Flextronics Case Analysis

Flextronics Case Analysis Team Member: Kerry Cunningham, Feng Hu, Tian Tian, Shuo Zhang Nov. 5th 1. Cause of McCuster’s Dilemma Several organizational factors haves contributed to McCuster’s dilemma: First, the Flextronics’s decision makers failed to appropriately evaluate the ability and condition of the organization in bidding for Xbox project and assigning tasks. While it is enticing that this project would bring about good reputation as well as substantial financial gain, decision-makers should consider more than financial benefit1.Managers are paid to make good decisions not risky decisions or conservative decisions1: Flextronics decision makers was too optimistic about the project so that they promised Microsoft the IT solution Flextronics did not have yet despite the fact that it was Flextronics first global project and first foray into sophisticated software. This promise has put Flextronics in risks since now it has trouble coming up with the IT solution .Although group and external pressures (social, political, economic) impact the alternatives we select and biases we have in decision-making1, in Flextronics case, Flextronics could gain cutting edge and good fame from the succeed of the project, and many parties are closely watching this project, decision makers still needs to be objective when making decisions While Xbox project needs the two facilities designated to work closely, decision makers assigned the project to Mexico facility and Hungary facility, two groups that are both geographically and relationally distant.This decision has led to ineffective communication between the two facilities. Second, Flextronics’s CEO’s over stress on culture decentralization and the fact that Flextronics’s acquisition led to culture acquisition caused lack of communication1 and trust1 between facilities. Lack of Communication has led to different systems in two facilities. The two plants function separately and have the ir own respective cost control, this leading to conflict about which system to adopt.If the Hungary facility has communicated with the headquarter about which system to adopt in the first place, the headquarter would probably have suggested Hungary facility to adopt Datasweep like Mexico facility did, and Flextronics would not have this dilemma at all. Now that the facilities are having problem in switching system, they still refuse to trust each other’s system, they are even unwilling to communicate with each other about the system. This lack of trust and communication has worsened Flextronics’s situation. 2.Criteria in Decision Evaluation The most prior criterion in decision evaluation is whether the ultimate decision enables Flextronics to make profits in the long run. Since profit enables enterprises to survive and developlast. Profit is also the reason for the establish profit oriented enterprises. However, in individual tasks such as Xbox project, the priority ma y be developing cutting edge and enhance reputation rather than financial gain, but this project would be valueless if it cannot bring about financial benefit in the long run.The second most important criterion is customer satisfaction. In this case, customer satisfaction means whether Flextronics produces Xbox in good quality, right quantity, with reasonable price, and in timely manner. Flextronics also needs to meet Microsoft’s requirement in system adoption and production control. As Microsoft is an important customer and the project’s success could bring about substantial benefit for Flextronics, it is important to stick to the contract with Microsoft. Another important criterion would be whether the ultimate decision leads to good team work.Now that the Hungary facility and Mexico facility have inconsistency in production and refuse to compromise, decision makers need to come up with a solution to involve the two facilities in close cooperation, which is the key t o success in launching Xbox in two markets at the same time. As good teamwork in Xbox would lead to enhanced work efficiency and good example for future projects, it is important for decision makers to let the two facilities willingly reach an agreement. 3. Actions to Take In order to satisfy the criteria mentioned above, Mr. McCusker should take the following actions before he reaches a decision.First of all, in order to make sure the company can benefit from this project, he need make comprehensive analysis on every aspect including costs, potential profit, customer satisfaction and future influences on market share of all those three possible scenarios. The first decision alternative is putting Datasweep in both Mexico and Hungary. This fits to both the philosophy of Mark, the CEO of Flextronics and the requirement of Microsoft. Moreover, Datasweep is a scalable solution over Visual Factory, thus facilitating future projects on a global view.On the other hand, the cost is a big i ssue. Besides, the uncertainty to operate the new system may disorder the normal operation for Hungarian for a period of time. Well, decision-makers should consider more than financial benefit1. As this is a global project, McCusker should view it as a whole. If this solution does meet the criteria of the company, those two branches should share the total cost and profit. Furthermore, the Mexico factory should send some engineers who are familiar with Datasweep to Hungarian to make it operate well as soon as possible.Because the Xbox will be built first in Mexico, there is still some time for Hungary to adopt the new system. In this case, Flextronics will become more and more global-orientated and get ready for tremendous future projects. However, there is still some uncertainty exists, because the management team in Hungary is self-important. They are quite unwilling to switch and would only do so if the CEO commanded. They may have some psychological issues which will have bad eff ects on carrying on the project. The second one is to set up Visual Factory in Mexico.It will save a lot of money, which is a big issue in this industry. This system has been well self-customized by the Hungarian team and they believe that they have already discovered and fixed most of the bugs. But the fatal defect is that Visual Factory has no credibility outside of Hungary. It is extremely hard to convince Microsoft and the executives and IT team of Flextronics to trust this new system. Moreover, because of the build of Xbox starting from Mexico, time is another critical issue. The third option is allowing each branch uses their own software system. This will benefit both plants without any risk.Nevertheless, there is also a fatal drawback of this option that is it can hardly meet the basic requirement of Microsoft for a single software platform. What’s more, it lacks global synergies which will be a barrier for Flextronics to develop in the long run. The second action McC usker should take is talking to Michael Marks, the CEO of Flextronics, putting all three options and all the pros and cons of them according to the comprehensive analysis and asking for his advice and even help. In this case, this is indeed needed, though it is not recommended to refer to boss for help.Because this is a global project which need close cooperation of the big two branches, it’s hard for McCusker, the project manager, to deal with those senior executives. Furthermore, Humphrey Porter, president of Central Europe, and his team even claimed that they would switch to Datasweep only if Michael Marks ask to do so as an order. In this case, without the approval of Michael Marks, it’s useless for McCusker to reach any decision. The third one is to hold a conference with all the key people including Humphrey Porter, Matt Ryan, Jim McCusker, Mike Webb, Robert Dykes and Michael Marks.Because one of the biggest problems of Flextronics is lack of communication, this conference will help those key people in this project to know the situation better and build trust and familiarity among them1. After they consider and discuss all the pros and cons of every option face to face without any communication barrels, they stand a good chance to reach an optimal decision. A good teamwork among different branches would also benefit a lot for the future development of Flextronics as a global company.

Using Material from Item a Assess Sociological Explanations

Sociology Topic 6 ‘Using material from item A assess sociological explanations of gender inequality in todays society’ In the last 30 years women in the UK working has risen to 2. 45 million whereas men working has risen by 0. 5 million. Item A suggests a variety of gender inequalities in today’s society for example the pay difference women receive as it is suggested according to item A that women earn a quarter of a million pounds less than men and this is without women not having any children if she did have children it would be ? 140,000 less. The pay gap reduces family income overall which isn’t beneficial for families.Another issue is that women mainly work in low paid sectors like retail or caring and due to women having a glass ceiling above men taking all management positions it has left women with the low paid jobs. Hakim believes there’s an occupational segregation in the UK. In the UK according to Hakim men and women do different kinds of work. There are 2 types of occupational segregation. Horizontal segregation and Vertical segregation. Horizontal segregation is when men and women are concentrated in different types if jobs in different sectors of the economy. Women who are in the public sector usually work in health and social work and education.However in the private sector women normally are in admin or clerical work whereas men are in the skilled and manual sector. However horizontal segregation may decline as there is a decline in the primary and secondary sector in the economy. Vertical segregation is when women occupy jobs of low pay and status. There’s evidence that women work in lower levels however when they can work in upper professions they still have a glass ceiling above them according to Walby. This affects women as if there is any chance of promotion they end up being restricted to go any higher.Women also receive less pay in 1975 women only earned 71% of the average full time male wage. The gap has narrowed over the last 30 years due to many women fighting for equal rights. The gap between men and women was 17% in 2007 however the government claim that it’s 12. 6%. The problem with using average pay in the gender gap according to ONS believe that many men who are paid very well can inflate the average and therefore get rid of the true pay gap between men and women. Differences in pay still exists, in some jobs the statistics much higher it’s 22. 3% difference which is a significant compared to the public sector.CMI found out that the average female executive was paid ? 32614 whereas men in the same role received ? 46269. This suggests that inequality still exists however it isn’t as open as it was in the last 50 years it is more discreet. This makes it harder to prove that this inequality still exists in society today. Women also work part time as in 2005 42% of women worked part time whereas 9% men worked part time which shows there is a huge gap this puts women mainly as a huge disadvantage as they have less job security and less chance to promoted. Parsons who is a functionalist believed that men and women should have separate roles in society.He believed women were more suited for the expressive roles whereas men where suited for the instrumental roles of society. He believed men suited pair employment whereas women were meant to do domestic duties. He wasn’t surprised that women are paid less as they are less motivated and less suited to the labour market. Which shows inequality in gender ,as women are seen to be the homemakers according to some sociologists. Some economists believe that the pay gap is justified as it shows that fact that men have more human capital as they have greater orientation to paid work .Women are less commited and are likely to take breaks in there career to look after there family whereas men build their skills, qualifications and skills as they do not take breaks in there career. Howeve r Olsen and walby criticise the human capital theory they believe that main reason why women suffer to have such a low pay is because there’s a systematic disadvantage in acquiring human capital e. g. pay is low in occupations where there are many women. This could be because the jobs require less training and promotion prospects for this job in which men are in the majority.Human capital assumes that experiences of employment means the increase in wage whereas experience in part time work is associated with less wages. Some sociologists believe that a dual labour market exists and is divided into 2 sectors primary and secondary. Primary is secure, well paid and with good prospectus whereas the secondary is poor pay insecurity and no ladder of promotion. Barron and Norris concluded that women are likely to be in the secondary this is due to women being unsuitable, disrupted career developments and weak legal and political framework supporting women.Liberal feminists argue tha t the traditional forms of gender role socialisation in families, education and in the media are responsible for reproducing a sexual division in labour in which masculinity is seen as dominant whereas femininity is seen as subordinate. Oakly argues that the reason for the subordination of women in the labour market is the dominance of motherhood/housewife roles for women. Patriarchal ideology stresses the view that women’s only purpose is to raise children. Sharpe believes that education and careers are main priorities of teen girls.Girls also perform better in education which suggests that society will change at a later stage due to girls performing so well academically. They also see that men and women are taking equal responsibilities are caring and cleaning at home which shows that gender inequality is slowly decreasing as women are realising there potential and men are adapting to women becoming more career focused. Marxists feminists argue the subordination of women to men is linked to the position in society. According to benston women benefit capitalism in 2 ways. The first way is that women provide free domestic labour which allows men to be more effective.Women are also excluded from paid employment in the early 19th century which resulted in women becoming housewife’s and mothers. Benston argues that if the women is a housewife then the man pays for both the labour power of the male and the domestic power of the women. The second way is that women are responsible for raising the future labour force at no cost to the capitalist class this is known as reproduction of labour power. Ansley believed that women in relationships with men also functioned to soak up the male workers frustration with his paid work in the forms of domestic violence.However other Marxists feminists see women as part of ‘reserve army of labour’ which is hired by businesses in times for economic expansion and fired during an change in the economic clim ate (recession). Walby believes that women staying at home has harmed capitalism as women competing with men for jobs would lower wages and increase capitalism. The reserve labour of army has also been criticized as it doesn’t explain why male and females are put in different uses. It doesn’t explain why women have such different responsibilities.Radical feminists argue that society’s divided into 2 different gender classes’ men and women who both have different interests. Feminists believe patriarchal inequalities happen in personal relationships. All personal relationships are political as they based upon different and unequal amounts of power which is determined by sex and are reinforced by every aspect of wider society. Radical feminists note that patriarchal ideology fails then women are constantly under the threat of male violence and sexual aggression which limits their capacity to live as free and independent as they should be.However radical femi nists have been criticized for failing to acknowledge historical changes like women now experience the same rights as men . Another approach is the dual systems approach. Delphy emphasizes the key role of family. She believes the household is important however it’s underrated and believes the work performed by women is high productive however she notes that men dominate households as they have more economic power than women.Walby believes that capitalism and patriarchy could work alongside each other to exploit women. Patriarchy according to walby has evolved from ‘private patriarchy’ in which women have entered public arenas of employment and politics however they still are disadvantaged. She believes that women are no longer restricted to the domestic sphere to ‘public patriarchy’ where women are no longer restricted but have the whole society in which to roam and be exploited.

Conflicts and Communication Essay

Communication is a very key role in any type of relationship whether it be business, personal or intimate. When we enter into any type of relationship one needs to have the skills to communicate effectively and make sure that the complete message gets portrayed to the receiver. When one does not communicate effectively, the result causes interpersonal conflict. In the movie â€Å"Hitch† it involves two individuals, Will Smith and Eva Mendes, who meet and begin to enter into the beginning stages of a relationship. There is certainly an attraction, both physically and due to a common interest in things. Through hesitation and Mendes declining Smith numerous times, she finally agrees to go out with him and it turns out that they seem to be quite compatible. Through their friendship they begin to develop an intimate relationship with one another. Through this whole process Mendes has been very open and honest about things that are important to her and things that are private to her as well. It seems that Smith is doing the same thing, however it turns out that he is withholding very important information that should be shared with her. The main interpersonal conflict in this movie would be due to Smith not communicating to Mendes that he is the â€Å"Date Doctor†. Mendes has a major issue with this because she had a very good friend who was dumped and she placed the blame on Smith for this situation When she finds out what his true profession is, she become irate and storms off and refuses to speak to him or listen him. This instance caused an instant dissolution of their relationship. There was an issue, but instead of communicating it out loud or discussing it, quite the opposite happened. In our text, Sole states that, â€Å"Resentments, suspicions and other problems occur when people do not communicate or behave in ways that are consistent with the relationship the other person things has been established, and people tend to pay the most attention and to respond forcefully when the communication does not match their expectations† (Sole, 2011). Towards the end of the movie, they finally are able to communicate to each other on the same level and they work things out. In my opinion, all tension could have been resolved and the relationship could have been restored from the get-go if Smith and Mendes would have truly communicated and would have been completely honest and transparent about their lives and the things that they do and that they are involved in. Obviously, it is easier said than done. Another thing that should have been avoided would be assuming things that are really not true. â€Å"The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place† (George Bernard Shaw). This quote really sums up the main point and resolution to problems and issues with intrapersonal communication. Never be so blinded by the things that you are hiding from individuals you are developing relationships with and never assume that they understand things you, as the speaker, have not completely portrayed.

Terrorism and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Terrorism and the Law - Essay Example As amended by IRTPA in December 2004 AEDPA section 2339B(a) defines material support as â€Å"any property, tangible or intangible or service, including money, financial services, lodging, training, expert advice or assistance, safehouses, false documentation or identification, communication equipment, facilities, weapons, lethal substance, explosives, personnel, transportation, and with the exemption of medicine or religious materials (Samaha 468). The government must be able to prove that the â€Å"donor defendant acted with culpable intent knowledge† so as it is safe to say that such individual has provided material support to a terrorist organization (Samaha 468). 2. Terrorism is defined by at least four different kinds of laws. Name at least three kinds of laws. There are varying definitions of terrorism which makes it controversial and it is defined by different kinds of laws such as the following: International criminal law, National criminal law (e.g. United States La w Code), and general insurance policies. 3. The United Nations, The Arab Convention and European Convention define terrorism differently. Explain each definition. The United Nations The United Nations and the council on the suppression of terrorism seek to define it by adopting general legislative measures against it which results in serious legal consequences. As a result of this, the United Nations is encouraging every state to define terrorism in the context of National Law (Saul 141). The Arab Convention, On the other hand, the Arab Convention is very particular in excluding armed struggle against oppression from the definition of terrorism and its suppression. The threat to the right of securing self-determination and independence which can be counteracted by an armed struggle in whatever means is particularly excluded in the definition of terrorism (Williamson 59). This, therefore, paves the way for the difficulty in coming up with a universal definition of terrorism. European Convention European Convention on the other hand on its suppression of terrorism encourages States to consider terrorism and its acts not as political offenses or as being inspired by political motives (Dumitriu 587). 4. Yunis, Noriega, and Yousef were progressive rulings on extraterritorial jurisdiction. In a few sentences, what does each case stand for? Why are they considered progressive rulings? The US District Court decision of United States vs. Yunis case stands for the acceptance of certain principles of extraterritorial jurisdiction allowing prosecution of terrorists in the United States (Wegner). In other words, the said case has become the model for the prosecution of terrorists in the US courts. The Noriega case depicts how the head of the state can be brought before trials in the US courts. In the midst of this trial, Noriega case can substantially apply three types of immunity: foreign sovereign immunity, head of state immunity, and the act of state immunity. The case of Yousef, on the other hand, depicts the clash between the Iran Penal Code and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. These two have certain principles that at some point would bring substantial consideration to the progress of the case. These three are considered progressive rulings because from time to time, various modifications, amendments or changes have been implemented on various laws in the world.  

Supply Chains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supply Chains - Essay Example Consumers are also inquiring about environmental strategies from the companies since they are aware of the global warming and the ecological matters. Companies will have to explain to the consumers how green their production processes are and how their waste materials are recycled. Supply Chains and networks Supply chains and networks plan is the act of finding and reducing services in the supply chain. In the plan, the mode of transportation, how to look for the market and the nature of the services are determined to provide the best service to the customer at the reduced cost possible. Two plants can produce a commodity and it can be supplied to three different chains before it gets to the customer. The plan offers the most convenient and efficient means to reduce such inconveniences. A good plan improves a company’s supply chain in the following areas Minimized costs Reduced account levels Low transport costs Good asset returns Good and reliable customer service A company e njoys competitive advantage when its goods and services are of better quality and prove to be acceptable by the consumer. A company’s competitive advantage can be determined by - Time- this is when a company can produce and process more goods quicker than the other processes. This advantage improves the profits and the product value. Cost- this is when a company spends less in the processing than the other. Cost advantage occurs where there is a better mechanized procedure and good mechanization which enhance competence. Quality Advantage- this is where a bigger company produces goods with less faults that the substandard ones. A company should ensure that all products of the same brand are of the same quality and result. The quality of the goods or commodities and their delivery is determined by the following factors:- Accessibility of resources When there are readily available raw materials, the cost of fetching for the materials is greatly reduced. Transport costs and the labour cost is greatly reduced. This also affects the quality of the goods supplied and how they are delivered to the consumer. Amount of purchases The amount of purchases a company produces greatly affects the quality and the distribution. A company delivers its products to the consumer depending on the necessity of the goods. Corporate responses Changes in climate have brought concern to business because it presents threats to companies (e.g. oil companies). In the 21st century, environmental dilapidation cost of materials and energy rise, in search of economic development have turned out to be clearer. Increased greenhouse emissions, destruction of the ozone layer and forests prove that there is a problem. Figures from the World Bank have shown that poverty has risen and many people live on fewer than 2 dollars each day (Wilsner 2011). This shows that issues of consumer options and control have been neglected. It is now the main challenge for humanity to find reasonable and susta inable behaviours to manufacture survive and consume. In 1992 a corporate, Rio Earth Summit assumed search of sustainability as its main aim. The challenge is to turn the goals into reality in the wake of hostile atmosphere and the global economy (Branch 2008). Social and ecological issues have been key hindrance to companies marketing their goods. The key issues in a supply chain management include- The planned

Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Marketing Management - Essay Example Management is the process of performing activities by using the help of other people. Managers use the management elements, which include planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. Chwala highlights that marketing management is a business process, which involves â€Å"analyzing market opportunities, researching on the target markets, developing strategies for them, planning market tactics, implementing, and controlling the marketing initiatives. Further, Kotler describes marketing management as the process of achieving desired outcomes from a target market (13). It is therefore, a business process, which involves applying marketing techniques, and managing resources and activities related to marketing. Kotler highlights that marketing management process involves analyzing market opportunities, developing marketing strategies, planning marketing activities, managing, and controlling the marketing efforts (33). In the first step of analyzing market opportunities, the l eader identifies potential opportunities in the market while considering the organizations competences. This should be done by analyzing both the micro and macro environments in order to identify the best opportunities. In this step, the company can research and select market opportunities that are available. This can be done by defining the market, segmenting the market, market targeting and positioning in the market. The next step is the development of strategies for marketing whereby the marketer positions the organization strategically in the market. This step involves deciding on the brand, product lines, designs and the market. This is performed using the four P s marketing mix tools. Planning of marketing programs is the other step, and it involves making decisions on the expenditures, marketing mix and market allocation and budgets. One should set the level marketing budget that they intend to spend. Then, they allocate the budget among the various activities and the marketi ng mix tools. Lastly, they should allocate the budget to the various marketing programs in the target market (Kotler 34). The last step is management and control of the marketing programs. This step involves executing the plans, collecting feedback from the market and starting again in the planning step. Resources should be mobilized to implement and control the marketing programs of the organization Entrepreneurship is defined by the activities done by Entrepreneurs. Akrani highlights that Entrepreneur was derived from the French word Entrepredre meaning performing of activities. Entrepreneurs are the people who engage in the risky business activities of creating new businesses using their personal resources, through innovation of ideas, which are focused to satisfy the market needs (Akrani). Therefore, Entrepreneurship is the process of establishing opportunities in the market, and taking advantage of them to make a profit. There are ways in which responsible Entrepreneurial quali ties become essential for marketing management. Firstly, the Entrepreneurial qualities enable the leader to develop plans that meet their marketing goals. This can be applied in finance, production, sales, promotions, and personnel areas of marketing management. Secondly, responsible Entrepreneurial qualities enhance communication skills in marketing managem

Ingredients for Success at Maples Research Paper

Ingredients for Success at Maples - Research Paper Example The company I have chosen to research for this assignment is Maples and Calder. Specifically, I am focused on the position of Assistant Manager of Operations at their Cayman Islands site. I have chosen this particular company because it exemplifies the qualities I value in a company. They are a professional international law firm that helps financial, institutional and business clients around the world to safeguard and build their financial and global security by advising them on the laws of the Cayman Islands, Ireland, and British Virgin Islands. I respect a service orientation in business. They recruit and pay attention to retaining top legal and professional talent, requiring that their people demonstrate initiative, responsibility, and help Maples to grow. Along with these business basics, they emphasize being likeable, well-rounded, and respectful of colleagues, clients and themselves. They value quality work but also place great value on their approach to each other. I am impre ssed by this balance in their recruitment and retention thinking. I think one can learn a lot about a company’s values by careful inspection of their website. ... Instead of bragging about how rich, ambitious and accomplished they are, they turned the focus onto some intriguing employee profiles. I found this a mature and effective way to give clients insight into company resources and competence, and to hold out a clear recruitment standard, at the same time. They particularly stressed their legal team, of course, but they also included some support staff, showing that they recognize and value both. This, along with a statement of their commitment to the client, and not merely the transaction, indicates Maple’s appreciation of the micro-environment and not only of the macro-environment. The company provides opportunities for continuing education, and they have innovative training programs in place. One of the profiles revealed that Maples had generously sponsored a clerk all the way through law school, and then promoted her to the legal team. They also emphasize the collegiate atmosphere of their company, and how they value innovation. I was left with an impression that they value dynamic inquiry and personal growth, things I also value. Of course, the Cayman Islands provide a tropical paradise backdrop and ocean resort lifestyle for this career opportunity. The Cayman Islands is an international financial and business center, so again I like the balance I see in this living equation. I am under no illusions about how hard I would need to work to retain a position that is obviously a dream job, but I also think that this location would provide both beach time and powerful contacts. Should I ever want to sample a larger world than the Cayman Islands provides, Maples has branches in Dubai, Hong Kong, Dublin, London, and British Virgin Islands. A job description for my targeted position, as Assistant

Mexico4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mexico4 - Assignment Example The target groups of rape cases are mainly young women and girls who form the economic underclass of society and work in factories that pay low wages. Sexual murders and unexplained disappearance of women and young girls rank highest in Mexico vis a vis other North American countries according to Statistics by Human Rights Organizations and lobby groups. Chihuahua, Chiapas and San Salvador are places most affected by these cases. Efforts to salvage the rights of women in Mexico have had a plunge occasioned by repugnant tendencies of authorities and employers who actively and openly discriminate against women. They have adversely been mistreated as menial job workers at the Maquiladora Industrial plants; where jobs are terminated in case of pregnancy. Mexicans are considered to be reasonably religious, a situation that has contributed to several States pronouncing abortion as illegal (Wickam-Crowly & Eckstein, 2003). To this end, the jury is still out on whether this enacted law is a violation of the rights of women. Public outcries and sustained protests by Women rights activists led the Government to create the National Commission for Equality between Men and Women, CNDH, to look into social, legal and economic issues that were unfair to women. It also has programs that seek to empower women through teaching them their legal rights and training on ways to achieve sustainable livelihoods. Reproductive healthcare remains an issue of debate as most anti-abortionists see it as the platform used to legalize abortion (Wickam-Crowly & Eckstein,

Health Level Seven International (HL7) letter Article

Health Level Seven International (HL7) letter - Article Example Various mandated changes looming on the horizon will not allow this practice to continue, for communication and cooperation between departments is essential. Therefore, the COO has made that my major function and the following are my recommendations for doing so. Discussion First, I will present background information as to why these changes are so necessary. President Bush signed Executive Order 13335 in 2004 mandating that Electronic Health Records (EHR) will be in place nationwide within ten years. Congress went a step farther, creating the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), and President Obama signed it into law. The act extended the deadline to 2015 but that is only two years away. After that, health facilities such as Toledo stand to lose millions of dollars in Federal Medicare and Medicaid monies if they are not in compliance. All would agree that would be a serious financial blow to our center. Fortunately, the Department of Heal th and Human Services (HHS) has created the HIT coordinator to help us navigate through the seemingly complex maze of regulations (HHS, 2013). There is a nonprofit organization called Health Level Seven (HL7), which has developed a series of standards generally accepted by both the health community and HHS and it is the intention of Toledo to comply with HL7 initiatives. Yet Corepoint points out that HL7 is a â€Å"non-standard standard† (2009) meaning that as no two snowflakes are alike, neither are any two healthcare facilities the same. The main point is that Toledo complies with the laws within the specific timeframe and conformity with HL7 standards will ensure this occurs. Much time and money has spent on developing the software currently utilized by Toledo’s various departments and I do not intend to dismantle any of their operations. Rather, it is my recommendation that we purchase new hardware that can accommodate all of the departments’ current softwar e systems. Interfaces take into account the lack of interchange between clinics and are commercially available, improving communication and interoperability. That is where HL7 comes into play. Without it, my staff and I would be forced to create said interface from scratch, a costly and time consuming process. Fortunately, HL7 V2 brought together software vendors and informatics specialists such as me to create said commercial products. Although V3 has largely superseded V2 in Europe, it will be some years before that happens in the United States, so Toledo will concentrate on V2 compliance. One of the major concerns of each clinical head is maintaining patient and provider privacy, still another requirement of Federal law. Therefore, it is tantamount that the interfaces provide the security necessary to ensure only the necessary information for patient care be provided across Toledo’s health informatics network. There is a very interesting case study concerning Lake Forest H ospital in Illinois (CDW 2013), which was faced with the same dilemma, In addition, when the clinics interfaced, the physicians and nurses had many passwords for the different clinical access (one for lab results, one for pharmaceutical, etc.). It is my intention that the interface chosen for Toledo

Courage can be applied and used in almost every aspect of life Essay Example for Free

Courage can be applied and used in almost every aspect of life Essay Definitions are meant to help us understand different concepts all around us. A definition allows us to communicate something that needed to be said. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of the word definition is â€Å"the action of defining, or stating exactly what a thing is, or what a word means† in a sense where it will help us understand its meaning. Definitions provide insight to the meaning of something. At times we may feel like we know a word but cannot clearly come up with a way to define it and that is when definitions come into play providing clarity for a word. They help us understand everything around us, from peoples ideas to their feelings, to all sorts of concepts of ideology and life. Without definitions we would not know what anything would be, mean, act for, and so on. Definitions are an essential part of life that helps us cope with many things by helping us understand a broader perspective of objects and ideas. As a freshman in English class, one of our assignments was to read â€Å"Solitude and Leadership† by William Deresiewicz which is an extended definition of the words solitude and leadership. William Deresiewicz used different methods to define the two words including quotes, examples, characteristics, and reference to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, which in my case was one of the hardest novels I had to read. One of the definitions Deresiewicz gives us is â€Å"solitude means being alone, and leadership necessitates the presence of others†, both words contradicting themselves. Deresiewicz uses a series of characteristics to define the words, which included words such as courage, independence, thinking, creativity, honor, concentration, honesty, introspection, friendship, and morality among others. Courage was one characteristic that stood out to me. Courage can be interpreted in many ways. According to the Oxford English Dictionary one way, courage is defined as â€Å"the heart as a seat of feeling, thought, etc.; spirit, mind, disposition, nature.† Another definition that was provided was that courage is â€Å"applied to a persons spirit† and yet another definition was â€Å"spirit, liveliness, lustiness, vigor, vital force or energy.† All three definitions contained the word â€Å"spirit† in them, and I believe that ones spirit is really important in relation to courage because it is what keeps  us going. I can say that courage drives our spirit because without courage we would not do the many things that we have done and will do. For example, we would not talk to someone we really like without having the courage to go up to him or her right? According to the essay by Deresiewics, there is two types of courage one being â€Å"physical† which he says we â€Å"all possess in abundance† and â€Å"moral courage†, which is the courage that allows us to â€Å"stand up† for what we â€Å"believe† (175). Courage drives us to the many things we do in everyday life whether it is something simple like having â€Å"the courage to argues† our â€Å"ideas† or something adventurous like skydiving (175). To myself, courage contains some of the same characteristics, but I can out it into different words. Courage is a quality of mind or spirit that leads one to make certain decisions. Defining courage this way makes much more sense to me. Courage is very important because without it we probably would not be in certain situations we are in. For example, without courage I would not be three hundred ninety four miles away from home all on my own living with someone who was once a complete stranger to me. I believe that that took tons of courage from me. Without courage many of us would not be away home our homes starting our college careers, which will prepare us for our future careers. Courage is a drive one must have to keep our spirit going. As a freshman in college, I have set goals that I hope to achieve by the end of the year. I believe that courage can help achieve many goals. For example, one of my goals is to leave here with the courage to take up more rigorous classes next year. Taking up more challenging courses is definitely going to require courage because college can already be difficult for some and taking up more can be a harder task. Another goal I wish to accomplish is to learn from all that will be done this year and apply it to the future. This goal can also take a bit of courage because learning from mistakes and applying the experience onto the future can be difficult. Courage is a really important characteristic to contain. No matter what age or situation, courage is extremely important, just having the mentality of wanting to do something and being able to do it says a lot about a person’s character. After reading the â€Å"Solitude and Leadership† I suddenly realize that there  are many things that take part in building character. Courage goes a very long way. It helps us decide on certain ideas, gestures, etc. Being able to take the essay and go onto defining a word in my own terms, like in the essay, took courage because many people can judge my ideology but having that courage the author spoke about and arguing for my own idea took courage. Courage can be applied and used in almost every aspect of life. Sometimes all you need in life is a bit of courage to get you through a certain situation in life because â€Å"at such moments, all you really have is yourself† (182). Works Cited â€Å"definition, n.†. OED Online. 2012. Oxford University Press. 29 October 2012 . â€Å"courage, n.†. OED Online. 2012. Oxford University Press. 29 October 2012 . Deresiewicz, William. â€Å"Solitude and Leadership.† The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2011. Ed. Dave Eggers. New York: Houghton, 20122. 169-182. Print.

Ancient Greek Architecture On Present Day Society History Essay

Ancient Greek Architecture On Present Day Society History Essay Some of the most amazing examples of Ancient Greek architecture and sculptures were built primarily for religious purposes, to represent deities or to serve as temples. Examples of such include the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Erechtheum, Apollo Didyma, and the Temple of Athena Nike. Greek architecture and artwork was unique and sophisticated, and the influences of Greek architecture are still present in modern day society. The influences of Ancient Greek architecture can be seen in governmental buildings in the United States of America. The reason for this influence may be because the American Democratic System is believed to be modeled after the Ancient Greek Democracy. There were three basic orders of Greek columns called Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Each kind of column had a long shaft and top and bottom elements carved and decorated in a specific way (Woods 66). The Doric style is rather sturdy and its top is plain. This style was used in mainland Greece; an example would be the columns of the Parthenon. The Ionic style is thinner and more elegant. Its capital is decorated with a scroll-like design called a volute. This style was found in eastern Greece, in the Erechtheum, The Temple of Apollo at Didyma, and the Temple of Athena Nike. The Corinthian style is seldom used in the Greek world. Its capital is very elaborate and decorated with acanthus leaves. The Parthenon combines elements of the Doric and Ionic orders. It has a Doric temple and it also contains a continuous sculpted frieze and four ionic columns, characteristic of the Ionic order (David Silverman). The early Greeks were interested in luxury as they were in protecting the statues of their gods and athletic heroes. The buildings were boxlike, having one or two rooms with a porch in front. A few columns stood on the porch or sometimes went all the way around the temple. Brick and wood were used in constructions, and the roofs were thatched. Square or rectangular floor plans were used, while all doorways, walls, and ceiling were made in the same style and finally, a triangle was placed between the roof and the doorway (Amy B.). As time passed, Greece carried on more trade with the East. This made them become aware of other styles and the temples became larger increased in number, though the Doric style still continued on. Temples were placed on a height because worship took place in the open. Architects worked carefully on the front of the temple. They gave special attention to the Doric column such as to the base, shaft, and capital. In the triangular area over the doorway, artisans carved figures and designs. Afterwards these figures and designs were painted in vivid colors (Amy B.). As a result of experience in architectural forms, the Greeks were led to vary certain details, because of this; the Ionic style is quite similar to the Doric. In Ionic temples of smaller proportions, the slenderer columns and thinner walls make the building look light and elegant (The Art of Architecture). The simpler, more massive Doric style gives one a feeling of strength and purity, like the Lincoln Memorial( New York Times). Architecture reached its peak during the classical period of Greek history, which was from about 500 to 300 B. C. Stone and marble were mostly used and builders tried for equilibrium in the way they placed the shapes and masses. They also paid more attention to the design of the inside of the buildings. Color was used to point out structural elements in the design. Greek architectural style represents, order, beauty and democracy (Demand Media). It also shows that the Greek designs will never be too old; it still inspires awe and people appreciate the huge s tone columns, stoic beauty and fine craftsmanship. These Greek designs are evident in the Capital Building, Jefferson Memorial and the White House today. The most important building that held all of the Greek Architecture was The Acropolis. Acropolis in Greek means The Sacred Rock, the high city (Ancient Greece). The Acropolis of Athens is a steep-sided hill supporting several temples, districts and other buildings. There are many Acropolises in Greece, and they were often found on a high spot, and were often used as a place for shelter and defense against various enemies, but the Acropolis in Athens was the best known of them all. It towers over the capital and is a very impressive sight. Athens was great center of learning, art and culture. Mighty indeed are the marks and monuments in our empire which we have left. Future ages will wonder at us, as the present wonders at us now, said Pericles, a leader of Athens in ancient Greece (A Guide for Tourists). He was right because modern people still are in awe of ancient Greek buildings and copy their designs. Pericles began a vast rebuilding campaign for the Acropolis. The Parthenon was completed during his lifetime, but work on the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheum did not begin until after his death. The Acropolis is primarily dedicated to the Goddess Athena, and is situated in the middle of Athens. Many myths, festivals and important events are connected to the sacred Acropolis. The Acropolis was a group of temples, theaters and government buildings set on a hill overlooking the city (The Acropolis of Athens). The Acropolis is said to have been inhabited since at least the 7th Millennium BC. The tomb of Cecrops also lies there and the Athenians kept a snake there which symbolized their first kind. There were also other tombs and temples there. All of them were connected to kings, heroes and gods that had to do with Athens. It was during the Pericles era when the Acropolis got the structure we see today. The Acropolis had changed dramatically by the 6th century B.C. It had turned more into a sanctuary and was no longer a place for palaces. Every year a huge procession to the Acropolis took place. The wooden statue of Athena was dressed and it was also sacrificed to. The Panathenean games were also a big event and the games included both athletic and musical competitions. The winner would receive an amphora filled with olive oil. The olive tree was the sacred tree of Athena (Olive Tree and Olive Oil). The Acropolis also held some of the Ancient worlds famous architecture. One building was called the Parthenon which was a temple honoring the goddess Athena (The Parthenon). The next building was called the Erechtheum which was a shrine to Greek gods of agriculture (Woods 61). The Temple of Apollo at Didyma holds an important sanctuary that holds the oracles of Apollo (Didyma). Then last but not least there was the Temple of Athena Nike which was a symbol of harmony between Greek people (Ancient Greece). The Parthenon was the first building that was built in the Acropolis. It was made of lime stones and the columns were made of Pentelic marbles (Parthenon). The construction of the Parthenon was between 447- 432 BCE, and the mastermind behind the project was Pericles (Pericles). The temples main purpose was to hold the statue of Athena that was made by the Pheidias, a sculptor, out of gold and ivory (Phidias). The Parthenon is a large temple but is not the largest one in Greece. It was constructed in the Doric style, meaning the columns are thicker and shorter and have the simplest design. It had seventeen columns along its length and eight columns along its width. The columns were over ten meters tall and two meters in diameter, and the platform which they rest a bow on a gentle arc brings the corners about 12 cm closer to the ground than the middle (The Parthenon). There are about 13,400 stones that were used to build the Parthenon and the architects names were Iktinos and Kallikrat es(The Parthenon Temple). The Parthenons marble columns and other architectural elements appear straight and perfectly proportioned when looked at from a distance (Brown 62). Some of these elements were made out of proportion on purpose. Greek architects knew that perfectly even parts create an optical illusion when viewed from certain angles. They appear crooked and uneven. All of the columns appear equal from a distance because the architects made the Parthenons end columns a little thicker than its central columns. The end columns were spaced closer together than the central columns for the same reason. The Parthenons base curves upward slightly so that it appears flat from a distance. Some of the Parthenons details are found in other Greek temples while other details are only found in the Parthenon. Each entrance has about six columns in front of it, and the larger of the two interior rooms which was called the naos which kept the cult statue (Greek Temple). Then there was the smaller room that held the treasury. The Parthenon was built to replace two earlier temples of Athena on the Acropolis. One of these stood south of the Parthenon and the other was on the same spot as the Parthenon. The Parthenon frieze runs around the upper edge of the temple wall. It is only three feet five inches tall and hard to see from the ground. The frieze has a single subject on all four sides. There is a procession of horsemen, musicians, sacrificial animals and other figures with various ritual functions on three sides. There is a scene centered on a child on the east side who is handing a folded cloth to an older man (The Parthenon and its Sculptural Decoration). American architect Henry Bacon, who lived from 1866 to 1924, loved the Parthenon and studied its design carefully. He used it as a model for his most famous structure, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The memorial was built between 1915 and 1922 and it has thirty-six marble columns, each forty-four feet high. It has a base of stone steps leading to an open chamber containing a nineteen foot statue of President Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial). Strabo once said about The Apollo Didyma, The temple is adorned with costliest offerings consisting of early works of art.(Athens Greek Guide) The Greeks built the Temple of Apollo at Didyma about 300 B.C. The design of the temple was known a dipteral, meaning that two sets of columns surround the interior section. Didyma is located in the southwest part of modern Turkey. Didyma means twins who are actually referring to Apollo and Artemis who were the Greek god and goddess and were also twins (Didyma). In Roman times the Didyma temple of Apollo was most noticeable for its 122 enormous columns but all the columns are ruined except for two that are still standing today. In the Didyma there is a giant sculpture that is a giant Medusa head and it was possibly sculpted by Aphrodisias in the 2nd century A.D (Didyma). The temple is unusual, that it has no roof and is open to the sky. It is raised on a high, stepped podium and is surrounded on all four sides by double row of columns, and there is twenty-one along the sides and ten across the front and rear (The temple of Apollo at Didyma). There was a great doorway behind an array of twelve more columns in the temples deep porch (The temple of Apollo at Didyma). At the far end there was a small temple that housed the cult statue of Apollo and a spring (The temple of Apollo at Didyma). Didyma is extraordinary because of its elaborate array of interior spaces and is also widely known for another reason. In 1979, fine, barely visible lines were discovered carved on the high interior walls. They are the actual blueprint of the temple. They are rendered in full scale and precisely scratched into the surface of the marble (The temple of Apollo at Didyma). They were to serve as a guide over the years it would have taken to complete construction. They stil l exist because the temple was never finished and the walls of cella court did not receive its final polishing (The temple of Apollo at Didyma). After the Persian invasion in 480/79 B.C.E, the west side of the temple was built to see the holy image of goddess Athena. The Erectheum is an ionic temple with two chambers at different levels. It is on the northern side of the Acropolis, opposite the Parthenon. The western part and eastern part both have a cella and the temple was finished in 406 B.C.E. According to the myths, Athena caused an olive tree to grow when she was contesting Posieden for the honor. The temple displays the finest examples of the Greek Ionic order. The Erectheum was originally the palace of the mythical king who was named Erectheus I (Athens Greece Guide). People believe that the holy snake of the Athens once lived there and that the grave of the mythical king Cecrops is also in the temple. The Erechtheum is a very complex and complicated temple. The plan that it was created from is hard to understand; it was designed to accommodate the uneven ground on the site. The elegance and delicate forms of the Erechtheum contrast sharply with the neighboring Parthenon (Erectheion). The temple faces east and its entrance is line with six long Ionic columns. The wall to the north and west takes a major drop to almost twice the altitude of the front and south sides. The temple is also original because it incorporates two porches. One is at the northwest corner and it is supported by tall Ionic columns. The one at the southwest corner is supported by The Caryatides, six large female statues. They have become the temples main feature because they seem to support the porchs roof on their heads. There is a continuous frieze around the exterior of the temple, but the theme of it is not known. Its form is unusual because white marble figures were attached to a flat background of dark gray marble. Normally a frieze would present painted figures on a monochrome painted background. The entire building was lavishly decorated with wall frescoes, gilded rosettes, and an array of colored features and low relief sculptures (Ancient Greece Erectheon). Not much is known about the interior plan of the Erechtheum. The temple has undergone major rebuilding phases through the centuries making its original interior a mystery. Modern plans show it as divided into two or more rooms and more than one level. It was damaged first in classical times by a major fire before it was renovated. During the seventh century CE, the interior walls of Christian Basilica were removed and new ones were built. The temple was later converted to a harem during the Ottoman Empire and the north porch was walled up(Ancient Greece Erectheon). During the Archaic era a small temple stood on the site that faced to its east which was known as The Temple of Athena Nike (Temple of Athena Nike). It is located southwest of the entrance to the Acropolis and is built in the Ionic order. It has a row of four columns in front of each of its narrow sides. The frieze on the upper section of the walls shows the conference of gods on the east side. There are also scenes from battles on the other three. This building was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCR along with the rest of the Acropolis and was not rebuilt until 435 B.C.E. In 420 BCE, the classical temple that has survived was completed. The statue was made of wood and held a pomegrade in the right hand and in the left hand it held a helmet. The temple had no wings like it was custom for Nike statues of the time to have. Legend has it that the statue didnt have wings so it could never leave the city of Athens. The fort of the Temple of Athena Nike surrounded the temple and acted as a guardrail to protect people from falling off of it. The classic temple is smaller than other temples in the Acropolis, even though it is 11 feet tall (The Parthenon). The temples ratio of the column height to its length is 7:1, while it is customary for Ionic temples to have a ratio of 9:1. It is the first building that greets the visitors who approach the Propylaia and it faces to the east. Early in its history it was a place of worship for gods or goddesses associated with wars. It has been found with excavations that an open pit existed on The Temple of Athena Nike. Bronze Age Greeks used to pour wine in the pit and also put figurines of the gods in there(The Parthenon). Even in todays architecture, Greek influence can be found all over the world. For example, the White House today looks like the Parthenon by the triangle top and ionic columns, but the little details decorating the frieze of the Parthenon are not seen in the White House. The Ionic architectural form is visible on many Washington, D.C. memorials and buildings. The Lincoln Memorial, patterned after Doric architecture, is one famous example of Greek architectural style today. Modern designers also use them to convey elegance. Museums, courthouses, libraries, government buildings and monuments all use Greek architectural style (Demand Media). The use of marble, limestone and columns were used in Greek architecture and still are today. Notable ways in which we still use Greek style include columns, friezes and decorative elements. Greek culture has had a tremendous impact on the world, including the way the United States of America government buildings are structured. Greek architecture i s one of the ways in which we still enjoy and imitate the Greek legacy.

Effects of Isolation in the Older Person

Effects of Isolation in the Older Person John Burke   Introduction: My assignment will focus on the isolation of the older person in Ireland today. I will be researching and investigating all aspects of these involving reasons, causes, affects and how we as a Society can assist or even alleviate this issue in Ireland. This topic is of particular interest to me due to my own personal circumstances growing up in rural Ireland with my grandparents and family and at present my own elderly parents. They are lucky in a sense that they have continued family support and we care for them on an on-going basis. This kind of family support alleviates isolation but unfortunately such support can be the exception rather than the rule. In a recent study of elderly people living in Ireland the majority do not feel isolated or cut off but a significant minority approx. 50,000 have hardly any contact with others and are very isolated as a result. A report from the National Council on Ageing and Older People (NCAOP) shows that as people get older they can have help from their families, neighbours and even friends. These people find themselves in some form of isolation for various reasons. Isolation in the elderly is usually involuntary but at the same time be self-imposed. People in this group are likely to be single or widowed women especially over the age of 80 and in poor health. They also tend to be less well educated usually to primary school level only. They could find themselves in a very low social situation. Such factors contribute to making our elderly exposed to illness, personal crisis example death of spouse or loved one. On reading and researching the report it also shows and notes that other older people who are more likely to experience isolation are those who live in rented accommodation or those who live with relatives in rural areas. According to the findings, accessibility to transport is a vital factor in facilitating good social contacts with family, friends and the community in general. As a result, people who have no access to transport report significantly higher levels of loneliness. Meanwhile those least likely to report high levels of loneliness include married people, those living in urban areas with access to public or private transport and those on higher levels of income. For the majority of older people (80%), their nearest relative lives within a five-mile radius. The member of their family that tends to provide the most support is an adult child, usually a daughter. Elderly people when asked will comment that getting out as being a very important factor in facilitating social int eraction. Those who were unable to get or be out independently said that this caused feelings of loneliness and isolation. Older women meanwhile were more likely than older men to report social and emotional loneliness because of isolation. Our elderly folks have many needs as they get to the end of their lives. Having a good amount of awareness about various needs and requirements of the elders, is extremely important for those people who have the responsibility of taking care of their aged family members like, their parents or relatives. Our elderly folks have serious needs be it Social, Finance, Housing, Transportation, Health, Nursing and in todays environment Cultural. Reasons for isolation: There are many reasons for isolation in the elderly! Circumstances like no family contact or family rows. Nobody calls anymore and a fear of crime. Reasons of cannot function or be mobile anymore. People get negative and withdraw from social activities or human contact. Our older generation get frail and health declines as a result. Their usual contacts become absent or do not get involved anymore. They can suffer economically too even in todays environment can lead to being alone and unable to cope. Being unmarried or childlessness can be a cause for social isolation. Whether their child is deceased or they did not have children at all, the loneliness that comes from not having a child can cause social isolation.Retirement, which takes away a daily routine abruptly, and loss contact of fellow employees plus a death of close friends contribute to isolation of some kind. Bad financial circumstances can also add to isolation. No savings or having bad pensions to support their futures. The sudden death of a loved one also adds to social isolation. For example, if an individual loses a spouse, they lose their social support. They now must find some other kind of support to help them through this fragile time. Studies have showed that widows that keep in contact with friends or relatives have better psychological health even if they find themselves in isolation. As part of my investigation into this subject, I interviewed my father, 81 years, and his neighbour; 75 years (Bachelor) after my parents hosted the traditional House Stations Mass. I asked the question on reasons for isolation in the elderly and in addition to the usual ones mentioned earlier both men referred to the Country Mobile Shop, which no longer exists, and the decision of An Post to place post boxes at top of rural roads and driveways. Both of these examples can lead to isolation situations in our Elderly people who love conversations, gossip, and above all social contact. In my youth, I was a member of the Legion of Mary and one of our important roles was Visitation of the Elderly in the Parish. These people loved the visits which could last for hours. They thrived in contact and conversations which was at that time weekly. We did not realise it then but we found ourselves in a Carer role with our elderly neighbours. They would have confidence in their younger visitors and would unwind with cups of tea, advice, stories, songs, poetry and even teach us to card play. Effects of isolation: One of the greatest effects of isolation in the elderly is loneliness and a lot of our older people are suffering from loneliness these days. Loneliness is a major problem that affects older people. Folks in their seventies and beyond have issues of loneliness more so than their younger counterparts do. Types of loneliness-connected problems are far worse today than they were back in the 60s, 70s, or 80s. Loneliness is not a new issue. Older folks of ages and nationalities today are worse off. It affects all people but more affected are the elderly. People of all ages and nationalities face it from time to time. While loneliness can affect all people, the older people are the worst affected. Part of this problem can be attributed to the rise of nuclear families. By such reference I mean Families or elementary families consisting of a pair of adults and their children. Families in Ireland and all over the world are becoming smaller and smaller. While youngsters who spend a considerable part of their away from home have plenty of opportunities to socialize, their older parents and grandparents have few outing options which severely limit their chances of interacting with other people. To overcome loneliness older people must keep themselves engaged in meaningful activities. They can go for a walk in the morning or in the evening. It will give them physical exercise. It will also give them an opportunity to meet and interact with other people. They can join clubs or they can pursue other interests. By keeping active they constantly engaged in something or other they can overcome loneliness and isolation. Also where possible when they are physically fit they will feel better about themselves and that will add a whole new layer of meaning to their lives. Another serious effect of isolation is depression and despair. These people as a result of depression and despair acquire ill health and have a bad quality of live due to their illness Depression and despair are serious effects of isolation and can lead to ill health amongst our elderly. Conclusion / Recommendations The HSE despite financial constraints and government cut backs is a huge and vital organisation in caring for our elderly. Healthy elderly people who find themselves in isolation must have access to services and supports. Day care centres for example are important for the isolated elderly as it provides them with access to facilities such as contact with people, activities of dining, bingo, card playing, and adult learning. Home Help provision is another aspect of reducing isolation in the elderly. This involves helping with good housekeeping. There are a number of aspects that are involved in taking care of elderly or aged people. Having a good amount of awareness about various needs and requirements of the elders, is extremely important for those people who have the responsibility of taking care of their aged family members like, their parents or relatives. This type of assistance and help that elderly people commonly require, in addition to a few elderly special needs is very cruc ial in lower or alleviating isolation. The HSE try to encourage and provide age-friendly initiatives for all seniors, regardless of their location. Specifically, they seek to improve transportation, housing, social inclusion, community support and health services. In addition, paying attention to the person who is socially isolated can make a difference. Taking a day to spend time with someone can change his or her perspective on life. Care Support organisations like Comfort Keepers that I have started to work for are also vital components in helping to reduce isolation of elderly people. A recent client of mine resides in the last house of a Parish and also the last house of his specific village road so our Health Care Support roles and visits are such a great asset towards reducing isolation. As a HCA my involvement whether its as an employee or a family support member is a crucial role for the future. References / Bibliography: www.irishhealth.com www.hse.ie www.ageaction.ie http://www.irishhealth.com/site_map.html Interview Work Case Study Client. Cacioppo, J (2008), Loneliness, Human Nature and the need for Social Connection. New York: W.W.Norton

The Hidden Hierarchy of Silences :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays Super Bowl

The Hidden Hierarchy of Silences On the night of February second, 2003, family members in thousands of U.S. households gathered together to participate in what is considered by many to be a great and important American tradition, the NFL Super Bowl. After kick-off, in most respects, everyone watched a game that had all the elements of a typical all American football game. Big muscled men threw a leather ball around, ran with it, and violently rammed into each other to the tune of a cheering audience. There were women on the sidelines wearing very tight, revealing clothing dancing for the crowd, and, after about two hours of all this, it was time for the traditional halftime performance of music and entertainment. It was during this performance where many argue that things began to shift slightly from the norm. For the second year, the performance was going to be produced by MTV, and perhaps in an effort to get more female and younger viewers tuned in, MTV advertised its performance of Justin Timberlake which promised "to shock". Timberlake ended the performance with a singing and dancing collaboration with Janet Jackson, and faithful to MTV's reputation, there was not a lot of singing, but plenty of over the clothing – crotch grabbing and groping of the singers themselves and each other. However, it was Justin's final movement after the words, "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song", where he ripped off part of Jackson's costume exposing her right breast, that triggered enraged viewers across the nation to cover their children's eyes, and call the FCC for justice. Although an account of these calls is not available for public scrutiny, their sentiments are probably of a similar range to what newspaper and magazine articles today are commenting on the recent incident in an NFL skit. Before the Monday Night Football game on November 15, Terrell Owens sees Desperate Housewives costar Nicollette Sheridan in the locker room wearing only a towel, and says in so many words that he will stay and have sex with her instead of going to the game. This event is now the most talked about obscenity broadcasting controversy since the Justin/Jackson event, and many are suspicious that it's no coincidence that the common denominator of suggested interracial sexual relations - is hiding deep within the public fury. Foucault, an expert on the societal obsessions with sex in the 18th century, takes note of what the different public discourses about sex can say about a society and their private views on sexual controversies.

New Urbanism in The Truman Show Essay -- movies, films, film analysis

The Town of Seahaven Island is spiritually uplifting, quaint, and completely artificial. Everything and everyone, including the main character, Truman, are predictable in habit and pattern. Nothing happens spontaneously or out of synch. When Truman steps out of his usual routine, the entire town must leap into choreography of damage control. Carefully anticipated, controlled perfection must be restored, but this portrayal of contemporary urban life, however exaggerated, may be inappropriate (Rees; 2003; 104). New Urbanists believe physical design can influence behaviours and attitudes and cause organic evolution of ideal communities. In fact, romanticizing the village model through architectural codification and rules of development may be less engaging than vague and bland. Several criticisms of the New Urbanism style of community, versions of which are becoming extremely privatized, have been discussed. The New Urbanism regime of community is utopian and unnatural—a contradiction of the very ideals purported. New Urbanism is â€Å"family values architecture† of middle-class conservatism (Rees; 103). The simulated island portrayed in this film is certainly that. There are no distinctions of citizen wealth; everyone has a job except for the father who is initially portrayed as a wildly uncharacteristic homeless person. There are even an inordinate number of street sweepers and window washers. The costumes are decidedly 1950’s conservative values in style. These symbols are as stereotypical as the architecture, invoking a sense of pretense rather than the social transformation New Urbanists advance as â€Å"new† and therefore â€Å"good†. The New Urbanist outlook is one calling for an attractive, usable and democratic public commun... ...gle of totality (anything that is not New Urbanist is â€Å"bad†), the premise of New Urbanism being postmodern is confusing. â€Å"The location of New Urbanism both inside and outside postmodernism is as much a suggestion of the tensions within the definitions of postmodernism developed among architectural critics and cultural critics as it is a reflection of the movement† (Rees; 100). The Christof character expresses, â€Å"We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented.† Unfortunately, it is the escalating degree to which existing with each other seems to be regulated—and worse, regulated from within—that causes concern that the domino effect of withdrawal from larger society will occur. That may be Utopia for some; it is completely synthetic for most. The New Urbanist design and codification is unlikely to be sufficient to allow a community to evolve. New Urbanism in The Truman Show Essay -- movies, films, film analysis The Town of Seahaven Island is spiritually uplifting, quaint, and completely artificial. Everything and everyone, including the main character, Truman, are predictable in habit and pattern. Nothing happens spontaneously or out of synch. When Truman steps out of his usual routine, the entire town must leap into choreography of damage control. Carefully anticipated, controlled perfection must be restored, but this portrayal of contemporary urban life, however exaggerated, may be inappropriate (Rees; 2003; 104). New Urbanists believe physical design can influence behaviours and attitudes and cause organic evolution of ideal communities. In fact, romanticizing the village model through architectural codification and rules of development may be less engaging than vague and bland. Several criticisms of the New Urbanism style of community, versions of which are becoming extremely privatized, have been discussed. The New Urbanism regime of community is utopian and unnatural—a contradiction of the very ideals purported. New Urbanism is â€Å"family values architecture† of middle-class conservatism (Rees; 103). The simulated island portrayed in this film is certainly that. There are no distinctions of citizen wealth; everyone has a job except for the father who is initially portrayed as a wildly uncharacteristic homeless person. There are even an inordinate number of street sweepers and window washers. The costumes are decidedly 1950’s conservative values in style. These symbols are as stereotypical as the architecture, invoking a sense of pretense rather than the social transformation New Urbanists advance as â€Å"new† and therefore â€Å"good†. The New Urbanist outlook is one calling for an attractive, usable and democratic public commun... ...gle of totality (anything that is not New Urbanist is â€Å"bad†), the premise of New Urbanism being postmodern is confusing. â€Å"The location of New Urbanism both inside and outside postmodernism is as much a suggestion of the tensions within the definitions of postmodernism developed among architectural critics and cultural critics as it is a reflection of the movement† (Rees; 100). The Christof character expresses, â€Å"We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented.† Unfortunately, it is the escalating degree to which existing with each other seems to be regulated—and worse, regulated from within—that causes concern that the domino effect of withdrawal from larger society will occur. That may be Utopia for some; it is completely synthetic for most. The New Urbanist design and codification is unlikely to be sufficient to allow a community to evolve.

A Comparison Between the Bible and The Stone Angel Essay

In addition to the similarities between the two Hagars, John and Marvin, Hagar’s sons, parallel Jacob and Esau, direct descendants of Abram and Sarah. In Hagar’s eyes, John is her Jacob. Hagar protects and favours John the same way that Rebekah favours Jacob. In the Bible, Isaac, a blind man, plans to bestow his final blessings upon Esau, his eldest son. Rebekah, having overheard Isaac’s intentions, instructs Jacob to take Esau’s place and to receive his brother’s blessings. As such, Jacob is blessed by Isaac and flees into the wilderness – upon his mother’s instruction – out of fear of Esau. Similarly, John flees from his family and into his own wilderness, Manawaka. In Manawaka John tends to his dying father, Bram, and receives Bram’s blessing before his death. Marvin never receives Bram’s blessing, even though they were close when Marvin was a child. John, in essence, takes Marvin’s place. More important, however, in this comparison is the relationship each boy shares with Hagar. Hagar, having always been inclined to love John more, wants John to be her Jacob and to want and to receive her blessing. She says, â€Å"I wish he could have looked like Jacob then, wrestling with the angel and besting it† (Laurence 179), as John struggles to lift the stone angel tombstone for Hagar. John dies before Hagar receives a chance to bestow her blessings upon him. It is only in dying that Hagar realizes, through Marvin’s kindness, that Marvin is her Jacob. He is the son that loves and cares for her more than anything else. Hagar states, â€Å"Now it seems to me he (Marvin) is truly Jacob, gripping with all his strength, and bargaining. I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And I see I am thus strangely cast, and perhaps have been so from the beginning and can only release myself by releasing him† (Laurence 304). He will not let Hagar go â€Å"gentle into that good night†(Thomas, prologue). Marvin finally receives Hagar’s blessings, the blessings that John had, for so long, undeservingly taken.

How far did young peoples’ lives change beetween the early 1950’s and the late 1960’s?

Today, young adults or ‘teenagers' are known for having different fashions and ideas to the older generations. They dress differently, act differently and have a whole different attitude. However, it hasn't always been like this, before the Cultural Revolution of the late 50's and 60's, ‘young adults' as they were known then, were conforming and obedient who respected their parents and followed the music and fashions of the older generations. The word ‘teenager' is a relatively modern word. Although it has been around since the 1920's, it didn't become widely used until the late 1950's. This was because until then there was no such thing as a teenager. You basically went from being a child to an adult when you reached puberty. This was because of what society dictated. Teenagers weren't allowed to have their own cultures and attitudes, they were expected to go to school, have a job or get married, and produce children, and sexual relationships were expected to take place only after marriage. Much of this way of life was due to the hardships of the Depression and World War Two which created a shortage of money and a shortage of money to spend on fashion, music and leisure activities. After World War Two and the end of rationing in 1953, people began to have gradually more and more money. In 1950 the average weekly wage was à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½7.28 but by 1960 this had increased to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½14.10. They could afford to spend more on the latest gadgets or a night out to some form of entertainment. However, until the late 1950's, many people were still conforming and conventional. Things reached a turning point when a young, unknown American named Elvis Presley reached the music scene. His style was new and original and above all, different to anything that had been done before. This new type of music titled ‘rock ‘n' roll' had energy and beat which was appealing. Now, young people had more money and more time to spend on music. Music became influential. People began to go wild to the songs they were hearing because they were so excited by it. Parents disapproved of this new ‘rock ‘n' roll'. Elvis and other similar musicians were rebellious and unconventional. He challenged authority and his dancing was thought to encourage sex with the swinging of his hips. The words in his songs were thought to provoke sex too. Parents thought he would influence their children whom he did do to an extent, but there were other influences as well. Young people were having more and more opportunities. Due to changing social attitudes, teenagers became more rebellious and more independent. They were now able to spend more time with their friends and so they were able to form new, different social groups. In the 1950's there were the ‘Teddy Boys' and in the 1960's there were the ‘Rockers' and the ‘Mods'. The ‘Teddy Boys' had long, greased hair that was swept back, and wore Edwardian style coats. They listened to rock ‘n roll by people such as Bill Hayley. The ‘Rockers' were a development of the ‘Teddy Boys'. They had the same hairstyles but wore jeans and leather jackets and moved around on motorbikes. The ‘Mods' were ‘Rockers' rivals. Mods drove Italian scooters and wore expensive, tailored clothes. They listened to music inspired by black singers. Rhythm and blues and soul from the United States and ‘Ska' from Jamaica influenced them. Now that people had more money to spend, people could afford to buy more clothes and more consumer-orientated products. In the 50's girls stared wearing trousers which had been unheard of before. Fashion became orientated towards the young. ‘In 1958 Mary Quant was one of the first to design clothes, shoes, make-up and hairstyles for the under 20's'. Part of this is due to television. Now that television was more readily available, people were being influenced by the fashions shown on TV and because they had more money, they could buy the products advertised on TV. Jobs became more readily available. People were able to pick and choose the jobs they wanted rather than take whatever they could. Women started going to work more. This was totally new. Before, the social stereotypes dictated that the husband should be the breadwinner and the wife should look after the children. In World War Two, many women had to go out to work and some carried this through into the 1950's and 60's. Due to an increase in the amount of women going to work, teenage girls began to go out to work and attitudes towards women began to change. In the 1960's, boundaries were pushed further. As sex before marriage became more acceptable, much more emphasis was put on attracting the opposite sex. Dramatic eye make-up was widely popular in the 60's and skirts became shorter and shorter showing more and more leg. When contraception became legal, people became free of convention and all the constrictions of before were just put aside. People began to experiment like they had never experimented before. A new sub-group named ‘Hippies' emerged. They believed in free love and moral freedom. They promoted sexual liberation and the use or drugs in developing the spirit and mind as well as the body. But there was a downside to all this. The hippie way of life created selfishness and a lack of responsibility. Drugs were also an issue. The Hippies challenged society and its way of life and challenged what was considered normal social behaviour. In 1968 they even challenged political authority, as many people believed the way the government was being run was wrong. But it wasn't just Hippies who caused the breakdown of society. All the changes that had been happening right since the early 1950's had completely revolutionised everything and changed the rules of society. Some things stayed the same throughout the 1950's and 1960's. There was a continual influence from the USA on fashion and music and ideas. Although the music between the 1950's and 1960's was widely different, young people were still listening to music all the same. People watched the same programmes and parents views on society and what was acceptable, stayed the same. They still disapproved of what their children were up to and disapproved of the fashions and music as young teenagers began to show their individuality more and more. Overall, young peoples' lives during the 1950's and 1960's changed greatly in all aspects of life and culture. The whole idea of what a ‘teenager' is was changed around. Fashions became much more individual as did the music that represented the changing attitudes and ideas. The whole two decades could be called a revolution as so many things changed such as money and jobs and entertainment. People were sexually liberated when the pill became more available. Although some things stayed the same, all sides of society for young people were changed.

Essay on Machiavelli’s “The Prince” Essay

Since the beginning of civilization man has continually been faced with the complexity of creating a peaceful and unified existence for all, without resistance or violence. People have been trying to develop a system of how to rule effectively while acting ethically and morally to avoid chaos and destruction. However, as history has shown us this has not been an easy endeavor and very few rulers have been able to accomplish this. â€Å"This leads us to a question that is in dispute: Is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa?† (Machiavelli, 51) An effective ruler would be one that relies upon fear without hatred, rather than love, as described by Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince. In a perfect world all people would be good-hearted, all would treat each other equally, and all would follow and respect the rules of society. Machiavelli points out that people tend to focus how the world should be rather than how it is. â€Å"Let us leave to one side, then, all discussion of imaginary rulers and talk about practical realities.† (Machiavelli, 48) It is easier to complain about problems and society than it is to become a leader and produce positive change. All individuals have different perceptions of what it takes to keep order in a world where not all is good and not everyone gets along. It is easy for one to discuss ideals of how things ought to be, and to use reality to form a dream of something different that we believe would be better than the current state of affairs. Dreams though can not be actualized without action, and all the discussion in the world will accomplish nothing if everyone sits idly by. We all want peace, and in order to have peace there must be structure and in order to have structure you must have an effective leader that you trust to design the framework of how things will work. Ideally all would want a leader that is trustworthy, just, intelligent, compassionate, giving, and loyal to the people while at the same time having the ability to protect society from harm. â€Å"Now I know everyone will agree that if a ruler could have all the good qualities I have listed and none of the bad ones, then this would be an excellent state of affairs. But one can not have all the good qualities, nor always act in a praiseworthy fashion, for we do not live in an ideal world.† (Machiavelli, 48) Unfortunately in reality we can not have a leader that stands on a platform of extreme love or extreme hatred, if we expect to  remain safe and unharmed from the rest of the world. You need someone that is tough, and has the ability to enforce and maintain order upon people who are not always good and reliable, people who are selfish and have their own interests above all else. In reality people do not act responsibly out of love and consideration for others, but of fear what will happen if they do not act accordingly. It is important to keep in mind that to be feared is different than being hated. â€Å"But fear restrains men because they are afraid of punishment, and this fear never leaves them. Still, a ruler should make himself feared in such a way that, if he does not inspire love, at least he does not provoke hatred. For it is perfectly possible to be feared and not hated.† (Machiavelli, 52) If there were no consequences for bad behavior, people would have no reason to act any differently. It is not that punishment in itself creates hatred, but it is how the people are punished that will determine the fear or the hatred they have for their ruler. For example if one is caught stealing and then punished by having to serve some time in jail, that would cause them to fear you and to abide by the law. On the other hand if the punishment were death it would cause the people to hate the ruler for being so un-just and immoral. When a ruler becomes hated they lose all respect and control over the people, for they will reach a point that they can no longer endure the cruelty and rise against you. â€Å"Indeed, one of the most effective defenses a ruler has against conspiracies is to make sure he is not generally hated. For conspirators always believe the assassination of the ruler will be approved by the people.† (Machiavelli, 57) When people feel as they have been oppressed and abused for to long they will revolt and not think twice about getting rid of the ruler they are discontented with. For once the people have become determined to over throw their ruler, they have already lost all faith and feel there is nothing else to lose whether they are successful or not. It is not enough for a Ruler to be strictly feared, but to also appear to have some compassion and respect for the people that he oversees. It is imperative that an effective ruler is one that can balance fear, goodness, authority, respect, and compassion if he wishes to maintain harmonious  control. â€Å"So it is necessary for a ruler, if he wants to hold on to power, to learn how not to be good, and to know when it is and when it is not necessary to use this knowledge.† (Machiavelli, 48) The point Machiavelli makes here is that it is not enough to be completely good or completely evil, but to know when to do bad things in order to create good. Power is ultimately based on violence, and sometimes in order to preserve sovereignty and authoritative command, a ruler must engage in what society deems as immoral acts such as lying, betrayal, and even murder. So the conclusion is: If you take control of a state, you should make a list of all the crimes you have to commit and do them all at once. That way you will not have to commit new atrocities every day, and you will be able, by not repeating your evil deeds, to reassure your subjects and to win their support by treating them well. He, who acts otherwise, either out of squeamishness or out of bad judgment, has to hold a bloody knife in his hand all the time. A hated, thus unsuccessful ruler would be one that would not know his limits, and continue to use violence to obtain desired results. A wise ruler would be one who could look ahead and see when it is necessary to do harm so that he can know exactly what needs to be done, how to do it, and when to do it. Most importantly the ruler must have the ability to stop once what he has set out to do is accomplished. Violence and evil doing must be used sparingly to prevent the populous from hating you. A powerful leader needs the ability to equally rely upon intelligence and brute force, he must be able to discern when to use the different characteristics and be able to step into the role of either the lion or the fox at any moment. â€Å"Since a ruler, then, needs to know how to make good use of beastly qualities, he should take as his models among the animals both the fox and the lion, for the lion does not know how to avoid traps, and the fox is easily overpowered by wolves. So you must be a fox when it comes to suspecting a trap and a lion when it comes to making the wolves turn tail.† (Machiavelli, 54) Machiavelli is referring to the symbolism of the lion over the monarch power in England. The lion represented courage, strength, and  leadership; it was seen as being the dominant animal that could wipe out smaller animals. A fox on the other hand is timid, reserved, and clever; it thinks before it acts. There are only two ways to obtain power, either lawfully or un-lawfully. To do it lawfully is to be considered human and to do it un-lawfully by inciting violence is to be considered animalistic, so when stepping outside the law a ruler must choose whether to be lion and exercise brute force or to be the fox and exercise the mind. Nevertheless, you should be careful how you assess the situation and should think twice before you act. Do not be afraid of your own shadow. Employ policies that are moderated by prudence and sympathy. Avoid excessive self-confidence, which leads to carelessness, and avoid excessive timidity, which will make you insupportable. Machiavelli is reinforcing the significance of a ruler to have the ability to know when to act like a man and when to act like an animal. A feared but not hated ruler is one that does not act upon impulse but carefully calculates his moves in order to do what is necessary for the people, even if it means acting outside of the law. This essay began with the notion that if one wishes to be a successful ruler he or she must induce fear among the people to gain their respect as opposed to loving and being loved. How a ruler treats the people and how the people treat the ruler is the determining factor of how successful society will be. We have to look at the relationship between the people and the ruler as we would the relationship between a child and a parent. To be an effective parent you can not inflict harm upon your child, but you can inflict fear by imposing consequences to their negative behavior. If a child does something wrong we do not physically abuse him or her, but make them sit in time out or perhaps take away a privilege like playing video games. The child may be upset with you for a short time, but will not hate you and will respect your authority enough to abide by the rules in the future. On the other hand though, if you play the role of the best friend and consequences for negative behavior are non-existent then the child will go about doing what they please without regard for anyone else. Once the child realizes that he  or she will not be punished they have the ability to over power the parent. Religion also uses fear in order to enhance positive behavior and love among the people. No matter which religion one chooses to believe, he or she does not always willingly act with morals and ethics because in their heart they believe its right, but do so because they fear what will happen to their soul if they don’t. People fear negative consequences whether it is timeout, prison, or even hell and will most always act how they are told in order to avoid such punishments. Ruling with fear to create stability and harmony can be used in many everyday situations whether running the country, the household, the office, or the church. Bibliography Wootton, David, ed. The Prince. Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1995.

Benefits and Effectiveness of Accounting Essay

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