms, would your business plan be? Why would it work? One potential new business would be to sell furnishings for online spaces. People inherently want to furnish and decorate their private spaces. The products could be bought and sold using Lindens. The start-up costs could be low since there aren’t any inventory costs. You can create the furnishings as they’re ordered. A business plan would include advertising ideas, marketing ideas, how to deliver the products, customer follow-up ideas, and financial planning. 3. Visit eBay on the Web and see what Second Life items you can find listed for auction. How would you rate the activity surrounding these items? Are you surprised by what you see? Why or why not? Obviously the information for this question will fluctuate. As of this writing, eBay offered 211 items. They included how-to manuals for making money on Second Life, a guide to selling land, and business opportunities on the site. One item in particular was a vending machine business package available for $4.99. The individual offering the item was an eBay Power Seller with 6,483 feedback postings. He was obviously an established eBay seller. Other items for sale include a Gym Workout package for $4.99 and a macro that makes navigating the skies of Second Life easier. It sold for $12.99. Answers to the last three questions will vary by student. The point is to have them realize how advanced and pervasive sites like Second Life have become. 4. How important is interoperability between 3-D worlds like Second Life and other Web sites such as Amazon, MySpace, and YouTube? Do you think that Second Life can survive and prosper on its own? What is the future of these entities? Separate or integrated? Interoperability between 3-D worlds and other Web sites is very important because of the increasing popularity of all the sites. People don’t want to continually learn new and different skills. Rather they want to transport their skills and software from one site to another. It’s doubtful that Second Life could survive and prosper on its own. Demand for the site will increase if it becomes more entwined with other sites and even real life. As people continue to combine offline and online activities, they want easy ways to transition from one to the other. This is where the people component of the three dimensions of information systems becomes apparent. Obviously this leads to more integration in the future. 5. What obstacles does Second Life have to overcome in order to become a mainstream business tool? Does it face fewer or more obstacles to become a mainstream educational tool? To what do you attribute the difference? Second Life needs to overcome the idea and perception that it’s â€Å"just another game site.† Other obstacles include ease-of-use, interoperability between pre-established business systems and Second Life’s proprietary system. It needs to create ways to import and export data between its system and external business systems—don’t require data to be re-input into either system. Second Life faces more obstacles in trying to become a mainstream educational tool. Educators are inherently opposed to online, distance education because it supposedly lacks the face-to-face communication between teachers and students. However, as more education is carried online, Second Life has all the tools in place to make it easy to conduct classes, especi ally its online collaboration tools. 6. What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from a presence on Second Life? Why? Retail businesses that are already used to doing business online may have an easier time of establishing a viable presence on Second Life. They are used to advertising and marketing to customers online and have the systems built for taking orders, accepting payments, and shipping products. Other companies, like IBM, that have established online collaboration systems and online knowledge management systems will probably have an easier time using Second Life as another outlet for these activities. 7. would you like to interview for a job using Second Life? Why or why not? Obviously the answers to this question will vary from student to student. Some may prefer interviewing for a job using Second Life since they may see face-to-face interviews as extremely nerve-wracking. Other may prefer a face-to-face interview rather than trying to create an avatar that adequately represents them. 8. Is Second Life a precursor of how business will be conducted in the future or a corporate experiment? Justify your answer. Second Life probably is a precursor of how business will be conducted in the future. Online presence and activity is increasing, not decreasing. Businesses are continually turning to online services to change the way they do business and move many of their offline activities to online ventures.

Julius Caesar Report Research Paper Example

Julius Caesar Report Research Paper Example Julius Caesar Report Paper Julius Caesar Report Paper Essay Topic: Julius Caesar The exact date of the publication of Julius Caesar is not absolutely certain. However, most critics agree that the play was written sometime between 1598 and 1608 during, or just after, the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Julius Caesar is the first of Shakespeares three Roman Plays, the other two being Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus. As with his other Roman Plays, Julius Caesar is based on Plutarchs Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans from a translation by Sir Thomas North in 1579 from an earlier French version. The two texts have only minor differences the majority of the plot is taken from Plutarch and most of the speeches, most significantly excepting Antonys famous oration, are Norths words in verse. The play is also greatly influenced by the Elizabethan attitudes prevalent at the time for example, superstition. Several anachronisms are used in the Play for instance, he plucked me ope his doublet. Elizabethans wore doublets; Romans wore togas fastened at the shoulder. The character of Julius Caesar particularly fascinated the Elizabethans. He was a soldier, scholar and politician and he was the first Roman to realise the benefits of a monarchical empire like England was at the time of Elizabeth I over a democratic state. To add to the intrigue surrounding him, he had also been killed by one of his closest friends. In the 6th century B.C.E, Lucius Junius Brutus, an ancestor of Marcus Brutus, led the citizens of Rome in rebellion against Tarquin the Proud, ruler of Rome at the time. Tarquin had reigned as a cruel tyrant, loathed by everyone. He was deposed by the Romans, and in 509 B.C.E, Rome was declared a republic. Brutus was glorified for his honourable actions, and since then, most Romans feared the title rex king. Five hundred years later, early in the first century B.C.E, Gaius Julius Caesar was born to an impoverished patrician family. Despite the fact that his family was not a prominent one, he had many influential relatives who helped him in his rise to supremacy. Later on in that century, Caesar allied with Pompey and Crassus to form the First Triumvirate, an important part of Roman history. The Roman Empire, which comprised of the majority of the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, was shared out equally between them. However, when Crassus died in battle against the Parthians in 53 B.C.E; there was conflict between Caesar and Pompey since neither of the two wanted to share their power. Consequently, civil war broke out in Rome. Marcus Brutus and Caius Cassius were among those who fought with Pompey against Caesar; but when Caesar defeated Pompey, and later on Pompeys two sons, he pardoned Brutus and befriended him, and allowed Cassius to return to Rome at Brutuss request. After his victory, Caesar continued to climb in politics, religion and in the military. Although formerly two consuls had been elected as prime authority in Rome, Caesar alone ruled now, and as the majority of the Senate were his supporters, any decree he made would be carried out. Caesar was king of Rome in effect, if not in title. Several fiercely democratic families realised this and feared a replay of Tarquins tyrannical reign. Determined that Rome should remain a republic, a conspiracy of over 60 senatorial families was formed by Brutus and Cassius with the aim of murdering Caesar. To an extent, the plot succeeded. Caesar was assassinated on the 15th of March in the Capitol. However, far from being regarded as the heroes of Rome, as Lucius Junius Brutus and his followers had been five hundred years back, the conspirators were forced to flee Rome by Antony, Caesars close friend, and Octavius, his great-nephew and heir. Once again, civil war broke out in Rome, resulting in the deaths of Brutus and Cassius and most of their army. Antony and Octavius returned to Rome victorious and formed the Second Triumvirate with Lepidus, a general of Caesars army. Eventually, Antony and Lepidus withdrew from the triumvirate and Octavius alone was left to rule the great Roman Empire. He adopted his great-uncles name Caesar along with the name Augustus. He was now known as Augustus Caesar, and to this name he also added the title of Princeps the chief one. From then on, Rome officially ceased to be a republic.

The Supreme Court of New Zealand essays

The Supreme Court of New Zealand essays On the first of January, 2004, New Zealand introduced a new court system, establishing a Wellington based Supreme Court to replace the London based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The new court will stand as the final appellate court in the New Zealand judicial system, with its judges and separate premises, sitting above the Court of Appeal. Arguments for and against the retention of appeals to the Privy Council have been well highlighted by the New Zealand media. They have raised important questions about whether the new system of appeals in New Zealand should have been put in place, and since its introduction how will it be structured and run, now that the link to the Privy Council has been abolished. I will elaborate on these arguments and perceptions comparing the different positions people have taken and discuss how the system will work and what sections of the new court could be structured better in the opinion of the references used. Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias, as the head of the New Zealand judiciary, heads the court and will normally be the presiding judge. There have been four other permanent judges, also appointed from within the New Zealand judiciary, Justices Thomas Gault, Sir Kenneth Keith, Peter Blanchard and Andrew Tipping. The selection and appointment of the judges have fuelled a debate about the risk of appointments to the Supreme Court is politically influenced. The perception is that the judges through the Courts work could inflict the perspective of the present Labour government, whereas it is common knowledge that there have been no political problems with New Zealand citizens appealing to the Privy Council. These accusations are well deserved because when looking into the newly appointed Judges history it is revealed that two of the five are de facto supporters of Labour's social democratic platform. Dame Sian Elias has worked for many years as an advocate in the Maori grievance industry. Si r Kenn...

Categories of Hurricanes

Categories of Hurricanes The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale sets categories for the relative strength of hurricanes that may impact the United States based on the sustained wind speed. The scale places the storms into one of five categories. Since the 1990s, only wind speed has been used to categorize hurricanes. To estimate wind speed, the wind and wind gusts are measured over some period of time (typically one minute) and are then averaged together. The result is the highest average wind observed within a weather event.   Another measurement of weather is the barometric pressure, which is the weight of the atmosphere on any given surface. Falling pressure indicates a storm, while rising pressure usually means the weather is improving.   Category 1 Hurricane A hurricane labeled Category 1 has a  maximum sustained wind speed  of 74–95 miles per hour (mph), making it the weakest category. When the sustained wind speed drops below 74 mph, the storm is downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Although weak by hurricane standards, a Category 1 hurricanes winds are dangerous and will cause damage. Such damage could include: Roof, gutter, and siding damage to framed homesDowned power linesSnapped tree branches and uprooted trees In a Category 1 hurricane, coastal storm surge reaches 3–5 feet and the barometric pressure is approximately 980 millibars. Examples of Category 1 hurricanes include Hurricane Lili in 2002 in Louisiana and Hurricane Gaston, which hit South Carolina in 2004. Category 2 Hurricane When the maximum sustained wind speed is 96–110 mph, a hurricane is called a Category 2. The winds are considered extremely dangerous and will cause extensive damage, such as: Major roof and siding damage to framed homesMajor power outages that could last days to weeksMany uprooted trees and blocked roads Coastal storm surge reaches 6–8 feet and the barometric pressure is approximately 979–965 millibars. Hurricane Arthur, which hit North Carolina in 2014, was a Category 2 hurricane. Category 3 Hurricane Category 3 and above are considered major hurricanes. The maximum sustained wind speed is 111–129 mph. Damage from this category of hurricane is devastating: Mobile homes destroyed or heavily damagedMajor damage to framed homesMany uprooted trees and blocked roadsComplete power outages and unavailability of water for several days to weeks Coastal storm surge reaches 9–12 feet and the barometric pressure is approximately 964–945 millibars. Hurricane Katrina, which struck Louisiana in 2005, is one of the most devastating storms in U.S. history, causing an estimated $100 billion in damage. It was rated Category 3 when it made landfall.   Category 4 Hurricane With a maximum sustained wind speed of 130–156 mph, a Category 4 hurricane can result in catastrophic damage: Most mobile homes destroyedFramed homes destroyedHomes built to withstand hurricane-force winds sustain significant roof damageMost trees snapped or uprooted and roads blockedElectrical poles downed and outages lasting several last weeks to months Coastal storm surge reaches 13–18 feet and the barometric pressure is approximately 944–920 millibars. The deadly Galveston, Texas hurricane of 1900 was a Category 4 storm that killed an estimated  6,000 to 8,000 people. A more recent example is Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall at San Josà © Island, Texas, in 2017. Hurricane Irma was a Category 4 storm when it hit Florida in 2017, although it was a Category 5 when it struck Puerto Rico. Category 5 Hurricane The most catastrophic of all hurricanes, a Category 5 has a maximum sustained wind speed of 157 mph or higher. Damage can be so severe that most of the area hit  by such a storm could be uninhabitable for weeks or even months. Coastal storm surge reaches more than 18 feet and the barometric pressure is below 920 millibars. Only three Category 5 hurricanes have struck the mainland United States since records began: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Florida KeysHurricane Camille in 1969 near the mouth of the Mississippi RiverHurricane Andrew in 1992 in Florida In 2017, Hurricane Maria was a Category 5 when it devastated Dominica and a Category 4 in Puerto Rico, making it the worst disaster in those islands histories. When Hurricane Maria hit the mainland U.S., it had weakened to a Category 3.

Integrated Marketing Communications 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Integrated Marketing Communications 2 - Essay Example As a result, classy, trendy and fresh branded outfits are the norm for this age bracket of which the importance can be judged by a statement from Branded- a book written by Quart, Alissa (2003) where she writes "Inspired by the commercialization of youth and also by the signs of resistance to it, I decided to write Branded. The term brand suggests both the ubiquity of logos in today's teen dreams and the extreme way these names now define teen identities."It is for this age group that our paper will look into the mechanisms of branding for a medium-sized company in order to ensure the success of the hosting company and its designer line among the growing market of the youths. One of the most noticeable apparel that a person displays is his or her dressing. This is in fact one of the primary concerns for most of the population especially for females in the ever more fashion and appearance oriented societies that we now live in (John 2009, p12). Moreover, there has been a tremendous leap towards the disposition of branded clothing during the past couple of years which means that companies nowadays are investing more resources towards developing, grooming and maintaining their branded clothes collection which ultimately find preference over the traditional unbranded attires. It is extremely important that companies undertake a well planned and thorough marketing activity to initiate their clothing line in order to be able to compete effectively in the market against other local and international clothing collections. Branding for the youth One of the most important ingredients of marketing that either make or break the designer line's name and his success is branding. The first step in any marketing activity is to identify the target markets which in our case are the youngsters'between the ages of 14-22. It is this age bracket in which the adolescents seem to be standing at an awkward age where neither they are too young to play with the toys nor have they groomed into adults. Understanding the target market, their way of thinking, their activities and the reasons for the true desire to embrace designer outfits with a knowledge of what the teens really want to wear and show off is tremendously important for framing the entire marketing plan and consequently developing the right brand name and image and positioning it in the way youngsters really want it (Knox 2004, p15). What is needed is basically to know exactly what the youth want and delivering according to it. The entire process of branding should focus on the you th and their needs and desires. Understanding the target market For the youth who are lingering somewhere between childhood and adulthood, the craving for dressing and clothing is more than the desire to eat. It is this passion for outfits ranging from classy to gothic to rib-tickling tops, bright primary colors and baggy or tight fitting pants that the medium sized firm needs to capitalize on in an intelligent and creative manner. (Corporate Image Marketing 2009, p1) Once identified with the overall target market, the company now needs to segment this age group on the basis of tastes, preferences and activities. Within the youth age bracket of 14-22, there are the party

Brand Integrity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brand Integrity - Assignment Example He should communicate with the employees, and recognize their contribution towards the brand promise. In an unfavorable economic environment, holding on to the loyal customers is the key to success. The article poses five questions as part of the ‘Excellence Audit’. These questions focus on team members being committed to a common cause and giving in their best to achieve that cause. This audit uncovers the strengths and weaknesses of the organization with the help of quantitative data. A quiz comprising of ten questions that helps examine how connected the employees are to the brand promise is also mentioned in the article. The article puts forth a potentially controversial argument that the customers come second and that, in reality, employees of the organization who serve these customers come first. The article, through a dialogue conveys that the marketplace customer is â€Å"first† but the employee serving the customer is â€Å"more first†. The internal ambience, excitement, exuberance and spirit of the organization should create that magnetic pull on the customer, asserts the article. The article also suggests that every employee has the potency to become a leader if the leadership development process is initiated early. When the business environment is not propitious, say there is a recession, cost cutting, layoffs are a common phenomenon. The pressure on profitability may lead managers to ignore the needs of the employees as well as the customers. I feel that gains obtained by compromising the brand promise or not treating the employees in a fair manner would be short-lived. An organization gains the most through its loyal customers. It is important to remember that customers will remain loyal only if the brand delivers on its promise. Thus, any attempt to hoodwink the customer will have adverse consequences on brand performance. As stated in the

The debasement of the coinage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The debasement of the coinage - Research Paper Example Coins have been used as collectors’ items and mediums of expression, but largely used as currency since historical times. Historical minting techniques are still being used, though nowadays people leverage on technology for efficiency. Precious metals and mints require techniques used to ensure that the value of the constituent precious metal does not exceed the face value of the coin. Understanding these techniques plays a critical role in understanding inflation control. Introduction The use of precious metals as a medium of exchange is said to have began in Egypt, though this took the form of rings, wafers and bars.According to Vincent Lannoye, Lydia, nowadays referred to as Turkey, was the first smelter of small ingots having a royal seal to certify legality and weight (19). Rulers quickly integrated these micro-ingots into their economies. The Lydian people accepted payments in electrum metal, which is an alloy of gold and natural silver. These micro-ingots developed into coins that were minted by masculine men who could strike blank discs to leave engravings that certified the origin of the coins. Through the centuries, coin making, referred to as coinage, improved fast. More regular coins became available through the replacement of the bank discs with regular laminated metal plates. Later, quasi-uniform coins came into existence with the replacement of the hammer with the screw-press and furthered the adoption of the rolling-press, which was rotated by horse power. Minting Minting of coins has been a precise and well-guarded function of selected mints commissioned and governed by respective authorities in various countries. From the outset, the minting procedure involved producing precise blanks with defined weights and composition and producing coin-striking tools. Principally, these requirements still hold from historical times, as observed by the Marshall Cavendish Corporation, only that the methods have been improving with technical progress a nd industrialization (507). Historically, the Lydian people poured the molten electrum into suitable forms, starting from simple moulds to more complicated ones. In the 16th Century, the thickness of metal sheets was reduced through hammering with the blanks cut out using shears, then filed and hammered to the desired thickness and weight. The period about 1550 saw a German silversmith, known as Marx Schwab, invent screw pressing. This involved two heavy iron screws pressing the coin metal so as to achieve the desired thickness. Roller-mills facilitated the production of uniform metal strips from which metal punches cut the blanks (Christopher Howgego 76). The mechanized form of this technique still finds application in modern coin minting. The Industrial Age discovery since 1830 allowed hundreds of circulation coins to be produced in a minute, with modern mechanical mints adopting even faster speeds. Therefore, the United States Mint, the manufacturer and distributor of American co ins, has its modern process borrowed from this history. The mint punches blanks from coiled metal strips, referred to as blanking. This would then be softened through heating in an annealing furnace, and then taken through a washer and dryer. The blanks then pass through an upsetting mill onto a coining press that stamps the inscriptions and designs to guarantee genuineness. The resultant coins would then be inspected for quality, counted and bagged. Governments have throughout the history supplied more coins than would be possible if the coins were made of pure precious metals. Normally, some portion of the precious metal used to make the coin would be replaced by a base metal. Howgego states that copper and nickel are some of the commonly used base metals (43). This in turn reduces the intrinsic value of the coin, referred to as â€Å"debasing.† This way, authorities produce a lot more coins that it would have been otherwise possible. C. E. Challis observes that the coins i n circulation could have fiat values lower than the

Managing Diversity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Diversity - Assignment Example Successful organisations take pride in implementing diversity at work places and they devote some resources as well for taking care of this challenge. The changing demographics of UK further compound this challenge. There are a large number of ethnic minorities in UK, and a recent study projects that, by 2020 half of UK's population will be over-50, and a third of those between 50 and retirement age will be classified as disabled. Government of UK has also realized the need for paying more attention towards the diversity in the society and managing it. The 'Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR)' has been set up by the Equality Act 2006, which emphasizes2 that 'Equality, diversity, and respect for the human rights and dignity of every man, woman and child are core values that define our lives in Britain.' The vision for the CEHR is based on the Government's view that equality is not a minority concern - it matters to every citizen. The commission will be fully functional by October 2007. While the spirit behind this act has got an overwhelming support from HR practitioners, apprehensions3 are also expressed by many speakers during a conference on race, held in London in November 2006. while HR professionals are taking a sigh of relief that the legislative mess of dealing with 35 Acts, 52 statutory instruments and 13 codes of practice on equality issues will be over with the implementation of CEHR, there are other speakers during this conference, who believe that racial concerns will slip down the agenda once they become just one part of the body's work, as it gears up to fight discrimination on seven fronts. A survey4 of 112 HR practitioners by Personnel Today's sister publication IRS Employment Review, shows that respondents hope the CEHR will make things simpler. It is worthwhile here to note that implementation of any law in letter and spirit depends on the intentions of the organisation and how seriously it values the corporate social responsibility. Therefore CEHR will have more of a guiding and nudging role in carrying out the tasks. In fact the survey findings also point out that 81% respondents would be happy if the commission just issued advice on good practice and tools for employers, rather than carry out investigations (40%) and legal enforcement (31%). Diversity Strategy and Organisational Effectiveness The global economy has made it almost mandatory for international corporations that an effective strategy is adopted for managing the diversity. Companies are moving towards flatter organizational structures, and the global economy is allowing the movement of the workforce across national boundaries, effective interaction amongst diverse workers becomes more critical for the smooth organizational functioning. In fact now that debate has started whether the concept of 'managing diversity; forms an alternative to 'equal opportunities' based on gender bias. In the UK, human resource practitioners and academics alike are becoming more aware of the emergence of managing diversity. There is now a view that, after twenty years of the '

Johns Gospel and the New Testament Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Johns Gospel and the New Testament - Assignment Example   It would be interesting to note that what the Gospel of John fairly implies would be quite difficult to grasp and understand for early Jews which the Gospel of Luke can compensate. It is probably why the character of Nicodemus found its way in the production of Stevens (The Greatest Story Ever Told) totally unheard in the Gospel of John that most films depict a rendition according to the Gospel of Luke. In this regard, it is clear that directors Kirsch, Sykes and Stevens wish to simplify the storyline rather than dwell on a symbolism that is sometimes hard to decipher for a varied audience. Translation of the Bible particularly in the New Testament for films usually takes on a lot of work to produce a biblically-accurate full-length life of Jesus that will be unbiased and in a well-presented manner. The producers of Sykes and Krisch's(The Jesus Film,1979) made their statements that literally adapted the Gospel of Luke because of "its completeness" according to John Heyman. One go od example that the opening of the film quotes the Gospel of John however interestingly, the omission, in particular, the crown of thorns which was never mentioned in Luke (yet dramatized in the Gospel of John) fought its way in the actual film. The New Testament as a great book of history and literature requires a sharper insight useful for both teaching and training in righteousness. It, however, stands as the subject of numerous rebuttals that requires incessant studies. In the New Testament, it is my belief that the works of John, Luke and Matthew provides a basis for comparison in a theological aspect and an interesting picture that has influenced the works of Milton, Whitman, and Shakespeare among others. College study of the bible and its analysis holds answers to the readings that teenage bible classes have aroused a profound mental picture. Full steam, we push ahead and participate in the strenuous activity of discovering new heights that forever seeks answers to the hypoth etical questions of its depth and meaning. However, Walsh argues that Jesus films tell as much about the changes in American culture as they do about Jesus. This leaves enough room for contention regarding the reality and the human aspect and behavior of Jesus Christ that the Gospel of Luke depicts him to be. In all its simplicity, we wish to see how Jesus lived and behaved through his youth and teenage life that is seemingly lacking in most films and absent in the chronology of the Bible. Enough focus dwells on the last three years of Jesus' adult life that proclaims his divinity in Aland(1982), but the emphasis of his subjectivity as a human being commands a higher interest pertaining to the allegations of his sexual union with a human being. What would also be an interesting feature is the continuance of Jesus teachings that evolved into the present day religion claimed by the Roman Catholicism. As early as childhood, we have learned of Jesus' association as the son of God in the religious aspect. Latest findings regarding his human nature have baffled mere readers and common followers. It would be more helpful to note that Jesus is not a belief system but rather a reality that participates in the redemption of every human being.  There is nothing to delete in the biblical chapters if only to maintain what is written beforehand unlike the pages of history books that forever needs to be rewritten to accommodate new findings. But in all honesty, the truth should be annexed into the end pages of the bible and with any other related book that is created summative or critical.

Managing Diversity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Diversity - Assignment Example Successful organisations take pride in implementing diversity at work places and they devote some resources as well for taking care of this challenge. The changing demographics of UK further compound this challenge. There are a large number of ethnic minorities in UK, and a recent study projects that, by 2020 half of UK's population will be over-50, and a third of those between 50 and retirement age will be classified as disabled. Government of UK has also realized the need for paying more attention towards the diversity in the society and managing it. The 'Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR)' has been set up by the Equality Act 2006, which emphasizes2 that 'Equality, diversity, and respect for the human rights and dignity of every man, woman and child are core values that define our lives in Britain.' The vision for the CEHR is based on the Government's view that equality is not a minority concern - it matters to every citizen. The commission will be fully functional by October 2007. While the spirit behind this act has got an overwhelming support from HR practitioners, apprehensions3 are also expressed by many speakers during a conference on race, held in London in November 2006. while HR professionals are taking a sigh of relief that the legislative mess of dealing with 35 Acts, 52 statutory instruments and 13 codes of practice on equality issues will be over with the implementation of CEHR, there are other speakers during this conference, who believe that racial concerns will slip down the agenda once they become just one part of the body's work, as it gears up to fight discrimination on seven fronts. A survey4 of 112 HR practitioners by Personnel Today's sister publication IRS Employment Review, shows that respondents hope the CEHR will make things simpler. It is worthwhile here to note that implementation of any law in letter and spirit depends on the intentions of the organisation and how seriously it values the corporate social responsibility. Therefore CEHR will have more of a guiding and nudging role in carrying out the tasks. In fact the survey findings also point out that 81% respondents would be happy if the commission just issued advice on good practice and tools for employers, rather than carry out investigations (40%) and legal enforcement (31%). Diversity Strategy and Organisational Effectiveness The global economy has made it almost mandatory for international corporations that an effective strategy is adopted for managing the diversity. Companies are moving towards flatter organizational structures, and the global economy is allowing the movement of the workforce across national boundaries, effective interaction amongst diverse workers becomes more critical for the smooth organizational functioning. In fact now that debate has started whether the concept of 'managing diversity; forms an alternative to 'equal opportunities' based on gender bias. In the UK, human resource practitioners and academics alike are becoming more aware of the emergence of managing diversity. There is now a view that, after twenty years of the '

Legal Position Of Fashion Designs Plc Assignment

Legal Position Of Fashion Designs Plc - Assignment Example The essay "Legal Position Of Fashion Designs Plc" talks about Legal Position Of Fashion Designs Plc. The North West which was purchased for  £100,000 is now shown to be worth only  £60,000. The North outlet which has a book value of  £50,000 is now worth  £60,000. The company has  £100,000 in the share premium account and a further  £100,000 in the capital redemption reserve account. Now take a quick look upon the net assets in the accounts of the fashion designs plc company, or a discarding of an interest in an undertaking which will outcome in the undertaking’s net assets no longer being merge in the accounts of the fashion designs plc company, the assets the subject of the business means the value of 100% of the undertaking’s assets, irrespective of what interest is obtain or disposed. In the case of a gaining or discarding which is not a substance acquisition/disposal, the assets the subject of the deal means. If we analyzed then we come to know that pro fits attributable to the assets the subject of the transaction x 100%. For these reasons â€Å"Profits of the fashion designs plc company† means profits before taxation and strange items as stated in the subsequent. For these purposes the â€Å"Gross assets of the fashion designs plc company† means the total of its fixed assets plus total existing assets. These figures ought to be taken from the mainly current of the following: The mainly newly notified unite balance sheet; or Where an admission article has been shaped for the purposes of admission subsequent. a reverse conquest, any pro forma net asset declaration published in the entrance document may be used, provide it is derived from information taken from the previous published audited merge accounts and that any alteration to this information are obviously shown and give details; or - In a case where dealings are collective pursuant to rule 14 of the aim rules, the for the most part recently notified merge balance sheet (as at a date prior to the earliest collective transaction). Net Asset Test Now take a quick look upon the net assets in the accounts of the fashion designs plc company, or a discarding of an interest in an undertaking which will outcome in the undertaking's net assets no longer being merge in the accounts of the fashion designs plc company, the assets the subject of the business means the value of 100% of the undertaking's assets, irrespective of what interest is obtain or disposed. In the case of a gaining or discarding which is not a substance acquisition/disposal, the assets the subject of the deal means: - For a gaining, the thought plus any responsibility assumed; and - For a discarding, the book value of the assets credited to that interest in the fashion designs plc company's last audited accounts. - In the case of a gaining of assets other than an interest in a responsibility, the assets the subject of the deal means the book value of those assets Profit Test If we analyzed then we come to know that profits attributable to the assets the subject of the transaction x 100%. Profits of the fashion designs plc company For these reasons "Profits of the fashion designs plc company" means profits before taxation and strange items as stated in the subsequent: - The last published annual merge accounts; - The last notified beginning statement of yearly results; or - In a case where dealings are collective pursuant to rule 14 of the fashion designs plc Rules, the last such accounts or statement prior to the initial transaction. In a case of a gaining or disposal of an interest in an responsibility where accounting consolidation applies, the "profits attributable to the assets the subject of the deal" means 100% of the profits of the undertaking irrespective of what interest is obtain or disposed. Law Position No doubt, a reverse takeover is a gaining or acquisitions in a twelve month period that for a fashion designs Plc Company would: Surpass 100 per cent. in any of the 'class tests' set out above; Outcome in a basic alter in its business, board or voting control; or In the case of an advance company, depart considerably from the investment

Used Car vs. New Car Essay Example for Free

Used Car vs. New Car Essay Some people are fortunate enough for their first car to be a brand new car, no matter what make and model it is. Most likely, your first car is a used one. It may be a 99’ Corolla to a 06’ Altima, both with 100,000 mile on them, but they all serve the same purpose, to get you places. Used and new cars may be different, and some may be the same. Both cars have a stereo system with FM radio, seats, and space, but it’s the detail that makes things different. Used cars may only have a cassette player, which no one has now, while new cars have an auxiliary and USB port, and GPS. You might like a lot of space in a car for going on road trips, or you might like very little to no space at all for racing, depending on what kind of car you get, like a SUV or a sports car. All cars have engines ranging from a four cylinder to a V8 engine. Used cars are commonly known for having at least one thing wrong with them. It could be something wrong with the engine the previous owner didn’t know what to do about it, or it just doesn’t feel like the car is running smoothly. Owning a new car saves you the trouble, worries, and the stress, compared to owning a used car. You don’t worry about the car shutting down on you while you’re driving, or anything else that can put you, and somebody else, in danger. When I’m in a parking lot and see a â€Å"top of the line† car, I say to myself, â€Å"Wow, I wonder how much one of these cost? † Some new car owners might have the wealth to pay the new car off, while used car owners pay half or less for the price of a brand new car. The money you save could be used to repair, or even upgrade your used car so it can run like new. At least $600 are going to be spent on repairing and maintaining a used car. On the other hand, maintenance on a new car is little to $300 depending on what make and model the car is. You can have a huge Hummer, or a 2-door Chevy Cobalt, new or used, they both get you to your destination. It is up to you on what kind of a car you want. Eventually, a new car will get old and you will have to start the process of looking for another car again. As long as the car is maintained, everyone is going to win, and all you’re going to have to do is decide what color you want your car to be.

Sociology Of Health And Illness Assignment Social Work Essay

Sociology Of Health And Illness Assignment Social Work Essay The aim of this assignment is to discuss the strengths and limitations of the social model of disability and how nurses can promote anti-discriminatory practice in relation to people with disabilities. Defining disability is said to be very difficult due to the fact that disability is a complicated, multidimensional concept (Altman 2001). Furthermore Slater et al (1974) has gone as far as stating that constructing a definition that would fit all circumstances is in reality nearly impossible. However attempts have been made by various different people, legislation and models in different ways. According to Altman (2001) these attempts are the reason why there has been a lot of confusion and misuse of disability terms and definitions. The Disability Discrimination Act defines a disabled person as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities. (DDA 2005) However the medical model of disability sees disability as the individuals problem and that it should not concern anyone other than the disabled person, for example, if a student who is in a wheelchair is unable to get into the building due to the steps, the medical model would assume that it is due to the wheelchair rather than the steps. Whereas on the other hand the social model would say that the steps are acting as a barrier to the student, therefore the barrier should be removed. The social model of disability was brought about by activists in the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS) during the 1970s. This model is seen as the main theory which tests disability politics in Britain (Shakespeare et al 2002). The UPIAS argued that there is a major difference between impairment and disability. They defined impairment as lacking part or all of a limb, or having a defective limb, organ or mechanism of the body. They have also defined disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity caused by a contemporary social organization which takes no or little account of people who have physical impairments and thus excludes them from participation in the mainstream of social activities (Giddens 2006). The social model of disability can be defined as an idea that it is society that disables an individual with the way everything is constructed to meet the needs of the majority who are not disabled (Shakespeare et al 2002). Whereas, the social model can be compared with the medical model of disability which tends to focus purely on finding a cure and that to be able to fully participate in society they need to treat their impairment (Crow 1996). The model has several key points. First it describes disabled people as an oppressed social group (Shakespeare et al. 2002) meaning that on top of their impairment, disability is something more deep that excludes and isolates them from participating in society (Oliver 1996). The difference between the impairments that people have to deal with and the oppression which they experience is fundamental to the British social model. Finally, the model defines disability as a form of social oppression, not a form of impairment (Shakespeare et al. 2002). Therefore the aim of the model is to empower disabled people so that they dont feel as though their condition is the problem, but that society is the problem due to the number of barriers it places on disabled people (Giddens 2006). For example, everywhere you go there will be steps, steps to get into a building, steps to climb floors and it is this barrier which causes problems for disabled people therefore the social model provides a soluti on saying that ramps and lifts should be fitted in all buildings, the problem of not being able to stand for too long should be tackled by placing more seats in public places. It is barriers like these that the social model aims to find solutions to. The British disability movement has found great importance in the social model in various different ways. Hasler (1993) describes it as the big idea of the British disability movement. For example, identifying a political strategy to remove barriers in society that played a large role in disabled peoples lives, which was also the main strength of the social model (Shakespeare et al. 2002). Examples of barriers that disabled people faced in all areas of life were the inability to access public transport systems due to the fact that a person was in a wheelchair or had visual or hearing impairment, their inability to find work because employers felt that the disabled person was incapable of doing the job, housing problems and so forth (Thomas 2004). The removal of such barriers would mean that if those people with impairments felt disabled by society then by taking away these barriers would help to empower and promote the inclusion of people with impairments (Shakespeare et al. (2002). The model tries to bring about change in society to suit the individuals need rather than taking up a medical view where you try and look for a cure, or rehabilitation (Shakespeare et al.2002). For example, people who have schizophrenia have to take medication in order to live normal lives. However it is argued that the social models complete view of changing society has become too simplistic or rather an over- socialised explanation. Furthermore, Vic Finkelstein (2004) argues that the social model looks at enabling people to be human in a society rather than having access to their rights. However the medical model of disability has a different perspective. They believe that people with disabilities need to be assessed, that they are incapable of making their own decisions, that they are the problem and that people with disabilities have to be adapted to fit into the world, but if this is not possible then they are placed in specialised institutions or isolated at home where only basic needs are met (Rieser, 2009). A second strength seen from the model was the actual impact on the disabled people themselves. The social model made disabled people feel free as they lifted the view of a medical approach, where the problem was the individual and placed it on society saying that social oppression was the root of the problem. This as a result made people feel liberated and empowered as they were made to believe they were not at fault: society was, that society was in need of the change: not the individual (Shakespeare et al. 2002). The social model helped to bring disabled people to come out like raising feminist consciousness in the seventies, or lesbians and gays coming out (Shakespeare et al. 2002). The social model has played a very important part in many disabled peoples lives, however, despite these strengths to the model there are a number of limitations. Firstly, the social model has been criticised for being unable to deal with the realities of impairment (Oliver, 2004), meaning that the model is not about peoples personal experience of impairment (Oliver, 1996) but about peoples collective experiences of disablement in society (Oliver, 1990). Another point criticised is that other social divisions such as race, gender, ageing, sexuality and so on are not incorporated in to the social model (Oliver, 2004). However Oliver (2004) that just because the social model hasnt incorporated these divisions does not mean that they are unable to. Oliver (2004) states that those who criticise the model are the ones who should try and forge the social model into action when dealing with issues such as race and gender and age and sexuality. Cultural values have also been pointed out to be ignored by the social model. There is an argument about the issue of otherness, meaning that it is the cultural views that people hold which place disabled people as others, not the physical and environmental barriers (Oliver, 2004). Furthermore, another limitation of the social model is that it clearly neglects and ignores the experiences of impairments and disability which are the main cause of problems in most disabled peoples lives (Giddens, 2006). Shakespeare and Watson (2002) argue that we are not just disabled people, we are also people with impairments, and to pretend otherwise is to ignore a major part of our biographies. Against this accusation, Oliver (2004) finds it difficult to accept that disabled peoples experiences are not considered because it is after all the main reason why the model emerged to begin with-due to a number of disabled activists in the 1970s. Furthermore defenders of the model argue that the social model merely focuses on social barriers that disabled people face rather than denying them of everyday experiences due to their impairment (Giddens, 2006). The social model has been criticised as being inadequate as a social theory of disablement (Oliver 2004). Corker and French (1998) talk about social model theorists and then conclude that the social model is not a theory, however Oliver (2004) argues that how can people criticise the social model for something it has never claimed to be? Oliver (2004) states that most people who have developed the social model have claimed that they have said the social model of disability is not a theory of disability. Leading on from the strengths and limitations, there is a substantial amount that nurses can do to promote anti-discriminatory practice in relation to people with disabilities by maintaining a positive attitude towards people with disabilities as they are constantly involved with the treatment and care of people with physical or intellectual disabilities (Klooster et al. 2009). Nursing schools as like other professions, tend to be based around the medical model of care where they aim to diagnose and treat diseases (Klooster et al. 2009). However as Byron et al (2000) has stated that not all disabled people are unwell and may not have a disease. Nurses have an important role, like other health professionals, in influencing a disabled persons response to treatment (Oermann Lindgren, 1995). Therefore Carter et al (2001) has stated that inappropriate attitudes and behaviours from staff are the biggest barriers which disabled people face, which has led to further research indicating that nursing students should move away from the medical model of care when working with people with disabilities and should focus on a more social model perspective (Scullion, 1999). Further research has indicated that nursing students attitudes towards disabled people may be improved by educational programmes which can help nurses to be in direct contact and to work with disabled people (Oermann Lindgren, 1995). However, the research literature suggests that this is currently not happening in nursing practice (Klooster et al 2009). For example, Brillhart et al (1990) found that nursing students had more negative attitudes then the person with the disabilities themselves. Nurses can help to provide clear information as Hammel (2003) states that professionals need to listen to what people are telling them and that actions and non-verbal messages can speak very loudly. Nurses can form strategies to communicate with disabled people in order to make their life easier (Hammel, 2003). However it is common that fewer health care professionals are reluctant to provide services for disabled people as they age (Hammel, 2003). By providing clear information nurses also involve other people who are important in the disabled persons life and ensuring that they are informed about options and benefits for the disabled person as well as themselves. Nurses can also act as advocates for disabled people so that they have equal use of services or even provide information of advocacy groups for the disabled person for example Centres for Independent Living (Hammel, 2003). Furthermore, where young people are concerned nurse can give advice to families about possibilities for independence and can also refer them to community resources that may help young people pursue further education, find a job and live independently (Blomquist et al. 1998) Lastly the Disability Discrimination Act is a guide for nurses to help them provide better care for people with disabilities and also how they can develop their practice (Aylott, 2004). There are many aspects with which nurses can help promote anti-discriminatory practice in relation to people with disabilities however, nurses need to keep a positive attitude towards people with disabilities in order for the anti-discriminatory practice to work. In conclusion for there to be equal rights for people with disabilities, Oliver (2004), states that people spend too much time discussing the strengths and limitations of each model therefore he suggests that both models should be integrated, ideas of both models should be put together and used in concordance so as to actually help people with disabilities. Oliver (2004) claims that if we imagine that throughout history carpenters and builders of the world had spent their time talking about whether the hammer was an adequate tool for the purpose of building houses, we would still be living in caves. Therefore there is a hammer in the disability movement and if it was used properly then the social model of disability can become the hammer of justice and freedom for disabled people (Oliver 2004). References Altman, B.M., (2001). Disability definitions, models, classification schemes and applications. In G.L. Albrecht. K.D. Seelman, M. Bury, (eds.) (2001). Handbook of Disability Studies. Sage, California. Ch.3. Aylott, J., (2004). Learning disabilities. Autism: developing a strategy for nursing to prevent discrimination. British Journal of Nursing, 13(14), 828-833. Blomquist, K.B., Brown, G., Peersen, A., and Presler, E.P., (1998). Transitioning to independence: challenges for young people with disabilities and their caregivers. Orthopaedic Nursing, 17(3), 27-35. Brillhart B.A., Jay H. Wyers M.E. (1990) Attitudes toward people with disabilities. Rehabilitation Nursing. 15(2), 80-82. 85. Byron M. Dieppe P. (2000) Educating health professionals about disability: attitudes, attitudes, attitudes. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 93(8), 397-398. Carter J.M. Markham N. (2001) Disability discrimination. British Medical Journal, 323(7306), 178-179. Crow, L., (1996). Including all of our lives: Renewing the social model of disability. In C. Barnes. Geof Mercer, (eds.) Exploring the divide. Leeds: The Disability Press, pp.55-72. Finkelstein, V., (2004). Representing Disability. In J. Swain., S. French., C. Barnes., and C. Thomas, (eds.) Disabling Barriers- Enabling Environments. 2nd edition. Sage, London. Ch.2. Giddens, A. (2006). Sociology. 5th edition. Polity Press, Cambridge. Hammel, J., (2003). Technology and the environment: supportive resource or barrier for people with developmental disabilities. The Nursing Clinics of North America, 38(2), 331-349. Klooster, P.M.ten., Dannenberg, J.W., Taal, E., Burger, G., and Rasker, J.J. (2009). Attitudes towards people with physical or intellectual disabilities: nursing students and non-nursing peers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(12), 2562-2573. Oermann M.H. Lindgren C.L. (1995) An educational programmes effects on students attitudes toward people with disabilities: a 1-year follow-up. Rehabilitation Nursing 20(1), 6-10. Oliver, M. (1990). The Politics of Disablement. Macmillan Press, Basingstoke. Oliver, M. (1996). Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practice. Macmillan Press, Basingstoke. Oliver, M. (2004). If I had a hammer: The social model. In J. Swain., S. French., C. Barnes., and C. Thomas, (eds.) Disabling Barriers- Enabling Environments. 2nd edition. Sage, London. Ch.1. Rieser, R. (2009) The Social Model of Disability [online article]. Available from [accessed 6th January 2010]. Scullion P.A. (1999) Conceptualizing disability in nursing: some evidence from students and their teachers. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 29(3), 648-657. Shakespeare, T., Watson, N. (2002). The Social model of disability: an outdated ideology?. Research in Social Science and Disability, 2, 9-28. Thomas, C., (2004.) Disability and Impairment. In J. Swain., S. French., C. Barnes., and C. Thomas, (eds.) Disabling Barriers- Enabling Environments. 2nd edition. Sage, London. Ch.3.

Lost Innocence and Buried Emotions :: essays research papers fc

Lost Innocence and Buried Emotions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever had a special relationship with a sibling or spouse? Henry and Lyman did in the â€Å"Red Convertible† by Louise Erdrich. They grew up on an Indian reservation in Minnesota and were the first ones to own a convertible, which allowed them to leave the reservation and experience life outside of it. That summer they grew close as they traveled from Minnesota to the Little Knife River in North Dakota, eventually finding themselves on the Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana: â€Å"We went places in that car, me and Henry. We took off driving one whole summer†(Erdrich, 365). Upon returning from their travels, Henry’s draft number was called and he joined the marines and was sent to fight in Vietnam: â€Å"I don’t wonder that the army was so glad to get my brother that they turned him into a Marine† (Erdrich, 366). Like Henry, I returned from war with my innocence lost and emotions buried so deeply that I found it difficult t o reconnect with the loved ones in my life. Henry returned from the war a changed man. Somewhere in Vietnam, his innocence had been lost and his emotions buried deep under all of the death and destruction that surrounded him for nearly three years. â€Å"When he came home, though, Henry was very different, and I’ll say this: the change was no good† (Erdrich, 366). He had changed from an easygoing, good-natured fellow into someone who rarely laughed, often looking for the worst in people with a cold and calculating stare. Seeing this, Lyman realized that his relationship with Henry was forever changed. The Gulf War had the same effect on me as Vietnam had on Henry, and like Lyman, Audrey, my wife noticed similar changes in me, affecting our relationship. For years, I was emotionally dead. Eventually, I had to deal with my emotions or I would lose my wife, for she could not live with someone that had become so emotionally disconnected from everything around him. So, I decided to take a few months off, and Audrey and I loaded up our grey ford truck and traveled throughout Texas and Mexico. With her help, I was able to learn how to feel again, unlike Henry, who felt that his only cure was to let his boots fill up with water. â€Å"’My Boots are filling,’ he says† (Erdrich, 370). Though we fought in different wars decades and miles apart, like so many others Henry and I lost our innocence and buried our emotions.

Case study on Implementation of quality systems through information technology systems in Athal Company Essay

Case study on Implementation of quality systems through information technology systems in Athal Company Introduction                   Athal is a service offering company that was established in 1980. It offers inspection, testing, consulting, and quality control services. The company offers services to different companies in different industries through its 15 branches in United Kingdom. The company had offered these services in the past using manual quality system but due to competition and emergence of technology in the industry, the company found it necessary to implement a new automated quality assurance system by adapting information technology systems. This would enable it to offer quality services that meet national and international standards. The implementation of the new system was faced with challenges from financial to employees’ resistance to the new technology. The data on the case study was obtained through questionnaires and interviews. The findings were as follows. From the 110 questionnaires administered, only 100 of them were complete and used for this case st udy. From the 100 questionnaires that were complete, 90% discredited the manual system saying it was faulty as it offered minimum monitoring. 70% of the employees had a positive attitude about the manual system, as it was not effective when monitoring employees. 30% had negative attitude on the system as they felt the system caused personal conflicts between them and the people in charge of quality control. 100% of the participants agreed that the automated system was more effective compared to the manual system since all the employees had to log in to automated biometric system. 43% of the employees were resistant to the process and felt that the manual system would continue while 57% of the employees felt that transformation to the automated quality system was necessary. 95% of the employees felt that it was important to implement the quality system for both the external and internal environment of the business to ensure that the overall performance of the company was monitored. 5 % of the participants were not sure if the quality system was supposed to be installed both internally and externally.                   The company’s 110 employees were issued with questionnaires and five management staffs from the five departments were interviewed revealing the following: The employees were resistant on the new implementation was because of fear of losing their jobs and their relevance when the new technology would be adapted in the company. Hence, the implementation process heavily relied on the employees in the company. The company sensitization and trainings employees on the new technology saw the implementation process become smooth. The company also faced challenge on the cost of the new system in terms of infrastructures such as software, computers, and training employees and technical staff on running and marinating the process. However, the implementation of the new system improved the services offered and increased its competitive advantage in the market. Through analysis, it was realised that, the company use of technology has limited the buyers’ bargaining power thus retraining and attracting more customers from its unique quality services that it offered. The new technology decreased the profitability of the industry thus decreasing the threats of the new entry. The company was under the threat of high suppliers’ bargaining power due to few suppliers in the industry that made the cost of operations to increase thus decreasing the profits margins. There industry has threats of substitute services that are offered by companies using the manual system at low prices. However, the new automated system was found to be fast and giving effective services that attracted consumers and thus retaining and attracting new employees in the company thus helping it to regain its competitive position in the market. Moreover, the ability of the system to be monitored by different people at the results in services that are accurate is free from errors thus giving consumers’ confidence as opposed to the manual system. The proces s is also cost effective in long term due to reduced time and human capital that can be utilized in other constructive duties that would improve the productivity of the company. The system was recommended for both internal and external controls. Question                   Athal is a company was established in 1980 in United Kingdom. It main work is provision of services in that vary from inspection, testing, consulting and quality control. They offer these services to different organizations to ensure that they offer quality services and that they are able to handle managerial and financial problems with the international standards. The company offers these services in more than 15 branches in United Kingdom. For the company to be efficient, it has linked all the 15 offices through information systems and technology. The company also manages to offer these services by employing 110 workers that are of various professional backgrounds. The workers are delegated duties based on 5 different departments of the company that include public relations, finance department, technical, marketing and quality control. The finance department ensures that all the financial services are met for the company and that of the clients looking for consultancy services in the organization. The public relation department ensures that interpersonal relationship for all the clients and workers is maintained at high level thereby improving the performance of the employees, retain, and attract more customers. This has led to productivity of the company due good customer relation and high quality services that the company offers. Technical department ensures all the other department and technical services management meet the goal and mission of the company to offer quality services.                   The quality control department ensures that all the services that offered by the company and its internal managements are in line with the international and local standards (Hoyle, 2009 p. 244). The company had adopted manual quality control system that mandated employees to monitor all the services and departments in the company. In addition, the inspections and testing when assessing qualities of their clients was done manually, which was expensive and involving to the employees in charge. The manual system was not efficient and some of the departments, employees, and services monitoring was poor resulting to poor services that affected the productivity of the company. The quality of services that a company or business offers helps it to retain and attract more customers making the company more competitive and commanding a wider share of the market (Berry, & Parasuraman, 2004 p. 134). Therefore, for the company to improve its services and improves its market share, a competitive and efficient quality control systems had to be put in place. Despite the high cost of implementation, the service would ensure that quality services are dispensed through efficient monitoring services.                   The company adopted and automated a quality control system developed through information technology to link all the five departments and the employees. Consequently, the company linked all the 15 branches such that all the services offered meet the customers need. The interlinked company departments and branches would ensure that inspection and testing process were efficient. The technical department monitored and maintained all the systems. The marketing department quality system ensured that customers could get all the necessary information and services that meet the international standards. Consequently, through quality control the public relation department would ensure that a good relationship among all the stakeholders of the company by disseminating relevant information and keeping the customers updated throughout.                   The questions categorized for questionnaires and interviews. The employees’ questions related to the effectiveness of the new process, their attitude on the change, and the transformation to the new system. Moreover, it also focused on employees’ involvement in the new process, and how monitoring changed comparing the old system. Concerning this question, some employees said that the new system was more effective while few of them did not distinguish between the performance of the manual and the new system saying that they view both systems as the same. On the issue of cost and monitoring, most of them said that the new system on quality assurance was more costly and offered close monitoring of employees and projects on the course thus maintain a high performance rate in the company. On the issue of the attitude of the employees, some employees had a negative attitude on the new system as they said that the new system would limit their free dom and might result to losing their jobs. Those with positive attitude argued that the new automated system would make work easier and improve the performance of the company. Few were confused on the though seemed interested with the implementation of the new technology. The implementation process was expensive from the response of the majority of the participants while few did not care about the cost and they said that it was cheap for the company since it had enough resources to implement the new system. According to the participant in this case study that were working for Athal company for the time of the research, the transformation process was faced with resistant as some employees feared losing jobs due to inadequate skills. Other argued that new technology would result in working overtime because some machines would require monitoring and thus resisted the change and made the transformation process difficult for the management. A number of the employees said that transformat ion was smooth as they cited that the management was able to deal with employees and assured them that nothing would change on the management of employees and their jobs were safe. They also indicated that the management assured them that the transformation to the new automated system would include training of employees in order to adapt to the new system. The employees argue that method would be applicable to both internal and external monitoring, as the company required the monitoring of the quality of other companies that it offered services. To them, this was the best means by which the company would improve its services to its clients.                   On the part of the management interview, it emphasized on the performance of the new technology, employees and clients response, and the cost of the implementation. The interview involved five management employees under the five departments. The management unanimously answered that the performance of the new system showed improvement. They cited that the system could process large information fast, accurately, and effective as compared to the old system. The management argued that the employees had a mixed reaction on the implementation while the clients were happy and welcomed the new system, as they believed that it could improve their services. The implementation process was costly according to the management but they did it as a way of improving their qualities.                   The organization experienced problems and poor performance in the marketing department thus caused reduced customers in the company. Similarly, poor performance of public relations department resulted to conflicts and poor employees’ performance that affected the efficiency and productivity of the company in delivering its services. In every company or business, good employees’ relationship is important since it minimizes conflicts and improves their working conditions and as a result, employees become very productive, which is the aim of every business. Consequently, employees are able to offer quality services to the customers thus retaining more customers for the company. Similarly, the slow monitoring and poor services in the finance department caused company poor performances and financial mismanagements. All the problems happened to Athal Company despite it having a manual quality assurance system that was mandated monitoring and ensu ring that the company was able to operate within the local and international business environment. The problems reflected that the manual system was ineffective. Therefore, the company needed to change its method of quality assurance so that it could ensure that customers received quality services. Finance department also needed good management as it ensured that the company operated with the international and national standards. The approach would not only improve the company’s quality systems but also improve its productivity and its competitiveness due to high quality services and standards that it would uphold.                   The target market for Athal Company is organizations and businesses that are in need of consultancy, inspection and testing services. The companies or businesses may be diverse and offering various services in the market but for them to provide quality services to their customers, they strengthen their managements through Athal consultation services (Wigand, 2003 p. 33). Therefore, Athal Company needs to provide high quality services and set international standards to its clients. Hence, it was important for it to adapt new technology in quality assurance services that would allow it give quality inspection, testing, and quality control services. Thus, adapting an automated information system would ensure that it would be able to carry out internal and external quality control.                   Athal Company offered effective services in the industry, which has maintained its productivity in the market in spite of its manual system. The company has also high skilled employees although the achievement of the company’s goals has been achieved through extra management and monitoring. In addition, the company operates in an industry where competition is not very much stiff. However, the emergence of the new technology that few companies are adapting, competition is becoming a business issue that management has to deal with. Moreover, the companies marketing strategies and technology adaptation has been poor until the recent past when the company adapted the new technology on quality assurance. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the implementation process of the new quality assurance system and how best is suited in the company’s strategies to improve its productivity and growth in the industry. Literature Review                   With the development and the industrialization of the world, technology has become inevitable to business industries (Lanz, 2013 p. 6). Many businesses industries adapt technologies to increase efficiency and quality of services they offer. The quality services and efficiency serves as a strategy to compete in the market. Information technology is one of the technologies that have been adapted by many companies and bushiness to improve on their performance (Ho-Chang, Chang, & Prybutok, 2014 p. 316). The information technologies have been used in various areas of specialization for company such as records department, financial, marketing and quality control. The technologies are linked to the business strategies such that they fit the competitive strategies making the company to fit in a dynamic market and environment (Wang et al, 2012 p. 346). The information technology systems help to integrate business entities making it more manageable and efficient i n delivery of its services (Drnevich, & Croson, 2013 p. 488-489). Hence, the quality system that would incorporate information technology system will enhance the integration of the five departments and the external environment making the company more manageable and improve service delivery. Consequently, the business would be able to compete and improve its performance.                   The implementation of the new technology in Athal Company involved an organization change. Hence the company needed to prepare the employees for a new change because people tend to resist to changes and particularly to those that tend to affect their freedom (Ford, J., Ford, L., & D’Amelio, 2008 p. 370). The managers have the responsibility to initiate new changes and influence employees to develop positive attitude on the technologies for smooth adoption of new technology (Lilly, & Durr, 2012 p. 199). To avoid resistance managers and executive must provide employees with trainings and other support skills that will help them to adapt to new technologies (KumpikaitÄâ€", & ÄÅ'iarnienÄâ€", 2008 p. 93-94.). Methodology                   The case study used questionnaires to obtain information from the employees about the manual quality system and the newly implemented quality systems in the company (Appendix 4). All the 110 employees were administered questionnaires to feel that contained both the questions about the old and the new information systems. In addition, interviews were conducted with five members from the top management team to understand the monitoring of the two systems (Appendix 5).                   The questionnaires were preferred for the employees because they were a large group in the company and other methods would take a lot of time. Moreover, it was possible to administer all the questionnaires at the same time thus saving time and getting the required information. However, the tool is not appropriate for getting details.                   Interviews were preferred for the management team because they were few and it could be managed with a short time. Interview also helps in getting details about the implementation process. However, it is time consuming. The interview involved the three questions attached in the appendix for the management.                   Athal Company was chosen in this case study since it was one of the companies that had implemented a new automated quality system using information technology in the recent past. These meant employees could be able to provide the required information as opposed to those that implemented it long time ago. In addition, there was high likely hood that most of the employees working in the company were present during the implementation process thus accurate information. Moreover, the implementation of the new system was faced with many challenges from employees’ resistance to financial support. In addition, the company size was manageable for this study since it had few employees, few departments and only five departments. Hence, finding information from the company would be easier compared to large complicated company.                   The region of study was chosen to be United Kingdom because the location has been advanced in quality system technology and so there was high likelihood of finding a company that had implemented a quality system using information system as the study had targeted. The studies show that the United Kingdom has a number of companies operating in quality assurance industry, which made the study more appropriate within the country (Sroufe, & Curkovic, 2008 p. 517). Study                   The case study involved the shifting of Athal Company from the manual quality systems to new automated quality systems that would be implemented using information technology systems. To implement the new quality assurance system using information system, the company needed to purchase new computers, information systems software to link various departments and branches. The program required skilled labor that was costly and extra training for the employees so that they could be able to adapt to the new technology freely. In addition, the new technology needed change of organization behavior from a manual system to an automated system, which many of the employees were not conversant. Therefore, the company had to change the behavior of employees from manual to automated systems, which risked objection and resistant. Hence, the management had to use their leadership skills and organization development to implement the new change successfully (Mullins, 2013 p. 8). The new system meant that the employees freedom, poor performance and missing of duties would end. Consequently, their level of services would be monitored and thus giving quality services. The implementation process involved installation of inspection, testing, and quality control infrastructures that were linked using information system software and hardware that would be used to disseminate information.                   The change to new technology for Athal Company meant that it would increase its market share due to improved quality of services that it would offer. Its clients would receive quality inspection and testing that would guarantee the quality control. The new information system would be able to monitor external companies that serve as its client at constant rates thus enhancing efficiency of Athal Company. Moreover, the automated system has low errors as compared to the manual system thus, the right services will be offered. This will guarantee the company efficient services that meet the national and international levels.                   The new changes to the automated system will enable the management in the Athal Company to be able to define their objectives and delegate to specific employees, which could not be possible with the manual system. Defined objectives and delegation of duties in the company will mean that the tasks would be accomplished in time. Moreover, less time is wasted using the automated quality systems thus the employees become more productive in spite of quality services that they offer. The result is the overall productivity of the company and better services to their clients compared to when they were using the manual system.                   The company decision to implement the new quality assurance system was because of increased competition and the deteriorating performance on its inspection, testing, and quality control services. The few companies in the industry had improved their performance, they had started to command the market, and therefore, the company had to look for means by which it could be able to compete with the other companies. The adoption of the new automated quality assurance system was seen as the only way that the company would be able to compete successfully in the market and thus a decision was finally reached to implement the new system. However, the decision was subject to employees support as they would be the one s that would use the technology for the benefit of the company. The decision process involved all the employees in the company where opinions were included in the new projects. Due to fear of most of the employees on their relevance when the new techno logy would be implemented, training of existing and recruiting of new employees was included as part of the implementation of the new system. When all the employees were comfortable with the new technology and sensitized on the need to shift to the new technology, the management went ahead to implement the new automated quality system in the company. Since the employees are growth oriented, they were able to adapt to the new system. Analysis                   The company wanted to implement new system as a sign of its improvement from the manual to the automated system. The automated system would allow the company to improve its services and the ability to upgrade and update the systems software will give the company ability to adapt to continued improvement of its services. Therefore, the new technology will be advantageous to the manual quality system that limited continued improvement throughout the operations.                   The case study can be analyzed using various porters’ five forces to determine its applicability of the new technology in Athal Company and the external business environment (Appendix 7). The porters’ five forces help to analyze the business in terms of competition, threat of new entry, power of buyers, suppliers, and substitute’s products or services.                   Consulting industry in United Kingdom is very competitive and thus companies in the industry must devise strategies that will make them more competitive and make them the leading companies in the market. Therefore, for Athal Company to remain relevant in the market, it must adopt the best technologies that will enable it to provide the best quality assurance services in the industry. In the industry, company adapt to manual systems due to their low operation cost (Ahuja, & Khamba, 2008 p. 745). Hence, Athal company shift to new technology gives it competitive advantages over the other companies in the industry. According to the research carried out on the company, 90% of the employees credited the automated system saying that it was effective compared to the manual system. Thus, the system would be able to deliver quality effective services to its target market. Quality services help a company to retain its customers and place it in a more competitive po sition in the market as customer or buyers tend to be attracted by quality and not the prices (Porter, 2008 p. 33). Therefore, the company’s choice on the automated system would be advantageous in the market despite the cost that is associated with it. The implementation of the new automated case study led to the improvement of the company’s performance and increase in customers seeking services from the company and thus improved incomes as shown in figure 1 below (Appendix 1). According to the interview carried out on the company’s income performance, the income is expected to rise to $ 27,000 million with the new automated system.                   The industry suffers from the presence of companies that are still using manual systems as a means of quality assurance system. The manual system forms the substitute services offered in the industry. These companies charge their inspection services at lower prices that threaten Athal automated services. Hence, Athal Company must offer good services beyond their clients’ expectations so that they will be able to shift from the manual to the automated. The company also needs to put in place marketing strategies that will advertise the new system emphasizing on the quality of services that it will offer as opposed to their previous method of quality assurance. Moreover, the company needs to offer quality services that will meet the needs of the clients. Hence, the company needs to improve its management and staff training so that it will be able to cope up with the substitute services from the company.                   In every market, companies maintain the large share of the market through limiting the bargaining power of the consumers. Initially, the company was offering manual services that were offered by other companies in the market. This gave consumers more bargaining power as they had a wide choice of obtaining services from various companies. However, the shift of Athal company from manual system to the new technology that was adapted by few companies make consumers to have limited choices of seeking services from the automated companies. The presence of few companies with the automated quality control system makes it possible for Athal Company to limit the bargaining power of consumers. When the bargaining power of consumers in the market is limited, they will tend to buy or obtain services from a single business (Chen, 2008 p. 241). Therefore, Athal Company will limit the customers and thus they will tend to seek the new services from the company thus impro ving its productivity and making it more competitive in the market.                   Athal Company shifting to the new technology meant that it would also shift its suppliers from those that provided the manual facilities to those that would suppliers it with facilities and infrastructures for the new technology. Since many companies in the industry have not adapted the new technology, it means that the suppliers are few in the industry. Few suppliers mean that the suppliers provide their services with strict conditions and high prices due to lack of competition. Moreover, the suppliers have high bargaining power in the market. This led to high installation cost for the automated quality system and the maintenance cost. The high prices offered by suppliers in the market reduce the profits margins for the companies operating in the industry (Chen, 2008 p. 241). Therefore, the new technology was costly to the company and the consecutive maintenance costs remain high thus reducing the profits margin for the company. Hence, limited suppliers in the industry threaten Athal Company adaptation to the new technology for quality system.                   The decreased number of suppliers and the reduced profits margin in the industry discourage new entrants in the industry. The decreased new entrants in the industry result in decreased competition in the market and threats for the existing companies. Therefore, Athal Company is free from threats of new entry due to high cost of adapting new quality system technology. The reduced competition creates favorable environment for the existing company to operate and improve their services in order to achieve their desired profit margin and growth in the market. According to the management, the maintenance cost for the new technology in the quality system is 40% more than the previous manual system. Hence, few companies in the industry can adapt it and especially those that are profit oriented. Advantage of Athal Company on implementation of the new quality assurance system                   The implementation of the new quality assurance system by Athal Company will accrue various advantages over the old manual system. The advantages will be in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, cost, involvement, and result oriented.                   The automated system will be advantageous in that inspection and tests will be run fast and effectively thus saving time that can be used to do other constructive duties in the company. Automated system will mean that the same type of the information will be fed to the system for various clients at a very short time and giving results instantly (Mak, & Peng, 2008 p. 366). One can only repeat similar information for the automated system. However, on the manual system one would be forced to record similar information for various entry and different clients thus taking a lot of time for a given task and giving out delayed results. This can be distractive to clients making them to shift their services to other companies that can offer fast and effective services. Hence, the automated system will not only give effective services at a very short time, but also retain the customer making the company more competitive in the market as opposed to the manual system (GE inspections N.d p. 1).                   Although the automated system installation and training of employees on the new system is costly in the short term, in long term, the system will be cheap as there will be saving of time and decreased human involvement thus saving the cost of labour for the company. The time saved could be used to do other constructive and productive services for the company, which would in turn give returns that subsidise the cost incurred by the company. Since the new system utilises decreased human labour, the company can opt reducing its labour, which may as well reduce its cost of operation and thus increase its profits margin (GE inspections N.d p. 18). However, the manual system required a lot of time to fill out the forms and extra human labour to attend different labour thus the process becoming expensive in the long term and but cheap in the short term since there are is no cost of installation. Hence, the automated system is less expensive in the long term and thus more advantageous to the company compared to the manual system.                   The automated system is results oriented and the results can be assessed by different employees since they will be available from the system thus minimizing errors being transferred to clients. Moreover, different employees can monitor the results in their various destinations so that a perfect final product is achieved. Hence, the system forms the best collaborative monitoring system. This is in contrast to the manual where results are only processed by an individual subjecting them to errors that may be transferred to clients and may affect the customer relation with the company and affect its performance and provision of services. Therefore, Athal implementation of the new quality system through information system presents it with advantage on accurate and quality services for the customer thus maintain customer relations and maintaining its market performance at improved level.                   However, the new automated system will be a challenge to the company as the information system tool is expensive on purchase and replacement in cases of breakdown. Moreover, the process of maintenance and training of employees can be very expensive for the company thus accruing unplanned cost, which may make its services more expensive thus making it less competitive in the market. Customers are attracted by low prices in the market. Although the automated system performs various tests for the information fed for the machine, the system has limitations and some of the tests such as images, and colour are only tested using manual system. Hence, the system cannot operate fully independently. Thus the cost of operation is increased by additional services for manual system. Findings                   The data obtained from this case study from Athal Company was summarised as follows. From the questionnaires, only 100 of them were complete and used for this case study. From the 100 questionnaires that were complete, 90% discredited the manual system saying it was faulty as it offered minimum monitoring. 10% saw it as the means to abscond their duties for their private jobs. All the employees agreed that the manual system was costly in terms of monitoring but cheap on the maintenance. 70% of the employees had a positive attitude about the manual system as it was not effective when monitoring employees. Employees could be absent from work without the knowledge of the top management due to unreported cases. 30% had negative attitude on the system as they felt the system caused personal conflicts between them and the people in charge of quality control. 100% of the participants agreed that the automated system was more effective compared to the manual sys tem since all the employees had to log in to automated biometric system. The information could be relayed fast and reach the target group within the shortest time possible. 43% of the employees were resistant to the process and felt that the manual system would continue while 57% of the employees felt that transformation to the automated quality system was necessary. 95% of the employees felt that it was important to implement the quality system for both the external and internal environment of the business to ensure that the overall performance of the company was monitored. 5% of the participants were not sure if the quality system was supposed to be installed both internally and externally.                   The data that was obtained from the management was as follows. According to the management, the automated quality system was more effective and efficient in monitoring and delivery of information across the company departments and branches. Moreover, the system was fast as compared to the manual systems. The management agreed that the automated quality system improved the performance of the employees and that of the company thus increasing attracting more customers. The customers had increased from 300 to 550 per day when the new system was implemented as shown in figure 3 below (appendix 3). Similarly, it is expected that the income would increase from $ 13,000 to $ 27,000 million by the end of the first year the figure 2 below in appendix 3 analysis the change. The management said that the employees had mixed reactions on the new quality systems, with almost half number of the employees arguing against it. However, concerted trainings and sensitization s led to smooth implementation of the new systems. From the questionnaires, it was found that managers appreciated the new systems and saw it a good system for medium companies. The implementation process was expensive and the maintenance cost is high. The installation and maintenance cost is 60% more for the new technology than the manual system as shown in the figure below. Conclusions and Recommendations                   The objectives of this case study were achieved in that the new quality assurance system that was implemented by Athal Company could be upgraded unlike the manual system through update of information system software.                   The process of full implementation, handling, monitoring, operating the system for the Athal Company involved the employees and organization management. Therefore, the process of quality assurance is effective when coupled to individuals, groups and organisations.                   According to the management, the type of the information system adapted to be used by quality assurance system depend on the size of the organization, services offered, financial ability and availability of resources. Athal Company being a medium company chose the relevant information system that meets their size of the company, financial ability and ability for continuous improvement.                   The process of quality assurance automation involves installation of testing, inspection and quality control equipments that are interlinked with information system software and hand wares such as computers to record information and deliver results. Athal Company followed the protocol and successfully implemented a quality system using information system.                   The following recommendations would be most appropriate for the company and other that would take the initiative to implement the same system in their premises.                   The company should prepare its employees in advance through hiring the right employees who have the skills to prevent unnecessary cost from extra trainings. If there has to be a training, only few employees should be trained and not the entire workforce. This would prevent resistant to new technology and save the company unplanned costs.                   The company should asses the availability of suppliers of the technology that is planning to adopt to prevent exploitation of the company by suppliers as evidenced in this case study. Few suppliers in the market resulted to increased cost, which in turn led to reduced profits from high cost of operations. References Ahuja, I. P. S., & Khamba, J. S. 2008. Total productive maintenance: literature review and directions. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 25(7), 709-756. Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. 2004. Marketing services: Competing through quality. Simon and Schuster. Chen, Z. 2008. Defining buyer power. Antitrust Bull., 53, 241. Ford, J. D., Ford, L. W., & D’Amelio, A. 2008. Resistance to change: The rest of the story. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 362-377. GE Inspections. Inspection Technologies: Productivity through inspection solution. N.d 1-19 Ho-Chang, C., Chang E., K., & Prybutok, V. R. 2014. Information technology capability and firm performance: contradictory findings and their possible causes. MIS Quarterly, 38(1), 305-A14. Hoyle, D. 2009. ISO 9000 quality systems handbook. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann. KumpikaitÄâ€", V., & ÄÅ'iarnienÄâ€", R. 2008. New training technologies developing human resources. Economics & Management, 93-94. Lanz, J. 2013. Helping Small and Midsized Businesses Succeed in a Technology-Driven World. CPA Journal, 6-9. Lilly, J. D., & Durr, D. W. 2012. Technology changes at work and employee reactions: The role of leader behavior. Human Systems Management, 31(3/4), 193-201. Mak, K. L., & Peng, P. 2008. An automated inspection system for textile fabrics based on Gabor filters. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 24(3), 359-369. Mullins, L.J. (2013). Management & Organisational Behaviour. Pearson Porter, M. E. 2008. The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard business review, 86(1), 25-40. Sroufe, R., & Curkovic, S. (2008). An examination of ISO 9000: 2000 and supply chain quality assurance. Journal of Operations Management, 26(4), 503-520. Wang, N., Liang, H., Zhong, W., Xue, Y., & Xiao, J. 2012. Resource Structuring or Capability Building? An Empirical Study of the Business Value of Information Technology. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 29(2), 325-367. Wigand, R. T. 2003. Introduction to business information systems. Berlin [u.a.: Springer-Verl. Appendices Appendix 1 Figure 1: showing the changes in income with respect to change in quality assurance system Appendix 2 Figure 2: increase in number of employees with the change in technology Appendix 3 Figure 3: comparison between the cost of the automated and manual quality system. Appendix 4 Questionnaires Serial no. Question Answers Employees 1 How effective was the manual system 2 Was the manual system costly in terms of monitoring and maintenance 3 What was your attitude on the manual system 4 How effective has the automated quality system been compared to the manual system 5 Comparing to the manual system, was it costly in terms of implementation and maintenance 6 How was the transformation to the new automated system 7 Was the automated system applicable to internal and external monitoring of the company 8 Was you involved when deciding on the new system Appendix 5 Management interview questions 8 How do you compare between the manual and automated quality control system on their performance 9 How did the employees and customers respond to the new system automated system 10 Kindly comments on the overall implementation process and whether the cost of the installation of the process is high or low Appendix 6 Manual system Automated system Customers 300 per day 550 per day Income $ 13,000 million $ 27,000 million Cost and maintenance 100% of the standard cost 160% of the standard cost Appendix 7 Source document