God Existence Essays (1348 words) - , Term Papers

God Existence If you take a look up out in the sky on a seemingly clear night, try and ask yourself how the stars, the moon and everything else came to be. Again the question of existence takes over your mind the same way it did everyone else's years ago. How did the world begin? What was the cause? Who was the cause? A couple of weeks ago, I had the most interesting conversation with my brother. Actually, it was more like a provoked conversation to help me begin this paper. I asked him, "Do you believe that there is a God? A God who is said to be creator of all things, the one responsible for life and everything that happens to it? A being so mighty and great?" Of course, like he and any other catholic would say, "yes!" From there I was anxious to begin an argument based on what I had learned from the previous topics in my philosophy class on the existence of God. I asked him how one can attach himself to such belief based on what others say, what he has heard and from a holy book that was said to have come from God but dictated by man? How could he put all reason of existence behind nothing he has experienced on his own but only what others claim they have? Then a light shined on me. I was expecting him to give me reasons that questioned my faith. Instead, he casually turned and threw a question back at me. "Do you believe that there is such a thing as one million dollars?" I hesitantly answered, "yes," knowing what he was coming to. And then he asked me if I have ever seen one million dollars? I replied, "no". From there I saw his point. "What we believe has nothing to do with whether God exists." -Daniel Kolak I was never raised with a solid basis of Christian influence. In fact, I was never made to attend Sunday school where I would be taught the whole essence of my religion. I did though, go to mass every Sunday with my family, only to find it very funny how I did not really know or understand anything about the religion. I did not base my belief on God because of books and conditioned teachings because I was never exposed to any. In truth, I do not base it on anything at all. I don't need to listen to proofs formulated by scientists and philosophers such as St. Thomas Aquinas and his Five Cosmological proofs. I do not need to hear the story on how it was said that Jesus Christ saved us all, or about Moses and the Ten Commandments. I don't know why but I just do. Don't get me wrong, I have not closed my mind on this belief about God. I have learned that it is not good to attach our self to anything and close all doors on other possible ideas. "Being able to shift points of view is one of the main skills philosophy has to offer, not so much for the purposes of changing our views, but for the purpose of freeing ourselves from attachment of our own point of view so that we can really see and understand other's points of view." -Daniel Kolak This is where the role of your philosophy class came into place. It was more so to enable me to understand the other side and take on another perspective in hope that I will learn more about the ideals that I believe in. So why is it that philosophy teachers should be limited and restricted in accordance to the institution? Why is it that they are treated as a threat to Christianity and the teachings of religious schools? When in reality, all that these teachers are doing is allowing their students to grow by understanding something at all angles and allowing them to think for themselves. "...but they cannot harm nor destroy God, if there is a God." I took this line right out of the reading for it gave such a big impact. A line that should be posted, for all religious believers who are appalled when an atheist speaks his/her mind, to see. Why are these people so threatened? Can't their faith withstand the striking? Or is it not strong enough? When I heard your lectures, read your readings and read my own selected reading, I came to see the other side of

Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture Essay Example

Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture Essay Example Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture Paper Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture Paper The IT nits may be distributed according to business donation, geographic location, or both. All or any of the IT functions may be distributed. The degree to which they are distributed will vary depending upon the philosophy and objectives to the organizations management. 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of distributed data processing? Response: The advantages of EDP are: a. Cost reductions b. Improved cost control responsibility C. Improved user satisfaction d. Back up flexibility. The disadvantages (risks) are: a. Inefficient use Of resources b. Destruction of audit trails c. Inadequate segregation of duties . Difficulty acquiring qualified professionals e. Lack of standards 5. What types of tasks become redundant in a distributed data processing system? Response: Autonomous systems development initiatives distributed throughout the firm can result in each user area reinventing the Wheel rather than benefiting trot the work to others. For example, application programs created by one user, which could be used with little or no change by others, will be redesigned from scratch rather than shared. Likewise, data common to many users may be recreated for each, resulting in a high level of data redundancy. This situation has implications for data accuracy and consistency. 6. Explain Why certain duties that are deemed incompatible in a manual system may be combined in a CBS computer-based information system environment. Give an example. Response: The IT (CBS) environment tends to consolidate activities. A single application may authorize, process, and record all aspects Of a transaction. Thus, the focus of segregation control shifts from the operational level (transaction processing tasks that computers now perform) to higher. Level organizational relationships within the computer services function. 7. What are the three primary CBS functions that must be separated? Response: The three primary CBS functions that must be separated are as follows: a. Separate systems development from computer operations, b. Separate the database administrator from other functions , and c. Operate new systems development from maintenance. 8. What exposures do data consolidation in a CSS environment pose? Response: In a CBS environment, data consolidation exposes the data to losses from natural and man-made disasters. Consolidation creates a single point of failure. Â  The only way to back up a central computer site against disasters is to roved a second computer facility. 9. What problems may occur as a result of combining applications programming and maintenance tasks into one position? Response: One problem that may occur is inadequate documentation. Documenting is not considered as interesting a task as designing testing, and implementing a new system, thus a systems professional may move on to a new project rather than spend time documenting an almost complete project. Job security may be another reason a programmer may not fully document his or her work. Another problem that may occur is the increased potential for program raid. Fifth original programmer generates fraudulent code during development, then this programmer, through maintenance procedures, may disable the code prior to audits. Thus, the programmer can continue to cover his or her tracks. 10. Why is poor-quality systems documentation a prevalent problem? Response: Poor-quality systems documentation is a chronic IT problem and a significant challenge for many organizations seeking SOX compliance. At least two explanations are possible for this phenomenon. First, documenting systems is not as interesting as designing, testing, and implementing them. Systems repossession much prefer to move on to an exciting new project rather than document one just complete The second possible reason for poor documentation is job security. When a system is poorly documented, it is difficult to interpret, test, and debug. Therefore, the programmer who understands the system (the one who coded it) maintains bargaining power and becomes relatively indispensable. When the programmer leaves the firm, however, a new programmer inherits maintenance responsibility for the undocumented system. Depending on its complexity, the transition period may be long and costly. 11. What is RAID? Response: RAID (redundant arrays of independent disks) use parallel disks that contain redundant elements of data and applications. If one disk fails, the lost data are automatically reconstructed from the redundant components stored on the other disks. 2. What is the role off data librarian? Response: A data librarian, who is responsible for the receipt, storage, retrieval, and custody to data tiles, controls access to the data library. The librarian issues data files to computer operators in accordance with program requests and takes custody files when processing or backup procedures are completed. The trend in recent years toward real-time processing and the increased use of direct- access files has reduced or even eliminated the role of the data librarian in many organizations, 13. What is the role off corporate computer services department? How does this differ from other configurations? Response: The role Of a corporate computer services department (IT function) differs in that it is not a completely centralized model: rather, the group plays the role Of provider Of technical advice and expertise to distributed computer services. Tours, it provides much more support than would be received in a impolitely distributed model. A corporate computer services department provides a means for central testing of commercial hardware and software in an efficient manner. Further, the corporate group can provide users with services such as installation of new software and troubleshooting hardware and software problems. The corporate group can establish systems development, programming, and documentation standards, The corporate group can aid the user groups in evaluating the technical credentials of prospective systems professionals, 14, What are the five risks associated with distributed data processing? Response: The Five risks associated with distributed data processing are as a. Inefficient use of resources, destruction of audit trails, c. Inadequate segregation of duties, potential inability to hire qualified professionals, and e. Lack of standards. IS List the control features that directly contribute to the security of the computer center environment. A. Physical location controls b. Construction controls c. Access controls d. Air conditioning e. Fire suppression f. Fault tolerance 16. What is data conversion? Response: The data conversion function transcribes transaction data from paper source documents into computer input. For example, data conversion could be keying sales orders into a sales order application in modern systems or transcribing data into magnetic media (tape or disk) suitable for computer processing in legacy-type systems. 17, What may be contained in the data library? Response: The data library is a room adjacent to the computer center that provides safe storage for the off-line data files, Those files could be backups or current data files. For instance, the data library could store backups on DVDs, CD-Rooms, tapes, or other storage devices, It could also store live, current data lies on magnetic tapes and removable disk packs. In addition, the data library could store the original copies of commercial soft. are and their licenses for safekeeping. 18. What is an ORG Response: A recovery operations center (ROCK) or hot site is a fully equipped backup data center that many companies share. In addition to hardware and backup facilities, ROCK service providers Offer a range of technical services to their clients, who pay an annual fee for access rights. In the event of a major disaster, a subscriber can occupy the premises and, within a few hours, resume processing critical applications. , What is a cold site? The empty shell or cold site plan is an arrangement wherein the company buys or leases a building that will serve as a data center. In the event of a disaster, the shell is available and ready to receive whatever hardware the temporary user requires to run its essential data processing systems. 20. What is fault tolerance? Response: Fault tolerance is the ability of the system to continue operation when part of the system fails due to hardware failure, application program error, or operator error. Implementing fault tolerance control ensures that no single mint of potential system failure exists Total failure can occur only in the event of the failure of multiple components, or system-wide failure. 21. What are the often-cited benefits of IT outsourcing? Response: Often-cited benefits Of IT outsourcing include improved core business performance, improved IT performance (because of the vendors expertise), and reduced IT costs. 22. Define commodity IT asset. Response: Commodity IT assets are those assets that are not unique to a particular organization and are thus easily acquired in the marketplace. These include such things are nonvoter management, systems operations, server maintenance, and help-desk functions. 23. Define specific asset. Response: Specific assets, in contrast to commodity assets, are unique to the organization and support its strategic objectives. Because of their idiosyncratic nature, specific assets have little value outside of their current use. 24, List five risks associated with IT outsourcing. A. Failure to perform b. Vendor exploitation c. Outsourcing costs exceed benefits d. Reduced security e. Loss Of strategic advantage Discussion Questions 1. How is pre-SOX IT governance different from post-SOX IT governance? Response: Prior to SOX, the common practice regarding IT investments was to defer all decisions to corporate IT professionals. Modern IT governance, however, follows the philosophy that all corporate stakeholders, including boards of directors, top management, and department users (i. E. Accounting and finance) be active participants in key IT decisions. Such broad-based involvement reduces risk and increases the likelihood that IT decisions will be in compliance with user needs, corporate policies, strategic initiatives, and internal control requirements under SOX. . Although IT governance is a broad area, only three aspects of IT governance are discussed in the chapter. Name them and explain why these topics were chosen. Response: Although all IT governance issues are important to the organization, not all of them are matters of internal control under SOX that may potentially impact the financial reporting process. This chapter examined three IT governance issues that are addressed by SOX and the COOS internal control framework. These are: a. Organizational structure of the IT function, b. Computer center operations, and Disaster recovery planning. 3. What types of incompatible activities are prone to becoming consolidated in a distributed data processing system? HOW can this be prevented? Response: Achieving an adequate segregation of duties may not be possible in some distributed environments. The distribution of the IT services to users may result in the creation of small independent units that do not permit the desired separation of incompatible functions. For example, within a single unit the same person may write application programs, perform program maintenance, enter transaction data into the computer, and operate the computer equipment. Such a situation would be a fundamental violation of internal control. 4. Why would an operational manager be willing to take on more work in the tort of supervising an information system? Response: Managers are responsible for the success of their divisions, If the benefits to be reaped from a EDP are expected to be great enough, the manager may find it is worth her or his while to expend the extra effort, Some of the benefits the manager may hope will materialize within the divisions are more efficiently run operations, better decision making, and reduced processing costs. Increased customer satisfaction may also result if the DOPE system is more accommodating. 5. HOW can data be centralized in a distributed data processing system? Response: The data is stored centrally, but updated or processed at the local (remote) site. Thus, data is retrieved from the centralized data store, processed locally, and then sent back to the centralized data store. 6. Should standards be centralized in a distributed data processing environment? Explain. Response: The relatively poor control environment imposed by the EDP model can be improved by establishing some central guidance. The corporate group can contribute to this goal by establishing and distributing to user areas appropriate standards for systems development, programming, and documentation. 7. How can human behavior be considered one of the biggest potential threats to operating system integrity? Response: The purpose of segregation of duties is to deal with the potential negative aspects of human behavior including errors and fraud. The relationship between systems development (both new systems development and maintenance) and computer operations activities poses a potential risk that can circumvent operating system integrity. These functions are inherently incompatible. With detailed knowledge of application logic and control parameters and access to the computers operating system and utilities, an individual could make unauthorized changes to the application during its execution. 8. A bank in California has thirteen branches spread throughout northern California, each With its own minicomputer where its data are stored. Another bank has 10 branches spread throughout California, with its data stored on a mainframe in San Francisco. Which system do you think is more vulnerable to unauthorized access? Excessive losses from disaster? Response: The bank that has the data for all of its branches stored on one mainframe computer is at greater risk of access control. All of the firms records are centrally housed. Once a perpetrator gains unauthorized access to the system, the data for all 10 branches are at risk, For the other bank the perpetrator would have to breach security for each of the thirteen branch computers. Thus, the bank with all of data centrally stored on a mainframe is more vulnerable to access control. The primary disasters of concern in California are earthquakes and fires. The bank with a central mainframe in San Francisco is robbery at the greatest risk of damage from both earthquakes and fires. If that system is destroyed, all of the branches lose their processing capability and, possibly, stored data. 9. End-user computing has become extremely popular in distributed data processing organizations. The end users like it because they feel they can more readily design and implement their own applications. Does this type of environment always foster more efficient development Of applications? Explain your answer. Response: Distributed data processing if not properly managed, may result in duplication of efforts. Two or more individual end users may develop similar applications While completely unaware Of each Others efforts. Such duplication is an inefficient use of human resources. 10. Compare and contrast the following disaster recovery options: mutual aid pact, empty shell, recovery operations center, and internally provided backup. Rank them from most risky to least risky, as well as from most costly to least costly. Response: A mutual aid pact requires two or more organizations to agree to and trust each other to aid the other with data processing needs in the event of a disaster. This method is the lowest cost, but also somewhat risky. First, the host company must be trusted to scale back its own processing in order to process the transactions of the disaster-stricken company, Second, the firms must not be affected by the same disaster, or the plan fails. The next lowest cost method is internally provided backup. With this method, organizations with multiple data processing centers may invest in internal excess capacity and support themselves in the case of disaster in one data processing center. This method is not as risky as the mutual aid pact because reliance on another organization is to a factor. In terms of cost, the next highest method is the empty shell where two or more organizations buy or lease space for a data processing center. The space is made ready for computer installation; however, no computer equipment is installed. This method requires lease or mortgage payments as well as payment for air conditioning and raised floors. The risk in this method is that the hardware, software, and technicians may be difficult, if not impossible, to have available in the case Of a natural disaster. Further, if multiple members systems crash simultaneously, an allocation problem exists. The method with lowest risk and also the highest cost is the recovery operations center. This method takes the empty shell concept one step further-?the computer equipment is actually purchased and software may even be installed. Assuming that this site is far enough away from the disaster-stricken area not to be affected by the disaster, this method can be a very good safeguard. 1 1. Who should determine and prioritize the critical applications? How is this done? How frequently is it done? Response: The critical applications should be identified and prioritize by the seer departments, accountants, and auditors, The applications should be prioritize based upon the impact on the short-run survival of the firm. The frequency with which the priorities need to be assessed depends upon the amount and kinds of changes that are made to systems over time. Firms that make changes frequently should reassess priorities frequently. 12. Why is it easier for programmers to perpetrate a fraud than operators? Response: It is much easier for programmers to perpetrate a fraud because they know the code. They know how to get around Some, or most, Of the embedded controls. Better yet, some programmers deliberately program code that gets them around controls and allows them to commit fraud. 13. Why should an organization centralize the acquisition, testing, and implementation of software and hardware within the corporate IT function? Response: The corporate IT group is better able to evaluate the merits of competing vendor software and hardware. A central, technically astute group such as this can evaluate systems features, controls, and compatibility with industry and organizational standards most efficiently. Test results can then be strutted to user areas as standards for guiding acquisition decisions. 14 Organizations sometimes locate their computer centers in the basement of their buildings to avoid normal traffic flows, Comment on this practice. Response: Locating the computer center in the basement to a building can create an exposure to disaster risk such as floods. The Chicago Board of Trade computer centers systems were located in the basement of a multi-storied office building in Chicago. When the century-old water pipelines burst, part of the first floor and the entire basement flooded. Trade was suspended for several days until system functionality could be restored, causing the loss of millions of dollars. This disaster would have been prevented if the computer center had simply been located on the top floor-?still away from normal traffic flows, but also away from the risk of flood. 15. The 2003 blackout that affected the U. S. Northeast caused numerous computer failures. What Can an organization do to protect itself from such uncontrollable power failures? Response: The decision regarding power controls can be an expensive one and usually requires the advice and analysis of experts. The following, however, are options that can be employed. Voltage regulators and surge protectors provide regulated electricity. Related to the level of electricity (frequency), and clean electricity, related to spikes and other potential hazards. Power outages and brownouts can generally be controlled with a battery backup (known as an uninterruptible power supply). 16. Discuss potential problem with ROCs. Response: Because of the heavy investment involved, ROCS are typically shared among many companies. The firms either buy shares in or become subscribers to the ROCK, paying monthly fees for rights to its use, That situation does provide mom risk because a widespread natural disaster may affect numerous entities in the same general geographic area, If multiple entities share the same ROCK, some firm or firms will end up queued in a waiting line. 17. Discuss two potential problems associated with a cold site. A. Recovery depends on the timely availability of the necessary computer hardware to restore the data processing function. Management must obtain assurances from hardware vendors that the vendor will give priority to meeting the organizations needs in the event Of a disaster. An unanticipated hardware apply problem at this critical juncture could be a fatal blow. B. With this approach there is the potential for competition among users for the shell resources, the same as for a hot site. For example, a widespread natural disaster, such as a flood or earthquake, may destroy the data processing capabilities of several shell members located in the same geographic area. Those affected by the disaster would be faced with a second major problem: how to allocate the limited facilities of the shell among them. The situation is analogous to a sinking ship that has an inadequate number of lifeboats. 8. Discuss three techniques used to achieve fault tolerance. A. Redundant arrays of inexpensive (or independent) disks (RAID), There are several types to RAID configurations. Essentially, each method involves the use of parallel disks that contain redundant elements of data and applications. If one disk fails, the lost data are automatically reconstructed from the redundant components stored on the other disks, b. Uninterruptible power supplies. In the event of a power outage, short-term backup power (i. E. , battery power) is provided to allow the system to shut down n a controlled manner. This process will prevent the data loss and corruption that would otherwise result from an uncontrolled system crash, lag. Explain the outsourcing risk of failure to perform Response: Once a client firm has outsourced specific IT assets, its performance becomes linked to the vendors performance. The negative implications Of such dependency are illustrated in the financial problems that have plagued the huge outsourcing vendor Electronic Data Systems Cop. DES). In a cost-cutting effort, DES terminated seven thousand employees, which impacted its ability to serve Other clients. Following an eleven-year low in share prices, DES stockholders filed a class-action lawsuit against the company. Clearly, vendors experiencing such serious financial and legal problems threaten the viability of their clients also. 20. Explain vendor exploitation. Response: Once the client firm has divested itself of specific assets it becomes dependent on the vendor. The vendor may exploit this dependency by raising service rates to an exorbitant level, As the clients IT needs develop over time beyond the original contract terms, it runs the risk that new or incremental revises will be negotiated at a premium, This dependency may threaten the clients long-term flexibility, agility, and competitiveness and result in even greater vendor dependency. 21, Explain why reduced security is an outsourcing risk, Response: Information outsourced to off-shore IT vendors raises unique and serious questions regarding internal control and the protection of sensitive personal data. When corporate financial systems are developed and hosted overseas, and program code is developed through interfaces with the host companys network, US corporations are at risk of losing control of their information. TO a large degree, US firms are reliant on the outsourcing vendors security measures, data-access policies, and the privacy laws of the host country. 22. Explain how IT outsourcing can lead to loss of strategic advantage. Response: Alignment between IT strategy and business strategy requires a close working relationship between corporate management and IT management in the concurrent development of business and IT strategies. This, however, is difficult to accomplish when IT planning is geographically redeployed off-shore or even domestically. Further, since the financial justification for IT outsourcing upends upon the vendor achieving economies of scale, the vendor is naturally driven toward seeking common solutions that may be used by many clients rather than creating unique solutions for each of them, This fundamental underpinning to IT outsourcing is inconsistent with the clients pursuit of strategic advantage in the marketplace, 23, Explain the role of a ASS 70 report in reviewing internal controls.

Employment Relations in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employment Relations in UK - Essay Example Employment relations in U.K, were a victim of improper communication between the stake holders and the stake holders pursuing their own interests rather than the common industry interests. As a result the scene was chaotic and conflicts rose between the Union strongholds, managements of various organizations and the Government. It is almost impossible to single out any part to blame but collectively employment relations suffered greatly, as a result economic growth took the back seat and new employable areas almost vanished. When situation looked grim and almost impossible to repair dramatic changes took place. Europe, which has adapted well to the call for change in Human relations has acted like a catalyst in the change movement that took place in U.K. Surprisingly, stake holders in Employment relations in U.K, responded positively to the call for change and mended their ways. Situation bettered and employment relations are definitely looking clear and focused to let changes take place. What brought such a sudden change in their attitude is proper dialogue and a establishment of a transparent communication among the stake holders. It is not that there is no communication system previously, They have learnt what are the communication barriers which are hampering the process and they have successfully removed them. Change Management- the order of the day: The concept - employment relations bring out the participation of stake holders in building healthy and prospective relationships. This academic essay focuses on identifying the stake holders, their responsibilities, roles they have played and the type of transition that has taken place in U.K. In the present day industry to change is the norm of the day. Any organization which has remained static and resisted changes has been phased out. Human Relations Management over the last decade has learnt how to adapt to changing situations and guide the organization towards achievement of its objectives by innovating and changing. The changes are not without their due share of problems. U.K in the past was haunted by colonialism and a high degree of collective bargaining among the workers. Trade Unions and Labor Unions ruled the roost for most of the period and actually crippled the economy and productivity. However the situation took a turnaround and seems a much brighter scene than the past. What caused this turnaround is the never say die spirit of the Brits and the positive influence of the European market as a whole on U.K. Stakeholders in employment relations: Employment Relations is "Maintaining all possible contacts with the participatory involvement of public, the corporate, the Government and the Unions and generate value for the organization". (Public & Industrial Relations, P.34, 35, 2005, V.K.Gupta). I have observed the participation of the all the above said stake holders and the respective roles played by them in the problem phase and the solution phase. Some of the stakeholders are: i. The Management of various organizations. ii. Respective Employees and their individual actions. iii. The role played by Trade Unions & Employee Welfare Organizations. iv. Policies laid by the Government and

Service Quality for Retail Banking in the UK - Barclays, PLC Dissertation

Service Quality for Retail Banking in the UK - Barclays, PLC - Dissertation Example Responsiveness is a measure of the willingness to help customers and provide them with prompt service. Assurance measures the competence, courtesy, credibility and security of the service provided, while the empathy is about the caring and individualised service that the bank provides to its customers. This would help the bank in realising whether its customers are satisfied on all grounds and whether there are any gaps in their satisfaction level. We would follow the same standard set by the previously referred authors. A questionnaire survey method will be adopted to measure the service quality of the bank. The study is based on primary data from customers of Barclays and secondary data based on previous studies and shows the different dimensions of retail banking and issues related to service quality and customer satisfaction in case of UK banks. Although Barclays retail bank is considered as an example here, the thesis is to draw a general conclusion on retail banking and the service quality that would be appropriate for customer satisfaction. Several studies and published papers on banking and customer satisfaction and the associated service quality attributes are discussed here. Any research study should not only trace the existing parameters for the variables involved but also provide some future perspective of reference. Within this context, the levels of customer satisfaction could be found out from primary data in which customers are directly required to complete surveys and provide responses on what changes they expect in the future and what kind of services they have encountered in the banks. Their suggestions and recommendations from questionnaires form the basis for... This study is an assessment of how much this change has been implemented or is successful within the branches. The corporate strategy of Barclays has also been analyzed and showed how the bank strategy could or should change from an emphasis on sales to an emphasis on customer service. The attitudes and behaviors of customer service officials have also changed towards customers suggesting that changing of corporate strategy tend to have a direct impact on employee behavior and company functions and performance as well. In conclusion, there are several issues that have been highlighted through this study and shows that after an appraisal and interview and survey of customer attitudes and expectations. Some individuals, however, expressed their problems as seen in the qualitative dimension or analysis of the study and suggested that the bank should be more concerned with individualized attention and improve its services by being prompt and efficient. Improving certain online banking features and international banking features were also considered important for overall improvement of the bank’s functions. This study has shown that although Barclays has been largely known for poor customer services and focuses more on sales rather than customer services, it’s recent change of approach with greater emphasis on improving customer services than improving sales figures seem to have worked for positive results as customers seem to be more satisfied with the services offered by the banks.

Vocabulary and semantics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Vocabulary and semantics - Essay Example Hence the phrase, flea market Today, the term is used to describe rent spaces for traders dealing in used goods that are of low quality and at low prices. Morphology Morphology is the study of word structure. Morphology is the process of identifying, analyzing and describing the structures of a language’s morphemes and other linguistic units, such as root words, parts of speech and intonation or stress. The term â€Å"flea market† is made up of two words; flea and market, which are the morphemes to this phrase. A morpheme is the smallest single unit in the grammar of a language and its study is called morphology. A morpheme may not be a word as a morpheme has to stand on its own. There are free and bound morphemes. A free morpheme is a single unit that stands on its own and has meaning, whereas a bound morpheme appear as only parts of words, always supported by the root or by another bound morpheme. The term â€Å"flea market† is made up of two free morphemes as the word â€Å"flea† can stand on its own and still have meaning and also the word â€Å"market† has meaning on its own. ... The phrase â€Å"flea market† can also be thought to be a place inhabited by dirty traders. A collocation is a sequence of words or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected by chance (Durkin, 2009). A collocation can be said to be two or more words that often go together, and may sound correct to a native speaker but be unnatural and sound wrong. The term â€Å"flea market† sounds correct to a native speaker but may be very disturbing to a person, who is just learning the language, as that a person can loosely interpret it to be a place where fleas are sold. Semantic relationships Semantics is the study of meanings; the phrase â€Å"flea market† can be taken literally to mean a place where fleas are sold, or we can take the meaning where it denotes a place where second-hand items are sold. There are different semantic relationship types, and they include; Synonyms Synonyms are words that mean exactly the same. According to the Macmillan dictionary, t he term â€Å"flea† is synonymous to aphid, beetle and black widow, as all are types of insects (Hurford, 1996). The term â€Å"market† is synonymous to shop, as both are places where goods are traded. The phrase â€Å"flea market† is synonymous to yard sale. Antonyms Antonyms are words pairs whose meanings are opposite and lie in a continuous spectrum. The term â€Å"flea† has no antonym as there are so many things and animals that are opposites of insects. The term â€Å"market† is also broad as it involved buying and selling which are opposites of each other. As a modern place of trade dealing in mostly new items, a mall can be used as an antonym to a flea market. Pragmatic usage Pragmatics is a minor field of linguistics and studies ways how context contributes to the

Analyzing Marketing Opportunities

Analyzing Marketing Opportunities Marketing has often been defined in terms of satisfying customers needs and wants critics however maintain that marketing goes beyond that and creates needs and wants that did not exist before. According to these critics, marketers encourage consumers to spend more money than they should on goods and services they really do not need. Marketing was defined by the American Marketing association Board of Directors as Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. (Approved October 2007) http://www.marketingpower.com/aboutama/pages/definitionofmarketing.aspx Marketing is the process whereby society, to supply its consumption needs, evolves distributive systems composed of participants, who, interacting under constraints technical (economic) and ethical (social) create the transactions or flows which resolve market separations and result in exchange and consumption. Bartles2 What Is Marketing? How 10 Experts Define It Marketing Process The marketing process consists of analyzing marketing opportunities, developing marketing strategies, planning marketing programs, and managing the marketing effort. (Kotler)3 http://nraomtr.blogspot.ie/2011/12/marketing-strategy-marketing-process.html Analyzing Marketing Opportunities Market analysis involves market research about a product or service being offered it involves using primary and secondary data, looking at the economic situation of the country and the legal aspects political aspects, the legislation the competitors new entrants into the market and their market position. This data will be analysed using different statistical tools this will be used in identifying short, medium and long term on various marketing activities. This data provide useful information which enables the organisation to plans its marketing strategy. For example Tesco a grocery store will look at what Asda, Lidl Aldi and also what the likes of Sainsbury, marks and spencer are doing and their market share. Its in view as this that Tesco will determine what its marketing strategy will be. Developing Marketing Strategies Based on the Marketing research conducted Tesco will be able to determine what marketing strategy it will adopt for the next quarter on each of its product range and determine what market segment it will concentrate on. it might decide to contrate on fruit and vegetables or it might decide to concentrate of clothing differentiation decision is made to arrive at a product that will lead to the optimal profit. For example Tesco might decide to be a loss leader on a particular product while maximising profit in other areas Usually at Tesco price of some items are reduced but customers will come in because of this package but will end up buying other not discounted. Marketing Programs Marketing strategy leads to marketing mix, examples are budget allocation for a particular department, products etc Marketing Mix is the combination of four elements, called the 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion and Place), that every company has the option of adding, subtracting, or modifying in order to create a desired marketing strategy. (Philip Kotler)4 Larry Steven Londre Marketing, IMC, Advertising, Promotion, Media and More. 2012 Edition There are large number of marketing tools. McCarthy5 provided a categorization for them in terms of four Ps of marketing: Product, price, place and promotion. Under each P, there are number of tools. Depending on the organisational choice it is possible to have some on a short term medium term or long term new products are usually on a long term basis In other to carry out budgeting for different marketing tools, sales functions this functions will relate to how sales will be affected be any incremental amount, This is known as sensitivity analysis. Product related marketing tools are in the form of quality,branding design,packaging, etc. While price related to commissions, discounts and middlemen commission to discount pricing like buy one and pay for I/2 price for the second. Place related are like on line sales Tesco in retail park, Tesco in large shopping centres and the Tesco express which can be in filling stations or in a neighborhood Promotion relates to Tesco club card owners who get personal sales promotions or instore promotions and TV and radio jingles or adverts, online and social media campaigns. Market Orientation was defined by McNamara (1972 p.51) as a philosophy of business management based upon a Company wide acceptance of the need for a customer orientation. Profit orientation and recognition of the important role of communicating the needs of the market to all corporate departments .5 Journal of marketing april 1990 Ajay Kohl and Barnard J Jaworski Market Orientation: the construct, research proposition and managerial implications The main points highlighted here are customer focus and profitability. The chances of new products failing is very much reduced and it provide the opportunity to cut its loss if indications are it may not be profitable the a stop can be put to it before the product is launched Where market Orientation approach is used there chance that consumer needs are being met with appropriate products or services are higher and inevitably the life product of such products or service will be prolonged and hence more profit. . Constant feedback from consumers This is an unending process through this constant market research this will enable the firm to make changes to the product as its see fits hence making higher profits and matching those of their competitors.. The disadvantages of marketing Orientation are It may be difficult to target campaigns at a large Market Constant market research it is very expensive thereby reducing profit* Where there is a specialised markets it will be difficult to fulfill the needs of the sub market(consumers) A good example of this is the graphic plotters used for architects similar plotters may not be ideal for factories with specialised technical construction or tool making. Product differentiation may at time be difficult especially for the likes of retail supermarket where they do not produce the products but for the company branding it is often difficult to differentiate a product and stand out from competition consumer wants often change due to income and consumption patterns for example someone who lost his/her job will change quickly from buying from Tesco to the likes of Lidl and Aldi. it may be hard to keep up with need of such people. Marketing environment is mainly made of two variables the micro and the macro factors these factors are mainly internal environment- micro and external environment macro The micro environment are variables that can be controlled or by management. E Jerome McCarthy 6 said the variables that the company can control in order to reach its target market are the four Ps. Price, products, promotion and place. A Communication-Based Marketing Model for Managing Relationships Tom Duncan and Sandra E. Moriarty Journal of Marketing Vol. 62, No. 2 (Apr., 1998), pp. 1-13 Macro are those outside the control of the organisation.they are proximate macro-environment The supplier environment The distributive environment The wider macro-environment Demography proximate macro-environment This involves the external forces for example, in the legal, cultural, economic and technological sub-environments. This are the people or firms with organisation immediate external environment. Of they are marketing firms, are suppliers, competitors and distributors (intermediaries). The supplier environment These are businesses that provide the firm with material and distribute to their retails in includes logistic companies and retailers the like of Tesco The distributive environment Emphasis is placed on intermediaries such as wholesalers, factors, agents and distributors so that final consumer get products The competitive environment The threat of competition cannot be over emphasised the orgainsation must be alert to the potential threat of other companies selling the same product. Ie Pepsi and Coke companies marketing similar and substitute product whether they are of domestic or foreign origin. The wider macro-environment Changes in the wider macro-environment may not be as close to the companys day-to-day operations, but they are equally important this falls into four The main factors making up these wider macro-environmental forces fall into four groups. Political and legal factors Economic factors Social and cultural factors Technological factors Demography In places like Iran, Tunisia, Syria and the middle east in general which were predominantly dominated by Pepsi, the advent of war has change the demography of the area. This is out of the control of Pepsi and It will have to readjust its marketing strategy and marketing Mix for this region. Market segmentation is defined as The process of defining and subdividing a large homogeneous market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics. Its objective is to design a marketing mix that precisely matches the expectations of customers in the targeted segment. 7 Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_tesco_study_in_excellence.pdf Fig 1 http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_tesco_study_in_excellence.pdf Fig2 http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_tesco_study_in_excellence.pdf (source) Gig 3 http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_tesco_study_in_excellence.pdf Tesco provided six market segments to target the different consumers Need from the up class to the lower class income . The segments are self narrative with this concept Tesco was able to continuously increase its market share. Buyers behaviour often change depending on products , the consumers spending power, consumers needs and how urgent he need the product. The customer identifies a need :This often occurs from advertisement from TV, Radio, Bill board social media or words of mouth Looking for information At this stage the customer wants more information about the products and needs to see the product and discuss more with the sale representative Checking out alternative products and suppliers The consumer at this stage will look for a better buy either in terms of quality, pricing and will compare the product or service with those of other providers, Purchase decision . time at this stage the buyer is ready to buy and the sales personnel need to close the sale by giving the buyer an incentive to buy. It could be after sales service it could be a voucher. Using the product Cognitive dissonance a fear that the buyer may have made a wrong decision comes to play here especially when it is an expensive here simple how to use and after sales suffice or a form of warranty. There are four main factors that affect a buyer behaviour namely:-Social, Culture, psychological and personal.. Social: Groups membership, reference, aspirational opinion leaders or buzz marketing and family members. Culture: A persons wants or behaviour group with share values and ones social class. Personal; Age and life cycle, occupation personality and self concept Psychological: Motivation perception and beliefs and attitudes . Market positioning is the manipulation of a brand or family of brands to create a positive perception in the eyes of the public. If a product is well positioned, it will have strong sales, and it may become the go-to brand for people who need that particular product. Poor positioning, on the other hand, can lead to bad sales and a dubious reputation. A number of things are involved in market positioning, with entire firms specializing in this activity and working with clients to position their products effectively. 9 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_examples_of_market_positioning With the current economic situation Tesco has gone to the cheap end of the market competing the likes of Lldl and Aldi. So the focus will be on main stream with competitive price

Christianity and Hinduism Essay

I wanted to compare Hinduism to Christianity. I did not know anyone around here so I contacted a family member that lives in the Philippines. His wife’s family fallows Hinduism. I interviewed them over the Internet through video chat. That was very interesting. I had to have my family member translate to me somethings. But it was fun. I also have them write what they were answering to me. I e-mailed them the questions in advance so it would not be a shocker when I asked. I felt as if I was rude at times asking some of the questions. I kept apologizing and all they kept laughing at me. The interview was with Byra and Hansa Bose. Translation was Sandra and Justin Usry. Hinduism is generally regarded as the world’s oldest organized religion and the world’s third largest religion. Christianity is the largest religion in the world. Hinduism consists of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since 1500 BC. Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic religions. They recognize a single deity and view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of the supreme God. Hinduism has about nine hundred and fifty million followers that is about fourteen percent of the world’s population. It is the dominant religion in India, Nepal, and among the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Christianity was founded in the early 1st century AD. Christianity has around two billion followers. That is around thirty three percent of the world’s population. Hinduism is a constantly changing religion. It was not founded by a person or prophet. Hinduism is characterized by its beliefs in reincarnation. Hindus believe in one Supreme Being but in many Lords. There are said to be three hundred and thirty-three million Lords. The lords are perceived as divine creations of that one being. Hinduism views compose of three worlds, the physical universe, subtle astral, and the spiritual universe. Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ. To be a Christian you have to believe only in Jesus and acknowledge him as your only savior. The Bible is the main source of the principles and values of Christianity. The Veda is the Hindu holy book. The Veda consist of four books; Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva. The books include over 100,000 verses.  The knowledge imparted by the Vedas ranges from earthy devotion to high philosophy. Christianity is an organized missionary religion. The Christian Church is divided into three major groups, the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Churches and the Orthodox Churches. Hinduism does not have a centrally controlling organization it has some ancient scriptures to guide it. That is a joke. Christianity believes that God created the world out of nothing. Hindus say that is not true. Nothing can come out of nothing. That everything has to exist from something. So Hindus think God created the world out of himself using the elements and qualities of his energy. Christians believes that God and men are different. God created man in His own image. The world and men exist separately from God. Hindus believe the whole universe is enveloped and inhabited by God. Hindus believes that the universe was created billions of years ago through a gradual process of materialization brought out by Prakriti and that the earth is just one world in a series of thousands of worlds. Christiani ty believes that the world was created a few thousand years ago over a period of seven days. That the earth is the center of the universe. Hindus do not believe in conversion of people. A person becomes a Hindu either by birth or through conscious that is by choice. Christians accepts conversion as a way of saving them from certain damnations. It is the responsibility and sacred duty of every Christian to save everyone who are not Christians by bringing them to Jesus. Hindus do not believe that you go to heaven or hell like Christianity rather they believe in the concept of Karma. Hinduism men are judged by their own karma. If you do badly in one life you have many more to work the bad karma off. The only way to get out of the cycle of life and death is to achieve true enlightenment. When a person achieves enlightenment he or she doesn’t go to heaven or hell, he or she is beyond heaven or hell. He or she would have become part of the entire universe. When enlightenment is reached they become part of God. Hindus believe that the death of a human being only extinguishes the bodily form of existences as the soul reincarnates in  another life form. They believe that a human being has it within his ability to attain Moksha, the final extrication of the soul, by applying the principles suggested by the scriptures. Christianity believes a person commits sin against God by bracken the ten commandments. If someone leads a life of sin without acknowledging God and without believing in Jesus, he will become a victim of the Devil and fall into temptation. If he is a true believer, God will save him and grant him an eternal life in heaven. It is the conduct of a person on earth that determines the person’s fate. A sinner can seek forgiveness of God and Jesus through repentance and submission and he will be forgiven according to the strength of his belief. On the Judgment Day all souls are resurrected and judged by God according to their actions on earth. Both Hinduism and Christianity believe in the eventual destruction of the world. However Hinduism does not believe in the permanent destruction of the world but in the repetitive nature of creation. There will be repetitive cycles of creation followed by destruction. In Christianity after that happens they reside either in the heaven or in hell eternally. Hindus worship a lot. They commonly worship shrines in three different environments, in temples, in the home, and in outdoor public spaces. Hindus believe that if proper care is not taken of a temple’s images, the deity will abandon the temple. Hence priests reside at the temple and take care of the gods’ needs. Priests perform puja at sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight. For a layperson, however, visiting a temple every day or even regularly is not mandatory, and many devout Hindus worship at home. The essential aspect of puja is not congregational worship but an individual’s offering to a deity. Worship in the home usually takes place daily. Christians will worship anywhere. However when they come together to worship they will usually come together in a church. Prayers are usually done before a meal and before bed. It can be done at any time whenever a Christian fills the need to pray. Some holidays that Hindus celebrate are Shivarathri â€Å"The Night of Shiva† a festival celebrated in honor of Lord Shiva, Holi, Raksha Bandhan which is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Sravan (August-September). It is one of the important Hindu festivals. Hindus who  wear a new holy thread offer their respects to the ancient Rishis by offering them water on this day. Telugu New Year’s is celebrated on the first day of the month of Chaitra (March-April).This is a happy day and is celebrated with great enthusiasm. This is New Year’s Day for the people of Andhra Pradesh and also the Telugu people all over the world. Navarathri is celebrated twice in a year, once it is celebrated in the month of Chaitra and then again in Aswayuja. It lasts for nine days in honor of the nine forms of goddess Durga. During Navaratri devotees of her observe a fast. Brahmins are given food and prayers are offered as it is believed that this provides protection of health and property. Ganesh Chaturthi is most popular of all Hindu festivals. It is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. It is the most sacred day for Lord Ganesha. It falls on the 4th day of fortnight called Bhadrapada. It is observed throughout India as well as by devoted Hindus in all parts of the world. Krishna Janmashtami is the birthday of Lord Krishna, who is the eighth Divine Incarnation. It is believed that Lord Krishna was born at midnight. Many people go on a twenty-four hour fast on this day, which is broken at midnight. Ramnavmi is the last one. Christianity has a lot of holidays too but the really important ones are Christmas Eve which is the day before Jesus Christ was born. Christmas Day is the day Jesus Christ was born. There is Ash Wednesday which derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents. Doing this is a sign of mourning and repentance to God. When God was walking to be crucified there was a village that laid palm tree leaves down for him to walk on. When he left they burned them and that is where the ashes come from. It also starts Lent. During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of penitence. Good Friday, the passion or and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Easter is the day Jesus resurrected. Now let’s talk about food. Christians have no limitations to what they eat, but the Hindus do. They cannot eat onions or garlic. Onions and garlic cloud the mind with passion. I think that is funny. Also onions and garlic gives the breath an odor which offends Lord Krishna. Mushrooms cannot be eaten because they grow in dung and an unclean ground. Anything from a cow is forbidden. Cows are sacred. They are known as â€Å"the mother†. So they cannot  eat cheese, milk, butter, or any of the cow’s or cow’s meat. They also cannot eat pigs. Pigs are forbidden also. Vegetarianism is very common in the Hindu religion. About thirty percent of Hindus are Vegetarians. In conclusion I had a lot of fun learning about both these religions. I learned that Hindus have a lot of gods and pray a lot. I don’t think I could pray that much. Christianity only has one god that is thought to be three other things. I had a little trouble understanding that one. They both are very complex. They have many other religions that branch from them.

Difference Between Tangled and Classic Princess Movies

Jaimie Kim English 1: Language Dynamics First Draft of Analytical Essay November 6, 2012 â€Å"Well, I’m really not supposed to speak to strangers, but we’ve met before †¦ once upon a dream. † This quote from Sleeping Beauty portrays Walt Disney Productions’ grand tradition of Disney princess movies of how most of the female protagonists are waiting for her love. . In 2010, however, Disney created a movie, named Tangled, which was based on the Grimm Brothers’ tale of Rapunzel. Although Disney decided to put its own version of this tale, Tangled is still about the long-haired princess who is locked away in a tower by a witch.Instead of dreaming about love, Tangled presents a story where Rapunzel makes a deal with a thief, Flynn Rider, to go on an escapade to see the festival of lights that appear annually on her birthday. Among the classic Disney princess movies, Tangled is distinguishable because of the lack of femininity shown in the title. Di sney had named all the fairy tales with titles that did not intrigue all audiences, such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. On the contrary, the tale about Rapunzel was not named Rapunzel, but rather the title Tangled, which interested a larger audience.Another difference that can be seen between Tangled and The Little Mermaid, as the ideal classic princess movie, is the female protagonists approach to love – Rapunzel to Flynn Rider and Ariel to Eric. Lastly, the other princess movies were mostly all drawn by hand and appeared to be ‘flat’ while Tangled was created with computer-generated images that made the visuals more attractive and, therefore, was added to the list of successful animated films that were produced by Disney.The titles of the classic princess movies followed a pattern: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a movie about the princess Snow White, Cinderella was about Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty was about the princess Auro ra. These titles had female characteristics that caught girls’ interest, but did not appeal to the other half of the young audience – the boys. Nevertheless, those movies were successful, but why did Disney decide to change its style for the title of the story of Rapunzel?Many believed that the title change may have had something to do with them altering the traditional  Rapunzel  story enough that it warranted a completely different title. Adam Markovitz, however, argues that â€Å"because  The Princess and the Frog  was no great shakes at the box office [in 2009] and Disney wanted to make the project seem less †¦ girlish, [the title] was changed from Rapunzel Unbraided to Tangled. † This proves that Disney thought that The Princess and the Frog place in the box office was a failure because of the title.This leads to why they named the movie Tangled, so they can attract varied demographics. It also drew the audience’s attention to the duoâ⠂¬â„¢s complicated relationship. In addition, this movie was not all about Rapunzel, because there was another protagonist besides the princess – Flynn Rider. By having the title as Tangled, Disney broke the standard of titling the princess movies by their names. Based on the main character’s attitude towards love, Tangled is distinctive from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. I specifically chose this classic princess movie because many believe that Rapunzel is an Ariel ‘knock-off. Throughout The Little Mermaid, Ariel and Eric communicate to each other by only smiling and doing gestures. It was slightly ridiculous how they still managed to fall in love, as shown in the scene where Ariel udders: â€Å"Daddy, I love [Eric]! † and, in the end, gets married. The reason behind the whole concept of love at first sight is, as Robin Murray says, â€Å"If Ariel wasn’t attractive, Eric would not be as motivated to spend time with her. Likewise, if Eric was unattractive, Ariel wouldn’t have sold her soul to be with him. (146) This proves that fact that the relationship was based entirely on looks, because these two characters did not communicate with each other effectively. As a result, they knew nothing about each other besides seeing that the significant other was attractive and, therefore, the one for them. This shows that the Disney princess movies were all about the idea of love at first sight. Aside from the concept of love, Tangled was a movie that had a plot that related to reality, minus the magical hair of Rapunzel. This can be seen at â€Å"the moment where Rapunzel scoffs at Flynn when he broke out his charm.This sets her apart from most of the other princesses, who would most likely swoon over Flynn’s charisma. In the presence of an attractive guy, Ariel jeopardizes her existence, but Rapunzel is not impressed and is ready to use her frying pan as a weapon. Throughout the movie, Rapunzel and Flynn’s relationship contrasts greatly from Ariel and Eric’s. They don’t fall in love instantly, which doesn’t follow that princess movies’ storyline of love at first sight. â€Å"Their relationship progresses and the audience are able to witness all the individual brilliant moments they shared together. Rapunzel and Flynn first had a friendship that was a combination of fun and passion that later progressed organically and realistically, into love. Rapunzel’s approach to love was more respectable and relatable to the viewers, which shows the difference between Tangled from not only The Little Mermaid, but also to the rest of the classic princess movies. The classic Disney princess movies were all made from the traditional hand-drawn process. Due to limitations in computer technology, many basic principles of animation had been absent from these movies.Tangled was created by using  computer-generated imagery, known as CGI. Even though it was a CGI film, the producers wanted this movie to be more attractive visually by still having movement that mimicked the soft fluidity of the hand-drawn art found in classic Disney princess movies. This is why Disney decided to have the movie modeled after the romantic look of French Rococo oil paintings on canvas from the artist, Jean-Honore Fragonard, as stated by New York Times. (Scott) This helped add an atmosphere that had a magical appearance.Rather than focusing on realism, the 3D team decided to use an aesthetic approach that drew the audience in a fantasy. Tangled’s stereoscopic supervisor, Robert Newman, explains of the process of the new approach: â€Å"We’re using depth more artistically than before, by using a new technique called multi-rigging, which is made up by multiple pairs of  virtual cameras. Each pair is used individually on each separate element that adds depth to a scene, like background, foreground and characters, without adjusting for the relation with t he other pairs.

COURSE PROJECT Essay

COURSE PROJECT Essay COURSE PROJECT Essay Devin Martin MIS 535 Managerial Applications Of Information Technology Professor: Mr. Sibrizzi Course Project How to Improve a Broken Accounting Information System Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Step to implementing an integrated accounting information system 3. Benefits and advantages of a computerized accounting information system 4. Emerging technologies 5. Conclusion 6. References Can you imagine in 2012 working for an entity whose Information systems hasn’t been improved since the 90s? Well I did. I was in my sophomore year of college, when I received a call from the City of St. Louis Human Services Department secretary. Ms. Lajoyce offered me an opportunity I was so patiently waiting on, the accounting clerk position. I was extremely excited and believed this was the beginning of my journey to being an Accountant. It was now time for me to put all my education to use. Once I was there, I quickly learned the accounting department didn’t operate with an integrated information system or collaboratively as a team. Each accountant had there own database or spreadsheet systems, which decreased productivity and efficiency. Information systems are essential for conducting day-today business. First, I will focus on describing each accountant’s database or spreadsheet system and identity the problems. Then, I’ll educate the manag er on how to effectively implement an accounting information system. Lastly, I will provide the advantages and benefits for the accounting department if a well structured accounting information system is implemented. I found the best way to prepare myself for my first real job was to learn the organization, its culture, and environment. In the accounting division there was the manager, accounting coordinator, internal auditor, three accountants, and four accounting clerks. The division still operated as command and control environment, which means no matter how many good ideas I had the upper-level management would not listen to them. The first accountant maintained the books for the Homeless division, the second accountant maintained the books for the St. Louis Agency on Aging, and the third accountant maintained the books for the Youth and Family Division. All of the accounting division employees were given the necessary hardware to complete their duties, but lacked the necessary software needed to successfully complete their duties in a timely manner. The accounting manager has been unsuccessful in convincing the Department Director, to approve funds to update the accounting information system. The Youth and Family accountant, over the years, decided he would purchase the software he needed to create his own database. He quickly taught himself how to build a database using access. The database the youth and family accountant created consisted of several transaction processing systems. Once a transaction was input into the system, it updated the system’s master file that permanently maintained sites and vendors information for the youth and family division. The data in the system was combined in different ways to create reports of interest to management and government agencies and to send payment to the sites. The TPS supplied data to the accountant’s general ledger system, which is responsible for maintaining records of the firm’s income and expenses and for producing reports such as income statements and balance sheets. His system decreased data redundancy and cut cost. Unfortunately the accounting coordinator and other accountants weren’t educated on using an access database, so they couldn’t comprehend his system. The division must be aware of and open to the influences of information systems to benefit from new technologies. The Homeless division accountant and the SLAAA accountant had several excel spreadsheet systems they created to

Policy Issues in the Criminal Justice System Essay

Policy Issues in the Criminal Justice System - Essay Example Indeed, never before in history has the controversial practice appeared to be under such a threat. These people consider the death penalty to be a form of cruel and unusual punishment. They argue that it is a part of a barbaric ancient world and as such it no longer has any place in our contemporary world. This is a popular opinion. But upon critical consideration, the idea that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment does not stand up to scrutiny. Just because something had been used for many millennium does not mean it is barbaric or obsolete. People in the past knew a great deal about human nature; Michelangelo, for example, painted the Sistine Chapel. He was not a barbarian. The truth is we need to look at the death penalty in the contemporary world and examine its effectiveness. We need to look closely to see if it is cruel and unusual punishment or if it is an effective and responsible way to punish murderers and allow society to act as it feels is necessary in the fa ce of certain heinous crimes. Society needs to be able to make a statement about the worst crimes. One of the few developed countries to still use the death penalty is America. In America today capital punishment is legal in around thirty-seven states. It enjoys substantial popular support (Clark County). Most Americans do not believe it is cruel and unusual punishment. They believe it is an appropriate form of censure. ... If it is cruel—and that is an open question—it is plainly in response to the cruelty of the acts committed by those who have received the death penalty. The truth is that there is a strong argument that the death penalty is a deterrent to those who seek or plan to commit heinous crimes—this would therefore justify those who suggest the death penalty is beyond the pale. The death penalty prevents people from committing crimes. No one criminal wants to end up subject to capital punishment and on death row. That is only part of the argument in favour of capital punishment however; more than that, the death penalty is the ultimate sanction that society can take against those who commit the most serious crimes. As a whole society needs a mechanism through which to express their extreme displeasure at acts of extreme violence. This simply make sense. Many scholars also believe it works effectively as a deterrent (Mappes, 98). Those who study criminology and who take a serious interest in this question, often agree that the death penalty has that kind of impact. The statistics, however, may not be so clearly demonstrative. The reason why statistics are so open to misuse and manipulation by death penalty opponents is the fact that many murders committed by murderers are not actually first degree and do not involve a lot of premeditation. They often occur on the spur of the moment or by negligence. For these sorts of crimes, death penalty is not much of a deterrence—and this fact will be reflected in the statistics used by opponents. In fact, it is difficult to think there is much of a correlation between crime rates and capital punishment to begin with. Homicide is but a very small portion of crime

Role of Regional Banks in Globalised Economies Essay

Role of Regional Banks in Globalised Economies - Essay Example This process has opened the floodgates of knowledge-intensive, high quality products / services from the developed world to the developing countries and they in turn, are able to market their products / services, based on cheap & abundant skilled / semi-skilled / trained manpower, into the developed markets. In an ideal situation, all economies should benefit and the consumer should get best value for money. Global giants in the financial services sector conduct a range of operations spanning personal banking to investment advisory services, consumer financing to industrial credit, stock market operations in futures, options and derivatives, merchant banking, underwriting, treasury operations and the like. These services are extensively backed by technology. To the customer, these banks provide a pleasant experience – from the very ambience to the fast decision-making processes. This is in stark contrast to traditional banking mode, as practiced by the regional banks which wer e catering mainly to traders of agricultural products in the beginning followed by ‘directed credit’ as mandated by governments to agriculture and small-scale industries (Guruprasad). Industrial credit is a later development. But the new market situation altered the role of regional bankers significantly. Their growth rates and margins are decreasing, leading to a search for newer initiatives and strategies.