Foreign And Local Studies Essay

How it Works The system compares current inventory levels of a product and the number scheduled for production with the number needed, and determines if the level of production must be changed. If necessary, the system sends a message to the master production schedule to increase production. Also, the inventory monitoring system slows down production when a product’s retail sales levels don’t meet the sales forecast and the company overproduces the product. LOCAL LITERATURE Evercom Auto Supply is working under manual method which sometimes causes customer dissatisfaction because of the slow process on how they transact to their customers and the occurrence of some errors that are not expected such as doubling the items purchased by the customers, misplaced of the carbon copy of receipt, mistakes in listing of an items purchased by the customer, sometimes the items purchased by the customer is not listed on a receipt, a wrong computation of the items purchased by the customer and sometimes they forgot to record the damage item. The occurrence lost and improper recording of some items. They had difficulties on accessing the item in the inventory due to manual system operation. 2.1.1. Specific Problem 1. How to develop a module that will monitor the fast and slow moving of items, reorder, critical level, safety stock and back order of its inventory? Evercom Auto Supply doesn’t have a computerized system, they do not monitor on their fast and slow moving items, reorder, critical level, safety stock and back order. It is difficult to determine what items are in demand and those are not because their records of sales and inventory are written at one record book. The owner is not aware in monitoring the stocks, if the stocks are in critical level or re-ordering point and needed to replenish. The owner doesn’t have idea about the safety stock and he doesn’t know if the items have damage or not. 2. How to design, develop, and implement a module that will improve their purchasing order? Evercom Auto Supply purchased their items from their supplier. There will be in-charge person to check their items manually. After checking all the items, the person in-charge will write down all the items on a piece of paper that is needed to order. Sometimes the supplier will go to the store and ask the  owner if what they want to order. There are times that they need to order large quantities of an item. It takes a lot of time to do that because they manually check the items on their store and the record book. 3. How to design, develop, and implement a module that will improve their sales transaction? Evercom Auto Supply is faced with such problems in dealing with their customers on their have made. The problem of that is the manual process of their business transaction it takes a lot of time to consume because of the repeated process of doing a receipt by completing the information include on that. When the customers buy a large quantity of items, sometimes they do not list all the items buy by the customer. And they have incorrect computation and listing of items in the receipt. In computing the total purchased of the customer, the in-charge person will write down all the items purchased by the customer in a receipt and then sum up the entire total purchased. 4. How to design, develop, and implement a module that will easily generate reports? Evercom Auto Supply is faced with such problems in generating reports because they have difficulty in acquiring supplier reports and inventory reports. They also have problems in improper handling of a receipt had been neglected. This study relies on information researched by the proponents. Review of related literature and studies are essential for the development of the study, it will help the proponents to understand the topics better because this may clarify unclear points about the problem. It also guides the proponents in making comparisons between these findings with the outcome of other similar studies. Related Literature Foreign and Local Sales and Inventory System Sales is a method of presenting a product in the industry, maintaining control over the sales process and ultimately achieving the highest level of profit together with delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction. (Ashani, 2009) stated that inventory is a list of goods and materials, or those goods and materials themselves, held available in stock by a business. An inventory is simply the list of goods that comprises the stock of a business. This enables you to keep track of the goods, hence maintaining a balance between the supply and demand (Reece Matthew, 2010). Inventory is  very important to any business. It is the meter that measures the business flow. Good inventory helps the business to stay strong. Accountants have to understand the inventory cycle in order to be able to track it and evaluate it correctly (Andrews, 2010). (Smith, 2009) said that, when the amount of inventories is huge, it becomes next to impossible to keep record of the number of inventories manu ally by counting them. It proves to be demanding for time and resources both. Therefore large numbers of companies are using inventory management software for the respective purpose. The result is effective control and management of inventories saving on time and hard work factor. The software can keep track many details like quantity of goods stored, purchasing date of goods, records maintenance of sales, gives apt product description etc. Such type of services makes the process of inventory management smoother. An inventory system helps management control the inventories, in turn lowering overall operating costs in the areas of labor, facilities and logistics. It also improves customer-service metrics and fulfillment rates (Kenneth, 2009). Maintaining a desired level of inventory has the following benefits; it meets the transaction, precautionary and speculative needs of the operation and it helps reduce cost of operation (Sharan, 2010). According to (Conrad, 2010) an inventory system can reduce, or even totally eliminate, the need for these costly hand counts. A quality inventory system can pinpoint which departments and which workers are purchasing the share of office supplies, raw materials and other goods. This information can help the management team centralize ordering and reduce costs by negotiating with vendors for better prices. As most every business owner knows, inventory accounts for a most important part of business outlay whether we are talking in relation to raw materials, components or finished goods. A foremost issue in reaching a cost-effective return on outlay is to control it as resourcefully as possible and an essential available means for this is a barcode inventory system. With such information on precisely what you have in inventory and where it is located, on-line real time information regarding stock levels, recorder levels and economic order quantities and tremendously accurate information input and output (Dickson, 2010). Reliable inventory system can help your company’s purchasing, receiving, and sales department function more smoothly with an organized synergy that will help your business stay on top. Keeping stock of  goods in the warehouse, bills of lading, purchase orders, returns and other everyday aspects of running your business can cost hundreds of man hours per month. What can you do to keep it all organized? You need a software system built with your industry in mind. Whether your business is telecommunications, infrastructure or finished goods, software to help you manage you income and outgo of stock will save your company time and money both in the short term and the long term. The aim of a business software management system is to simplify all of these things. If you need detailed reports on one or all departments within your company, an inventory system will make this possible. Get up to the minute sales reports in place to keep track of sales and expenditures (Cooper, 2009). Before you invest, you are going to have to make an informed decision about how much you think the inventory on the balance sheet is really worth. A major part of this decision should be based on how fast the inventory is turned or sold, (Kennon, 2010). Barcode Scanner Investors are trying their best to cut the cost of doing business and are spending money for new, but affordable technologies. An example is a barcode reader that comes in various types and uses. A barcode scanner or reader is an apparatus utilized to trap and read information included in a barcode. This device may be a handheld or fixed stationary type (Urmann, 2009). Barcode provides a unique ID to every item and each product, which upon being scanned can provide all essential information such as weight price and other exact details. When provided in a computer system assists in keeping count of complete sales the item list etc. Barcodes are accurate and assist with saving time and money cut down on mistakes and simultaneously assist the retail item become a portion of the whole system of the item ID. A Barcode may contain each part of essential info necessary in a certain item and this can create the daily stocking as a simple task. It will then become effortless for the associates to flag items that are expired and also sale items. In sum, the present day retail environment can’t perform competitively without barcodes, (Jones, 2010). Before the inception of barcode scanners, people counted their stocks and supplies manually. The manual tallying of items and products is indeed a dire activity for most retailers. The number of items available in the store should mark the items  sold. Barcode scanners are light-emitting devices found in supermarkets and other stores designed to read barcodes. These devices are connected to a computer system where information is stored and to be used for future retrieval of data. Barcode scanners scan the barcodes and transform them to readable information through a computer database. Barcode readers are set up at cash registers with a database that contains the necessary information on the store’s items. When the item is scanned, it is recorded in the system and ad justs automatically the inventory levels (Green, 2011). These days just about every item you see is touched at some point by barcode technology. From the manufacturing line where products are assembled to the shelf at your favorite store, individual products pass through dozens of check points where they are scanned. When an item is shipped it is scanned, when it is rung up at a cash register, if it is returned to the merchant it is scanned. All along the supply chain some type of barcode scanner feeds information to a computer database that keeps track of the product. As important as this barcode scanner technology is you would think that we would know more about it. Most of us, however, give it very little thought. It is such a part of our everyday life now that we hardly even notice it (Nguyen, 2010). The job of the barcode scanner is to read the codes that are imprinted on the black and white UPC (Universal Product Code) symbols that you see on just about every package and item that your purchase. They do this job quickly, accurately, and efficiently. Once the code is read it is fed electronically to a computer which matches up the number to an item number in a product database. In doing so a merchant can keep track of inventory, ring up a customer purchase, or count the number of items left in a warehouse. Bar codes are used on everything from mail to medicines. (Guven, 2011) stated that the use of Barcode systems is proved to be efficient in retail industry because of the following facts: Faster Billing Process: Products billed incorrectly and the maximum time needed for billing and checkout is what most consumers hate when they go for shopping today. It’s because the delay in processing and incorrect pricing affects their valuable time and busy work schedule. Barcode automation employed in retail stores provides greater accuracy and makes billing process faster and efficient. Data management and complete business operation is also made simple with reliable barcode sy stems. Minimized need of Workforce: Using  barcode systems is greatly useful for retailers in the sense that it never involves any hectic processes and so can reduce the labor costs in an effective way. Other than this, unlike calculations made by humans, barcode systems greatly reduces the chance for errors and makes quick and easy processing. Warehouse Management: Most of the retail outlets today use barcode systems for their operation because of its simple and cost-effective management system. Customers can be satisfied with a finest level of service since products are sold at the right price. When compared to skilled workers, barcode systems work many times faster and provide reliable business management system. Keep track of Product Information: Barcode systems can save you a lot of time needed for tracking product information. Entering the prices of large number of items manually is not an easy task. But with a barcode system, you can record product information easily and accurately. Barcode scanners used in mobile phones are more advantageous since it can be used to retrieve all details about any particular product. This is the reason why most of the retailers today are using mobile barcode systems for promoting events, products and services. Identify Products Easily: Barcode systems are commonly used in retail outlets to identify different ranges of products. Similar products can be ordered easily with unique codes to meet consumer demands. By recording and tracking product information, a retailer can greatly enhance his business operation. The growing demand and other factors of all types of products can be easily recognized with the help of barcode systems. Short Messaging Service (SMS) Technology Reaching the potential customers is the first step towards the successful establishment of a product or service. An effective marketing strategy must be utilized to build up the brand awareness and increase the sales volume. SMS business is one such effective marketing strategy to increase the volume of sales as well as build up the brand awareness. Today many business use SMS to reach out their existing customers as well as build a new customer base. Like every technology if used in right proportion and method it increases the volume of sales (Thomas, 2012). SMS is an acronym standing for Short Message Service. It is commonly  referred to as text messaging or ‘texting’ as well. SMS is a method by which messages can be sent to a cell phone via another cell phone, a computer connected to the internet, a regular land line or a hand held device such as Blackberry. The original specifications for SMS were developed in 1985, though real implementation and popularity took nearly a decade to achieve. SMS messages may be sent either from one point to another point, or may be sent to all devices within a specific geographical region. the former known as SMS-PP, is used primarily between individuals communicating with one another, while the latter, known as SMS-CB, may be used to broadcast public announcements such as road or weather conditions, region-specific advertising messages, or messages from cell provider regarding the new coverage area, (McGuigan, 2010). Short message service is a mechanism of delivery of short messages over the mobile networks. It is a store and forward way of transmitting messages to and from mobiles, (Gupta, 2010).  The common text messaging service available on cell phones and other hand held devices. Due to the billions of cell phones in use, SMS is the most ubiquitous messaging system on the planet. Typing text messages (â€Å"texting†), which are limited to 160 characters in length, can be done on basic cell phones with only numeric keys, although QWERTY keyboards make the job easier. Like instant messaging, SMS transmits the sender’s message to the recipient immediately. It also stores and forwards messages later if a recipient’s phone was off when the message was initiated. SMS pricing differs by carrier, which may charge a flat fee per month, a charge per message on include it in a service plan. Traveling over a control channel separate from the voice channel, SMS was introduced in a GSM system in Europe and migrated worldwide to cell phone carriers. Whereas SMS is text only, MMS supports multimedia, (Davis, 2010). Mobile supply chain management is increasingly recognized as an area offering significant potential for generating improvements and creating competitive advantage to corporations. Obviously, high efficiency mobile chain network needs simultaneous and accurate information about demand, supply, sale, inventory, shipment and operational activities, (Xiaokang and  Qiong, 2008). Many business processes can be more intuitive and engaging (and ultimately easier to use) by including SMS, fax, voice and other notifications to their participants throughout the process, (Ruhl, 2010). All the cellular network providers offer SMS with certain SMS level or text messaging capability. The SMS features and costs may vary according to the carriers and package variety that suits to business and individual needs, (Hensley, 2010). Cell phone text messaging or texting can be used to order merchandise or services, or it can be used for advertisements. Consumers can use SMS technology to purchase tickets to events and have them delivered electronically to their cell phone. Today, these transactions can indeed take place using a small device like a cell phone (Baldauf and Stair, 2009). For messages requiring immediate delivery, only one message delivery attempt is made per service request. For messages not requiring immediate delivery, one or more delivery attempts are made until an acknowledgement is received, (Clements, 2010). Mobile messaging services used in business has its own advantages in building up the brand awareness, customer count as well as increasing its revenue (Thomas, 2012). Almost all companies are looking for ways on how to increase or maintain their sales performance. SMS marketing is proving just the tool for shrewd businesses look for innovative new media strategies to keep themselves ahead of the game during the economic downturn. It’s now more important than ever for businesses to improve efficiency, reduce waste and produce targeted responsive marketing campaigns and digital mediums such as mobile are proving the ideal solution ensuring much needed return on investment (Liao, 2009). According to (Francisco, 2009) while some electronic toys and gadgets come with some dumping down effects on their users, most of these devices offer increasing levels of convenience. Take the mobile phone, for example. While too many accidents and mishaps might have been caused by improper (read: stupid) ways of using the cellular phone, it cannot be denied that these wireless contraptions have made it easier by far to keep in touch with other people. Yet, while today’s Smartphone’s might seem like a giant step toward the mobile equivalent of Nirvana, the possibilities for more ease and comfort seem endless. We might have only scratched the surface. Related Studies Foreign and Local Inventory proportionality is the goal of demand-driven inventory management. The primary optimal outcome is to have the same number of day’s worth of inventory on hand across all products so that the time of run out of all products would be simultaneous. The secondary goal of inventory proportionality is inventory minimization. By integrating accurate demand forecasting with inventory management, replenishment inventories can be scheduled to arrive just in time to replenish the product destined to run out first, while at the same time balancing out the inventory supply of all products to make their inventories more proportional, and thereby closer to achieving the primary goal. Accurate demand forecasting also allows the desired inventory proportions to be dynamic by determining expected sales out into the future; this allows for inventory to be in proportion to expected short-term sales or consumption rather than to past averages, a much more accurate and optimal outcome. Integrating demand forecasting into inventory management in this way also allows for the prediction of the â€Å"can fit† point when inventory storage is limited on a per-product basis (Sudha, 2011). (Liang, 2010) stated in his study entitled Inventory Management System for SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) that a computerized inventory helps to predict problems in procurement transaction. With formulas that are known to help with inventory planning, the computerized inventory system is capable of assisting companies in their purchasing decision, improving its productivity and efficiency. This often leads to a better procurement decision. This inventory system supports role-based access that mimics users in different departments. Roles can be customized to restrict access to only a certain part of the system and is very configurable. A built in notification system facilitates communication between these users and their departments. These features create a generic workflow system that is flexible and easy to use. According to (Castro, Catabay, Garde, Ofilan, Ubaldo, 2010), Inventory is merchandise in-stock and on hand, also known as stock. It is a list for goods and materials, or those goods and materials themselves, held available in stock by a business. Inventory are held in order to manage and hide from the customer the fact that manufacture or supply delay is longer than the delivery delay, and also to ease the effect of imperfections in the manufacturing process that lower production efficiencies if production capacity stands idle for the lack of materials.  It is also the total amount of goods or materials contained in a store or factory at any given time. In their studies in the sales and inventory of MOJU-DELLI General Merchandise, they found out the problems encountered by the management so they propose d a system that will produce an effective inventory system and generate fast and accurate result for the assets and inventory of the company. Inventory system is an effective way for monitoring and tracking different materials that are transferred in and out of the company’s warehouse or establishment usually for accounting purposes. It is also important for a company to monitor all the transactions and movement of goods in order to keep an account of all their stocks. However in the same establishments, the inventory of materials is done manually in such a way that an employee writes down the information of different materials every time it is transferred in and out of the room, (Bernabe, Dela Cruz, Jao, 2007). In the study entitled â€Å"Inventory & Billing System for ERF Enterprises† (Obispo, 2003) states that in businesses like ERF Enterprises having used to manually handling their sales is hard. And manual computation for billing and business transaction are slow, less accurate & less competitive. By using their proposed system will speed up the business billing transaction and also provide them with a more accurate, reliable & up-to-date billing information in less tedious task. It would also help them avoid such situations where they have problems regarding their product delivery & sales. In the studies entitled â€Å"Osaka Sales and Inventory System† (Laranang, Maaà ±o and Naà ±ola, 2009) states that business nowadays takes the advantage of using modern technology to improve their status & ensuring an efficient & newer way to make their work easier. They states that the main problem of the Osaka Iridology is what modern effective tool must be use in creating & developing a sales and inventory system that will manage efficiently their transaction. So they develop a system that inclusively for the transaction of Osaka Iridology, such as monitoring of their medicine and their daily sales. In the research entitled the Development and Evaluation of Computerized Sales and Inventory System MBC with SMS Confirmation (Consolacion, Dela Cruz, Dela Pena, Peduche, 2011), stated that manual processes are hard to deal with. It takes a lot of effort, patience and lots of staffing of employees is expected that can slow down the work of company. To avoid this kind of situation, they proposed a new system to the said  company to enhance their sales and inventory with SMS confirmation. The system is designed to increase their production, to manage the availability of products easily and to improve their operation. They concluded that having an efficient sales and inventory system the management can improve their operational process and with the help of new technologies today. According to (Castro, Catabay, Garde, Ofilan, Ubaldo, 2010), Inventory is merchandise in-stock and on hand, also known as stock. It is a list for goods and materials, or those goods and materials themselves, held available in stock by a business. Inventory are held in order to manage and hide from the customer the fact that manufacture or supply delay is longer than the delivery delay, and also to ease the effect of imperfections in the manufacturing process that lower production efficiencies if production capacity stands idle for the lack of materials. It is also the total amount of goods or materials contained in a store or factory at any given time. In their studies in the sales and inventory of MOJU-DELLI General Merchandise, they found out the problems encountered by the management so they proposed a system that will produce an effective inventory system and generate fast and accurate result for the assets and inventory of the company. Inventory system is an effective way for monitoring and tracking different materials that are transferred in and out of the company’s warehouse or establishment usually for accounting purposes. It is also important for a company to monitor all the transactions and movement of goods in order to keep an account of all their stocks. However in the same establishments, the inventory of materials is done manually in such a way that an employee writes down the information of different materials every time it is transferred in and out of the room, (Bernabe, Dela Cruz, Jao, 2007). Sales and Inventory System with SMS of Raw Material  for Gintong Silangan Merchants, Incorporated â€Å"The purpose of this proposal is to develop a Sales and Inventory System of raw materials for Gintong Silangan Merchants, Incorporated that will speed up their process of transaction and will provide the company with reliable and accurate records of transactions.† Reference: http://www.papercamp.com/essay/60983/Thesis Gintong Silangan Merchants, Incorporated is a distributor of raw materials of different fragrances and cosmetics since 1999. They use a computer for recording and reporting their inventory of their materials but they actually do not have a particular system. The major problems that the company has encountered is the slow processing of transaction activities such as price inquiry and checking the availability of raw materials and too much time is consumed in generating accurate summaries and reports. In this method, a lot of time is spent through the use of calculator and hand counting which leads to inaccurate numbers of tally with the previous inventory. Sales reports are being generated through spreadsheets and all files such as the reports and customers records were stored in a filing cabinet. The proponents want to propose a Computer Based System using Visual Basic.NET for the development of the system and My SQL for the database. They believed that the proposed system will greatly improve the existing process and will contribute in making the process more efficient and effective. How Inventory Management Systems Work â€Å"Inventory management systems are the rule for such enterprises, but smaller businesses and vendors use them, too. The systems ensure customers always have enough of what they want and balance that goal against a retailer’s financial need to maintain as little stock as possible. Mismanaged inventory means disappointed customers, too much cash tied up in warehouses and slower sales. Factors such as quicker production cycles, a proliferation of products, multi-national production contracts and the nature of the big-box store make them a necessity.† Reference: http://money.howstuffworks.com/how-inventory-management-systems-work.htm FOREIGN Med-Book POINT OF SALE SYSTEM Med-Book is a turn-key Inventory Management System specifically designed by  Matthews to fully meet the many specialized needs of the health science bookstore environment. Matthews developed Med-Book after extensively searching the retail industry and failing to find a system that could adequately provide the inventory management and customer service functions required for a first-class health science bookstore. Med-Book was developed over many years, at a cost of several hundreds of thousands of dollars. The research and development that led to the creation of Med-Book continues today with the enhancement of features and functionality, which addresses the industry’s changing needs. Since its introduction to the marketplace, Med-Book has become the premier Inventory Management System among health science bookstores and the model for all other systems being developed in this industry. With 50 installations across the United States, Med-Book resides in many health science bookstores. It is designed as more than just an automation tool – it also leads the way in bookstore process redesign and customized business function management. In its fundamental design, Med-Book takes the cumbersome manual tasks of bookstore inventory management, streamlines the processes, incorporates flexibility to meet individual needs of individual stores, and automates inventory management for maximum return and benefit. Med-Book is the most sophisticated and specialized inventory management application for the health science bookstore in North America. Med-Book includes software, hardware, and point of sale. It provides for the management of reference, course, and multimedia items, as well as instruments; streamlines and automates the order/receive/sell/return process; optimizes the special order process; tracks sales and purchase histories; constantly monitors and analyzes inventory; tracks customers; includes the Matthews Book Company Title and Vendor Database; and incorporates industry standard communications capabilities. The installation of the Med-Book Inventory Control System will benefit the tore by enabling: * Quicker response, more information and overall better service to customers * Knowledgeable and informed store personnel * More informed buying decisions improving title selection * Tightly managed turnover with more titles in stock * Increased sales with higher product availability and broader selection for improved customer fulfillment * Optimal management of quantities,  inventory capital and inventory turns for greater profitability * Improved order management saving inventory capital expenditures * Elimination of steps in the order, receiving and returns processes for increased time savings * Error reductions improving pricing accuracy and margins Overall time savings, improved customer service, better informed staff, better buying and management decisions, increased sales and improved profitability. In summary, in order to remain competitive in the rapidly changing health science bookstore industry, stores require more accurate and detailed information, better decision-making capabilities and a broader market opportunity without increasing expenses. Med-Book is the single most valuable tool to ensure that a bookstore can leverage service, operational efficiency, increased incremental sales, and improved profitability to its highest potential. MED-BOOK APPLICATION OVERVIEW The Med-Book application consists of five main functions: inventory control and Management, Purchasing, Special Orders, Course Order Entry and Communications. Inventory Control and Management  Inventory control and management records sales, receipts, transfers and adjustments. It produces stock status reviews on demand for all books and items. It identifies exceptional conditions such as items approaching the minimum stock level and suggests those books and items that may need ordering. A number of management reports can help identify the store’s bestsellers based on their sales rankings. Effective inventory control requires that returns must be closely monitored. Med-Book allows store personnel to analyze the need to return products based on criteria the store has specified (such as â€Å"last date of sale†, â€Å"date of last receipt†, by vendor). The Suggested Returns options presents the books and their associated purchase order allowing store personnel to choose the appropriate product to take action on for return. Chargebacks are automatically generated (or may be entered manually). All chargebacks remain open until store personnel tell Med-Book (through Returns Reconciliation) that a credit was received. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT Features: * Track Inventory based on UPC, ISBN, SKU * Track Inventory by multiple locations within a store * Sales departments: designate multiple departments by item/ISBN user defined and maintained * On-hand and On-order quantities tracked by: new, used, course, reference, special order * Minimum and Maximum Inventory Levels capabilities for course and reference * Physical Inventory processing * Inventory analysis * Bestseller identification * Item transaction history * Multiple units of measure for stocking, selling, and purchasing Returns Features: * Returns via vendor or item * Suggested return report * Vendor return policy file * Automatic/Manual creation of charge-backs * Return reconciliation process Bookstore Management System Team FAGE is proposing the implementation of a Book Store Management System (BSMS). The purpose of this system is to allow customers access to information at home, as well as providing an easy-to-use graphical interface to organize functions within the store. Using this system, customers of a book store would be able to log on to the system via the web and use it to search inventory, reserve books at the store, and place out of stock books on order. A store clerk would use the BSMS to input transactions (sales) with customers and also to search inventory to help customers locate specific books. A stock person would use the system to update the inventory database to reflect new purchases, new locations for books within the store, and damaged or missing books. Finally, a manager would be able to use the BSMS we are proposing to manage employee schedules and pay, manage stock (inventory), adjust inventory prices and plan store promotions. In Store Sale When a customer arrives at the front cash indicating that he would like to make a purchase, whomever is at the cash (be it an owner, manager or clerk) responds. For this scenario, let’s say that it’s the manager Paul available. The first thing Paul must do is bring up a new order (called a Point of Sale) using the computer system. Paul then manually inputs the ISBN numbers of all of the books that are being purchased since there is currently no access to a bar code scanner. Once all of the books have been input, the system tells Paul what the total price will be, including all applicable taxes. Before receiving payment, Paul asks the customer for his name so that he can bring up his profile on the computer. Paul checks if the customer is eligible for the $10 credit available after spending $250 (this is called the Frequent Buyer Program). If required, the credit is applied to the price and if not, Paul simply puts the new purchase amount onto the customer’s account. If this is the customer’s first ever purchase, his name and phone number are recorded so that an account can be set up. In the final steps of the sale, Paul asks the customer how he would like to pay and then completes the transaction accordingly. Once the sale has been finalized, the system automatically updates the store’s inventory levels so all Paul has to do is wish the customer a nice day as he leaves with his newly purchased books. Users The initial assumption about users was that we could define them as the customer, clerk, manager, and stock person. In reality, the employees at the store would be more appropriately categorized as owner, manager, and clerk, where each person would have some responsibility surrounding stock. Following are profiles of each of these representative users of our system. Most of the information presented here comes from the interviews conducted at the book store, although all names have been changed for privacy. Note that we were able to speak to the store’s manager and owner, but not any clerks in particular. The clerk’s profile is therefore based on answers given by the other two employees, and on our own assumptions.

“If You Educate a Boy, You Educate an Individual but If You Educate a Girl, You Educate a Nation”. Do You Agree?

The quote, â€Å"If you educate a boy, you educate an individual but if you educate a girl, you educate a nation† originated from an African proverb. It might have originated  because of the societal roles of men and women, society’s expectations, and the contribution each gender has made to the community. Both men and women have educated the nation in many different ways, either by contributing to the society, or to their families. Hence, I disagree with  this quote, as  not all men have never educated a nation.In society, men and women are expected to contribute to the society in different ways. The way they contribute to the society, and if it is seen as a contribution is affected by the societal roles and expectations of both genders. In a typical developed country, the societal role and expectations  of men is to be the breadwinner of the family, while women are expected to take care of the family, stay at home, and do domestic chores. However, the societal expectations of women are starting to change.More women are educated, and more are working, but women who work are expected to be able to balance work, and family. Men are usually seen as successful if they have a stable income and are able to support their families financially. It usually falls into the mother's responsibility to educate the children, which leads to ‘if you educate a girl, you educate the whole nation', as educating the children eventually leads to the children growing up and teaching their children, which includes the things that their parents taught them.On the other hand, no matter how busy the father is, there are still some occasions in which the father has disciplined the children, and taught the children, which, again, by teaching the children, leads to a contribution to society. Hence, the quote does not really apply here, as men and women both have contributions to the society; fathers and mothers both educate their children. The National Center for Educational Statistics reported that when fathers are involved in their children's education, the kids were more likely to get As, enjoy school, and participate in extracurricular activities.Also, researchers have found out that children whose fathers are involved in rearing them fare better on cognitive tests and in language ability than those with less responsive or involved fathers. Improved cognitive abilities are usually associated with higher educational achievement. In fact, fathers who are involved in their children's schools and academic achievement, regardless of their own educational level, are increasing the chances their child will graduate from high school, and perhaps go to vocational school, or even to college.On the other hand, researchers have discovered that mothers are more likely to encourage assimilative and communion-enhancing patterns in their children, and  to acknowledge their children's contributions in conversation. Furthermore, the way mothers speak t o their children is better suited to support very young children in their efforts to understand speech (in context of the reference English). Hence, if you educate a boy or girl, you educate the whole nation, as both men and women have different ways of contributing to the society, and educating the nation.The societal roles, societal expectations, and the examples of men and women who have contributed to society that I have mentioned above mainly apply to the people who live in a developed country. For example, countries like the United Kingdom, United States of America, and Singapore. However, it does not necessarily mean that the quote is true for less-developed or developing countries, for example, Africa. The societal role of men and women in Africa is almost the same as the more developed countries – the exception: only a few women in Africa are allowed to go to school.However, even though only a few women in Africa are allowed to go to school, it doesn’t necessa rily mean that they are not educated. They could have been educated by their parents, and educated the society by teaching their children. For example, African mothers often pass down folktales to their children – these folktales serve to teach their children good moral values, and help them to better understand the world around them, or skills like cooking – more often to females. In Africa, fathers are the breadwinner of the family, like in the more developed countries.In Africa, fathers educate the society by educating their children. They teach their children physical skills, like farming, and often tell their children stories about their experiences. Hence, educated men and women both contribute to their society, and educate their nation, irregardless of where they live. There are many men and women who have contributed to the society. Abraham Lincoln successfully led America through its greatest constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civi l war – by preserving the Union by force while ending slavery and promoting economic modernization.He helped to bring America’s economy to new heights. During Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I's reign in England, there were great achievements in writing and peace in England. Teddy Roosevelt worked to provide workers, consumers, business owners, farmers, and other groups an equal opportunity to succeed, and he enforced workplace inspections, and regulated product labels, among other things. Marie Curie, a famous scientist, won two Nobel prizes, is famous for her work with her husband on radioactivity, and discovered radium and polonium.Her discoveries helped the world learn more about the elements in our universe. Fredrick Douglass escaped from slavery, became the leader of the abolitionist movement, gained note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing, and stood as a living counter-example to slaveholders' arguments that slaves did not have the intellectua l capacity to function as independent American citizens. He helped to show that slaves deserved equal rights too.Maria Montessori, the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome's Medical College, is famous for her work in the education of young children. There are so many men and women in the world who have contributed to the society, be it in educating the people, helping to improve people's lives, or to share new discoveries that could be used in improving the life of people in the world. Unlike the quote, it isn't just women who have contributed to the society, but men have also contributed to the society.Men and women have both contributed to the society, be it in the same or in different ways. It is because of their contributions to society, that they have educated the nation, either by new discoveries, helping people, or by passing their knowledge on. In conclusion, the quote â€Å"If you educate a boy, you educate an individual but if you educate a girl, you educat e a nation† doesn’t really apply in today’s context. Women might educate their family more than males do, however males still do educate their families.Furthermore, men and women both contribute to the society through work, helping their society grow economically, and socially, by discovering new information, and using it to help to contribute to the society’s growth and well-being. There are also many examples of men and women who have played a part in educating the society. With these contributions to society by both educated men and women, both genders have played a part in educating their nation, or nations.

Chemistry Module 6 Separation of a Mixture of Solid Essay Example for Free (#6)

Chemistry Module 6 Separation of a Mixture of Solid Essay This lab experiment was conduct and taught based upon the primary instruction and introduction to mixtures. With this lab I was able to determine and execute the proper separation of a mixture of solids through various means, such as evaporation and filtration. Using these techniques presented the separation of different ingredients from a mixture was conducted based upon the usage of individual physical properties of each substance presented in the mixture. . Observations: Throughout this experiment I noted several things. For example as I was heating the sand I completely forgot to cover the top to prevent splatter. Although I did heat the mixture at a much slower speed, this resulted in a loss of sample, further impacting my overall results and contributing to my percent error totals, as the sand was bubbling and slightly splattered. Also, I noted my stirring rod, along with the other tools used, had a bit of solution attached to them. Although minuet in amount I should have weighed and taken note upon the mass of my materials before and after the procedures. Questions: A. How did your proposed Procedures or flow charts at the beginning of this experiment compare to the actual Procedures of this lab exercise? B. Discuss potential advantages or disadvantages of your proposed Procedure compared to the one actually used. C. How would you explain a sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage? D. What were potential sources of error in this experiment? A.) The methods I proposed were highly similar to the instructions used in the labpaq manual. Just as stated in the instructions, I would have used the magnet to separate iron fillings, but I would have thought lastly upon evaporation for the sand separation and used the filter. B.) A potential disadvantage of simply filtering out the sand, is that fact that the benzoic acid substance, that was not completely dissolved could have too be filtered out. Also in the filtering of iron with the magnet I would have never thought to use a bag. C.) I could explain a sand recovery percentage that was higher than that of the original sand percentage, as simply a contamination of the other substances left within the sand, such as if the sand were not completely dry as there would still be water that would be included in the measured value, or possibly the benzoic acid? D.) The potential sources of error found in this experiment could include the was heating the sand I completely forgot to cover the top to prevent splatter, removing the mixture out of the ice before adequate crystallization had occurred,. Possibly having the sand, NaCl, or benzoic acid sticking to the iron, also maybe incomplete drying. How did your flow diagram for completing the separation compare to what was really done in the experiment? Were there any advantages or disadvantages to performing the separation the way you first thought it out? Discuss these advantages and disadvantages in the context how the approach might affect the measurement of some of the materials you separated. My flow diagram thought out prior to the conducting of this experiment was carried out well. The methods I proposed were highly similar to the instructions used in the labpaq manual. Just as stated in the instructions, I would have used the magnet to separate iron fillings, but I would have thought lastly upon evaporation for the sand separation and used the filter. I thought it was rather obvious to use the magnet for the iron filings, but really did not have an educated guess for how to separate the rest. A potential disadvantage of simply filtering out the sand, is that fact that the benzoic acid substance, that was not completely dissolved could have too be filtered out. Also in the filtering of iron with the magnet I would have never thought to use a bag. All together these simple differences, although minuet could have greatly altered my results and manipulated the entire data table. Chemistry Module 6 Separation of a Mixture of Solid. (2016, May 03). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Review a song called Wagon Wheel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Review a song called Wagon Wheel - Essay Example The singer has employed the use scuffling drums to complement the signature rip-off melody. Guitars have also been used as part of the instrument. Darius Rucker also made good use of Lady Antebellum. This was extremely important as she offered the supportive lyrics on the track and facilitated to seal it out. Overall, it is however noted that the song is not original and distinguishing. A person would easily be tempted to think that the song is similar to the â€Å"Brown Eyed Girl† by Van Morrison or â€Å"The joker† by Steve Miller Band. The singer has therefore unfortunately failed to distinguish his song which would have been a good starting point in order to capture a wide market base. Listeners would have enjoyed more if the song did not sound too familiar to them. The singer should have tried to differentiate it from the original recording that was done was Old Crow Medicine Show. Nonetheless, I think the song has a healthy commercial potential especially in bars and other alcoholic joints. This is because the singer has kept it loud and flashy, just like it ought to be. It is definitely going to sound like a success in its radio sustainability as the singer has tried to use some broadcaster tone. Lastly, the song has an excellent and familiar arrangement of sections (Guz, 2013). This makes it easy for the listener to be more comfortable with

Individualsm and collectivism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individualsm and collectivism - Assignment Example Collectivism advocates for the importance of social groups always having cohesion. Therefore collectivists will focus mainly on the society or the nation or even the community and not on individuals (Donohue, 1995, p.7). In the United States, individualism and collectivism can be seen in many ways. Individualism can be dated back to the 17th and 18th century in United States. A perfect event of individualism in American history was the frontier. A person was believed to fail or to succeed based on their own individual effort. Many people actually died during this period trying to prove to them that they can be individualists in the frontier farms and the forests. Certain people like Franklin and Washington succeeded based on their own intelligence and ambition and they are perfect examples of individualism (Kim, 1994, p.23). Collectivism is something that was mainly practiced in United States after the world war. Events like United States gaining its independence from Europe in 1776 also shows that individualism worked really well for America. Today, United States wants to be a bigger part of something by practicing collectivism. An event of collectivism in United States was the political system whi ch happened to be representative democracy. In such an event when a president is elected by the majority the people are all expected to embrace their new leader. An ideal case in point would be the choice of Barack Obama as the president in 2012. The totality of the votes casted in the college showed the collectivism of the people in the election of the president (Kitayama, & Cohen, 2007, p.259). In the real world experience some people believe that individual work is what will make them successful while others believe working collectively in a society is what will bring about success. These two aspects help one understand the cultural differences of people. In individualist culture they put the

Total reward -Job Satisfaction Literature review

Total reward -Job Satisfaction - Literature review Example Total Rewards pertains to all the tools that an employer has at one’s disposal, which could be used to attract, retain and motivate employees.Total Rewards approach takes into cognizance all the factors and attributes that are the direct outcome of an employment relationship, which are perceived by an employee to be of valueThe objective of the Total Rewards approach is to optimize the rewards offerings facilitated by an organization so as to yield the optimal results for the money spent on configuring and delivering awards This approach may involve an integration of a wide range of programs within an organization, which may not be directly perceived to be rewards by everyone (Fitz-Enz 2009). A wide range of practices that may involve enhancing the employee productivity by making the work hours more flexible, curtailing employee turnover by extending career advancement and training opportunities within an organization, making the management system within an organization more p articipative and interactive to encourage employee participation could be blended with the direct and indirect monetary compensation to yield maximal results from a reward system that is inherently bold and innovative (Fitz-Enz 2009). A Total Rewards approach do takes into consideration that the fact that when it comes to foster a workforce that is committed and motivated, the tangible reward forms and systems are important, but are certainly the be all and end all of a viable reward system (Fitz-Enz 2009). In that context, the question that deserves the attention of researchers is that why the reward approach has suddenly become very important in the contemporary context. One of the reasons for this is that there is a war for talent in the job market out there. Though going with the current economic meltdown and the recessionary trends, the labour market may have softened somewhat, still, employee retention has emerged to be a pivotal issue in many organizations (Jensen, Mcmullen & Stark 2007, p. 62). Companies do incur massive expenditure in training and grooming talent and hence attracting and retaining a staff that is experienced and skilled stands to be the top priority for many managers. With the compensation budgets getting more constrained, the competition to attract skilled and experienced employees has tremendously increased (Jensen, Mcmullen & Stark 2007, p. 62). To be able to cope up with such budgetary squeezes, managers need to delve on an assortment of tangible and intangible rewards and benefits to hold on to their employees. Then there is an enhancing focus on employee engagement (Jensen, Mcmullen & Stark 2007, p. 63). By making the jobs more rewarding and meaningful, the managers can encourage the employees to put in a discretionary effort so as to deliver better results (Jensen, Mcmullen & Stark 2007, p. 63). The challenging global environment is pushing the organizations to make the most of the human resources that they have at their disposa l, and hence it has become essential for the managers to directly depend on their employees to perform and act in a way that is in consonance with the organization’s objectives, values and culture (Jensen, Mcmullen & Stark 2007, p. 63). The increasing diversity of workforce is one other reason necessitating a Total Rewards approach towards management (Jensen, Mcmullen & Stark 2007, p. 64). Globalization has given way to dilution of borders and has augmented the diversity within organizations (Jensen, Mcmullen & Stark, p. 64). Besides with women getting an enhanced access to education and career building opportunities, the participation and proportion of women within the workforce has increased (Jensen, Mcmullen & Stark, p. 64). Changes in social attributes and demographic aspects have also contributed to the

Participative Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Participative Leadership - Term Paper Example This paper discusses various aspects and forms of participative leadership. Participative leadership plays an important role in empowering the organization’s members as well as instilling perception that the employees can establish their work roles and achieve consequential work. Participative leadership is arguably one of the modern styles of leadership that emphasizes on follower’s perspective and creates a distinctive leadership style and approach. There are varieties of forms of participative leadership that can be applied by the leadership or management. A number of theorists agreed on distinctive and meaningful decision making procedures namely autocratic, consultation, joint decision and delegation. It is important to note that the decision making procedures vary from non participative autocratic decision making which is almost outdated to very participative decision making procedures. In participative decision making procedures, the members have great influence on the outcome of the decision made. However, there are both positive and n egative influences of participation (Ricketts, 2011). Participative leadership offers an array of potential benefits such as higher decision quality and overwhelming approval by the participants. The participants are normally satisfied with the decision making process as well as having a good opportunity for developing decision making skills. Participative decision making process may lead to contribution and sharing of knowledge. Members of the organizations may have vital knowledge, talent or skills in solving the issue at hand which the leader may not have thus improving the quality of decision made. Participation in decision making can further make the participants perceive the decision as their s by owning it thus boosting the implementation of the decision. This kind of leadership usually emphasize on avoidance of issues that bring conflict amongst members by either improving on the issues

Relationship between Infant-Directed Speech and Word Segmentation Research Paper - 1

Relationship between Infant-Directed Speech and Word Segmentation - Research Paper Example The writer will  analyze different aspects of both concepts, and provide appropriate conclusions on their relationship. Also known as caretaker speech, and informally as â€Å"mommy talk,† IDS is a central aspect of child development. Contrary to popular opinion, its influence is not restricted to language development alone. IDS also considerably improves the cognitive abilities of infants by encouraging them to use their senses and practice functions like grasping and holding (Aitchison, 1996:26). In the language development aspect, word segmentation is the dimension that attracts the most interest from researchers regarding IDS. Infants’ ability to segment words develops variable and is influenced by a number of factors. However, IDS has so far been linked with many features of word dimension, such as recognition of repetitive words and comprehension of new words and phrases. When parents and minders talk to infants, they indoctrinate them in their dialect. They int roduce them to novel phrases and terms that they will, inevitably, learn as they grow. However, research seems to show that depending on how early they are exposed to IDS, children can exhibit extremely contrasting proficiencies in language development and speech (Fabbro, 1999:46). Parents who involve their children in IDS as much as possible have reported better language and speech development, as well as refined cognitive abilities. According to Harley (2013:48), the impact of IDS on word segmentation can be better explained when we consider that it is relatively easy to manipulate the cognitive abilities of infants and children. Infants, specifically, adapt to new environments and habits depending on the extent and frequency with which they are exposed to them. For example, we can consider the dialects used by different parents when communicating with their children to show how IDS affects word segmentation.

A Report On Observation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Report On Observation - Assignment Example Introduction I spent about 10 hours observing at the SAY San Diego After School Program at Hearst Elementary in San Diego, CA. The children ranged from Kindergarten to 5th grade, which is approximately three to eleven years of age, and numbered up to 90, depending on the day. The program utilized the auditorium, cafeteria, outside eating area, and the playground of an older school. Snacks were served on each school day, and the children ate lunch together on one day (minimum day for the school). Each day also had between 45 and 90 minutes of play, some guided, some free time. Discussion The day care program highly observed hygiene measures. Teachers and students were expected to wash their hands after playing outdoors, before eating (and serving the food), and after using the restroom (Marotz, Cross, & Rush, 2011). Teachers are not allowed to enter the restrooms, unless there is an emergency, so they could only examine the cleanliness of children’s hands after they exited the restroom, but all children were examined to make sure the hands were clean looking. Any child who did not have clean hands was sent back in to wash with soap and water. It was hard to gauge the number of children who followed the correct procedure as many of the children are out of sight from the staff when washing their hands. Though when they washed their hands in the activity room, the result was about 65% followed the correct procedure. The general faults made were in making sure the backs of the hands got soaped up and in rinsing off the soap completely. This is because most of the children washed their hands in haste. When the children were being observed in this room, they were reminded of the correct way of washing their hands by observing their teachers of who always used the correct procedure (Marotz, Cross, & Rush, 2011). The school does not have access to warm water as all the taps are of cold water. The program cannot fix this fault. There were no children in diapers as most of the young children were old enough to use the restroom under the supervision of their teachers. The program and facility do a fantastic job on attempting to prevent infections. The school has two full-time custodians, who clean the areas inside and around the program. The workers cleaned all the surfaces that the children worked, played, and ate on. This they always did before the program opened. They did the same after they are used by the children. Each teacher also carries a first aid pack with him or her at all times. I only saw one child who needed a Band-Aid. Because of the rules and regulations handed down to the program by its parent non-profit committee and the school district that owns the facility, teachers are only allowed to put a Band-Aid on a child. They cannot help clean any wound, and they cannot put any medication on the area if it is not prescribed by a physician (Marotz, Cross, & Rush, 2011). I believe this could be fixed if the program could afford a nu rse on duty at all times, but unless the parents of the children decided to pay for it, that will not happen. The youngest children are kindergarteners, and all students in the program are expected to be potty trained. Teachers are always with children at the bathrooms, but they never go in with the children. I saw no safety issues that were out of the ordinary for the children during school time. They played on an asphalt playground that had dirt and sand that had blown on to it, so there was a slipping

ECommerce Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ECommerce Coursework - Essay Example Turban et al have compared the internet economy to the ecosystem in nature because the users find their own ways and means to generate profits and service the customers. They create an environment conducive to attract the customers and suppliers and make changes as the situation demands. Today the internet has scores of online businesses business-to-business (B2B), business-to-customer (B2C) and customer-to-customer (C2C) and has definite advantages over the traditional way of transacting business (Amit and Zott 2000). However, the internet ecosystem has a business model that has enhanced the value chain and eliminated the dis-intermediaries. There are various business models that operate on the internet each having its own advantages and benefits for the participants. This is because the internet is an open and non-proprietary platform for collaboration and communication. It has allowed free information sharing and close connections with customers and among supply chain or business ecosystems partners’ information systems (Lee and Vonortas 2003). This results in benefits like real time pricing, flexible products and services, low cost of distribution as the intermediaries can be eliminated. The extensive reach and the richness of the information can be maintained between the ecosystem partners. The digital assets for a firm include the information about the customers whereby they are able to provide value across different markets. Information is a source of revenue for the digital economy and this enhances transparency. Business offer virtual online stores where the customers can visit stores, compare prices and take an informed decision. In the digital world keeping pace with the change that is taking place is important and firms must learn to adapt to the changing business environments. Today there are definite value drivers of e-commerce, which refers to any factor that enhances the

Water first Essay Example for Free

Water first Essay The film captures the inspiring story of Charles Banda, a man who has dedicated his life to providing clean and safe water to the people of Malawi. It was this dedication that saw him turn down a political office offer from none other than the country’s president. If you were to ask anyone in Africa what a political appointment means in that side of the world then you would understand the depth of his commitment to provide water to the impoverished citizens of Malawi, a poor sub-Saharan nation of 12 million people with serious water deficiency. However, back to the film, and something one gets from the film is how grave the consequences of not having water are. The film avoids going in to those morbid details that have sometimes characterized films coming out of Africa and other third world countries. The film captures the green countryside showing a large water reservoir then moves on to show girls moving in a brownish environment (a symptom of dryness) carrying heavy loads in their heads- presumably water. Another scene shows a girl drawing water from a shallow well. The water she is drawing cannot be particularly termed as clean by any standards. It may not even qualify to wash utensils in a lower class neighborhood in Harlem. There are many other scenes of interest, but in the overall, the director does present a picture of the situation as it is in a majority of the African nations and other developing countries without taking away too much of their dignity. In addition, the film also presents some crucial numbers such as the number of people lacking clean water. Relationship between water and the millennium development goals (MDGs) The millennium development goals were arrived at in 2000 by a United Nations declaration and it is envisioned that its targets are to be reached by 2015. There are 8 goals in total, and watching the film, I have a clear picture of the central role to be played by water in the attainment of each of the eight goals. There are two women in the film who give us the common diseases in their communities and among them; cholera and dysentery emerge as some of the most common. You will hardly hear of these diseases in the developed world, and even when they happen they do not come in catastrophic proportions. They are mostly isolated. Yet, for African countries such as Malawi, cholera epidemics are not uncommon. Of importance however, is how the girl child is affected by lack of water. Goal three of the millennium development goals is to promote gender equality and empower women. This goal cannot be achieved if the girls are going to continue carrying the heavy loads for long distances as we saw in the film. Unfortunately, most of the countries that are yet to achieve the MDGs are mostly composed of patriarchal societies. These societies hardly value the place of the woman and for that reason; the women are treated as second class citizens. They are mostly confined to lowly duties such as fetching water, cooking, washing utensils and taking care of small children. Men, on the other hand, get to do more valuable jobs, most of which concern taking care of property. In fact, in such societies, women do not own property-they are properties themselves. Most of the roles listed for women will need water to perform and it is therefore incumbent upon them to ensure that they have enough water supplies. Given that scenario, we can then expect that water shortages will hardly affect men because they have no urgent need for it. As we have seen from the film, it is the girl child who is always out in the wild going to fetch water and one wonders whether she has the same chance of doing well in school in comparison with the boys. Long term empowerment of women cannot be achieved if the girls do not have equal access to education like their male counterparts. Of course, much more than the mere provision of water has to be done, but it has to be the starting point. After providing the water, civic education may then be done to get the society to appreciate the role education will play in the life of the girl child. An equally important area covered by the film is goal number two. This is the area of achieving universal primary education. By this declaration, it is hoped that by the year 2015, primary education will be a universal right for every child. For the girl child however, the right to education must go beyond the promulgation of such a policy. They have more specialized needs in terms of sanitation and without water then their school attendance cannot be guaranteed especially during menstruation periods. That means that their rights to education cannot be guaranteed because of water. Has the United Nations been successful? So far, the UN has been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at easing the strain on the available water resources. It has even predicted that future wars will be fought over water resources as opposed to the current wars, most of which are based on territorial disputes. The issue of water shortage cannot be addressed wholly; it requires addressing the underlying issues that cause it. The range of factors may include global warming, desertification and rapid industrialization. Although the UN does not explicitly list water as a basic human right, it does include access to food as a basic human right. It is hard for food to exist without water and it can therefore be assumed that the UN considers water a basic human rights. It cannot however be said that the organization has been successful at addressing the issue of water accessibility in most of the developing countries. The film gives a figure of 1 billion people as being unable to access water because of their inability to afford it yet most governments are busy privatizing the provision of water. An important lesson from the film is that water provision should have a social approach. The waterman in the film has been largely successful in his efforts because his social approach has enabled him to mobilize substantial resources for use in the sinking of wells. The developing countries are clearly not prepared to commercialize the provision of water because a substantial part of its population still does not have access to it. To that end, the UN needs to do more to dissuade these countries from commercializing the provision of such a basic commodity. Would I recommend the film? The situation in Malawi is representative of how the general situation is in most of the developing countries and especially those in Africa. I would recommend the film to anyone interested in getting a feel of what the average person in a country without water is going through. Those of us in the developed countries take too many things for granted. Many cannot fathom life without the running water or electricity. Many of those in the developed world get to learn about the problems facing other citizens of the world from national geographic channels or Hollywood movies such as blood diamonds. Although they are made in Africa or whichever continent, their objectives are mainly commercial and may not therefore, have the patience or motivation to develop a wholesome picture of the situation. The film attempts to give a balanced view of the situation without having to apportion blame, either to the government or the communities. It simply calls our attention to the problems existing in these countries and leaves the rest to our own judgments. I therefore propose the film to anyone intent on understanding the development needs in these countries. Works Cited UNDP. Millennium Development Goals. 05 Apr 2010 http://www. undp. org/mdg/basics. shtml.

A New Vision for Public Administration Essay Example for Free

A New Vision for Public Administration Essay Theme The theme of the article by Goodsell is illustrating â€Å"how public administration in the United States can be seen on its own terms, and not those of others† (p. 634). This article argue that the professors and practitioners of the field have inadvertently allowed it to be observed and interpreted from standpoints imposed by others who are external to its institutions and subject matter (p. 623). These include elected officials and politicians and a variety of critics supporting programs for improvement. The representations of the field expected by these outside viewers have been indiscreetly acknowledged within public administration, leaving the field disposed for influence as a tool for purposes other than its own. This situation has made it difficult for the fields leaders to formulate a separate intellectual vision for public administration that is consonant with their appropriate goals and concerns (p.623). Topic The topic under consideration is to contend that it is time for the field to advance, in the sense that it must express, at least to itself, a vision that apprehends its understanding of public administrations contented involvement to a democratic society. The article also present that the vision is no more â€Å"true† in an objective sense than the visions of others. The subject of investigation are the viewpoints in which the social constructs can be seen in different ways, and how the public administrators can be thought to be owning the capacities of human observation and visual understanding that allow them to see such objects. Method of Inquiry The method of inquiry used by the author is qualitative research. The author does this through corresponding to what a recent analyst of governance  described as society’s three major institutions: the state, the market, and civil society (p. 624). The state perceives public administration from the perspective of centralized, combined control by the chief executive. The market sees it in terms of private area standards and the principles of commerce. Civil societys viewpoint is that the fields self-governing prospective is apprehended through direct impact over government by those affected by it. Findings The author provides a brief and attentive summary of the major findings through a trio of conceptual categories. The three categories he analyzes are: States view on public administration, Market view on public administration, and Civil Society’s view on public administration. Public administration centers on matters of branded control under state’s view. This is controlled from the top and if the top person in charge is a tyrant, then the control is made unconditional by intimidations and eliminations. â€Å"In a democracy, the situation is more complicated: Laws and elections must be honored, a free press tolerated, and, in America, the separation of powers and divisions of federalism dealt with† (p. 624). Public administration centers on matters of branded control under state’s view. This is controlled from the top and if the top person in charge is a tyrant, then the control is made unconditional by intimidations and eliminations. â€Å"In a democracy, the situation is more complicated: Laws and elections must be honored, a free press tolerated, and, in America, the separation of powers and divisions of federalism dealt with† (p. 624). The bureaucracy came to be observed as coextensive with the executive branch of government, under the exclusive direction of the chief executive. Without consulting the Constitution, this was simply assumed to be the case. The Constitution enforces many judicial and legal controls over supervision that check the presidents power over administration. Although the president is explicitly designated commander in chief of the army and navy, over civilian matters no such authority exists. At the local level, state administrative eliminated panels in favor of single managers and created gubernatorial  budget offices. â€Å"Meanwhile, in the arena of intergovernmental relations, the federal grant-in-aid blossomed as a principal means of financing government at the state and local level; and this gave the money-dispensing national executive branch a high degree of dominance over the entire administrative system† (p. 624). Centralized administrative control permits the presidency to apply its proclaimed duty of local policy governance at home and its expected obligation to direct overseas the extensive actions of the worlds only global force. Market sees public administration not as a governmentally absorbed area of joined deed, but as a set of fundamentally noncommercial events open to free-market course and direction. â€Å"Flexibility, competition, and entrepreneurship are assumed to be the keys to delivering efficient services in a way that is both economical and pleasing to consumers (p. 625).† The impact of what is left of customary public administration is to take care of the few matters that are not else controlled by the market, such as providing necessary public goods or improving rare market failures. The favored features sought are drawn from the latest ideas adopted in corporate management and organization. â€Å"They must flatten their hierarchies, break down their stovepipes, and adopt the latest information technologies; the organization is committed to continuous change almost for its own sake, dedicated to the rituals of strategic planning verbalized by the latest reform acronyms† (p. 625). The crucial result is not lacking its ironies. Traditional public administration is seen as despairingly incompetent, stubborn, and old-fashioned. On the other hand the invalid administrators are eager consumers of the management policies sold by business trainers and consultants. At the end of the day, an inept, big-spending bureaucracy seems to be the perfect problem to have (p.625). Civil society’s central concern is opening it up to direct public involvement, although it too is interested in control and reform with regard to public administration. They are more interested in giving voice to those who are financially deprived and without any political influence. They also speak for racial minorities and community residents whom they believe should have a direct voice in administrative decisions that affect them. It is  difficult to separate these citizens from others in civil society who might also wish to claim the same right. â€Å"Examples are local merchants, corporate chief executives, association executives, religious activists, and arms dealers; even though these people already enjoy insider influence in government through hired lobbyists, social contacts, and campaign contributions† (p. 625). It is hard to envision a structure that would carefully distinct between the citizens that deserve from undeserving. The article also analyzed some academics that have promoted not just higher proportions of minorities and women, but also the â€Å"active† representation in the form of pro-group conduct by bureaucrats (p.626). The logical perception of shareholder study is seen as a way to anticipate public feedbacks to a planned quantity from all quarters. Collaborative public planning is a way to assembly direct address among members of all relevant groups to allow citizens and not just bureaucrats to structure and address issues. â€Å"This tool has been particularly popular in the natural resources area, in which ranchers, timber companies, sports enthusiasts, and environmentalists compete for influence; moreover, several techniques of interactive e-government have been the subject of experimentation, especially at the local level† (p.626). Assessment According to Goodsell, it appears that he is calling for the skills of a strategic leader when he says that the â€Å"mission is the foundation for agency self-identification, staff impulse, program unity, organizational pride, and political support. Likewise, it stimulates a conscious level of intentionality that keeps the organization on track and mobilizes the resolve needed to resist capture by special interests (p. 631).† From public administration’s standpoint, the most important defect in the state viewpoint is the downgrade of management to a lesser part. â€Å"It evokes the simplistic politics-administration dichotomy and suggests public servants should be subservient beings† (p. 627). Another problem with the market view is its notion in approval of business outsourcing over domestic ability. Such extreme events as formation and appraising programs and  cherishing and mixing the labor force should not be contracted out. Maybe the most important flaw of this viewpoint is that its concern with the private sector does not satisfy the responsibilities of government. â€Å"It is the nature of the public sector to seek multiple, varied goals, many of which cannot be monitored by the monetary metric; although the values of economy, efficiency, and productivity remain obviously important in public administration, a more thoughtful calculus of purpose is needed (p. 628)†. Citizen participation can help democratize administration, but only under the right circumstances. There are limits on how much and how often authority can be shared. In crisis situations, time is of the essence, and truly expansive democracy is impossible. In matters of great debate, continued discussions may actually worsen the tension and do nothing to attain compromise. Eventually, someone must make a decision, and usually that burden falls on the public administrator. In public policy networks, it is crucial for government to have a prime role. Administrators may employ persuasion and negotiation in dealing with other network members (as they have always done), they must be regarded as first among equals at a very minimum because of their legal authority and mandate to seek out the public good (p. 630). All in all it seems that a certain amount of authorization is essential to carry out allocated tasks. This profits not only the organizations themselves but also the larger community. Most organization duties are not, after all, casually shaped. They originate from the constant, vital needs of a modern society, making their existence not a matter of choice but a necessity acknowledged by mostly all.

Person centred theory and its application in practice

Person centred theory and its application in practice Person-centred therapy is one of the humanistic approaches and derives from the work of Carl Rogers. It is based on the assumption each individual/client has the potential to understand themselves and the ability to solve their own problems. Rogers (1953/1967 p92, cited in Embleton Tudor et al 2004) firmly believed that, the inner core of mans personality is the organism itself, which essentially is both self-preserving and social and through this belief Rogers developed several key theoretical concepts of the person-centred approach. The organismic self, as Rogers saw it, is the human being, the sensory, bodily and visceral functions (Embleton Tudor et al 2004). The organismic self is essentially trustworthy and strives to grow and achieve its full potential, it experiences the inner feelings and deep seated desires and knows what it needs, both mentally and physically from the environment and other people in order to develop to its full potential. The tendency towards growth is known as the actualising tendency. Rogerss theory suggests that it is in human nature to grow, as it is for a plant, an example Rogers used to explain his theory. A plant does not need to be made to grow, it is innate. Given the right conditions the plant will thrive to be the best that it can be. As with people, if they are given the right conditions they will thrive to reach their potential and become the best person they can be (Embleton Tudor et al 2004). However, for people it means more than just growth and survival, it is the satis faction of physical and psychological needs. This theory was also supported by Abraham Maslow (1970, cited in Bernstein et al 2003), who developed a hierarchy of motives that need to be satisfied in order to reach self-actualisation. In essence the hierarchy can be split into two levels; physiological needs such oxygen, food, keeping warm, avoiding danger etc and psychological needs such as love, acceptance, and respect will lead to self actualisation (Bernstein et al 2003). Rogers believed that in order to satisfy the actualising tendency, we need to have experiences that will enable us to grow, and be able to accept these experiences into our self-structure and awareness (Tolan 2003). Rogers suggested that the environment an individual finds themselves in is the only constraint on the actualizing tendency (Thorne 2006) and the progress of people whose experiences of the self become distorted is likely to slowed or even stopped. The need for positive regard and approval from others can become overwhelming and eventually could take precedence over the thoughts and feelings of the organismic self. Rogers saw that from an early age children learn to need other peoples approval, or positive regard and the child will evaluate themselves as good for having earned approval. However, if a behaviour arising from what the individual is actually experiencing fails to earn positive regard then a conflict arises. The individual must either do without the positive regard or re-evaluate the self-experience and change their behaviour in order to receive positive feedback (Bernstein 2003). These experiences form the self-concept, which is the way that individual thinks of them. The self-concept is another key concept of the person-centred approach. It is the individuals conceptual representation of themselves, developed over time and is mainly dependent on the attitudes and behaviour of significant people in an individuals life and the environment they are in. Once a self-concept is established it is usually reinforced through behaviour that will elicit approval and suppress feelings, though ts or behaviours that bring about negative judgment from others. Experiences which challenge the self-concept are likely to be distorted or even denied altogether in order to preserve it. (Thorne, 1996). Difficulties can occur if a persons overwhelming need for positive regard from others is not met or is conditional upon their behaviour. Psychological disturbance occurs when the individuals self-concept contradicts with the thoughts or feelings that the individual organismically experiences (Mearns and Thorne, 2008). The ability to weigh up and to value experiences positively or negatively is known as the organismic valuing process. It is a fluid process by which experiences are valued according to how beneficial they are for enhancing towards self-actualisation. This means that experiences which are beneficial are sought after, however, experiences that are not seen as beneficial are valued as bad and avoided, this can lead to a distrust or disassociation with the organismic self (Mearns and Thorne 2008). The distrust in the organismic self can also be due to repeated messages that an individual has received or perceived from their environment. When we take something in from our environment, such as we evaluate it in relation to our internal valuing process, this kind of internalisation is called introjection. Introjects are the beliefs, attitudes, judgements or values of another person which are taken into the individual and become part of their self-concept (Thorne, 1996). By seeking approval from others individuals will introject attitudes or beliefs that are contradictory to their own feelings. When we take in something that doesnt fit into our self-concept we may reject it, or we may deny or distort some other aspect of our experience. In a therapeutic setting introjects can usually be identified by statements such as I ought to be or I should this can lead to a negative self-concept and cause the individual to become incongruent. (Tudor Embleton 2004). The organismic valuing process can also be disturbed by self-concepts that have been based on conditional positive regard, or conditions of worth. Conditions of worth are the feelings an individual experiences when the person is evaluated, instead of the persons behaviour. When the significant people in a persons life appear to value certain aspects of a behaviour or trait, the individual also learns to do this. Subsequently the individual will seek out some experiences and avoid others because they have learned to regard themselves in a particular way, for example if a parent says to their child I dont like you when you cry, the child may learn not to cry even if they are feeling genuine distress. (Tudor Embleton et al 2004). Through conditions of worth and negative self-concepts an individual can lose touch which their organismic self and become reliant on others to dictate the actions, according to Rogers this person would have an external locus of evaluation. A person with an external locus of evaluation will usually have been surrounded by people who are critical and judgemental. In order to receive approval and positive regard the individual will develop ways to behave. This is usually contradictory to the organismic self, which ceases to be effective as a source of knowledge or guidance for the individual. As a result the individual begins to rely on others to make their decisions and loses touch with what they really think and feel. (Mearns and Thorne 2008). In a therapeutic setting a counsellor/therapist must be aware if a client is presenting with a highly externalised locus of evaluation, as the client could interpret what the therapist says as advice or validation for behaviour. For example: Client: I just dont know what to do, I want to be a good mum and spend time with my children, but I also want my own social life, thats not wrong is it? Therapist: So you feel by having a social life you arent being a good mum Client: Exactly, I feel I am being selfish. What should I do? This client is incongruent due to her inner desires to have a social life and the conflict with her self-concept of what a good mum should be. The client asks the therapist for their opinion, which also suggests an external locus of evaluation. In contrast to this is the internal locus of evaluation. Psychologically healthy people are those who have been fortunate to live be surrounded by people whose acceptance and approval has enabled them to develop self-concepts that allow them to be in touch with their deepest feelings and experiences (Mearns and Thorne 2008, p11). This will enable them to move towards what Rogers (1963, cited in Mearns and Thorne 2008) describes as a fully functioning person. A fully functioning person is open to experiences and is not overly concerned with the opinions of others. This person would be able to trust their own ability to know what is good or bad for their development, they would be able to listen to themselves and make their own decisions, this person would have an internal locus of evaluation. A significant moment in therapy is when a client recognises their inner feelings and begins to operate using an internal locus of evaluation. Importance of the therapeutic relationship In a speech at the University of Minnesota Rogers said: Therapy is not a matter of doing something about himself. It is instead a matter of freeing him for normal growth and development so that he can again move forward. (Rogers, 1942, p29, cited in Dryden Mytton, 1999, p75) A key difference from other types of therapy is that the person-centred approach is non-directive and a greater emphasis is placed on the quality of the relationship rather than the use of techniques. The personal qualities and attitudes of the therapist are often seen as more important than their formal education or qualifications. The person-centred approach believes that it is the therapeutic relationship that can liberate the client from blockages to the actualising tendency (Dryden Mytton 1999). The aim of the counsellor in the therapeutic relationship is to create conditions where the growth or actualising process is encouraged, in turn this will free the client from their restrictions created by conditions of worth and introjects and enable them to listen to their inner voice (Mearns and Thorne 2008). Rogers believed that in the therapeutic relationship clients, often for the first time, experience acceptance rather than evaluation and feel free to recognise their organismic self. The therapist does not create an assessment of the client, nor do they label the client, Rogers regarded this as detrimental as the labelling process places the evaluation in the hands of an expert. In person-centred counselling the client is viewed as the expert about him/herself and the therapist is the expert only in maintaining the attitudinal conditions in the relationship with the client, not as an expert on the client (Dryden Mytton 1999). If the therapist was to be viewed as the expert this would create a power imbalance in the relationship and the person-centred approach regards it as essential that the client realises that they can trust their own experiencing and the validity of their own perceptions. Thorne (1996) believed that those who gain the most from person-centred therapy are those who are willing to change and recognise their role and responsibility in the therapeutic process. The person-centred approach is process orientated and Rogers believed if certain necessary conditions are present then changes will occur and the process of growth can take place. Rogers listed what he regarded as the necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change (Rogers, 1957 p95, cited in Dryden Mytton 1999 p76): Two persons are in psychological contact. Rogers (1959) described this as the least or minimum experience which could be called a relationship (p. 207, cited in Embleton Tudor et al 2004) meaning that the therapist and client have to be mutually aware of each other before the process can begin. There does not need to be an emotional connection or closeness for there to be psychological contact, it is a simple contact between two persons (Rogers, 1959 p207, cited in Embleton Tudor et al 2004, p40). The first, whom we shall term the client, is in a state of incongruence, being vulnerable and anxious. One implication of client incongruence being one of the necessary and sufficient conditions is that the client is needs to have some self-identified problem in order to be motivated to seek therapy. Furthermore, if the client is vulnerable to anxiety this, in theory, would motivate them to stay in the therapeutic relationship (Mearns and Thorne, 2008). The second person, whom we shall term the therapist, is congruent or integrated in the relationship. According to Rogers (1973, p186) congruence or genuineness is the realness of the therapist in the relationshipWhen the therapist is natural and spontaneous he seems to be most effective (cited in Mearns Thorne 2008 p119). Rogers believed that if the therapist was outwardly showing warmth and acceptance, but was inwardly feeling irritation, the client would sense this and it would have a negative effect on the therapeutic relationship (Dryden Mytton 1999). Wilkins (1997) stated that the therapist needs to be open to their feelings and inner experiences, but does not need to communicate their feelings to the client (Embleton Tudor et al 2004). Congruence enables the client to be able to trust the experience of the counsellor, which in turn can help to establish a therapeutic relationship whereby the client feels genuinely understood and accepted (Tolan, 2003). The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard (UPR) for the client. UPR is the attitude of the therapist towards the client. If the therapist accepts the client unconditionally, without judgment, disapproval or approval. Bozworth (1996) argued that the clients experiencing of UPR is the most therapeutically effective of the necessary and sufficient conditions. The client does not need to distort their inner feelings to receive acceptance, therefore they can begin to become aware of organismic experiences and hopefully reduce the feelings of internal conflict (Embleton Tudor et al 2004). The therapist experiences an empathic understanding of the clients internal frame of reference and endeavours to communicate this experience to the client. The key characteristic of empathy is being able to understand another persons subjective reality as they experience it. This requires an orientation toward the clients frame of reference (Cooper et al 2007). To be able to communicate empathically the therapist must accurately reflect what the content or affect of what the client conveyed, or the intended meaning of what was said. The importance of this is that it conveys to the client that the therapist understands what they are saying, it also gives the clients the opportunity to reflect on what they have said and the possibly find meaning in it (Josefwitz Myran 2005). The communication to the client of the therapists empathic understanding and unconditional positive regard is to a minimal degree achieved. The therapist has a responsibility to communicate empathetic understanding and UPR to their client in order for the client to feel that they are in an environment where they are accepted and understood. Rogers (1957, p 99) stated unless some communication of these attitudes has been achieved, then such attitudes do not exist in the relationship as far as the client is concerned (cited in Embleton Tudor 2004, p44). The core conditions and the application of theory to practice Of the six necessary and sufficient conditions that have just briefly been described, congruence, UPR and empathy have come to be described as the core conditions. I shall describe these core conditions in more depth and aim to demonstrate their application in practice. Congruence Congruence can be described using terms such as, transparent, genuine or authentic, but the essence of congruence in a therapeutic relationship is that the therapist relates to the client in a way that reflects their inner awareness and feelings. The therapist should have an ongoing awareness of their experiencing (Mearns Thorne 2000). Rogers (1957) stressed that congruence is a state of being, and a therapist should only communicate their feelings when they are persistent and of great strength and when communication of them assists the therapeutic process. Result: Endeavouring to be so open the counsellor acts as a role model sending the message that its ok to feel and communicate feelings. In order to develop and maintain congruence counsellors need to constantly work at being aware of their underlying feelings and also to realise the importance of having supervision and working on their own personal growth.