Media and A Doll’s House

Nora and Media are very different and also similar. Both Nora and Media are in powerless marriages. They both end up with the power at the end of the play. Nora leaves her husband but Jason leaves Media. Media handles this situation differently than Nora. Media uses that fact that she is a woman and her weakness to her advantage. Media is much more manipulative than Nora; however Nora lies so more than Media. Nora must be a different person around Torvald. Mrs. Linde, Dr. Rank and Krogstad are the only people that she can be the person who she really is. Media also had to pretend who she really was. Media pretends that she doesn’t have magic and that she is Greek until she acts out her revenge. Media has magical powers and Nora is an average middle class wife. Although they both are mothers, Nora loves her children more than Media loves her children. Nora loves her children so much that she would die for them. She is concerned about how her choices and how they will affect her children. Media cares more about her revenge on Jason than her children, which is why she killed them at the end of the play. Nora is looking for sympathy, but when Media gets sympathy she yells and says that it makes her sick. The titles of the plays have different meanings as well. The title of â€Å"A Doll’s House† represents a theme throughout the play and is important in the last scene of the play. The title â€Å"Media† is like most romantics where the main character is the title of the play. The play â€Å"Media† was radical just like â€Å"A Doll’s House†. Both plays said things that the audience would be offended by. In media it was that she was a foreigner who manipulated their king and killed him. In â€Å"A Doll’s House† it shows the life of an average middle class family and it uses language that was not used in plays. The writing in the two plays is different. â€Å"Media† is like an epic; it talks about far off lands, there are long monologues, magic, and the language is poetic. â€Å"A Doll’s House† is a realistic play. The situations are real and they happen to real people. Also the characters are real. The language is different too. In â€Å"A Doll’s House† the characters speak in sentence fragments and incomplete sentences. The characters in â€Å"A Doll’s House† portray average middle class people even though they might be radical. Even though the plays are quite different they are rather similar as well.

Honeypot Site

Attractive scenery Attractive scenery Castleton Castleton lies towards the north of the National Park. It is 10 miles from Buxton, 16 miles from Sheffield and 27 miles from Stockport. This makes it easy to visit from larger towns that are located near to the national park. It’s located in Derbyshire at the bottom of the Pennine range. Castleton Castleton lies towards the north of the National Park. It is 10 miles from Buxton, 16 miles from Sheffield and 27 miles from Stockport. This makes it easy to visit from larger towns that are located near to the national park.It’s located in Derbyshire at the bottom of the Pennine range. Why is Castleton a honeypot site? Why is Castleton a honeypot site? Case study: Castleton Case study: Castleton ? Tourist attractions Tourist attractions Jewellery shops within the village Jewellery shops within the village Blue John mine, caverns Blue John mine, caverns Attractive scenery Attractive scenery Easy access via roads Easy access via r oads Mam Tour Mam Tour Facts about Castleton Facts about Castleton Population: 649 people (2001 census)Jobs: Unlike villages in many rural parts of Britain, the population of Castleton is greater now than it was 50 years ago. Although there are still a number of farmers in the area, many of the population are now commuters, quarry workers or earn their living from tourism. Services for residents * 3 small shops * Mobile green grocer visits once a week * Police house within the village * Church in the village * Village Hall * Mobile library available once a week * Petrol stations * Pubs Services for visitors * 7 B&B’s * 4 hotels 4 camp sites * Youth hostel * Numerous tourist shops * Cafes * A visitor centre Castleton is also popular as a base for touring in the National Park and for active sports such as climbing, caving, pony trekking, hang gliding, cycling and walking. There are several Outdoor Pursuits centres nearby. Impacts of tourism Impacts of tourism * Erosion of the m any footpaths around the area, especially Winnats Pass and the footpath to Mam Tor, has been the subject of a detailed study. * Congestion in the village is a problem to locals and visitors.There is a large car park, with space for coaches, and public toilets but at peak times (Summer Sundays or during the Garland ceremony) the parking provision is not enough and the congestion spoils the character of the village and affects its enjoyment by all. * More jobs have been created thanks to the tourism industry. * Because there is an increase in employment there will therefore, be a reduction on the crime rates * Jobs are created. Therefore people have more money to spend on local goods and services. Multiplier effect – by creating a factory and providing new jobs, the local economy grows by more than the original cash injection * Second homes: Many wealthy urban dwellers buy second homes in the countryside. The Peak District is surrounded by large settlements e. g. Manchester, Sh effield and Derby so this phenomenon has happened here as well. This can cause house inflation, rural depopulation and service decline. * Seasonal employment: Tourism tends to be at its highest during late spring, summer and early autumn.Because of the decline during the winter, many locals will lose their jobs during the quieter periods. Management Management * Improvements such as surfacing paths in local stone or re-routing certain paths have been undertaken. * The importance of tourism to the local economy needs to be balanced against the danger of over-commercialisation. More and bigger car parks may increase visitor numbers and create even more problems * An increasing number of litter bins have been provided throughout the village. Increasing the amount of bus routes will tackle the problem of an excessive number of cars * Adding more ‘double yellow’ lines will mean that there will be less parking in inconvenient places for residents. * Redistribution of tourists : There are a number of locations in the Peak District that are honeypot locations e. g. Castleton and Bakewell. One suggested solutions has been to promote other villages and destinations to try and redistribute the number of tourists. * Improved signage and education: Some tourists drop litter, leave gates open. etc.With improved information signs and also better education of the problems it causes, some problems can be reduced Residents and tourists Conflicts between different groups of people in Castleton Conflicts between different groups of people in Castleton Unsurprisingly the largest amount of conflict that has arisen in Castleton is between local residents and tourists. One of the largest reasons behind this is traffic. With a high concentration of tourists come a great amount of vehicles these can cause traffic jams along the villages country roads this can delay the ease of travel for local residents.Pollution from cars is also a big element to the conflict pollution can have a harmful effect on the peak district and its wildlife. Another conflict between tourist and locals is the amount of noise. Living in a quaint Derbyshire village residents want to live in a peaceful environment however having large groups of tourists means there will be a large amount of noise pollution which can be disruptive to their way of life. Another conflict between tourists and local residents is the carelessness of some tourists who drop litter around the village.Residents want visitors to respect their home village and keep it clean and tidy however this wish is often ignored and upsets residents. There are many other smaller conflicts between the locals and tourists that occur in Castleton. Issues like tourists peering into gardens and cottages causes conflicts because locals want privacy. Now that tourists have the right to roam, there can often be conflicts between landowners and tourists, over where people can walk and what they can do.Farmers and tourists Farmer s and tourists may come into conflict because litter dropped by tourists may harm livestock (animals), the noise created by tourists and vehicles may disturb animals, especially during lambing periods. Tourists may also leave footpaths and damage crops or leave gates open and allow animals to escape. Tourists may be annoyed by farmers because on restrictions of their right to roam and aggressive animals. Farm traffic may also cause traffic jams and delay tourists.

Communication and Child

Maria Pearce EYMP5-1. 1, EYMP5-1. 2, EYMP5-1. 3, EYMP5-2. 1, EYMP5-2. 2, EYMP5-2. 3 EYMP5-1. 1 Explain each of the terms: * speech * language * communication * Speech, language and communication needs. English dictionary meanings. * Speech – something that is spoken; an utterance, remark, or declaration: * Language – communication by voice in the distinctively human manner, using arbitrary sounds in conventional ways with conventional meanings; speech. * Communication – the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. Speech, Language and Communication begins from birth simply engaging in eye contact and smiling is communication. Speech is started with noise and sounds. Language starts by a child listening so even from very young ages children learn and communicate with us. EYMP5-1. 2 Explain how speech, language and communication skills support each of the following areas in children's development: EYMP5-1. 3 Describe the potential impact of speech, language and communication difficulties on the overall development of a child, both currently and in the longer term. Speech, language and communication needs in children vary with each individual child. As practitioners we must constantly asses and contribute in all aspects of communication, speech and language. We must listen to the child and try to understand the things the child is trying to communicate to us. Helping children improve things like language can be fairly simple. By having patience we repeat the words often and praise the attempts and successes a child has. Asking the child to point something out or encourage saying words or sounds. By taking our hand and leading us to something the child needs or wants is a good way of helping communication and means we can say the thing they need encouragement is essential we do not want the child to feel silly or ashamed if they struggle with the correct word. Splitting some words into parts more easily said is a great way for children to make sounds into words. In my setting we had a child who said â€Å"basanya† for lasagne and although cute if encouraged to split the word â€Å"la† san† ya† in no time the child used the proper word. Another child would say pusion for cushion. We also found with younger children by using flash cards and books blocks or anything played with to say colours, numbers, and shapes or when out walking pointing out things around us and encouraging the child to repeat was a productive way to help with speech. However speech wasn’t always possible one of the children we had was deaf. He made loud sounds but couldn’t hear us speak the words. By using sign language we managed to communicate though we had little experience in that area and the child was very young so did not have a huge amount of sign himself. We would mine a lot of things like â€Å"drink† â€Å"food† â€Å"hello† many of the children caught on quickly and also mimed signs to him. It was a fantastic way to allow communication as each child interacted only with us but with all of the children. Enabling better communication between the children and taught them that it was normal to accept a child with a â€Å"disability†. By encouraging not only speech but other methods of communication we helped them socially to interact with each other in different ways, a simple wave hello allowed the child with hearing difficulties to feel part of the group and welcome. Emotional by showing praise and enjoyment. Behaviour teaching children how to act in many settings. As practioners we spend time with children getting to know them and communicate with them we can pick up on things we may be able to help with or advise parents of. Many parents work very long hours and have little time to converse with children. By chatting with children and speaking in a correct manner we help language skills every day. We do not use baby language we repeat words and encourage talking not only to ourselves but to each other. One child we had in our setting was very happy to chat with grownups and older children, however she refused to play with or listen to the younger ones. Even when being spoken to directly. The child would completely ignore the younger children. We spoke with her and helped her understand we must not ignore anyone when we are spoke to or communicated with. We encouraged her to converse with younger children we gave her responsibility helping them in small ways. This resulted in child playing and interacting with younger ones. This was fantastic for their social skills and behaviour. It taught the child who seemed to dislike younger children that ignoring anyone in life is not an option. We also seen her enjoy the responsibility and praise she was very proud of herself. If we feel that a child maybe finding speech or language more difficult than usual we would speak to parents and encourage them to try certain games and fun tasks in everyday life at home. We would communicate regularly with parents to see if things improve. Teaching parents little things that they maybe don’t do at home or haven’t tried at home can be great at rectifying any difficulties. Working with them to improve things we may have picked up on but parents haven’t wanted to see can sometime make the world of difference. If these things don’t help we can suggest referral to speech and language specialists or hearing specialist. We must work with other settings as well as parents to compare thoughts, information and experience. One of the best things we would attend was a library story time. It was fantastic it encouraged children to sit quietly and listen to stories. Then they would have a sing along to rhymes and songs with actions. Which encouraged language skills? If a child was new to this it took a few weeks to get involved but we always had parents asking where the child had learned a song they were singing at home. We would have sing along in the setting and encourage the words and actions so children knew some of the songs and gave them confidence to join in. If a child is having difficulties making themselves understood by language, speech or actions it can affect confidence and emotions. We want each child to be happy confident and understood. Eye to eye contact is a simple way to let the child know that you are listening or that you are taking the time to understand what they need from you. They learn that in our setting what they have to say is as important as any adult or other child. Each and every child is important and should feel that way. By communicating with carers we can have a much better and more positive effect on children’s development and learning. Knowing that a good relationship is essential and helps us as practitioners to see what areas we can help in and work on with children or what things carers ould continue and manage at home. This leads to a more productive learning journey for the child. A good relationship can also mean we are all comfortable communicating worries or problems. There are several development charts we can use for reference and information giving us a guide to where a child should be at certain ages. We use these to give us an idea of development if we fell a child is behind of ahead we can look at the information which helps us decide if a child may need some extra support. However we must only use these as a guide. We all know children develop as individuals and at varying rates. These charts can help us if we feel a little unsure and also if we need to have information to give parents. Also taken into account must be periods of settling in, or transition in home life. These can affect a child making them quiet or withdrawn and shy. We must make any decision to advise extra support once we get to know the child and observe activities we plan. EYMP5-3. 1 Demonstrate methods of providing support taking into account the: * age * specific needs * abilities * home language where this is different to that of setting * interests Of the children in own setting. By providing age related toys, activities and language we support individual children with specific support. The ability of a child also determines how we plan any activities. We must make the activity inclusive of all children. Being a small setting we find planning an activity to suit all children fairly easy and can adjust as we interact. For example a painting activity is explained and â€Å"signed† or mimed at same time so that every child is included and not taken to the side as though something is different or treat as an oddity. Some activities are avoided if we feel any child will be singled out. However we praise and encourage all children making them feel included and important. We ask parents what their child or children enjoy at home. If possible we try to bring a little of this into the setting to make children feel at home with us. It also gets children chatting and showing what they like. For instance one child adored snakes of all things. So we allowed him to bring along one of his pets as a sort of show and tell. Most of the children had never held a snake. We got him telling us all about snakes and what they eat. It gave this child so much confidence feeling he could teach us all something new. As we are a small setting and speak English it isn’t possible to teach and speak another language however we are happy to encourage a child with a different language to â€Å"help† teach us all words in their native language and do planned activities for other countries celebrations and festivals. Chinese new year Eid-ul-Fitr are just two of the festivals we incorporate into planning and learning. Communication and Child Introduction: The aim of this report is to identify the reasons why people communicate and the ways in which this can affect relationships. I will identify what we need to remember when we are trying to promote communication with others and the barriers that we may come across when doing this. I will endeavour to explain the extra support available for individual's who may have problems communicating and how coming from different backgrounds/cultures can affect how an individual communicates. I will also describe the ways in which we must treat confidential disclosures and how confidential information should be treated. 1. 1 IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENT REASONS PEOPLE COMMUNICATE People communicate to: Build relationships When a new child/parent enters our setting the first thing that will happen is some form of communication such as a smile or greeting the child/parent with hello. This is the foundation on which a child’s trust is based. If a child sees a good relationship between us and their parents this will make the transition period smoother. Share thoughts and ideas When children share thoughts and ideas they are being given the chance to express themselves freely. Children will have ideas and thoughts that they need to share by doing this they are able to grow in confidence and self-esteem, we should always listen to a child's ideas even if they are incorrect as this will encourage a child to share further ideas and thoughts. feedback and reflection encourages mental stim Gain and share information track development, diagnose problems early Express needs and feelings Gain reassurance and acknowledgement 1. EXPLAIN HOW COMMUNICATION AFFECTS RELATIONSHIPS IN THE WORK SETTING Communication affects relationships in the work setting in the following ways: – Sharing and Gaining Information By sharing and gaining information from parents/colleagues such as how the child is feeling, their likes and dislikes, what play interests the child has, we are much better equipped to bring the best out of the child. Effective commu nication is extremely important if the child has a medical condition or perhaps is attending a speech therapist. Knowing these things can help us with the child's development. Settling In It is important that we communicate well when a child is settling into a new environment as the child may feel anxious or nervous about the new setting as this may be the first time the child has left the parents. Good communication helps in building relationships, making it easier for the child to feel happy and secure in a new environment. Communicating and building a relationship with the parents allows them to trust and feel happy with us as practitioners enabling them to confidently leave the child in our care. – Supporting children's Play and Learning If we have good communication with a child they are able to benefit more from play and learning activities. It enables them to take part and understand activities. It also encourages better speech and vocabulary and gives them the confidence to express their thoughts and ideas, making them feel more relaxed and comfortable within the setting. – Transitions It is important to have good communication in periods of transition such as moving schools or childminders, as this makes it easier for the child to adjust and feel happy and comfortable in the new setting. For example having good communication and building relationships with each other allows information to be passed on effectively and efficiently making the transition easier for the child, parents and practitioner. 2. 2 DESCRIBE THE FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN PROMOTING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION The factors to consider when promoting effective communication are: – Environment It is important that we think about the environment we are in when communicating with others. When we are communicating with adults or young children we may need to find somewhere quiet, a busy or noisy environment may be distracting, preventing information being passed / received accurately. A young child will be able to understand instructions, learn better and feel relaxed if the environment is quieter and calmer. With toddlers and younger children we may need to find an area which is familiar to their home setting, e. g. if the child likes playing with play dough we could arrange to sit with the child at this table. – Proximity, Orientation and Posture We should always consider distance when we are communicating with others. If we have a strong relationship with a child they will allow us to get closer as the child knows and trusts us and should not find this behaviour intimidating. We should also consider cultural differences when communicating with others as some sayings/gestures in our culture may differ to that of a person from a different culture. Our body's position is also important as if we stand in front of someone they may find this overpowering. But if we were to stand beside them and turn our body towards them this sends out a warm and friendly signal. Having good posture when communicating with others is also important as this gives out a clear message that you are listening and interested in what they are saying. – Listening Skills When we are communicating we should always show that we are ‘Actively Listening'. To Actively Listen we must think about what is being said and be aware of the body language. We should always give our full attention to the person speaking and listen to the tone of what they are saying. This is important when communicating with children as it promotes children's speech and helps when dealing with difficult situations. Time When we are communicating we need to give the person we are communicating with time to think about what we are saying. This is very important with young children so they understand what we are saying, or understand the instruction that has been given. Parents may also need time to understand or digest the information that has been past onto them. 3. 1 EXPLAIN HOW PEOPLE F ROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS MAY USE AND/OR INTERPRET COMMUNICATION METHODS IN DIFFERENT WAYS. People from different backgrounds may use and/or interpret communication methods in the following ways: – Family Background Family background is important in communication as all families have different styles of communication. For example some children may come from a family that has more than one language, while other children may come from a family that is outgoing and noisy. Others may come from a family that is shy in nature. All of these will affect the way in which the child later communicates as an adult. – Personality Personalities can affect the way in which a child/adult communicates. With young children we can often see if their personality is outgoing even before their speech / language has developed. For example a child of a shyer nature will have a quieter personality, they may seem unenthusiastic in group discussions or with people they don't know as they find this uncomfortable. – Confidence and Self-esteem Confidence and self-esteem plays an important part in the way people communicate. For example a child who has been mocked when they have been reading in class may find public speaking as an adult difficult. Whereas a child who was praised for their reading is more likely to grow into an adult with more confidence in this area. – Literacy Literacy skills are acquired throughout life. Some people will have a higher level of literacy skills than others. For example some people may have learning difficulties or may have had to immigrate and have had to learn a completely new language. – ICT Knowledge Most people will have acquired some form of ICT Knowledge whether it be using internet, internet phones, emails, accessing photos, phone conversations, but we will not all have the same level of ICT knowledge. For example a person may not be able to read emails or follow written instructions well, so they are not as comfortable in this area as others. 3. 2 IDENTIFY BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Some of the barriers we may face to effectively communicate are: Information – Sender may have language difficulties and find it hard to express themselves in oral or written forms. Encoding – Sender may have difficulty in choosing appropriate words/language or use an inappropriate style or tone. Transfer – Emails may not be received. Reception – Visual impairment may prevent a recipient from picking up facial expressions, gestures or anything that has been written down. Decoding – Recipient's relationship with the sender will influence the way that messages are decoded e. message from someone who is liked may be received differently than from a stranger. Feedback – Sender may not see feedback and realise that there are any difficulties with the way that they have communicated. Response – Sender may respond negatively as meaning of communication is not clear or style of communication is inappropriate. 3. 5 EXPLAIN HOW TO ACCESS EXTRA S UPPORT OR SERVICES TO ENABLE INDIVIDUALS TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY The ways in which we can access extra support or services to communicate effectively are: Transition and Interpreting Services We may need to use a Translator from time to time if a person cannot read/understand our language. For example this is useful if a parent wants to show us a letter that has been written in a different language. An Interpreter may also be used if someone has hearing or speech impairment this assists communication to be made with them. – Speech and Language Services Children's speech develops at different times and stages, every child is different. For example some young children may need the service of a Speech Therapist. We may need to seek support of these services to help us communicate effectively with the child by using visual aids such as pictures. This helps us to meet the child's individual needs. – Advocacy Children or young people who are in care may have had an advocate service such as Social Services. These services are used so the child can express their personal views, opinions and how they are feeling. It also ensures the best interests of the child are met and that their rights under the United Nations Convention are met. We have a duty to ensure this for each and every child. 4. 1 EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF THE TERM CONFIDENTIALITY The term Confidentiality means that we must not share or disclose personal information gained through work that we would not publicly know with others. As practitioner's we will receive confidential information on a daily basis, information we receive should be treated confidential unless there is a duty to pass the information on eg, in cases of child abuse or danger to a child's welfare. Confidential information that we may receive is personal details on a child's live such as address, phone number, date of birth ; health and development issues. Individual's have the right to keep this type of information private. P Tassoni et al (2010:15) states, â€Å"Confidentiality is about respecting other people's rights to privacy and keeping safe the information that they have provided. † A parent may pass on something they want kept confidential to protect their child from embarrassment. For example, a parent may disclose that their child has suddenly started wetting his/her pants and may ask you to keep an eye on the child and discretely change pants if necessary. This type of information should only be shared with others on a need to know basis. Breach of policies surrounding confidentiality are usually disciplinary offences which are treated seriously. . 2DESCRIBE WAYS TO MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY IN DAY TO DAY COMMUNICATION A setting should have an office where parents can speak to members of staff about confidential matters. This information will be passed to staff on a need to know basis. Staff are told to think about what they are saying in front of â€Å"young ears† and other pare nts. Gossip should be avoided. All written paperwork/computer records kept on the children within the setting should be in an office area and kept under lock and key/passworded and the setting will have policies on who has access to this information. Should a child make a serious disclosure to a member of staff, about possible abuse/neglect, all staff will be fully trained in the settings Child Protection procedures and staff will know the reporting procedure in these circumstances. As part of their training, staff will know that any breach of confidentiality within the setting could result in a disciplinary action being taken against them and in serious cases may even result in dismissal. 4. 3DESCRIBE THE POTENTIAL TENSION BETWEEN MAINTAINING AN INDIVIDUAL’S CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSING CONCERNS There will be occasions that we need to disclose confidential information such as if we feel a child's welfare is at risk or if we think abuse is suspected or a crime has been committed. We are obliged to pass our concerns quickly, discretely and directly to our manager or an appropriate agency such as Social Services. By doing this we can still retain confidentiality within a setting as other members of staff or parents will not know the issues that have been raised. This also ensures that the rights of the child are met under the UNCRC (online www. unicef. org. k) Article 19 states â€Å"Children's rights to be protected from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse by those looking after them. † All settings must be on the Data Protection Register and be registered with the Data Protection Commission. If confidentiality has been breached this can have serious consequences a nd can lead to dismissal, most settings will have their own polices and procedures. Conclusion: As we can see from the above, communication is a vital part of everyday life. Good communication skills assist us in nearly every situation we can find ourselves in. When communication is well managed, conflict can be avoided and respect and well-being of all parties improved. It is vital that we understand how to treat confidential information, when such information should be kept confidential and when and how it should be reported if we feel it necessary to safeguard and protect children. Bibliography: Tassoni P et al (2010), CHILDREN ; YOUNG PEOPLE'S WORKFORCE, Heineman, London, UK. UNCRC (Online), UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD, www. unicef. org. uk

Gufax Mf Bank Profile

GUFAX MF BANK www. gufaxmfbank. com COMPANY PROFILE GUFAX MICROFINANCE BANK LTD OUR VISION To be the leader in Microfinance Banking Services in Nigeria. OUR MISSION To reduce poverty and build smiles on the faces of our esteemed customers by transforming them into economically active population with full access and integration into the formal financial system. INTRODUCTION Gufax Microfinance bank Ltd. s licensed for operation in Akwa Ibom State by the Central Bank of Nigeria for the provision and administration of microfinance services, loans, advisory services, poverty alleviation programme-partners with Government or its agencies as well as other financial services. It was incorporated on 04 April, 2008 with the Corporate Affairs Commission and Licensed by CBN in September 2008. The Bank has an Authorised Share capital of N250million out of which the paid up is N120million and total asset base of over N500million, approximately $3. 2Million as at December 31st, 2011.We also have to tal employee/staff strength of seventy one (71); and our present customer base is approaching twenty thousand individuals and groups comprising mainly the market women, cooperative groups, transport unions and other small and medium business operators within the state and a percentage of government employees. OUR ADDRESS Corporate Head of is at FADUK HOUSE, No. 3 Udotung Ubo Street, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Presently, the bank has seven meeting points within Akwa Ibom State as follows: Akpan Andem Entrepreneurial Market Uyo in Uyo Local Government. Nung Udoe Ibesikpo,in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government.Ikot Ekpene in Ikot Ekpene Local Government. Oku Iboku in Itu Local Government. Ishiet Uruan Beach Market in Uruan Local Government. Ibaka Beach Meeting Point, Mbo Local Government Area. Onna Meeting Point, Ikot Abasi Road, Abat. It is part of the strategic expansion plan of the bank to open a minimum of one meeting point every quarter. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The bank has a board members hip of 4 distinguished persons as shown below: Engr Nsikanabasi Ibanga – Chairman Engr. Ibanga Engr. Nsikanabasi Ibanga is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gufax Microfinance Bank Ltd. He is an experienced Civil Engineer.Engr. Ibanga served as an Executive Engineer with ENPLAN Group of Consulting Engineers Nigeria Ltd, EBASCO Consulting Engineers and Zeal Nigeria Limited for over 10years. He has been involved in many private and public building designs over the years and is still very active in current practice. He is a member, Nigeria Society of Engineers (MNSE) and also a registered member of the Council for Regulation of Engineering (COREN). He has attended Engineering Management Workshop and other courses within and outside the country. His experience has been brought to bear in his leadership of the Bank.Mr. Uduak Effiong Udo – Managing Director/CEO * MD/CEO Mr. Uduak Udo is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Gufax Microfinance Bank Ltd. He is a seasoned Banker with over Ten (10) years of experience in Retail, Consumer and Public Sector Banking. Uduak had stints with Citizens International Bank Limited (now Enterprise Bank Ltd) from where he left for Zenith Bank Plc. He grew to a management position in Zenith Bank and subsequently left and co-found a group of financial service companies which Gufax Microfinance bank Ltd is one of them.He holds an MBA Degree in Business Administration from University of Calabar. He is a fellow of Portfolio and Debt Management Institute (PDMI), a member of the Risk Management Association of Nigeria (RIMAN), and a member of Institute of Strategic Management (ISMN) and also a member of chartered institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He is also an Alumnus of World Prestigious Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, where he has been exposed to world class management Education and Entrepreneurship. A serious minded and successful entrepreneur, Uduak has interest in Finance and Invest ment.He has attended courses within and outside the country. The experience of the MD/CEO is a springboard for successful service delivery to our clients. Engr Bassey A. Iton – Director QUALIFICATIONS: M. Sc Petrochemical Engineering, Moscow Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industries, Moscow, (1977). Member Nigerian Institute of Chemical Engineers. Member Nigerian Society of Engineers. Associate Member AIChE (1978). General Manager, Process Engineering; NNPC H/Q. Abuja. Working experience covers the underlisted areas and companies:Federal Superphosphate Fertiliser Company Ltd. (FSFC), Kaduna†¦August 1977 – June 1978 Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Ltd. (WRPC), Ekpan-Warri†¦October 1978 – January 1980 Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Ltd. (KRPC), Kaduna†¦January 1980 – December 1990 National Engineering and Technical Company Ltd. (NETCO), Lagos†¦January 1991 – January 2006 NNPC Investment, Engineering & Techn ical Divisions. Abuja†¦February 2007 – November 2009 Top Manaagement Duties in NNPC Headquarters Abuja. General Manager Upstream Investment in Commercial and Investment Directorate. .General Manager Process Engineering in Technology Directorate. Project Engineering and Management Services: National Engineering and Technical Company. January 1991 to December 2006. Managed underlisted projects: Strategic Management Training for world class managers. (June 2008) Mini –MBA for Oil & Gas in Houston TEXAS October 2009 Engr Iton is amiable & hardworking and is a very discipline Board member of Gufax MFB Mr Mbobo E. Mbobo (ACA) – Director * Mr Mbobo Mr. Mbobo Mbobo is a Director of Gufax Microfinance Bank Ltd. He is a seasoned Accountant. Mbobo has worked as an Accountant with A.C. T Nigeria Ltd, Lagos for 3years before moving on to Federal Mortgage Bank where he worked as a State Accountant for 10years and then another 3years as an Audit Manager with Eddy Ette & C o (Chartered Accountants). He is presently working with the University of Uyo as a part time Lecturer and an Acting Director of Finance with Akwa Ibom State University of Technology. He holds an MBA Degree in Accounting and is working on getting his Ph. D. He is an Associate of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an Associate, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (ACTI).He has attended courses within and outside the country. He has served as a Resource person at Seminars and Workshops. The experience of this Director is a great boosts to our service to customers. CORRESPONDENCE BANKS First Bank of Nigeria Plc Access Bank Plc EcoBank International Plc Diamond Bank Plc United Bank for Africa Plc Zenith Bank Plc Skye Bank Ltd OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: CURRENT ACCOUNT: Gufax MFB offers current account services. The account is necessary as most other cash management services are provided through the current account.VOLUNTARY SAVINGS ACCOUNTS: We provide a number of savings products. These include 1. Regular savings accounts: This is the regular savings account operated for a customer for his personal reason. 2. Gufax Heritage Account: This account is for Children under the age of 18years. Benefits include scholarships. 3. Gufax Daily Contribution: This is for traders who are desirous of saving a pre-agreed amount daily till month end. 4. Gufax Acquired Account: This account is for persons who have specific targeted items to acquire at a specific time 5. Gufax Festivity Account:This account is for savings for festivity such as Christmas, Easter, Salah, Marriages etc 6. Gufax Real Life Savings Scheme: This is an open ended Asset acquisition scheme for civil servants. Regardless of what you want the Bank buys it for you and your salary is deducted for repayment over a period not exceeding one year after you would have saved 50% of the total cost of the asset. COMPULSORY SAVINGS ACCOUNT 1. GROUP COMPULSORY SAVINGS : All group members benefiting from Gufax Group Loan operates a compulsory savings account expected to assist them to build wealth and instil a saving culture in them. . TRICYCLE SAVINGS ACCOUNT: All beneficiaries of the Gufax Tricycle Transport Scheme are made to do a weekly compulsory savings for themselves as part of the condition for being a beneficiary of the scheme. SPECIALISED CREDIT PRODUCTS Gufax Tricycle Scheme: This product is targeted at the former Motorcycle riders in the city of Uyo whose business has been band by the government and replaced with taxi and tricycles. It requires the beneficiary to save 25% of the product cost and the bank will acquire such for the person with a tenor of 8months. Gufax Reallife Scheme:This is targeted at low and medium income government and private sector employees. It is meant to make life meaningful to this class of people by making them have easy access to any asset that will add value to their lives and pay from their salary for a tenor not exceeding 18months. Gu fax Quick Loan: this product is a temporary overdraft facility granted to traders which must be liquidated at the close of work on the last work day of every month. It is targeted at traders who makes daily repayments and with clear potentials to liquidate on or before end of month. FIXED DEPOSIT ACCOUNT:GUFAX MFB has a unique fixed deposit regime that encourages growth in asset and accumulation of wealth with minimal risk. The rates are competitive and attractive but within the Financial and Fiscal Policy Framework of the Central Bank of Nigeria. From as low as a Hundred Thousand, You can own a fixed deposit account with Gufax. SALARY ACCOUNT: Salary account can be opened for employees of companies/organization at no cost. You only need to send us a letter indicating the names of those that need the account and the rest is for us to do. CO-OPERATIVE AND SMALL GROUP ACCOUNT:This account is opened for formal and informal groups and organizations who are engaged in small and medium bu sinesses targeted at poverty alleviation and wealth creation. CREDIT-RELATED SERVICES: The credit-related services of our bank include: 1. Advances and Overdraft 2. Group & Individual Loans 3. Short term facility against staff salaries. 1. Projects development financing 2. Small scale business finance 3. Asset acquisition Financing 4. Property/Household equipment Lease. 5. Micro-insurance 6. Co-operative and Small Group (Formal & Non-formal) lending 7. Bridge Finance/LPO financingFINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES Gufax MFB also offers a wide range of financial advisory services on optimal financial structure involving a mix of equity/debt financing, investment risk management and strategic finance options. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES GUFAX’s Faduk Care Trust This is the philanthropic organ of Gufax MFB and is saddled with the responsibility of making sure that the Bank gives back to the society. Amongst the programme so far handled by the department includes: 1. Scholarships Scheme totalling over a million naira to over 50 beneficiaries from different Educational institutions in Nigeria. . Library Project in Collaboration with ICAN, Uyo District and Society. 3. Sponsorships of programmes, seminars and workshops. 4. Gufax Help. Com Tansport scheme for the frustrated Okada Riders affected by Government band of their operation within Uyo Capital City. PREVIOUS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS We have handled many micro credit programs amongst which are i. FADAMA III Programme in Akwa Ibom State still ongoing. ii. Shell Development micro credit for Uruan (LGA) Community iii. Akwa Ibom State Action Committee on Aids (SACA) in their ongoing micro credit programme. iv.Participating MFB for FGN/CBN/IFAD Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN) for Akwa Ibom State. STRATERGIC BUSINESS PLAN FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MICRO-CREDIT FOR THE RURAL ACTIVE POOR IN ONNA LGA. Our strategy of poverty alleviation partnership is a collaborative approach where the Local governm ent provides a counterpart fund and a guarantee for microcredit to be extended by the bank to the rural active poor within the Local Government Area; Pre-disbursement training, disbursement, monitoring, performance evaluation, recovery, refinancing planning, rendition of report, compulsory savings mobilisation are part of this partnership. Pre-disbursement Training: Each of the beneficiaries of our micro credit will be trained on the basic cash management technique to ensure that there is no diversion of these credits for other purposes. Small and medium enterprises will be duly examined to ensure the commitment of the promoters. We will organize trainings and workshops for the beneficiaries of the loans in line with their trades to help them keep simple books of accounts as well as exercise financial disciplines. These and other awareness seminars/workshops keep our beneficiaries on top performance. †¢ Selection/Disbursement:We engage the beneficiaries of loans/credits through a thorough and diligent selection /screening process. We disburse funds to groups (formal and informal) and organizations with proper co-ordinations and organization; skilled small and medium entrepreneurs as well as individuals with quality business plans for small and medium enterprises. †¢ Monitoring : We will monitor them through our well trained credit/field officers divided into teams and assigned to specific groups/communities and special products of the bank such as group fund management (Government and donor redit scheme funds). †¢ Recovery: Each group or individual is qualified for the loan with at least two guarantors which one of the following must sign: Village head of the beneficiaries/group; clan Head, Paramount ruler, councillors, House of Assembly member or any prominent member of the community with a net-worth over and above the loan amount. †¢ Repayment Plan: At the commencement of the programme, we shall draw up a repayment plan to enable them kno w the duration of the loan and the repayment period. Rendition of Report: We shall keep a chart (ledger) to monitor daily, weekly and monthly performances and shall constantly present monthly report on the performance of the scheme to the Board and Management for Assessment and Policy formulation. †¢ Our Charges: Our charges will be on commission basis which is negotiable or a subsidized interest rate. ORGANOGRAM: GUFAX MICROFINANCE BANK ORGANISATIONAL CHART [pic] MANAGEMENT STAFF PROFILE: Gufax Microfinance Bank stands out from among its peers because of our uniqueness and personalized services to customers.We parade a team of highly motivated and well trained staff, who will not rest until a customer is satisfied. MD/CEO – please see as in Director’s profiles Mgr-Business Development & Strategy(BDS) * Mr Ubong Udoh is an MBA student of ESUT, Holds B. Sc in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. He is also a member of the Statistical Association of Nigeria, Member of the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, He has working experience with reputable companies, such as Zenith Bank, Intercontinental Bank and the Central bank of Nigeria spanning over 10 years.He is a a Certified Microfinance Banker(MCIB) of CIBN. He is involve in many Humanitarian services including, Action Aid Int’l, Society Against Malaria, SACA, ACOMIN and the UNHCR. He is hardworking and goal oriented. He is friendly but disciplined. * CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER & HEAD OF AUDIT: As Head of Internal Control/Audit Department of Gufax (MF) Bank, Ubon Akpan has over 20 years experience in Banking, Accounting, Finance, Auditing and General Management traversing both Public and Private Sector Establishments.He started his career at Mercantile Bank Plc, where he rose to the post of a Supervisor. He later joined A. T. Asikpo & Co (Chartered Accountants) as Audit Supervisor, from where he moved to Frank & General Associates (A f irm of Financial & Management Consultants) as Finance & Admin Manager. Thereafter, he got an appointment at ACCESS Group of Schools as Head of Accounts/ Bursar for 2 years and later as Head of Audit for 3 years, before taking up another appointment as the General Manager of Grafen Enterprises Ltd – a Human Resources Management Company in the Oil Services sub sector.He also worked with Ekondo (MF) Bank, Calabar, as a Manager before he joined Gufax (MF) Bank. A Cost and Management Accountant (ACMA), he holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accounting, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calabar. * MANAGER,BANKING OPERATIONS: ADEYANJU LANSEBE is a graduate * MANAGER,BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: This department is managed by Ugomma Udonsi who is a highy skilled banker with over 10 years of experience in the banking sector.She started her banking career with Mutual Alliance Savings & Loans Ltd where she worke d as Head, Branch Operations/Treasury. She holds HND in Estate Management from Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri. CONCLUSION: At Gufax, we pride ourselves in focusing on the individual customer because we appreciate the fact that each customer is unique. GUFAX MFB is an engine room and hope for economic growth and development of the devastated lower class of our society.As our vision and mission clearly states, we are committed to the evolution of a society where every active poor can smile, please come along. UDUAK UDO MD/CEO www. gufaxmfbank. com ———————– MD/CEO Board of Directors COO/SA to the MD M Head, Banking Operations Head, Admin/ Human Resource Head, Audit /Compliance Head, IT Unit Legal Department Head, Business Development Credit & Marketing Executive / Debt Recovery HR/Admin Cashiers/Customer Service Officers/Funds Transfer Internal Audit Officers Internal Ctrl Officers IT Officers and Trainees Transports / Securit y

The Lesson of the Moth

Do you feel like you live your life to questionable? Or do you feel that life is to short and you should take every beautiful moment? Similar situation to the poem â€Å"the lesson of the moth†, the moth, he takes life for granted and rather risk his life for one moment. As for the roach he likes to take things slow as in living a longer life. He wouldn’t just throw his life away for nothing, Quality over quantity (moth) v. quantity over quality (roach). The moth is suicidal and the cockroach is a pansy. My reaction to the poem is that I agree. Also, I was surprised at how the author used animals as examples, instead of humans. it should be a combination of the two, because you should do exciting things in life but at the same time be careful what you do that way you don’t live a short life, but it is exciting at the same time. Because it’s okay to take the risky side, but if you fail it’s on you. And like the roach you’re taking more steps to a better life without any worries. I think this story teaches the lesson that some people become so sucked in with what they want in life and what they believe will make them happy they let all their inhibitions go, and their sense of reason almost disappears. What we think will make us happy, doesn’t always turn out the way we predict it to. Man and the moth are trying to accomplish the same thing†¦ a better life. Man wishes to live his life with half of the happiness and live twice as long, while the moth would rather live its life to the fullest even if it means it will be cut short.

Impact of Vietnam War on American culture Research Paper

Impact of Vietnam War on American culture - Research Paper Example There were various innovative factors that contributed to the perception of the war. One of them is the transmission of the information of the war by the media particularly television. Its impact on the Vietnam’s war played a more significant role than in any other conflict in the 20th century. It was an innovative method that replaced newspapers and radios, which were the main mode of broadcasting at the time. The general public was involved in the Vietnam struggle raising the height of public opposition. Due to the unlimited access of journalists and photographers in the battlefields, the public were able to see the war as they had never seen before. The war influenced almost all branches of the American culture. However, it is crucial to determine how much the description of the war influenced the lives of the Americans and the whether its representation changed over time. The diverse methods used in approaching the Vietnam War were in accordance to various forms of artistic designs and all forms of cultural categories. Thus, the combination of all the factors of the war resulted into Americans growing tired of the violence and encouraged them to come up with efforts to find their way out of the war. One of the impacts that the war had on the American culture was on the literary culture of the Americans. In the first few years after the withdrawal of the Americans from the war, there were less literary works to represent the attitudes toward the Vietnam War. The change overturned in the late 1970’s and early 1980 are when various forms of literary works started to floods the markets. Most of them represented personal narratives from individuals who had first hand experiences of the war. One good example is the novel, armies of the night by Norman Mailer in 1968. It represented a reflection of the march on the pentagon in DC in 1967 (Anderson, 2011).

Aristotle's Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Aristotle's Responsibility - Essay Example If a person put his hand up and another one comes along and pulls it down that act could be described as an involuntary action. Conversely, if a person gave another food or drink that resulted in killing him unknowingly then, that could be said to be an involuntary action. Thus, an involuntary action does not shape the quality of a person as it is not an action that is done out of will (Höffe 97). Voluntary actions practiced by human beings shape their character, and how they deal with others, thus making some of them appear just, and others unjust depending on the situation that they are associated with. Apparently, actions shape peoples’ character and define them as who they are with regard to what they do. For instance, a harpist is a character that is associated with playing the harp, not by just theoretically being a harpist. The constant practicing and perfecting of playing the harp are what causes someone to be a harpist. None of the human being’s virtues of character come naturally. If anything, human beings are born with the ability to acquire them, and then use them through habits (Höffe 107). Never the less, habits allow us to perform virtues, but habituation cannot bring something by nature from one condition into another. According to Aristotle, the objection made at 1114B denotes that no one is answerable for their deeds because they feel their actions are the best for them. Any person who has the normal character to perform what is best for him or she automatically becomes a good person. Coincidentally, how a conclusion appears to someone is natural. This means that the purpose for everything someone does primarily appears as a good idea to them. People do not understand the impact of their actions but are more interested in attaining their means (Höffe 103).

Case analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Case analysis - Assignment Example For example, in 2010 the company recorded low profits for the holiday quarter. The management blamed the sluggish global economy for the decrease in profits. Additionally, the Wal-Mart’s management argued that the cuts in food stamps would have a negative impact on the profits. They further singled out high taxation, reduce in government benefits, and tighter credit as threats to the store’s profits. 4. The store evolves around with social trends. For instance, Wal-Mart’s top management has embraced online shopping. Additionally, the business goes in line with the customers’ demand for healthier foods. However, Wal-Mart did not embrace the use of technology early. The store’s founder, Sam Walton, did not care about technology. Currently, the store’s website is behind its competitors. Their marketing in the social media did not yield much success. The alternative is for the store to give the best customer experience to its customers and hire employees that would give better service to the customers. Additionally, they have to make their business more attractive by making classy colors inside the store. Furthermore, the store has to give low prices to their goods. An improvement in the store’s public image will be a sign that they have improved the customer experience. If there will be an increase in the number of customers, it will be evident the store has reduced its prices and the goods are more affordable to all. A general rise in the profits will indicate the store has implemented all its alternatives. The company will be in the right direction if it improves the customer experience. However, no one can fulfill human wants because they are insatiable. Additionally, a reduction in price in order to attract more customers would hurt the store’s profits. The paper recommends the store to open more branches. It will make the store become more popular globally. The management should consider more

Do 'Nice Guys Finish Last' (Dore, 2006) Will the Anglo-Saxon model Essay

Do 'Nice Guys Finish Last' (Dore, 2006) Will the Anglo-Saxon model ultimately outperform the superior Rhine model - Essay Example Reforms in Japan and Germany The chapter ‘Nice Guys Finish Last’ tends to demonstrate the transformation that is needed for the reformers in Japan as well as Germany who tends to pay utmost attention towards escalating inequality as well as unfair competition. These reformers are further observed to impede the process of cooperation upon which the social cohesion has been grounded. They also promise to humiliate the quality of the lives of the people by a considerable level (Dore, 2006). In comparison to other capitalist economies, it has been noted that the institutional framework belonging to the Germany framework has been quite different. Markets of Germany are found to be instituted politically and socially monitored. The managers belonging to big German firms tend to come across capital as well as labour markets that are further found to be greatly controlled or arranged. This particular facet eventually facilitates capital as well as labour to play an imperative pa rt directly into the day to day business operation. In other words, the German model related to advanced capitalism can be described as an economy possessing high wage along with high competitiveness in the world. It has also been apparent that the country practices strong social cohesion along with low degree of inequality in different dimensions (Streeck, 1996). The various institutions of numerous nations have been found to make proper use of the unique set of socio-economic institutions that generally resides in both social as well as financial markets. Furthermore, these institutions endorses specific framework of production that is also connoted as diversified quality production. The institutions during the 1970s as well as 1980s have made high wages along with their low distribution of the wages and income more effective. It can be stated that the institutionalised high-wage sort of economy such as Germany tends to face greater problems related to financial performances. It i s quite significant for such an economy to meet a set of rules and policies in order to remain competitive and maintain cohesiveness in the society. The crisis prevailing in the German social market economy can be demonstrated in case of concurrence of three factors such as secular collapse of the model, the anxieties related to unification among the people of the society as well as the limitations that has been inflicted by the globalisation of the capitalist economy (Streeck, 1996). It can be revealed that the British as well as the Americans are considered to be the pioneers whose institutions along with the economic behaviour tends to confirm the principles of the neoclassical textbooks. On the other hand, Germany's as well as Japan’s institutions diverge from the principles that have been made in the neoclassical books. It has been apparent that the finance along with the corporate control structures had been quite alike in the 1920s in comparison to the later years. It was by the end of the post-war golden age that demonstrated the signals of convergence related to similar types of managerial capitalism (Dore & et. al., 1999). Approaches to Comparative

What leadership styles dominate the Chinese market Essay

What leadership styles dominate the Chinese market - Essay Example This paper aims to determine which leadership style is the most suitable for companies in China as it is the leadership style of a manager coupled with organizational culture that determines the employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Leadership styles are employed by managers to suit the needs of the people and the organization that is being led. It is almost always a mix of the six leadership styles: visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pace-setting and commanding, that today’s leaders practice in successfully leading their teams. These styles are adopted by the leader either individually or as a mix of more than one style, within the context of the people and organizational needs at that moment. The success with which leaders adopt the different styles, to what extent each style has its influence on employee performance and job satisfaction and how the organizational culture affects the job satisfaction and organizational commitment by the employee will be explored. Further, it will also be understood as to the shelf life of each style or if the adopted style is applicable to all situations and sectors in Chinese organizations. Finally, qualitative analysis of available literature in published journals, news articles and websites can help understand the most suitable leadership style for my business in the Chinese region that can have the maximum impact on employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment. ... nies in China as it is the leadership style of a manager coupled with organizational culture that determines the employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Lok and Crawford, 2004). Leadership styles are employed by managers to suit the needs of the people and the organization that is being led. It is almost always a mix of the six leadership styles: visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pace-setting and commanding, that today’s leaders practice in successfully leading their teams. These styles are adopted by the leader either individually or as a mix of more than one style, within the context of the people and organizational needs at that moment (Murray, 2012). The success with which leaders adopt the different styles, to what extent each style has its influence on employee performance and job satisfaction and how the organizational culture affects the job satisfaction and organizational commitment by the employee will be explored. Further, it will also b e understood as to the shelf life of each style or if the adopted style is applicable to all situations and sectors in Chinese organizations. Also, it will help to understand how the leaders can effectively determine which leadership style to use under certain circumstances, and how they communicate through their style of leadership. Finally, qualitative analysis of available literature in published journals, news articles and websites can help understand the most suitable leadership style for my business in the Chinese region that can have the maximum impact on employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment. 2. Literature Review a. Introduction Leadership style adopted by managers in Chinese firms has an impact on job satisfaction and commitment and leadership style is influenced by

The Impact of Diversity on Creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Impact of Diversity on Creativity - Essay Example This is particularly relevant for companies now with the call for both incremental and revolutionary change to enliven the vision and mission† Segal (2001).   Let us take the workplace as an example. Many companies hire people from different ethnic backgrounds. And apparently for very good reasons. The recent years saw the number of corporate managers subscribing to the idea that â€Å"when well managed,† ethnic diversity in the workplace can â€Å"provide organizations with certain competitive advantages.† (McLeod, Lobel & Cox 1996). These managers believe that ideas, which the ethnically diverse groups come up with, are often found to have â€Å"higher quality—more effective and feasible—than the ideas produced by the homogeneous groups,† or the group of people with the same ethnicity. According to McLeod, Lobel & Cox (1996), an enlightened manager realizes that stronger unity exists within diversity. As Lisagor (2006) states;   On the other hand, leaders who appreciate the value of different life experiences, surround themselves with many types of individuals, and encourage dissenting views are usually rewarded with greater success and personal satisfaction.   Advocates for diversity argue that having people with diverse backgrounds will offer diverse ideas to the company.

Free Will Unit4 DB Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Free Will Unit4 DB - Assignment Example My argument is empiricist. It is supported by some evidence including Psychiatric illness like Schizophrena whose findings after studies suggest a remarkably high degree of influence of genetics, mostly evidence that is additive with no shared influence of the environment. Mental ability, where the IQ is only governed by the environment at an early age, but genetic influence increases gradually while the effects of the shared environment drop to zero. Social attitudes, where studies reveal that environmental influence on conservatism is only up to the age 19 after which genetic influences takes change (Bouchard & Thomas, 2004). My argument is based on findings from different researches taken by different institutions and which focuses on different areas. I have also provided supporting evidence of those findings. Therefore, my conclusion is that genetics affect the human personality and physiology more than the environment does and given that this argument is empiricist the freedom to choose among the two is restricted to a single option being genetics. Baker C. (2004) Behavioral Genetics: An introduction to how genes and environments interact through development to shape differences in mood, personality and intelligence. Retrieved March 4, 2013 from

The Proponents of the Monument to Forrest Research Paper

The Proponents of the Monument to Forrest - Research Paper Example Courts of law have held that it is up to the judicial system to decide if certain acts carried out in private capacity under the First Amendment are publicly acceptable. Court rulings provide that private acts under the First Amendment are acceptable as long as they do not encroach on the rights of other citizens (Mitchell). For example, a person can decide to shed their clothes in private, but this behaviour cannot take place in public since it leads to obscene behaviour. Under the First Amendment and the right to public expression, a person could theoretically shed their clothes and go public, but under court rulings, this has been exposed as public indecency (Mitchell). In the current situation, the monument to Forrest is being erected on private land, but this private land is publicly exposed to the town centre. The monument to Forrest would be clearly visible from the town centre, and so it would become a public affair. If Nathan Bedford Forrest was recognized as a hero by membe rs of all communities living in Selma, it would be acceptable to erect such a monument to pay homage. However, Forrest is a disputed personality in terms of his historical acceptability to various communities and may provoke outrage in African Americans living in the town. Erecting such a monument in Selma may lead to racial strife between black and anti-black groups, which may trigger violent outcomes. In order to prevent violence and racial friction, it would be pertinent to ensure that the monument to Forrest is not erected near major public centres.

Business Insourcing, Self-Sourcing and Outsourcing Research Paper

Business Insourcing, Self-Sourcing and Outsourcing - Research Paper Example On the other hand, self sourcing has its disadvantages which include: Lack of organizational focus, lack of design alternative analysis and lack of documentation. In commerce, outsourcing is the constricting out of a trade procedure to an intermediary. The word "outsourcing" becomes admired in the US close to the revolution of the 21st century. Outsourcing occasionally entails transferring human resources as well as assets from one company to another, but not at all times. Outsourcing is as well used to explain the performance of handing over management of civic services to for-profit companies. Outsourcing consists of both strange and family contracting; in addition to sometimes take account of offshoring or relocating a business, profession to another nation. Financial investments from lower global labor rates are a big inspiration for outsourcing. In sourcing is enhanced for significant Domain comprehension centric actions; trade innovation driven scheme, to generate competitive i ndividuality for business expansion (Click et al., 2005 p.26). Outsourcing is better if position information requirement for detailed duration, repeatable deal based, releasing in-house resources for extra value supplemented area, and suppleness of Ramp-up plus Ramp-down. The outsourcing drawback may also contain miscommunication: the corporations give unreliable service to "yes, we will hold up increased communication plus increased contact points", but the majority of the time they do not adjust scheme timelines plus they indulgence their offshore equivalent as if they were down the lane. Subsequently, they cannot comprehend why the scheme is behind. The world turns out to be more compound, change is accelerate, the current transfer to in sourcing those roles once again is a dial that parties are appreciating they need better flexibility and suppleness that is a bit more complex to attain when purpose are outsourced. Trade and IT also have extra sourcing options than ever, out sou rcing, in sourcing, near shore, on shore, with all these, how to expertise a superior IT sourcing tactic? Corporations outsource to keep away from assured kinds of costs. They outsource the non foundation actions. Among the motives companies opt for to outsource comprise the escaping of regulations, elevated taxes, high power costs, and costs linked with describe benefits in labor-union contract and duties for regime mandated reimbursement. Alleged or definite gross border in the diminutive operate incentivizes a corporation to outsource (Stephen, 2006, p. 14). With compact short-run expenses, administrative management sees the chance for short-run proceeds while the profits enlargement of the customer base is overwrought (Chris, 2006, p. 23). This prompts corporations to outsource for lesser effort costs. Outsourcing can put forward greater budget suppleness and control. Outsourcing allows organizations disburse for simply the services they require, when they require them. It as we ll reduces the want to hire and guide particular staff, conveys in fresh engineering proficiency, and decreases capital and working expenses. In addition, the label outsourcing has been established to be employed for too numerous different kinds of substitutes in puzzling ways. For instance, worldwide software expansion, which frequently

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

Marketing youself - Essay Example From last phase of 2008 onward labour market is in a pathetic condition. Though the data relies by government and non-government agencies reveals that many companies started recruitment phase, but this is mostly at the lower level and for the employees belonging to the age group of 19-24 years. The important grounds for selection of these workers are Communication skill (54%), professional qualification (41%) and work ethics (39%). It has been declared that just 15 percent of the employees will receive a review in their pays in the year 2009. Only 8% of the companies are planning to heir migrant employees and these should be highly skilled (ICPD, 2009). The labour market in UK is composed of 31.23 million people as of 2008. Approximately, 1.3 % of this population is engaged in agriculture, 24.2% in the industry and 74.5 5 in the services industry. The unemployment rate of the country is about 5.6% as of 2008. (CIA World Factbook, 2009). UK has seen major ups and downs with regards to its employment rates. The percentage of the working population has however seen a northward trend since 1993. The report also states that the country spends the lowest amount towards the active based market programs when compared with other countries. UK spends less than 0.4% on its labour market programs as a percentage of the GDP which is much lower than its other counterparts in Europe. The reason for this can be attributed to the astounding success of the economy of the nation which has seen continuous periods of growth for about 57 quarters. Secondly there is very limited regulation and limits on the labour market. (Cort, n.d.). The recent economic downturn has taken its toll on the job market in UK. The unemployment rates have risen sharply. The latest figures released by the government shows that the total number of unemployed people in UK is about 2.26 million as of 2009. Analysts predict that these figures

Domestic Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Domestic Architecture - Essay Example The general plan of the houses, is very similar to the buildings of the Tudor period One of the distinguishing features of this style is that the second story projects out slightly over the first. The corners of the house are decorated with little suspended pendant-like ornaments. Both these features are typical of the medieval fashion, where the second floor would project out, and a little into the street. The website also says that it would appear that buildings so fashioned were considered more 'formal' and 'fancier'. Yet another distinguishing feature of this style is the asymmetry of the house As the article, 'Colonial Architecture' points out the Parson Capen House, was among the more modest dwellings of that time. The front door of the Parson Capen house is not quite in the center of the wall, but slightly to the right, thus asymmetrical. Also like other colonial structures, the second floor projects out. As the article states the house, "is typical of the two-story New England house of overlapping weatherboards. Northern Arizona University tells us that it was in France: that Jefferson learned of Roman architecture and its symbolic association with Greek democracy. With this inspiration, he began reworking the house he had begun in 1769, upon a small mountain, and continued to tear down and re-build it till 1809. The Wikipedia free encyclopedia mentions that Monticello in French means 'little mountain' Jefferson was inspired by the works of Andrea Palladio particularly the Villa Rotunda says the article, 'Classic(al) Revival / Jeffersonian Classicism / Roman Classicism'. Prof Paradis says that the identifying features of this style include a dentil cornice emphasized with wide band of trim, porches, temple-front entryway, and square or rounded columns, usually Doric. Another interesting feature at Monticello is the dome. This style of architecture competed with the Federal style, which was more prevalent and dominant at the time, and which drew its origins from the 'Adamesque' (Georgian) style of architecture. states the article 'Federal Style.' Another feature of this style and period is that windows have a number of small panes of glass because it was difficult to make large pieces of glass. There might be 12, 8, or 6 panes in both the top and bottom window sashes. These features can all be seen in Monticello. Another website with information on Jefferson titled '1768 to 1782 Thomas Jefferson, architect Near Charlottesville, Virginia, USA' says that, "he combined the great European traditions of Palladio with American domesticity." The difference from Palladio, the article says, lay in aspects he introduced to the Monticello like the "long horizontal wings, underground service rooms, and all sorts of "modern" gadgets. " William Low House, Charlottesville, Virginia. (1887) Frank Lloyd Wright 428 Oak Park, Illinois (1889) Shingle style. "A shingled home does not stand on ceremony. It

Asian political thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Asian political thought - Essay Example Furthermore, the Chinese management has no hesitation fought far-off interferences in the interior matters of independent countries and in particular when controlled by the United States and the West in general; out of an apprehension that such interference is often inspired by a need for government modification, and could institute a model that one day might be used against Beijing. All of these issues have made Beijing to counterattack or at the slightest refrain from struggles by other shapes, and even worldwide bodies, to coercively force or intervene regimentally in political confrontations or cases of interior turbulence happening in other especially emerging nations. Nevertheless, in the past few years, China`s allegedly upright and realistic position on this subject has been underneath force because of the rising worldwide apprehension over a number of occurrences in which dictatorial governments have used ferocity counter to their individual populace. Accordingly, it has als o had a stern position concerning the development of an extensive variety of social, economic, and safety matters that distance and wear down nationwide borders. For some experts, such expansions are backing to the formation of so-called post-Westphalia rules, which highlight â€Å"the right and undeniably the responsibility of the global public to trespass on the self-sufficiency of the country to defend or progress other deliberations. Research shows that the most prominent instance of such an energy in the part of benevolent involvement is redirected in the so-called â€Å"accountability to defend† standard approved at the UN World Summit conference in 2005, and talked in numerous UN determinations and declarations subsequently. In case such standards increase better sustenance, particularly amongst chief emerging nations as well as egalitarianisms like India and Indonesia, Beijing could meet growing pressure to care for more interfering rules. In reality, Beijing current ly acknowledges that benevolent calamity or other native complications happening in so-called zones of unpredictability from the Chinese viewpoint or unsuccessful countries from a Western standpoint can stance grave political, subtle, and economic intimidations to other countries, comprising China. Moreover, the Chinese management approves with various other countries that even though it is imperative to analyze the fundamental, long-standing complications that cause such local unpredictability, this general goal should not avert temporary activities essential to hand evolving and instant benevolent and other pressures. As a result, Beijing has lately revealed marks of accommodating, or at least accepting in, globally recognized involvements in other republics, in some circumstances for motives related with the deterrence of state-inflicted mass ferocity. A latest instance of such altering approaches was delivered by Beijing’s preparedness to allow UN-backed, NATO-led soldier ly intercession in Libya to avert the assassination of blameless citizens by the Qaddafi despotism. In this case, the succeeding development of the

Writing assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Writing assessment - Essay Example My supervisor pointed out that the logic was in fact flawed. Moreover, the essay was underdeveloped in minor ways, and there were only one or two clunky introductions from outside sources. When it came to my second assignment, I was happy to notice that the supervisor had acknowledged the fact that most of my sources were appropriate. Instead of referring to online dictionaries and other unimpressive and unreliable sources as I did in the first paper, I cited appropriately the ideas from a research work by Laurie A Couture, and provided correct bibliographic details in the end. However, some of the flaws still persisted in the second paper as well. It was marked ‘poor’ or two counts – for one or more tasks mismanaged and for being distinctly underdeveloped. There were also occasional gaps in logic or clarity, and there were one or two clunky introductions of outside sources. When I read the paper a second time, I too felt that I could have done better with the dev elopment of the paper if I hadn’t confused the notion of injustice by referring to an incident where I was clearly misbehaving and punished as a child, though the immediate cause for punishment could not be strictly attributed to me. I could have chosen a better instance of injustice where one was at the receiving end of ruthlessness or oppression. When compared to the second paper, the first was slightly better in that it did develop the tasks reasonably well, and was underdeveloped only in minor ways. However, I will make sure that the improvement I made with regard to the sources and logical arguments. In the future, I hope to focus more on my areas of weakness in order to make faster improvement and achieve more clarity by better research and organization of thoughts. I haven’t made much progress with regard to the organization of thoughts. In the first paper, I was marked average for mostly coherent paragraphs, and

ICT Notes Case Essay Example for Free

ICT Notes Case Essay Whenever personal details or other private information is stored about people, it is regulated by the data Protection Act and organisations storing such information must register with the data protection bureau. It gives rights to data subjects (i.e. in this case the patients who have specific data about themselves stored on the health centre system). Data is subject to 8 main regulations to protect the rights and privacy of individuals. These are: 1. Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully. 2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes. see more:annual function speech 3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose for which it is used. 4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. 5. Personal data shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for the specified purpose. 6. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under the act (patients have the right to view and correct information held, except in cases of crime or certain government agencies). 7. Data holders should have appropriate measures in place to protect the data against loss, theft or corruption. 8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country outside the EEC unless that country ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights of data subjects. Computer Misuse Act 1990 This law was introduced to cope with the problems of computer hackers and viruses. The Act was introduced to recognise these three offences: 1. Unauthorised access to computer material If a member of the health centre staff uses another staff members password to log onto their user area, this is illegal. Even if they dont change, delete or damage anything, they are still guilty of accessing materials without authorisation and this is illegal. 2. Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate a crime The difference between this and the first offence is that the person gaining access to someone elses system is doing so with the sole purpose of doing something illegal e.g. fraud, blackmail etc. This might mean that they had to guess or steal the password in order to get into someones user area or their bank account. 3. Unauthorised modification of computer material This offence relates to the deletion or changes made to files with the intent to cause damage to an individual or to the health centres computer system. This offence also covers planting viruses to other peoples systems. Writing a virus technically isnt a crime; but if you knowingly transmit a virus to others, you are guilty under this section of the Computer Misuse Act. Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1989 This act was passed to make it illegal to copy files, software etc without permission. The law can be broken in three ways: 1. Using software without a proper licence. The health centre must ensure it purchases a site licence which allows everyone at the centre to use the software. 2. Using text or images from the internet and using them without the copyrights owners (the authors) permission or acknowledging where the health centre got them from. 3. A member of staff copying a computer program at the health centre and then running it on their computer at home without permission from the copyright holder. 4. Health and Safety Issues Relating to Computer Use The health centre must ensure under the Health and Safety Regulations 1992 that they provide a safe working environment for anyone using computers. The health centre must :Ensure that the computer equipment is safe. 1. Ensure workstations meet the required standards for health and safety i.e. provide proper computer chairs, foot supports, lighting etc. 2. Plan work so the staff have regular breaks which allow them to do non-computer work. 3. Pay for regular eyesight tests for staff using computers regularly. 4. Provide health and safety training and information to all staff. There are various health problems associated with the regular use of computers. Here are some of the most common problems and what can be done to reduce the risks: Health Problem Cause Solution Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) * Repetitive finger, hand or arm movements. * Poor posture. * Badly designed workstations. * Ensure wrists are straight and elbows are close to your sides when typing. * Ensure posture is correct. * Take regular breaks. Eye strain * Staring at the VDU for long periods. * Poor lighting, glare from the screen, flickering screen. * Use a screen filter to reduce glare and keep your eyes at least 18 inches away from the screen. * Ensure appropriate lighting. * Have regular eyesight tests. * Take regular breaks. Back/Circulation problems * Poor posture. * Sitting all day in front of a computer. * Ensure posture is correct. * Take regular breaks and walk to improve circulation. The use of ICT when Paying Staff WagesStaff at the health centre are paid using a computerised system and their wages are paid straight into their bank account. The benefits to the health centre for having a computerised system: 1. It is quicker and more accurate than calculating wages manually. 2. The added security that wages are paid straight into bank accounts i.e. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) money is transferred from the health centres account to the individual staff members account. Employees at the health centre are paid weekly. Payroll uses a system called batch processing, this is where all data is stored up and then all processed together. In order to calculate how much each employee should be paid the following inputs, processing and outputs must take place. Inputs Processing Outputs Employee payroll number, name, address, DOB, marital status, N I number, hourly rate/annual salary, pension details, holiday entitlement, days off sick etc * Employee record will be read by the system. * Each employee will be paid by the system. * Each employee record will be updated by the system * The payslip * Money is transferred from the health centre bank account to each employees bank account. * Report for the health centre detailing updates, payment etc Methods of Maintaining Data SecurityData is invaluable to the health centre if they lose their data it is very hard to replace. Loss of data would cripple the health centre in the short term and may even jeopardise its existence as a service. Measures must therefore be in place to ensure data security. Security can be viewed in terms of physical security, access security and data security.Physical Security Equipment can be made more secure by: 1. Keeping a record of all serial numbers on each piece of equipment and mark the health centres name and postcode on all equipment so the police can identify stolen property easily. 2. The health centre could have a security alarm system and surveillance system on the building as well as ensuring that windows and doors are locked after surgery hours to prevent access. 3. The closing of blinds on windows and switching off monitors at night will make the computers less visible. 4. The use of fireproof doors and smoke alarms will help reduce the risk of fire in the building. Access Security Vast amounts of data is lost due to carelessness by employees e.g. not saving work, deleting files by accident, not saving files with sensible file names and therefore are difficult to find etc. Limiting each employees access to the system with help to ensure against the loss of data to the health centres system. 1. Password -this is still the major line of defence. Restrictions can be imposed on length of password and restrictions on the times a user can access the system. 2. Firewall this is a piece of software which sits between the health centres network and the rest of the internet. It will monitor the system for any breaches of security and protect the health centres information and computing resources by allowing only messages conforming to certain protocols (agreed set of rules) to be sent/received. 3. Anti-Virus Programs this software is used to detect viruses and to limit the damage by removing them. Data Security To prevent the loss of patients records etc the health centre needs to ensure that regular back-ups are made of the data on the system using suitable backing storage (also known as secondary storage). Types of Backing Storage Name of Device Advantages Disadvantages Hard Disks * Large storage capacity 20 gigabytes or more. * Faster to access * Any problems with the hard drive may mean all data stored on it will be lost Floppy Disks * Small and portable * Data can be transferred easily between different computers. * Disks can be made read-only which will reduce the chances of data being accidentally overwritten. * Small storage capacity 1.44 megabytes. * Accessing data is slow * Being floppy it is easily damaged Optical Disks e.g. CDs DVDs * Direct access to the data. * Faster to access * CD-Rs only allow data to be written onto them only once The above list is not exhaustive and you should explore other alternatives.Website Design and Hosting There are many reasons why businesses or individuals have a website. In the case of the health centre it has a website to provide information and services to patients e.g. providing advice on minor ailments, surgery hours etc. Some other purposes of having a website: Type of Site Reason Personal * Sharing pictures/stories with friends and family Business * Inform customers of their products/services * Company news, events etc * Recruit staff E-Commerce * Advertising their products/services for sale * Offering home shopping facilities Educational * Offer information on training * On-line encyclopaedias News and Entertainment * Latest world news * Sports information A website is made up of one or more web pages. A web page is created by writing code in a language called HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) which was developed especially to create web pages. There are many web page designs. Most good web pages share some common elements: Web Page Element Its Purpose Banner This is the area at the top of the page and is often the same on all the other pages of the web site. It may contain a company logo, search box etc Menu System This area provides navigation around the site Content Area The main content of the web page is here. It may contain, text, images, sound etc. Footer This area will often contain copyright notices, terms and conditions etc. Navigation (method of moving around the site) is important especially if the site is made up of several web pages. There are 3 main methods to of using navigation: 1. The Hyperlink when you click your mouse on a navigation hyperlink it will take you to another page. This page could be on the same website or a different website (external link). 2. The Menu System the navigation menu gives you a choice of which page you want to view next. A menu is a set of hyperlinks grouped together. There are various menu styles such as a side menu which normally sits on the left hand side of the page. 3. Hotspot this is an area on the web page which when clicked will allow you to jump to another page. It is a way for the designer to make the hyperlink invisible or for them to allow you to click on an image in order to jump somewhere else. When you hover your mouse over a hotspot the cursor changes to a little hand There are a number of ways to create and design a web page: Design Methods Software Advantages Disadvantages Straight from a Microsoft Office application * Word * PowerPoint * Simple, just save as a web page * Can only create a basic page Text Editor * Notepad * Low cost as Notepad is free with windows * You have to know a lot about HTML code * Easy to make a mistake as all the code is written by hand Web Authoring Package * Microsoft Front Page * Macromedias Dreamweaver * It will provide ready made templates * Easy to add/remove pages without breaking the site navigation * Expensive * Takes time to learn In order for other people to see the health centres web site it must be placed on a web server. This is called hosting. A web server is made up of 2 things: * A computer * Running on the computer is a piece of software called web server software. The website is loaded on the servers hard disk, when a request is made to view a web page from the health centres site the server finds it on the hard disk and sends a copy to the computer that has made the request. The WWW is made up of millions of web servers, each connected to the internet. In order to view the health centres website, the requesting computer must be running another piece of software called the web browser. The Use of Systems Flowcharts Flow diagrams are a way to work out the best order to do something. System flowcharts show exactly how the data moves e.g. the health centre could produce a system flowchart to create a new patient record. The main symbols used to develop flowcharts are: Start/End The terminator symbol marks the starting or ending point of the process. It usually contains the word Start or End. Process A box can represent a single step (add two cups of flour), or and entire sub-process (make bread) within a larger process. Decision A decision or branching point. Lines representing different decisions emerge from different points of the diamond. Input/Output Represents material or information entering or leaving the process, such as customer order (input) or a product (output). Flow Line Lines indicate the sequence of steps and the direction of flow. Data storage Indicates a step where data gets stored. For Example Save Orders Delay Indicates a delay in the process. For example Wait 1 day There are benefits and drawbacks to using system flowcharts. Here are some of them: Advantages Disadvantages Flowcharts are good way to communicate the details of a process to all concerned e.g. programmers use them to write commands that will create the computer system. Some processes are so complex that it becomes difficult to represent them clearly in a flowchart. Flowcharts can help people analyse problems, highlight bottlenecks and is a good way to document a process. If an alteration needs to be made to the system, the flowchart usually needs to be redrawn. If it is a complicated flowchart, this can require a lot of work. Flowcharts enable an organisation to have a record of standard business processes. People need to understand what the flowchart means and what the different symbols represent. You cannot give a flowchart to a novice and expect them to understand it. The Use and Analysis of Survey Data The goal in any survey is to collect accurate and complete information. In order for a survey to be effective and provide meaningful data it should be conducted in a uniform manner i.e. all respondents must be asked the same question in the same way. Conducting a face-to-face interview and the completion of a questionnaire are 2 popular ways information is collected. Advantages/Disadvantages of Interviews Advantage Disadvantage Questions are fully completed as respondents can clarify points further with the interviewer. Interviews have to be pre-planned. A time and a place has to be convenient to both individuals. An individual may cancel. Detailed information can be gathered in a variety of formats e.g. written, voice recorded. Interviews can cause a change in behaviour and respondents may feel pressurised into giving an answer they would normally not give. The interviewer can give feedback to the respondent e.g. Thats important to know. This can be used to keep the respondent talking and therefore is likely to give more in-depth answers. Interviews are time consuming, costly and information taken by the interviewer may be too detailed, illegible etc Advantages/Disadvantages of Questionnaires Advantage Disadvantage Can reach a geographically wide spread area. Poor completion and return rate. Many people can be reached in this way quickly and cheaply Points cannot be clarified further and writing may be illegible. Easy to conduct statistical analysis on. If they are simple they have little information. If they are complex they may be difficult to understand. The health centre relies on information being up-to-date and accurate in order to plan or make decisions in the short/long term e.g. depending on the number of patients the health centre has will dictate the number of doctors it has on call. The type of information gathering techniques used will depend on the type of information required: * Quantitative information This is based on numerical facts, figures and statistics e.g. number of patients who are male, sales figures etc. * Qualitative information This provides depth and detailed information. It takes into account views, judgements and opinions etc. The type of questions asked will determine the type of responses given: * Closed ended questions These can usually be answered by a simple yes or no. They are restrictive and can be answered in a few words e.g. does this answer your question? Or can I help you? * Open-ended questions They require a more broad and lengthy answer and are used to gain more information from the respondent e.g. When you say [topic], what do you mean? Or What do you mean by [topic]? Hardware Software that could be used in a Health Centre Hardware Device Function Health Centre Applications Keyboard Input Patient detail input, database, spreadsheets. Mouse Input Most computer users prefer to use this. Scanner Input Scan hand written notes into the system (maybe from previous doctor). Digital camera Input Photo ID held on the system Temperature sensor (thermistor) Input (sensor) Environmental and safety control systems Smoke detector Input (sensor) Environmental and safety control systems Proximity detector Input (sensor) Environmental and safety control systems (doors) VDU Monitor Output Any application requiring Graphic User Interface (GUI) or information display. Receptionist: to up-date appointments Doctor: to view patients history Flat Screen VDU Output As above to save space LCD Display Output As above using laptops or in bright sunlight. Have limited viewing angle. Inkjet printer Output High quality low volume graphic publications and reports. Laser printer Output Volume printing such as welcome letters to new patients, mail shots to advise patients of changes in surgery hours etc. Dot matrix Printer Output Where multi copy output is required e.g. prescriptions. Software Programme Function Theatre Applications Database I/P Process O/P GUI Patient appointment system. Mail shot production. Spreadsheet I/P Process O/P GUI Financial analysis and reporting. Control programme I/P Process O/P GUI Environmental and safety control systems e.g. fire safety system. Word Processor I/P Process O/P GUI General office purposes. Patient letters and mail shots. Control Systems A control system is a system of hardware and software thats used to control the operation of a piece of equipment. Two types of control systems: * Dedicated: these are basic systems that carry out a pre-programmed set of instructions e.g. traffic-light system- lights change at fixed time intervals. * Computer-controlled: these use a computer to control the output device, and this computer can be connected to a sensor e.g. pressure pad sensor for automatic doors. Sensors measure physical qualities in the environment such as heat, light, pressure, sound etc. In order for a computer to control something there must be three things present: 1. A means of getting the information into the computer: An INPUT 2. Instructions for the computer to do something with the input: A PROCESS 3. It then has to be able to alter something in the outside world: An OUTPUT Most computer controlled systems use a feedback loop which is when information from a sensor is used to control the output device. The sensor sends signals back to the computer and the computer decides whether to make any changes based on this information. This happens again and again in the loop system. The flowchart below shows a loop system which represents a system for monitoring light levels outdoors and turning on a lamp when it gets dark (i.e. when the light intensity is less than 50 ona scale). Computer Controlled Systems Advantages Disadvantages Computers can respond instantly to changes. The system is expensive to purchase Systems can be running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Special software is needed. Computers can process data quickly and machines can operate faster than humans. If something unexpected happens, the system may not be able to think for itself. In the health centre the possible control systems are: A security alarm system which may have an infra-red sensor which sends a signal when the beam is broken. A heat sensitive sensor in the corner of a room which may detect the presence of a person. Temperature sensors which could be used to control the heating in the health centre. Analogue and Digital Signals Digital and analogue are two different types of transmission systems: * An analogue signal can be represented as a series of sine waves. The term describes any fluctuating or continually changing process. An example of an analogue signal would be the data sent along a telephone landline. An analogue sensor can take a range of values e.g. a heat sensor. * A digital signal has only two values On and Off. Data transmitted or stored with digital technology is expressed as a string of 0s and 1s. Each of these digits is referred to as a bit (and a string of bits that a computer can address individually as a group is a byte). An example of a digital signal would be the data sent into a television via a digital cable. An analogue sensor can only be On or Off e.g. pressure pad sensor. Computers cannot deal with analogue signals and therefore requires an analogue to digital converter (ADC).This is used to change the analogue data into digital data to allow the computer to process the information The ADC is connected between the sensor and the computers input/output port. Once the computer has processed the data, the output often has to be converted to an analogue signal and so a DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) is used. Database Systems used in a Health Centre A database is an organised collection of data which is organised into fields and records. The main benefit to the health centre for having a database is that it allows them to search quickly for specific patient information. Databases can be: * Flat-File All data is stored in one large table which can be viewed by opening one data file. It can be created using a database system or a spreadsheet. It is ideal for small amounts of data that needs to be human readable or edited by hand. With this type of system there is unnecessary duplicating of data which can mean that mistakes are more likely to happen during data input. * Relational Data is split up into sensible groups and then stored in separate tables. In the case of the health centre they could have a table with customer data, a table with appointment data etc. All the data is linked together by key fields and a database management system (DBMS). This means that data does not have to be duplicated. Relational databases also have built in functions which allow retrieval, editing and sorting of data to be much quicker.