Thursday, December 26, 2019

Merrill’s Arguments in “the Professionalization of...

Merrill’s arguments in â€Å"The Professionalization of Journalism† against professionalizing journalism What is a profession? The Oxford English Dictionary defines professions as that way of life/manner of making a living that involves the application of a specialized knowledge of particular subjects, field, or science to fee-paying clientele. Examples of professions include nursing, architecture, medicine and engineering. Although journalism has some characteristics of a profession, for Merrill it cannot be considered a profession due to the fact that journalists do not have a direct relationship with their clients, there are no entry requirements and they do not follow a prescribed code of ethics or a standard way by which their behavior†¦show more content†¦He further states that the â€Å"attorney’s compliant† in such sample cases of moral dilemmas are not with the client but with the laws of inheritance and the Internal Revenue Code. Wasserstrom says that the role-differentiated behavior of the lawyer often makes it both inappropriate and excessive for the person in a particular role to put to one side, considerations of various moral and social implications and issues must be taken on despite the fact that from the lawyer’s side, in terms of defending the case, they might seem irrelevant. He said if he is wrong about these, there are four things which seem to be true and important: †¢ If accepted, supportive arguments to the role-differentiated amorality of the lawyer can succeed; †¢ For the system to work professionals must have certain character traits; †¢ the verbal role-differentiated behavior of the lawyer raise questions about the lawyer’s integrity, this makes the role-differentiated behavior of lawyers different from that of other professionals; and †¢ how the lawyer thinks and acts forms his person and this may be acceptable to the system. Wasserstrom states that the problem of interpersonal relationship between the client and the lawyer is not a good one, asShow MoreRelatedMerrills Arguments in the Professionalization of Journalism Against Professionalizing Journalism1659 Words   |  7 PagesMerrill’s arguments in â€Å"The Professionalization of Journalism† against professionalizing journalism What is a profession? The Oxford English Dictionary defines professions as that way of life/manner of making a living that involves the application of a specialized knowledge of particular subjects, field, or science to fee-paying clientele. Examples of professions include nursing, architecture, medicine and engineering. Although journalism has some characteristics of a profession, for Merrill

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Synopsis Of Recent Session During The Last Session Essay

Synopsis of Recent Session During the last session, AT’s demeanor was more open and relaxed. AT openly discussed her fears about her son. She mentioned that middle-school required much more than any school he had previously attended. AT described how her son’s behavior had begun to change. When stressed, he often made fists and dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands. She also reported that he secluded himself in his room and would sway gently to â€Å"get himself under control†. AT said she was concerned that the new behaviors were signs of oncoming self-abuse. She explained that his behavior reminded her of when she used to cut her leg to relieve emotional pain. Just over one year ago, AT experienced an episode of suicidal ideation and had, on another occasion, attempted to commit suicide by taking pills. Her cutting behaviors occurred just prior to those episodes. She was hospitalized and stated that she was afraid that either she or her son would get hospitalized. AT stated tha t she was afraid her PTSD or post-partem experiences had â€Å"ruined† her son. The remainder of the session included creating a genogram of her mother’s side of the family (see Appendix A). †¢ Her great-grandmother was abandoned by her husband. She raised seven children alone, but was closest to her first-born, AT’s grandmother. AT believes that her great-grandmother has sensory issues. †¢ AT’s grandmother was abandoned and divorced by three husbands. Her fourth husband helped her raise her twoShow MoreRelatedForeclosure Essay1225 Words   |  5 Pagesis how it will work. First you will go to the website www.OwnAhome.com to apply online to a 50 class size program. When you first log in to the website it will first about the reasons for setting up this particular program and give you a detailed synopsis of the program. Once you have read the information, you will ask any set of questions of your choice and we will give you an answer instantly. After you ask all of your questions you will then scroll down and see what this program offers such asRead MoreCreation And Development Of The Program2297 Words   |  10 PagesConcerns†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 Current and New Employees†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 How Each Training Session Will be Conducted†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....5 First Day, Training Session #1†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....6 First Day, Training Session #2†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..7 First Day, Training Session #3†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..8 Second Day, Training Session #1†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..8 Second Day, Training Session #2†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..8 Conclusion..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Read MoreCost Benefit Analysis Of Spotsylvania County Public Schools1518 Words   |  7 PagesCost Benefit Analysis In recent years, the homeschooled population in Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS) has continued to grow. Due to state regulations, the governing body of the division, the Spotsylvania County School Board (SCSB) developed a policy to address the procedures and protocols necessary to guide homeschooling options in the division: Policy LBD (2015) (See Appendix A). According to L. Binion, Guidance Director for SCPS, currently the division has 1,036 registered and 31 pendingRead MoreBBS22 Marketing Management Study Guide approved8724 Words   |  35 Pages TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE WELCOME MESSAGE 4 1. INTRODUCTION 5 a. Background details b. Module aims c. Programme goals 2. MODULE OUTLINE 8 a. Module learning outcomes b. Themes and topics c. Learning materials 3. MODULE DELIVERY SCHEDULE 23 a. Session arrangements b. Student engagement c. Office hours arrangements 4. ASSESSMENT DETAILS 27 a. Assignments b. Module assessment components i. Assignment 1 ii. Assignment 2 iii. Examination 5. GRADING 31 a. University grading policy b. Grade descriptorsRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia2852 Words   |  12 Pages Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Bobbi Marie Pollard Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work Abstract Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia is a recent framework developed to address the dysfunctional cognitions and behaviors that contribute to poor sleeping patterns. Insomnia often presents as a comorbidity to a medical or psychiatric disorder, but may also be an isolated diagnosis. According to research studies, benzodiazepine-receptor agonists (BzRAs) and cognitiveRead MoreThesis on Print Media16077 Words   |  65 Pages..............10 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN.....................................................................16 LOUISIANA STATE LEGISLATURE.....................................................................................16 LEGISLATIVE SESSION .....................................................................................................16 SAMPLING........................................................................................................................17 ANECDOTAL DATARead MoreFacts About Heroin And How They Influence Social Work ers Essay2232 Words   |  9 Pagesaddiction, versus being arrested for problems related to being an addict. Although some are worried the resources to help the addicts are not being fairly distributed in the communities of minorities like it is in the mostly white communities. Per a recent article, the heroin overdose death rates of whites have increased 267% from 2010 to 2014, with Native Americans being 31% behind them. At the same time, death rates have more than doubled in African Americans and Latinos. Jacqueline Robarge, founderRead MoreInterview With Ms. Carla London1974 Words   |  8 Pagesfollow through. The Educator and the family decide on the time and the meeting place (most setting are outside the home, the library or even McDonalds), for each session a parent or guardian must be present. This requirement is for the safety of all involved.† We then moved to the next set of questions. I related to Ms. London that during my research for this interview I found three articles of interest to me in which she is mentioned and that I desired to know more about these programs and to getRead MoreCognitive Behavioural Therapy for Ptsd9239 Words   |  37 Pagesstage (National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.; Sharpless, amp; Barber, 2011). A further early intervention after the first 4 days, but before 30 days after exposure to the trauma are, Brief Cognitive Therapy for 4 to 5 sessions; Social support; Psychoeduaction and normalization; Imipramine; Propranolol; Prazosin; Other Antidepressants; Anticonvulsants; Atypical Antipsychotics; Spiritual support; Psychological First Aid (Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of DefenseRead MoreSilver Linings Playbooks by David O. Russell Essay2552 Words   |  11 Pages Synopsis Silver Linings Playbooks tells the story of Pat Solitano Jr. (played by Bradley Cooper), a high school teacher diagnosed with bipolar disorder who is trying to get his life back together. The movie opens as Pat is released from a psychiatric hospital after eight months of treatment and moves back in with his parents. He is determined to get back together with his wife, Nikki, despite all the signs that say she does not want to be with him - such as the restraining order she filed against

Monday, December 9, 2019

Considered Contemporary Business Organizations - Free Samples

Question: Discuss About The Considered By The Contemporary Business Organizations? Answer: Introduction Employee performance is one of the key criteria to be considered by the contemporary business organizations in order to enhance the organizational productivity. Various organizations are implementing different techniques in order to maintain the effective employee performance (Agnihotri et al. 2012). Adidas is one of the prominent organizations which are using the social media as a tool for enhancing the performance of the employees. In the current scenario, social media is a booming medium which involves a major part of the population. Thus, it will be more effective business strategy to leverage the opportunity being offered by the social media. It helps the organizations to determine the opinions and suggestions from the employees which can improve the efficiency of the organization. This report will discuss about the impact of the social media in determining the employee performance. In addition, various other literatures will be used to determine the effectiveness of the social media in managing the employee performance. Critical analysis will be done to identify the gaps or issues being associated with the social media in the organizational practices. Impact of social media on Adidas Adidas promotes use of social media for their employees. However, they have some stringent rules and regulations which all the employees in the internal organization will have to adhere with. According to the policy of Adidas, employees can share anything about the content of their organization in the social media. However, they should acknowledge the same that the information given by them is as their own responsibility and organization will not held liable. It helps the organization in generating word of mouth and required buzz among the customers through the post of the employees in the social media without having any responsibilities (Aral, Dellarocas and Godes2013). Due to this, they are reaching out to more number of people which is not possible with the traditional media. Another advantage that Adidas is acquiring from this concept is monitoring the expectation and requirement of the employees by checking their activities in the social media. Moreover, the organization can mon itor the recent trend in the market by monitoring the social media activities of their employees and the feedback from the potential customers (Bruhn, Schoenmueller and Schfer2012). Due to implementation of this concept, the rate of employee engagement and performance is more favorable and positive in Adidas. It helps them in maintaining the optimal level of performance among their employees. Critical analysis of application of social media According to Anitha, employee performance is being determined by the level of engagement of the employees in the organization (Anitha 2014). According to her, employee performance can be enhanced with the help of implementing effective working environment in the organization. It will further help the employees in feeling more comfortable in conveying their opinions and suggestions to the higher management. Thus, they will feel more empowered in the organization.According to (Huy and Shipilov2012),communication policies in the organizations are one of the key determinants for the enhancing for the employee performance. According to him,effective communication strategies in the organizationhelp in reducing the gap between the upper and lower managerial levels. In addition, the employees feel more empowered if they can get proper and effective communication channel to convey their opinions to the higher management. Thus, social media offers the effective communication channel that can b e used by the organizations to implement effective communication channel with their employees. According to (Mishra, Boynton and Mishra 2014) social media poses huge opportunities for the business organizations in implementing effective communication process in the internal organization. It helps the employees in sharing their experience regarding their organization in the social media. It helps in generating positive word of mouth. Thus, without any huge investment by the organizations, they will have the access to the increasing buzz around their products in the market. Hence, the brand identity and exposure will get enhanced with the help of implementing social media in the internal organizations. According to (Malthouse2013),employee performance will get further enhanced if they are being given freedom in their workplace. It is being stated in the article that, if the employees are being given enough freedom in their job responsibilities in their workplace then they feel more motivated to work more effectively in the organization. On the other hand, it is being stated that if the employees are being restricted in using any modern day technologies such as social media, then they will feel more monotonous and stubborn to work more effectively in the workplace. Thus, it will in turn reduce the productivity of the organization. According to (Gensler et al. 2013),organizations having implemented effective and proper social media strategies for their internal organization are proved to be successful among their targeted market. This is due to the reason that employees feel more motivated in providing better and more effective service to the customers. Thus, eventually the quality o f the service being provided to the customers will further increased. On the other hand, organizations having restrictions regarding the use of social media by the employees is trailing in terms of customer service. This is due to the reason that, employees do not feel motivated in providing effective customer service to the end customers. Thus, this eventually generates negative word of mouth among the customers. However, there are various other researchers also who are not very much positive about the use of the social media in the internal organization. According to them, social media has various negative implications if they are used in the organizations. According to (Leftheriotis and Giannakos 2014), use of social media in the internal organization will only reduce the productivity of the employees. It is due to the reason that, employees will feel more motivated to be in the social media rather than in their workplace. Thus, the organizational productivity will get reduced. According to him, social media will act as the deviating factor for the employees. It will deviate the concentration of them from their core responsibilities. Thus, social media is of no use in determining the employees performance. According to (Yu, Duan and Cao 2013), use of social media will affect the confidentiality of the organizations. Any type of private information being shared by the employees in the social media will have serious implications on the operations of the organizations. Thus, the privacy of the organizations as well as the all the stakeholders will be negatively affected. According to (Pfeffer, Zorbach and Carley 2014), social media will create negative word of mouth among the potential customers by having the access of some private information. According to him, information being shared by the employees in the social media may have negative implications on the performance of the organizations. Thus, it will in turn reduce the competitiveness of the organizations. Thus, social media should not be used by the employees in their workplace (Shields et al. 2015). The recent trend of social media usage among the employees has increased and few companies have also accepted this practice of the employees both externally and internally. The current popular practice of social media amongst the employees is totally undeniable however, according to (Pfeffer, Zorbach and Carley 2014) there are also issues regarding the technological risks and the productivity of the employees. Within the organizational context, there are several issues with the online social network technology along with the nature of the contents which are posted on social media sites, often represent a dilemma for the employees. There are several organizations which utilizes different policies infused with the defense technologies for managing the internet access within the office premises. On the other hand, (Anitha, 2014) shows that there are many opportunities than the online networking sites presents to the companies even though those should be examined and the organization sho uld inform the employees regarding those. A well informed employee will take care of these kinds of collaboration and communication technology. The employees can be benefitted from such technological impacts as the internet tends to provide a wide place for social communication for them. This also gives confidence to the employees and they tend to interact with people who are from the same field. Such interactions also create a sense of social unity amongst them. These feelings of camaraderie can be gained through such social interactions on social media sites and it also contributes to create a loyal culture within the organization, increase the morale of the employees along with creating a unity sense amongst the employees. Few recent studies have indicated that social media sites generally characterize the general human behavior and it generally fulfills the communication need for people who also share a same interest. There is always exchange of knowledge which also creates a sense of unity amongst them. Adidas has made brilliant usage of the social media to improve their operational efficiency and the statistics show that the usage of social media websites has helped in the growth of the organization (Effing Spil, 2016). It is important that the communication channel within an organization is two ways as it helps in the improvement of the employee engagement and performance. There are lot of companies who have applied this polices and have made success, Adidas is one such company who is using the social media to track the activities of their employees and at the same time helps to understand the needs and wants of the consumers. Adidas has used the social media to increase the employee engagement and has seen positive results in the performance of the employees (GoswamiHa-Brookshire, 2015).It is seen that social media has helped in the increase of the employee engagement in a lot of organizations. The critical analysis of the report shows that there is positive impact of the social media on the performance of the employees and most of the author have mentioned that the usage of the social media is the new of innovation which an organization can use to improve the engagement of both the employees and the consumers. Adidas has been instrumental in making the usage of the social media as the employee performance have increased as they are able to freely communicate with their high-level officials and express their views (Bischoff, 2017). This helps in the overall growth of the employees and also helps them to align their personal goals and objectives with that of the organization. The two-way communication system is one of the effective ways of building a strong workforce and provide motivation to all the employees. The employees are the assets to the organization and better management of the workforce will provide the organization with competitive advantage in the market (Tafess e Wien, 2017). However, there are certain risks involved in two communication system where the privacy of the company may be hampered and Adidas should make sure that their confidentiality is maintained. Conclusion Thus, form the above report it can be conclude that the usage of the social media as a tool to improve employee engagement is one of the most innovative ideas in this modern era and most of the companies are making usage of this opportunity to improve their workforce. The improvement in the employee engagement will ensure improvement in the performance of the employees which will in turn increase the overall operational productivity of the organization. The analysis of the various secondary data from various articles have revealed that it a very common phenomenon in the modern communication system and social is one of the most powerful ways of communication which most of the companies are using as their benefit. The final conclusion that can be drawn from the report that the usage of the social media will help in the increase of the performance of the employees in the organization as it helps in the improvement in the engagement of the employees within the organization. Social media helps in the formation of the two-way communication channel which helps in engagement with both employees and consumers at the same time. Reference Agnihotri, R., Kothandaraman, P., Kashyap, R. and Singh, R., 2012. Bringing social into sales: the impact of salespeoples social media use on service behaviors and value creation. Journal of Personal Selling Sales Management, 32(3), pp.333-348. Anitha, J., 2014. Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance.International journal of productivity and performance management. Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issuesocial media and business transformation: a framework for research. Information Systems Research, 24(1), pp.3-13. Bischoff, A. L. (2017). Validating the social media strategies of adidas and Nike on Facebook and Instagram. Bruhn, M., Schoenmueller, V. and Schfer, D.B., 2012. Are social media replacing traditional media in terms of brand equity creation?.Management Research Review, 35(9), pp.770-790. Effing, R., Spil, T. A. (2016). The social strategy cone: Towards a framework for evaluating social media strategies.International journal of information management,36(1), 1-8. Gensler, S., Vlckner, F., Liu-Thompkins, Y. and Wiertz, C., 2013. Managing brands in the social media environment. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 27(4), pp.242-256. Goswami, S., Ha-Brookshire, J. (2015). From compliance to a growth strategy: Exploring historical transformation of corporate sustainability.Journal of Global Responsibility,6(2), 246-261. Huy, Q. Shipilov, A., 2012. The key to social media success within organizations. MIT Sloan Management Review, 54(1), p.73. Leftheriotis, I. Giannakos, M.N., 2014. Using social media for work: Losing your time or improving your work?.Computers in Human Behavior, 31, pp.134-142. Malthouse, E.C., Haenlein, M., Skiera, B., Wege, E. Zhang, M., 2013. Managing customer relationships in the social media era: introducing the social CRM house. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 27(4), pp.270-280. Mishra, K., Boynton, L. Mishra, A., 2014. Driving employee engagement: The expanded role of internal communications. International Journal of Business Communication, 51(2), pp.183-202. Pfeffer, J., Zorbach, T. Carley, K.M., 2014. Understanding online firestorms: Negative word-of-mouth dynamics in social media networks. Journal of Marketing Communications, 20(1-2), pp.117-128. Shields, J., Brown, M., Kaine, S., Dolle-Samuel, C., North-Samardzic, A., McLean, P., Johns, R., O'Leary, P., Robinson, J. Plimmer, G., 2015. Managing Employee Performance Reward: Concepts, Practices, Strategies. Cambridge University Press. Tafesse, W., Wien, A. (2017). A framework for categorizing social media posts.Cogent Business Management,4(1), 1284390. Yu, Y., Duan, W. Cao, Q., 2013. The impact of social and conventional media on firm equity value: A sentiment analysis approach. Decision Support Systems, 55(4), pp.919-926.

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Power Of Media In The Digital Age Essays - Media Studies

The Power Of Media In The Digital Age 1923 words - 8 pages The Power of Media in the Digital Age Across from my old high school, where once a pool hall seduced us away from classes, there is now a trendy bar and grill frequented by the recently-graduated. I visited this establishment to reflect upon the nature of media, culture and what it means to be literate in the 21st century. The implications for teachers, libraries and society in general may be daunting, but they hint at excitement, too. There I was, an English major, a man of the book as it were, all ready to cast aspersions left, right and center at these clearly illiterate, shallow young hipsters. Within sight of my old high school library, I was ready to join the crowd of experts and decry the decay of our culture, the inevitable devolution to a monosyllabic, non- print bunch of video heads. This was culture at its lowest brow, with no concept of canonical values or the means to access them. Media shaped these minds and what a mess had been made. Such doom and gloom scenarios are common enough. Fortunately, I paused and took a slightly deeper look at what I was really seeing. The room featured eight television sets, three of them nearly theatre size, with no two featuring the same show. There were a few sporting events, CNN Headline News on one, at least two different music videos, while a number of the sets were broadcasting an interactive trivia game played by patrons on small portable keyboards. Sprinkled throughout the bar were a variety of entertainment newspapers, some magazines and at least one person was reading a book in the relative solitude of a corner. People talked with others around them and interspersed this with cell phone calls. For someone of my generation a place like this tends to be a bit busy on the nerves, yet the more I watched, the more I noted the ease with which the young folks, those supposedly illiterate types, flowed easily from one medium to another, simultaneously tracking and processing countless streams of textual information. They were more aware of what was going on than I was and could clearly tell the scores in the games and the events in the news, as they spoke in clusters of conversation about what the media imparted. What's more to the point is that they were not dealing with text on a superficial level (though much of the content they were dealing with was trivial) but in cognitive terms they did so with far better acuity and retention than I could. So the question was, what had media added and what was lost? This one admittedly unscientific observation serves, I think, as a good allegory for those of us directly involved in sorting through ideas about culture and media literacy in the digital communications age. If one looks upon the scene with the glasses of an older, print-based paradigm, it is easy to see a sad portrait of lost reading skills. On the other hand, if one only for a moment considers the possibility that what one is seeing is in fact new literacies, then there is a whole new series of questions which need to be addressed. If we take as our definition of culture the good old Oxford Canadian Dictionary definition, that is, that culture is "the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively", then clearly new technologies inform and shape culture. Media is thus inseparable from culture, being both a manifestation of human intellect in its own right and, equally, being a means of transmission of other manifestations. Unlike this working definition of culture, literacy offers no quick, culturally-neutral or easy definition and it is on this battlefield that many of our current curricular and pedagogical battles are being fought. What does it mean to be a literate human being in 2002? If it means more than just being able to read and write to a standard set by some governmental department, just how much more? How do media inform or shape our culture? In exploring these questions, it is useful to remember that

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Organizational Learning Journal

Organizational Learning Journal Introduction The journal explores the role of trust, as well as, knowledge tacitness in mediating mechanisms involved in partner characteristics and the related alliance outcomes. It presents study results on the role of trust and knowledge tacitness in achieving learning and innovation between cooperating partners. The sample study had involved 120 International Strategic Alliances across 1851 companies. It also analyses background information on the already available literature.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Organizational Learning Journal specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Journal Analysis Nielsen Bo and Nielsen Sabina (2009, 1050) established that learning and innovation can be achieved be simultaneously, although they result from different mix of relational quality, partner characteristics as well as knowledge characteristics. They demonstrate that inter-firm learning may create innovative outcomes. H owever, this purely depends on the relation characteristics of the alliance and the quality of the relationship. These characteristics are classified as knowledge protectiveness and collaborative know-how. Knowledge protectiveness inhibits both learning and innovative outcomes of international strategic alliances since it creates mistrust, which in turn negatively impacts on open collaboration. Collaborative know-how, on the other hand, enhances transfer and internalization of knowledge, as well as the ability to utilize effectively the acquired knowledge. It enhances innovation since it helps eliminate mistrust and perceptions of opportunism between cooperating partners. Knowledge tacitness can hinder knowledge transfer as well as learning between cooperating firms, but at the same time, can create opportunities for innovation. According to Collinson (1999, 342) knowledge management practices may not be easily transferred between cooperating organizations due to differing organizat ional values, culture, and structure as well as knowledge resources. For example, Gray and Yan (1994, 1486) established that Chinese firms always experienced significant problems in acquiring complex manufacturing skills from US Companies. More specific example is the differences in quality of Nokia and Huawei phones which are cooperating partners. Trust, on the other hand, increases knowledge transfer between the cooperating firms, and strengthens the potential advantages tacitness which is significant for innovation. Trust reduces uncertainty, facilitates social interaction and increases transparency. This increases sharing of valuable information as well as knowledge. The study established positive interaction between trust and learning as well as trust and innovation. Most important, it established a positive correlation trust and knowledge tacitness versus learning, and the same for trust and knowledge tacitness versus innovation (Nielsen Bo Nielsen Sabina 2009, 1049).Advertis ing Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Implications of the results of the study Innovation is highly related to knowledge sharing where each partner has access to its partner’s information reserve so as to exploit complementarities. Innovation, therefore, requires means of coordination which can reduce costs of extensive inter-firm learning. High costs of codifying tacit knowledge can undermine the benefits of mutual learning. Close collaboration can enable partners to utilize their know-how in developing innovating outcomes without having to transfer the tacit knowledge. According to Serat (2009, 3) it is important to understand the requirements of joint task initiatives in order to develop a working interface with the partner. This should be enhanced by leadership commitment sharing, monitoring and evaluating the progress of joint innovation initiatives (Doz Hamel 1998, 23). The study reveals that it is possible to achieve innovative outcomes without codifying the partner’s knowledge (Nielsen Bo and Nielsen Sabina 2009, 1052). For an organization to benefit from tacit knowledge, it has to adopt ways codifying the knowledge so as to transfer it for its application. It must also develop ways of retaining the information in its tacit form for purposes of innovative application. It should maintain a distinctive base for the tacit information and be able to codify the knowledge in a way that does not reduce its value. Reference List Collinson, S., 1999. Knowledge management capabilities for steel markers: a British–Japanese corporate alliance for organizational learning. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, Vol. 11, pp. 337–358. Doz, Y., Hamel, G., 1998, Alliance advantage: The art of creating value through partnering. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Gray, B., Yan, A., 1994. Bargaining power, manag ement control, and performance in United States–China joint ventures: a comparative case study. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 37, pp.1478–1517.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Organizational Learning Journal specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nielsen, B., B., Nielsen, S., 2009. Learning and innovation in international strategic alliances: An empirical test of the role of trust and tacitness. Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 46, No. 6. Serat, O., 2009, Learning in strategic alliances. Manila: Asian Development Bank.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Battle of Westport in the American Civil War

Battle of Westport in the American Civil War Battle of Westport - Conflict Date: The Battle of Westport was fought October 23, 1864, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Battle of Westport - Armies Commanders: Union Major General Samuel R. Curtis22,000 men Confederate Major General Sterling Price8,500 men Battle of Westport - Background: In the summer of 1864, Major General Sterling Price, who had been commanding Confederate forces in Arkansas began lobbying his superior, General Edmund Kirby Smith, for permission to attack into Missouri.  A Missouri native, Price hoped to reclaim the state for the Confederacy and damage President Abraham Lincolns re-election bid that fall.  Though he was granted permission for the operation, Smith stripped Price of his infantry.  As a result, the strike into Missouri would be limited to a large-scale cavalry raid.  Advancing north with 12,000 horsemen on August 28, Price crossed into Missouri and engaged Union troops at Pilot Knob a month later.  Pushing towards St. Louis, he soon turned west when he realized that the city was too heavily defended to assault with his limited forces. Responding to Prices raid, Major General William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Department of the Missouri, began concentrating men to deal with the threat.  Having been deterred from his initial objective, Price moved against the state capital at Jefferson City.  A string of skirmishes in the area soon led him to conclude that, like St. Louis, the citys fortifications were too strong.  Continuing west, Price sought to attack Fort Leavenworth.  As the Confederate cavalry moved through Missouri, Rosecrans dispatched a cavalry division under Major General Alfred Pleasonton as well as two infantry divisions led by Major General A.J. Smith in pursuit.  A veteran of the Army of the Potomac, Pleasonton had commanded Union forces at the Battle of Brandy Station the previous year before falling out of favor with Major General George G. Meade.   Battle of Westport - Curtis Responds: To the west, Major General Samuel R. Curtis, overseeing the Department of Kansas, worked to concentrate his forces to meet Prices advancing army.  Forming the Army of the Border, he created a cavalry division led by Major General James G. Blunt and an infantry division consisting of Kansas militia commanded by Major General George W. Deitzler.  Organizing the latter formation proved difficult as Kansas Governor Thomas Carney initially resisted Curtis request to call out the militia.  Further problems emerged regarding the command of Kansas militia cavalry regiments assigned to Blunts division.  There were ultimately resolved and Curtis ordered Blunt east to block Price.  Engaging the Confederates at Lexington on October 19 and Little Blue River two days later, Blunt was forced back both times.   Battle of Westport - Plans: Though victorious in these battles, they slowed Prices advance and allowed Pleasonton to gain ground.  Aware that the combined forces of Curtis and Pleasonton outnumbered his command, Price sought to defeat the Army of the Border before turning to deal with his pursuers.  Having retreated west, Blunt was directed by Curtis to establish a defensive line behind Brush Creek, just south of Westport (part of modern-day Kansas City, MO).  To attack this position, Price would be required to cross the Big Blue River then turn north and cross Brush Creek.  Implementing his plan to defeat Union forces in detail, he ordered Major General John S. Marmadukes division to cross the Big Blue at Byrams Ford on October 22 (Map). This force was to hold the ford against Pleasonton and guard the armys wagon train while the divisions of Major Generals Joseph O. Shelby and James F. Fagan rode north to attack Curtis and Blunt.  At Brush Creek, Blunt deployed the brigades of Colonels James H. Ford and Charles Jennison straddling Wornall Lane and facing south, while that of Colonel Thomas Moonlight extended the Union right south at a right angle.  From this position, Moonlight could support Jennison or attack the Confederate flank. Battle of Westport - Brush Creek: At dawn on October 23, Blunt advanced Jennison and Ford across Brush Creek and over a ridge.  Moving forward they quickly engaged Shelby and Fagans men.  Counterattacking, Shelby succeeded in turning the Union flank and forced Blunt to retreat back across the creek.  Unable to press the attack due to a shortage of ammunition, the Confederates were forced to pause allowing the Union troops to regroup.  Further bolstering Curtis and Blunts line was the arrival of Colonel Charles Blairs brigade as well as the sound of Pleasontons artillery to the south at Byrams Ford.  Reinforced, Union forces charged across the creek against the enemy but were repulsed.   Seeking an alternative approach, Curtis came across a local farmer, George Thoman, who was angry about Confederate forces stealing his horse.  Thoman agreed to aid the Union commander and showed Curtis a gully that ran past Shelbys left flank to a rise in the Confederate rear.  Taking advantage, Curtis directed the 11th Kansas Cavalry and the 9th Wisconsin Battery to move through the gully.  Attacking Shelbys flank, these units, combined by another frontal assault by Blunt, began to steadily push the Confederates south towards the Wornall House. Battle of Westport - Byrams Ford: Reaching Byrams Ford early that morning, Pleasonton pushed three brigades across the river around 8:00 AM.  Taking a position on a hill beyond the ford, Marmadukes men resisted the first Union assaults.  In the fighting, one of Pleasontons brigade commanders fell wounded and was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Benteen who would later play a role in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn.  Around 11:00 AM, Pleasonton succeeded in pushing Marmadukes men from their position.  To the north, Prices men fell back to a new line of defense along a road south of Forest Hill.   As Union forces brought thirty guns to bear on the Confederates, the 44th Arkansas Infantry (Mounted) charged forward in an attempt to seize the battery. This effort was repulsed and as Curtis learned of Pleasontons approach against the enemys rear and flank, he ordered a general advance.  In a precarious position, Shelby deployed a brigade to fight a delaying action while Price and the rest of the army escaped south and across the Big Blue.  Overwhelmed near the Wornall House, Shelbys men soon followed. Battle of Westport - Aftermath: One of the largest battles fought in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, the Battle of Westport saw both sides sustain around 1,500 casualties.  Dubbed the Gettysburg of the West, the engagement proved decisive in that it shattered Prices command as well as saw many Confederate partisans leave Missouri in the armys wake.  Pursued by Blunt and Pleasonton, the remnants of Prices army moved along the Kansas-Missouri border and fought engagements at  Marais des Cygnes, Mine Creek, Marmiton River, and Newtonia.  Continuing to retreat through southwest Missouri, Price then swung west into the Indian Territory before arriving in Confederate lines in Arkansas on December 2.  Reaching safety, his force had been reduced to around 6,000 men, approximately half of its original strength. Selected Sources Battle of WestportCWSAC Battle Summary: Battle of Westport

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Human Resource Management Seminar Diary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resource Management Seminar Diary - Essay Example There were times when I felt that I was not heard or understood by my peers; moreover, I have also sensed that some of them wanted to share even more than what they were contributing though they did not know how. Even in the presented folding activity, I found it hard to follow instructions. I am probably better off when people dictate and verbally communicate instructions to me. I am also highly involved in group activities and I believe that putting up relationships with my peers is important which probably makes me sensitive and even upset when things do not work out in our team. These situations have shown me that communication may come off as easy or difficult depending on the ways with which team members exchange information. From my experience, I can probably say that we receive, understand and express everything in different ways. I do believe that companies should consider the styles exhibited by their employees so they can completely understand each other. This means collaboration and synergy regardless of differences in culture, professional experiences or any other factor that can affect communication. The ability to take hold of the complication involved in communication styles is an effectual way for achieving mastery of self and others. It increases productivity and enables this to be attained smoothly. The style of communicating is key to precise meaning of insights, observations, and ambiguity involved in communicating with others (Saphiere, Mikk, & Devries 2005). When I was younger, I was anxious of the prerequisites of qualifying for a job. I did not like the thought of passing my resumes and going through interviews. However, as I got older and started understanding why these were imperative, I had a better appreciation of the requirements of selecting and recruiting employees. Lectures from the seminar made me even more aware of the reasons and outcomes of a company’s selection and recruitment methods. I have come to

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Case study Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study - Coursework Example The failure to do this is the reason why Alisi’i cannot gainsay whatever Ed says, since Ed is her boss. Mei can also not speak up for the same reason (Marynissen, 2011, 194). The task maintenance role that Ed plays is managing the financial, health and safety aspect of the project. Alisi’i will have to keep the accounting records of the project as Mike looks for the most pocket-friendly package for the project. Mary represents the clients while Wirimu oversees the process entirely carried through. Mei may help install the heat pumps. The four problems Wirimu is facing are: the big man syndrome in the meeting (as is epitomized by Ed); inordinate balancing of power among the project members; the presence of hardliners; and lack of proper communication. The major problem is the sharp difference in opinion concerning the installation of the heater, as the way to solving extreme temperature variations. The solution is making sure that the members of the project team are equal in authority and calling for a compromise in the team. It is the best decision that Wirimu has allowed the team to email him. This will help the team carry out a consensus to determine the way forward. GameZ new organisational culture can be described as bet your company culture. This is because GameZ is taking on new approaches such as removing Friday evening shouts, appointing three senior employees in a less competitive manner and being emphatic on the organisation’s profitability without factoring unforeseen consequences. The possible reason for Jane’s behaviour may be the detection of performance gap, at the end of the fiscal year. The link between culture and communication is complementary in nature. Organisational culture is relayed through communication, while proper organisational culture fosters democratic dissemination of information hierarchically and horizontally. To develop proper organisational culture, it is

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Elaine Cumming and Warren Earl Henrys Disengagement Theory Essay Example for Free

Elaine Cumming and Warren Earl Henrys Disengagement Theory Essay Disengage because of reduced physical health and loss of social activities * Cummings (1975) argued that older people would experience a reduction in social contact as they grow older and becoming increasingly ‘individual’ * ‘disengaging is a natural part of aging’ *   Everyone expects death, and ones abilities will likely deteriorate over time. As a result, every person will lose ties to others in his or her society. aging  is an inevitable, mutual withdrawal or disengagement, resulting in decreased interaction between theaging  person and others in the social system he belongs to. Embardos disagreement.. * Said theory was discredited for many reasons * Argues that majority of older people remain socially involved with family and friends . Maybe choose to spend more time with people they are close to rather than seeking new friends * Current data from the office for national statistics supports the view that a majority of older people enjoy social networks * if people only interact with close friends does this mean they are disengaged? * Argued that older people need to disengage but * They need to remain ‘active’ in order to stop disengagement going too far * Argues that society should provide older people with activities * Society should provide them with education of how to make use of the activities * It is very important for older adults to remain mentally active and maintain an interest in life and enjoy the company of others * The theory assumes that a positive relationship between activity and  life satisfaction| M2 – case study 1 Alan is a 76 year old man who has recently lost his wife. He is completely disengaged. He does not try to socialise as he is still grieving from the loss of his wife and can’t seem to pull himself around. Firstly the social disengagement theory will affect Alan’s social development; he is disengaging himself from any social activities or communications as he is grieving. This will have a negative effect on his social and emotional development as he is not talking to people to help him feel better or to get things ‘off his chest’, keeping it all locked away. This will have a negative effect and will make him a lot worse. It may also have a negative effect on his physical or physiological development as he may be susceptible to depression. This may lead to physical harm. The argument against this theory will however have a positive effect on Alan as he will be socialising with other people, helping tae his mind off the loss of his wife. He will also be engaging in social activities keeping his mind active positively effecting his intellectual development, and again taking his mind off his loss. The argument to this theory would also have a positive effect on his physical development as he will be getting around more when joining in activities. Lastly joining these activities will reflect on Alan’s emotional development and maybe help him to cope with his loss more as he is not constantly grieving over it. Bromleys activity theory would have a positive effect on Alan’s, physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. As the theory states, older people should be provided with activities and educated on these topics, this will help Alan’s intellectual development as his mind is still active, as he is gaining knowledge about the activities given and his brain will be engaging in the activities keeping it active also. This will also have a positive effect on Alan’s physical development as he will be taking part in the activities, enabling him to get around and be more fit and active. His social development will be effected greatly also as he will be constantly communicating with a lot of different people. Lastly his emotional development will be effected as he may cope with his loss a bit more successfully, and he may also discover a hobby he has taken a liking to. Case study 2 Geena is 86 years old and struggles to move around a lot. She is very upset that her mobility isn’t as strong as it used to be, and gets emotional at times when she tries to do something independently and cannot. Although she is independent she does not like being alone. As Geena is a very independent woman, the social disengagement theory has a negative effect on her physical development as it states, she is disengaged because her restricted mobility to get around. Not only does this affect her social development, but her physical too as she is straining herself to complete tasks that are difficult for her. This also has a negative effect on her emotional development as it upsets her that she cannot complete daily things she feels she needs to do. This does not affect her intellectual development. The disagreement to this theory would not affect Geena a lot as she is not disengaged. However it would affect her intellectual development positively if she joined a social networking site, as this would build up her knowledge of technology, effecting her social life also as she may get in touch with some old friends. This will not affect her emotional or physical development. Bromleys activity theory may affect Geena’s emotional development negatively as she has restricted mobility and would not be able to join any physical activities without becoming distressed and upset. However, if she joined activities such as bingo this would positively affect her social development as she would get out more an interact with a variety of different people, it would positively affect her emotionally as she will be able to complete activities without having to move or becoming distressed and upset about it. Lastly it will positively affect her intellectually as it will be keeping her mind active while she is concentrating on her activities.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

The past 20 years, there has been progress in the education of women from Muslim countries in science and technology but there is still a long way to go. In the words of Kofi Annan, as he launched a U.N global initiative earlier five year ago to educate girls, â€Å"Let us prove that a society which empowers its women is a society sure to succeed.† There was many data that I had collected within my research on Muslim women having right’s to an education. My resources consisted of books, such as â€Å"The Rights of Women in Islam: An Authentic Approach† by Haifaa A. Jawad. I collected data from Hadiths and The Quran. The Quran is the Holy book of Islam that contains the words of Allah (god), and the Hadith is a collection of the traditional sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. Also, I collected some data from articles such as â€Å"Viewpoint Dialogue to Bridge the Gap: The Challenges of Women in Islam† by Ambassador Sallama Shaker, â€Å"Muslim Women and Higher Education: Identities, Experiences, and Prospects† by Dr. David The rights to an education are completely different from the rights the women have in Sudan. Many of the young Muslim girls are getting married at such young ages and have to drop out of their school to raise their family. Some of these women go back and try to finish their education they already started. Some don’t even bother to go back to school because they are too busy with their, kids and their husbands, too. In Yemen, they could not afford to teach the boys and the girls in separate rooms, so they teach them in one classroom altogether. On BBC, they were talking about Muslim girls struggling in education. In Jordan, â€Å"enrolment is excellent at 86 percent - however, girls drop out in secondary school because of early ... ... aren’t looked down upon like they were use they are raking charge of the world I believe the next 20 years to come we might see a females being more dominant than males in today’s society if things continue the way they are. In more recent years women from the Muslim countries are taking charge of their lives they were fighting for their right’s to drive cars and educate themselves just like men do they want to be leaders of the world all they need is for those who belittler them to step out of the way in order to have the freedom of doing anything that they want to achieve their goals to make their dreams come true. Now Islam gives everyone the right to do whatever they want in the branch of education, but the cultures we have and the life styles we live by are what is affecting the lack of education in Muslim women but in years to come that shall change as well.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

How to E-File My Green Card Renewal?

How To E-file My Green Card Renewal? Green card is the ticket to getting a comfortable job and to reside peacefully in the US. It gives a sense of secure feeling to the individuals as they have the most important legal rights granted to them. The easiest way of getting a green card is by marrying a US citizen, as the citizens have the right to sponsor their immediate relatives. Getting a green card is very important and at the same time, keeping it fully updated and valid is also important. This is where the green card renewal comes to play. Why Green card renewal? USCIS has instructed all the Green card holders to have their cards with them all the time, irrespective of where they travel or what they do. Recent laws have authorized the police to pull up anyone that they feel to be suspicious and check their legal status. In these circumstances, having a green card (fully valid one) will be highly useful. Even though the Green cards are issued for the purpose of granting permanent residency till the entire lifetime of the individual, they come with a10 year validity period only. Green card holders should go in for a green card renewal when the card is about to expire or has already expired. Before E-filing This is one of the recent facilities introduced by the USCIS to facilitate easy submission of the green card renewal applications. Before starting this process, the applicant should ensure that he/she is eligible for filing in I-90 (Application for Green card renewal). Following circumstances will not allow a person to go in for e-filing †¢ Removing the conditions on the card cannot be done †¢ Applying for a fee waiver Residing outside the US , Guam, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands †¢ The card was never received or received with an incorrect data due to an USCIS administrative error †¢ Renewing within 30 days of becoming a 14 year old when the existing card has expired or not expired. Having a Pc with a compatible browser and a secure, fast internet connection is the next item on the list. Once the applicant logs in to the E-filing page of the USCIS website, he/she must follow the instructions that are specific for each and every form that are listed on the page. In order to login and e-file a form, the applicant must first create a valid user account, which is very easy and can be done within a few minutes. USCIS has taken the pains to list out the most common mistakes that applicants do while filing in their applications, which leads to rejection or denial. It is highly important that the applicants go through this before e-filing. E-filing process Once the applicant has completed the application and submitted it, he/she should ensure that it has been successfully done. The following are indications that the application process has been successful †¢ Receiving a receipt number on the web confirmation page †¢ Receiving a Form I-797 (Notice of Action) with the confirmation receipt number through mail, that too within 10 days of e-filing Before closing the e-filing page, applicants should note down the receipt number on the confirmation page. Only then ‘finish’ has to be given which will generate a PDF copy of the green card renewal application. Applicants are also advised to save a soft copy of their completed application and confirmation receipt notice on the computer or USB. It is essential that the applicants’ fingerprints and photographs meet the USCIS stipulations as only then they will be processed further. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Immigrationdirect. com is a company that provide assistance for any immigration issues. Those who want to process their Green card, family based green card, application easy and fast online. For Spanish visit here renovacion de green card

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Relational Databases

CHAPTER 4 RELATIONAL DATABASES SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS4. 1 Contrast the logical and the physical view of data and discuss why separate views are necessary in database applications. Describe which perspective is most useful for each of the following employees: a programmer, a manager, and an internal auditor. How will understanding logical data structures assist you when designing and using database systems?4. 2 Databases are possible because of their database management system (DBMS). As shown in Figure 4. 2, the DBMS is a software program that sits between the actual data stored in the system and the application programs that use the data. As shown in Figure 4. 4, this allows users to separate the way they view the data (called the logical view) from the way the data is actually stored (the physical view). The DBMS interprets the users' requests and retrieves, manipulates, or stores the data as needed. The two distinct views separate the applications from the physi cal information, providing increased flexibility in applications, improved data security, and ease of use.In a database system, the manager will rarely need to understand or be familiar with the physical view of the data. Nor, in most instances, will the internal auditor and the programmer as most everything they do involves the logical view of the data. If accountants understand logical data structures and the logical view of the data, they are better able to manage, use, and audit a database and its data. 4. 2 The relational data model represents data as being stored in tables. Spreadsheets are another tool that accountants use to employ a tabular representation of data.What are some similarities and differences in the way these tools use tables? How might an accountant’s familiarity with the tabular representation of spreadsheets facilitate or hinder learning how to use a relational DBMS? A major difference between spreadsheets and databases is that spreadsheets are design ed primarily to handle numeric data, whereas databases can handle both text and numbers. Consequently, the query and sorting capabilities of spreadsheets are much more limited than what can be accomplished with a DBMS that has a good query language.Accountants’ familiarity with spreadsheets might hinder their ability to design and use relational DBMS because many links in spreadsheets are preprogrammed and designed in, whereas a well-designed relational database is designed to facilitate ad-hoc queries. Accountants’ familiarity with spreadsheets sometimes leads them to use a spreadsheet for a task that a database could handle much better. Over the years, the Journal of Accountancy has published a number of very good articles on how to use databases and when to use databases and when to use spreadsheets. These articles can be found on the Journal’s website: http://www. ournalofaccountancy. com/4. 3 Some people believe database technology may eliminate the need fo r double-entry accounting. This creates three possibilities: (1) the double-entry model will be abandoned; (2) the double-entry model will not be used directly, but an external-level schema based on the double-entry model will be defined for accountants’ use; or (3) the double-entry model will be retained in database systems. Which alternative do you think is most likely to occur? Why? There is no correct answer to this question because it is asking the student to express his opinion on what will happen in the future.Therefore, the quality of his answer depends on the justifications provided. Good answers should address the following:Database technology does permit abandonment of double entry, but there will likely be great resistance to such a radical change. Thus, students choosing this option need to present reasons why they think such a radical change would succeed.The use of a schema for accountants seems quite plausible. It does eliminate the redundancy of double entry from the database system, yet it still provides a framework familiar and useful to accountants and financial analysts.There is a good possibility that double entry will remain, even in databases, due to inertia. Indeed, many modern AIS, such as ERP systems, use databases but also retain the principles of double entry.4. 4 Relational DBMS query languages provide easy access to information about the organization’s activities. Does this mean that online, real-time processing should be used for all transactions? Does an organization need real-time financial reports? Why or why not? ;lt;/para;gt;;lt;/question;gt;;lt;/general-problem;gt;;lt;/problemset;gt; On-line real-time processing is not necessary for every business transaction.For example, batch processing is adequate for payroll: there is little need for the data to be current except on payday. Real-time financial statements are useful for planning and provide management with better ability to react to changes in the environm ent. Nevertheless, real-time financial statements may present distorted pictures of reality if accruals have been ignored or not properly recognized.4. 5 Why is it so important to have good data? Bad data costs businesses over $600 billion a year. Some people estimate that over 25% of business data is inaccurate or incomplete. In addition, incorrect database data can lead to bad decisions, embarrassment, and angry users. The text illustrated this with the following examples: For quite some time, a company sent half its catalogs to incorrect addresses. A manager finally investigated the large volume of returns and customer complaints and corrected the customer addresses in the database.He saved the company $12 million a year. Valparaiso, Indiana used the county database to develop its tax rates. After mailing the tax notices, it was discovered that a $121,900 home was valued at $400 million. Due to the $3. 1 million property tax revenue shortfall, the city, the school district, and g overnmental agencies had to make severe budget cuts.   Managing data is not going to get any easier as the quantity of data generated and stored doubles every 18 months.4.6 What is a data dictionary, what does it contain, and how is it used? contains information about the structure of the database. Table 4-1 shows that there is a record in the dictionary describing each data element. The DBMS maintains the data dictionary, whose inputs include new or deleted data elements and changes in data element names, descriptions, or uses.Outputs include reports for programmers, designers, and users. These reports are used for system documentation, database design and implementation, and as part of the audit trail.4. 7   Compare and contrast the file-oriented approach and the database approach. Explain the main advantages of database systems. Information about the attributes of a customer, such as name and address, are stored in fields. Fields contain data about one entity (e. g. , one cus tomer). Multiple fields form a record. A set of related records, such as all customer records, forms a file (e. g. , the customer file).A set of interrelated, centrally coordinated files forms a database. illustrates the differences between file-oriented and database systems. In the database approach, data is an organizational resource that is used by and managed for the entire organization, not just the originating department. A database management system (DBMS) is the interface between the database and the various application programs.The database, the DBMS, and the application programs that access the database through the DBMS are referred to as the Database systems were developed to address the proliferation of master files. This proliferation created problems such as the same data stored in two or more master files. This made it difficult to integrate and update data and to obtain an organization-wide view of data.LimitAccount Balance| 4. 2Most DBMS packages contain data defini tion, data manipulation, and data query languages. For each of the following, indicate which language would be used and why. 1. A database administrator defines the logical structure of the database The DDL – this is the language used to define the database. b. The controller requests a cost accounting report containing a list of all employees being paid for more than 10 hours overtime in a given week. The DQL – this is an example of a query. c. A programmer develops a program to update the fixed-assets records stored in the database.The DML – this is the language used to actually process transaction data and update the database. d. The human resources manager requests a report noting all employees who are retiring within five years. The DQL – another example of a task that involves querying the database. e. The inventory serial number field is extended in the inventory records to allow for recognition of additional inventory items with serial numbers con taining more than 10 digits. The DDL and the DML – the former to alter the structure, the latter to make the change. f. A user develops a program to print out all purchases made during the past two weeks.The DQL – this listing can be produced by a query. g. An additional field is added to the fixed-asset records to record the estimated salvage value of each asset. The DDL and the DML – the former to add the field, the latter to enter data in it. 4. 3Ashton wants to store the following data about S;amp;S’s purchases of inventory: item numberdate of purchase vendor numbervendor address vendor namepurchase price quantity purchasedemployee number employee namepurchase order number descriptionquantity on hand extended amounttotal amount of purchase a. Design a set of relational tables to store this data.Do all of the data items need to be stored in a table? If not, which ones do not need to be stored and why do they not need to be stored? b. Identify the prima ry key for each table. c. Identify the foreign keys needed in the tables to implement referential integrity. Table Name| Primary Key| Foreign Keys| Other Attributes| Inventory| Item Number| | DescriptionQuantity on Hand| Purchases| Purchase order number| Vendor numberPurchasing Agent (employee number)| Date of purchaseTotal amount of purchase| Purchases-Inventory| Item numberPurchase order number| |Quantity purchasedUnit cost (actual)Extended amount| Vendor| Vendor number| | Vendor nameVendor address| Employees | Employee number | | Employee name| Extended amount and Total amount of purchase do not have to be stored in the database as they can be calculated from other values. Extended amount is Quantity purchased x Unit cost. Total amount of purchase is the sum of all the extended amounts for all items on a particular purchase order, d. Implement your tables using any relational database product to which you have access.Test your specification by entering sample data in each table. f. Create a few queries to retrieve or analyze the data you stored. There is no solution to parts d through f as students will select different software packages and come up with different queries. 4. 4Retrieve the S;amp;S In-Chapter Database (in Microsoft Access format) from the text’s Web site (or create the tables in a relational DBMS product).NOTE: In order to get a list of lenders without duplicates the property sheet of the query needs to be modified by setting the value of the Unique Values property to Yes. This can be seen in the screenshot below. The property sheet is found under the Design tab of the ribbon. Setting Unique Values to Yes is the equivalent of entering the DISTINCT keyword in SQL select statements. Query Result f. Which borrower requested the largest mortgage? Query Notice that in the Design section on the ribbon, you must set the Return value to 1 (located in the Query Setup group).This indicates to Access to only return the top result. See the image below for a screenshot of this. Query Result g. Which borrower requested the smallest mortgage? Query Query Result As with problem 4-10-f, you must set the Return value to 1 in the Design section of the ribbon (located in the Query Setup group). This indicates to Access to only return the top result. See the image below for a screenshot of this. SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO THE CASES 4. 1As in all areas of information technology, DBMSs are constantly

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Literary Characteristics of Wisdom Literature Essays

Literary Characteristics of Wisdom Literature Essays Literary Characteristics of Wisdom Literature Paper Literary Characteristics of Wisdom Literature Paper Essay Topic: Literature synonymous parallelism second line repeats the same idea as the first with different vocabulary synonymous parallelism the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the holy one is the beginning of understanding antithetical parallelism second line draws contrast with that is said better this than that antithetical parallelism A food despises his fathers instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent stairlike parallelism second line builds on or adds to the idea stairlike parallelism O god, god of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before you, let my prayer come before you, incline your ear to my cry Psalms types lament, praise, thanksgiving, wisdom Psalms relationships god and the individual, god and nature, god and other gods, god and israel

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Basic Prompts and Tips on College Essay Writing

Basic Prompts and Tips on College Essay Writing A set of great essay writing tips that help students write a winning college essay. A college essay is a great chance for students to show their best qualities and to convince the admission committee that they are better than other applicants. In situations, where two applicants appear equal, a compelling essay makes the difference. While reading such essays college admission officers will see that the student can write correctly and use logical arguments. The essay will also provide more information about the students personality. Tips on the Art of the College Essay Writing: There is no such thing as a ‘correct’ answer.  Universities get hundreds of responses and admission officers give students all kinds of essay topics. There is no one or several ‘correct’ answers to the same question; each college essay is individual and unique. Take your time.  Admission officers look through hundreds of essays, and it does become evident how much time the student has spent over the essay. Have fun.  Having fun in the process of the essay writing will be an advantage for you. That will probably make the application process less stressful. If students have fun writing their essays, admission committees will have fun reading them. Write about yourself.  An admission officer doesnt have a favorite type of essay. Some essays are funny, others are serious, and some are deeply personal. But favorite essays are the ones which are thoughtful and truly tell about a students personality. Five College Essay Writing Tips Writing an essay, you should keep some requirements in mind: 1. Avoid writing a general essay. Such generic essays contain too many abstractions and unsupported generalizations. They may be absolutely technically correct: very well-organized, full of complicated sentence structures and have ideal spelling, but reading them brings nothing but regret they are boring. 2. Begin with a snappy opening line. Start your essay in a compelling way. Here is a couple of winning opening lines: I change my name each time I place an order at Starbucks, I have old hands etc. 3. Pick a subject carefully. Dont use controversial and sensitive subjects. Subjects that you are not recommended to touch are politics, abortion, gun control etc. Try not to apologize or complain in your essay. 4. Find your voice. It really doesnt matter what you decide to write about. It is far more important to write from yourself; that way you will show admission officers why you are the best candidate. One more thing: the essay needs to reflect what your current personality, rather than explain who you were a long time ago. 5. Give your essay a two days rest. When youre done with your essay, put it aside for a day or two. You will probably be surprised how many changes you will want to make when you resume working with it. Best College Essay Prompts Narrative Analysis Narrative essays serve numerous purposes, but the most successful ones usually include three basic characteristics: they are well organized in time, contain a certain central point, and use specific details according to that point. Here are five typical narrative essay prompts: your first visit to a large city breakup of a friendship an experience that showed how we should be careful a significant misunderstanding a dangerous experience Description Descriptive essays need to attract significant attention to details. Whatever subject you choose, you should begin with making an observation and deciding which details are most important. Here are examples: an inspiring situation a street that leads to your home an accident scene backstage during a concert Process Analysis When you write an essay using process analysis, you should give your readers understanding whether the process has been carried out successfully or not. Here you are expected to describe the process step by step. Look at these examples: how to lose weight without losing your mind how to find the perfect roommate how to enjoy the weekend for less than $20 how to develop self-confidence how a particular accident occurred So the main thing you should really do is to gain experience in writing essays. With just a little bit of practice, you will be able to use a rich vocabulary, complicated literary constructions and various approaches to the pointed prompt, keeping in mind all the requirements of the structure. That is really an art to create an essay which will show the admission that you are the best candidate to accept. So treat it with a  proper attitude and do your best to create a masterpiece. COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY Please place your  order here  and we will jump right at it, with a guarantee that your essay will come up top quality, original and right in time!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Alcohol Anonomyous (St James Club) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Alcohol Anonomyous (St James Club) - Essay Example In these regards, confidentiality was observed. When the meeting opened the group leader and members had about four different sayings in the group session. There was a facilitator that guided the group from beginning to end. At the beginning the facilitator opened the floor for anyone to answer questions and to elucidate the general rules. Some of the rules were related to confidentiality and the others centered on how the group should respect each other. The group leader then opened the discussion to the other members and asked if anyone was having problems staying sober. One of the group members named Charles appeared to be the dominant group member but he also helped start the session. Each person had a supporter and Charles was having a problem with his supporter. The group dynamic was slightly off, as there were twenty men and only three women. Still, I believe in terms of numbers the size of the group was optimal for discussion. The group also had a strong diversity of age, wit h individuals there from age 18 to age 72. In all I can say this was a spiritually based meeting that was beneficial to the group members. Sitting in on this meeting I felt accepted and socially at ease; I appreciate the experience and have no difficulty understanding how this could help individuals in their troubles with alcohol.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Case Analysis - Is there a Hybrid Automobile in your Future Essay

Case Analysis - Is there a Hybrid Automobile in your Future - Essay Example As automobiles cannot be done without in modern life, the natural choice would be to design and build vehicles which could run on some miraculous, alternative, non polluting fuel with minimal or zero emission. Such miraculous discovery, if possible, could kill two birds with one stone. Hybrid cars are a venture in this direction. As it is not possible to build an automobile which could run solely on electric, solar or any other source of power immediately, as it would put tremendous strain on research, development and financial resources, the availability of hybrid cars is a welcome transitory stage into the future. After the successful launch of the Prius model by Toyota, many other automobile giants have leapt into the fray of manufacturing hybrid cars for the future. To be successful in the market, a hybrid car has to appeal to the general public in terms of cost of ownership as well as performance. 2. Key Problems To be successful in the market, a hybrid car has to appeal to the general public in terms of cost of ownership as well as performance. 2. Key Problems To be successful in the market, a hybrid car has to appeal to the general public in terms of cost of ownership as well as performance. As evident from previous research, only people with education and annual income in the range of $ 100,000 have bought hybrid vehicles available in the market at present, as they come at a premium. People with lower incomes and low education level have to contend with cheaper gasoline models as it is beyond their pocketbooks to buy hybrid cars, as well as fully comprehend the advantages of owning one. The key problems are therefore increasing the awareness about the benefits of a hybrid model, and putting a cheap hybrid model within their financial access and range. Rising fuel prices will automatically force people to seek cheaper alternatives and it is a good marketing strategy for the future to design a car to fulfill this need. 3. Possible Solutions Solutions to t he problem are already in place as awareness about the greenhouse effect has been boosted by the efforts of governments and international bodies. It is also becoming more difficult day by day to own and maintain traditional gasoline guzzling giant cars. Smaller fuel efficient models are more marketable as well as affordable for the end users. However, government efforts to divert the public to use public transportation as an alternative have proved futile as people feel the need for independent control of their movement (Doll, 2008). Already the sales figures for hybrid models are increasing steadily in the US. In the year 2006, a total of 262,000 hybrid cars, primarily the Toyota Prius and other models from the company were sold nationwide (Doll, 2008). Companies like Honda, GM, Ford and Lexus soon came up with their own hybrid models in the market. Toyota, which overtook General Motors as the world’s largest automobile company however has experienced some hiccups since then . One problem it faced was the recall of some of its models due to faulty design and a patent lawsuit against its hybrid cars by a Florida based company, Paice LLC (Web, 2009). Such obstacles need to be sorted out between competing manufacturers in the greater interest of fuel efficiency and a healthy environment for the present and future generations. Innovations are already underway for developing fuel cells to power electric vehicles which cause the least pollution and are more energy

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The effects of mobile devices on cybersecurity Essay

The effects of mobile devices on cybersecurity - Essay Example The development of the mobile technology has significantly changed the way people live. It played a notable role in making modern life convenient and flexible. The mobile technology grew rapidly that it took hardly ten years to enter the mainstream use, and, when compared to the growth of telephones this growth was unusually fast. According to Cisco’s 2013 global mobile data forecast (2014), today the number of mobile devices equals the number of humans on the planet. The mobile technology fact sheet published by the Pew Research Center (2014) indicates that 90% of American adults own a cell phone, 58% of them own a smartphone, 32% own an e-reader, and 42% own a tablet computer. It is interesting to note that 67% of cell phone users check their phones frequently for calls, messages, or other alerts when while their phones do not ring or vibrate. There are another 44% of cell users sleeping with their phones next to the bed so as to make sure that they do not miss any call, mes sage, or update. The fact sheet also reflects that 29% of cell users consider their cell phone as â€Å"something they cannot imagine living without† (The mobile technology fact sheet, Pew Research Center, 2014). The term cybersecurity refers to the process of providing security to devices such as computers, cell phones, smartphones, and tablets, as well as the whole internet. In the current world, promoting cybersecurity is of great importance because modern people increasingly depend on computer networks to store and transfer their confidential data/information. Magid (2014) says that since such sensitive personal data is exposed to computer networks, hackers or other cyber criminals may intrude into the privacy of network users and empty their bank account if proper cybersecurity measures are not in place. Business enterprises are no exception to such cyber challenges. Hence,

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Role Of Quantity Surveying Profession Construction Essay

Role Of Quantity Surveying Profession Construction Essay According to Williss Practice and Procedure for the Quantity Surveyor (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.1), the role of the quantity surveying has been defined by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS, 1971) as ensuring that the resources of the construction industry are utilised to the best advantage of society by providing, inter alia, the financial management for projects and a cost consultancy service to the client and designer during the whole construction process. However, the roles of the quantity surveying profession within the contemporary built environment will be discussed as follows: Preliminary cost advice One of the quantity surveyor roles is to ensure that the proposed project is carefully constructed, in terms of costs arising throughout entire design and construction process (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.121). Quantity surveyor also acts to suggest his professional and reliable advices to his client on matter of cost at various stages during the design and construction process. The advices given during inception stage are vital important as the decisions taken in this stage will seriously affect the quality of works to be carried out (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.122). Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.121) stated that the quantity surveyor will offer cost advice for the comparative design solutions of the alternatives materials to be used or the form of construction to be adopted. Quantity surveyor is the recognized professional cost and value consultant, their measurement and valuation knowledge are without equal (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.123). Cost planning According to Williss Practice and Procedure for the Quantity Surveyor, Ashworth Hogg (2007, p.126) stated that the cost planning process commences with the preparation of an approximate estimate and then the setting of cost targets for each element. As the design evolves, these cost targets are checked against the developing design and details for any changes in their financial allocations. Quantity surveying profession under this aspect will require the quantity surveyor to allocate the approximate estimated costs into subdivisions, known as elements within a building. Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.122) stated that These elements costs can be compared against the element costs of other similar projects from the quantity surveyors cost library records. The purpose is to provide a better value of money for client. It also keeps the designer fully informed of all the cost implications of the design. Quantity surveyor might also try to reduce the estimated costs by simplifying the details without modifying the design. Besides, contract document will also be prepared on this basic to make the preparation of cost analysis easier. Cost planning will be developed and while taking account of appearance, quality and utility, the cost is planned to be within the economic boundary (Willis, Ashworth Willis, 1994, p.95) Procurement and tendering procedures It is important that quantity surveying profession to be applied during this stage. As stated by Ashworth and Hogg (2007, pp.237-238), role of quantity surveying profession in this aspect will include as follows: Recommending an organizational structure for the proposed development of a project (Ashworth Hogg, 2007) Advising on the appointment of the various consultants and contractors in the knowledge of the information provided by the employer (Ashworth Hogg, 2007) Managing the information and coordinating the work of the different parties (Ashworth Hogg, 2007) Selecting the methods for the appointment of consultants and contractors (Ashworth Hogg, 2007) Determining the employers requirement in terms of time, cost and quality (Ashworth Hogg, 2007) Assessing the viability of the project and providing advice in respect of funding and taxation advantages (Ashworth Hogg, 2007) Quantity surveyor plays a crucial role to provide appropriate advices on the method of procurement to be used for clients who wish to undertake construction work (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.237). There are various procurement methods to deal with the different demand and various situation, client should not select an inappropriate form of procurement unwittingly (Ashworth Hogg, 2007). Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.237) stated that Quantity surveyors are in an excellent position as procurement managers with their specialist knowledge of constructions and contractual procedures. They are able to appraise the characteristic of the competing methods that might be appropriate and to match these with the particular needs and aspirations of the employer. Hence, clients are advised to seek for quantity surveyor for relevant and reliable advices or recommendation before making their final decisions. Due to this, advices and recommendation provided by quantity surveyor must be independently without the intrusion of individual bias and self-interest (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.237). Contract documentation Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.243) stated that When the choice of form of contract has been decided, the next step is the preparation of the documents that will accompany the signed form of contract. The contract documents for any construction will normally include the following information: Contract drawings It includes plans, elevations and cross section. Some other additional details will also be prepared based on the complexity of the project. This will provide information for the client to get the idea of architects or engineers design intentions. The contract drawings are normally provided by architect and engineer (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, pp.243-244). However, the role of quantity surveyor is to collect the drawings and any specifications from the architect and at the same time discuss the job. There is however some more detailed questions will arise, therefore a timetable for the completion of the contract bills will be agreed, along with dates when additional detailed information and drawings can be expected (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.259) Contract bills Quantity surveyor will involve in preparation of contract bills. Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.258) stated that The appointment of the quantity surveyor is likely to have been made at early stage when early price estimates were under consideration. This may be before any drawings are available, in order to provide some cost advice to the client. Due to this, quantity surveyor will normally be needed except for on a very small project, the demand for the profession of quantity surveyor might only to be eliminated (Ashworth and Hogg, 2007, p.258). Besides, there is a condition for contractor who wishes to submit tenders in competition to provide approximate quantities required for particular works. Therefore, quantity surveying firms are then sometimes involved in preparing approximate quantities depending upon the completeness of the drawings and other information from which it was prepared contractors (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.258). Articles of agreement Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.246) stated that This is the part of the contract which the parties sign. The contract is between the employer (building owner) and the contractor (building contractor). The blank spaces in the articles are filled in with the (i) names of employer, contractor, architect and quantity surveyor; (ii) date of the signing of the contract; (iii) location and nature of the work; (iv) list of the contract drawings; (v) amount of the contract sum. Condition of contract The condition of contract includes the contractors obligation to carry out the work shown on the drawings and described in the bills to the satisfaction of the architect. They cover the matter of quality of work, cost time, nominated supplies and subcontractors insurances, fluctuation and VAT. (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.246) Appendix Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.246) stated that The Contract Particulars for the Conditions of Contract include that part of the contract which is peculiar to the particular project in question. It includes key information, for example, on the start and completion dates, the periods of interim payment and the length of the rectification period for which the contractor is responsible. Evaluation of tenders Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.274) stated that In public authorities, tenders will probably be addressed to the secretary or principal chief officer. With private clients they are usually forwarded to the architect or the quantity surveyor. On the due date for receipt of tenders, the envelopes received will be counted to check that they have all been received, prior to being openend. Quantity surveyor will then prepare a list of the tendered amounts after the envelopes are opened. Preliminary examination will be made after that to ascertain which tenders will be taken into consideration for acceptance. A fuller report will be made later by the quantity surveyor (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.274). Besides, according to Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.274), the architect will rely extensively on quantity surveyor for advice on these matters. A report will be made for the client, setting out clearly the arguments in favour of acceptance of one tender or another. Quantity surveyor will have to check and examine for the copy of the priced bills submitted by those tenderer who is under consideration (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.275). Financial reporting and interim payments, cash-flow forecasting According to Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.286) JCT 2005 makes clear duty of the clients quantity surveyor in this respect (clause 4.11): Interim valuations shall be made by the quantity surveyor whenever the architect or contract administrator considers them necessary for the purpose of ascertaining the amount to be started as due in Interim Certificate. Ashworth and Hogg (2007) stated that Most construction projects encountered by the surveyor will have contractual provision for the payment of the contractor for work done, at regular intervals during the contract period. Between the date of the first interim certificate and the practical completion certificate, interim certificates have to be issued by quantity surveyor at a certain intervals stated in the contract particulars. It is the responsibility of quantity surveyor to calculate the amount for the interim payments during each interval (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, pp.286-287). A professional quantity surveyor should always aware that there are conditions for employer to prevent the employer getting penalties and punishments and quantity surveyor should always provide his or her appropriate advices where necessary (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.288). Besides, clients generally desire the final cost of a project to be no more than contract sum. Due to this, it is the role of clients quantity surveyor to try to manage the costs by monitoring the design and site development and provide his professional advices of the likely impacts and remedies (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.302). It is also necessary for quantity surveyor to review all the correspondence and meeting issued on the project in order to identify the potential cost implications. Monthly financial reports will normally be required to advise the client of the anticipated outturn costs (Ashworth Hogg, 2007). Cash-flow forecasts report will be prepared in association with the contractor since it will be greatly influenced by the intended programme of works. Cash-flow forecasts are used as a basis upon which to arrange project finance and monitoring the progress of works (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.305). Final accounting Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.310) stated that The majority of construction projects result in a final cost that is different to that agreed by the client and contractor at commencement of the construction works. The calculation and agreement of this final construction cost, the final account, is usually of the utmost important to both the employer and contractor. Therefore, parties to the contract need to ensure that the final account incorporates a fair valuation of the works carried out. In this aspect, the quantity surveyor will decide on the suitable subdivisions into terms that will be adopted into the account prior to any abstracting or bill remeasurements. As the list of variations develops, quantity surveyor will be able to decide on how to group them. For example, there may be one instruction from the architect for increasing the size of storage tanks, another for the omission of a drinking water point and a third for the addition of three lavatory basins. Each of these will b e measured as a separate item, but the quantity surveyor might decide to group these together as variations on plumbing. It is preferably to highlight the reason for variation in cost report to acknowledge the client on reasons of the costs changed. (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, pp.315-316) Settlement of contractual disputes Quantity surveyors involved themselves in contractual disputes either in litigation in the courts, in arbitration or in alternative dispute resolution cases (ADR) cases. They sometimes involve themselves as witness of fact or expert witness, adjudicators, arbitrators or mediators in ADR cases (Ashworth Hogg, 2007, p.353) Project management Financial expertise of quantity surveyors make them ideally suited to project management services. According to Ashworth and Hogg (2007, p.376), project management provides the important management function of bringing the project team together and may be defined as The overall planning, coordination and control of a project from inception to completion, aimed at meeting a clients requirements in order to produce a functionally viable project that will be completed on time within authorized cost and to the required quality standards. (CIOB 2002) Quantity surveyor sometimes take overall control and responsibility of for coordinating the activities of the various contractors, subcontractors, processes and procedures for the full duration of the project (Ashworth Hogg, 2007) Ashworth and Hogg (2007) stated that The skills of the quantity surveyor traditionally included measurement and valuation and to these were later added accounting and negotiation. As the profession evolved, quantity surveying profession were extended to forecasting, analyzing, planning, controlling, evaluating, budgeting, problem solving and modeling. The quantity surveyor knowledge has also been developed by a better understanding of the design and construction process (Ashworth Hogg, 2007).