Northern Rock PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Northern Rock PLC - Essay Example In this way the government, representing the taxpayers, may recoup its investment and the bank may be returned to the private sector. A bank that shows consistent profit is attractive to potential buyers. To do this its financial strategy must continue its plans of further restructuring its business model. It must reduce its capital costs base by better cost management. And while pursuing and adjusting to medium term growth, Northern Rock must focus on innovation and new markets, and continue to build on transparent and open communication with its stake-holders. Discussion Today, under Government ownership, Northern Rock Plc has kept together some 70 branches over which it must wield a steady hand toward corporate profit in the interest of its stakeholders, the taxpayers, and its depositors. Since its black day of 17 September 2007, when depositors were shown on worldwide TV queuing in long lines outside the bank to make their withdrawals, the bank has went through several stages of restructuring. The initial one was the takeover by the government. Throughout these restructuring processes, the bank has sought to rebuild a substantial market for its mortgage loans, a market that is different from the business plan that the bank had pursued before 2008. Previous to 2008 and after Northern Rock became public in 1997, the bank soon embarked on a risky business plan that was coupled to a flawed bank regulatory system. Since 1997 Northern Rock was regulated by the newly created Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA did not share any information it had with the Treasury or with the Bank of England who was responsible for monetary policy. Both the FSA and the Bank of England were slow to step in and stop Northern Rock’s demise. The FSA had, in June 2007, instead allowed Northern Rock to decrease its amount of required on-hand capital. This action exemplified the regulatory system that allowed the bank to overextend itself in the speculative mortgage deriva tive market. But even today the bank as a retail and savings bank must rebuild its image and processes in the same waters of financial risk. During the period of the default, Northern Rock’s business plan was based on securitizing mortgages in the short-term wholesale market to support its long-term longs. It was packaging multiple mortgage loans and selling them as bonds to investors. This business model had depended on stability in the mortgage securities market and the confidence of those who traded in the debt packages. When the housing prices begin to show full scale plummeting from speculated highs, lenders stopped extending rollover loans to Northern Rock and they eventually took their money from the bank. In August 2007 credit froze up in the bank liquidity market and Northern Rock could no longer sell bonds over the face of a broad liquidity freeze. It could not make any new loans. On August 13, 2007, the bank requested emergency funding from the Bank of England. It was only after the Chancellor of the Exchequer guaranteed all deposits at the bank in later September did the resulting bank run stop. The present Northern Rock Plc was created from The Northern Rock Transfer Order which on 1 January 2010 restructured the bank into two banks, Northern Rock Plc, the savings bank with new mortgages, and the Northern Rock Asset Management Plc (NRAM) (NRP, 2011). The latter took over the "toxic" mortgage assets and is concentrating in mortgage loans. North Rock Plc began its

Comparing Schools Essay Example for Free

Comparing Schools Essay This report provides advice on the collection and reporting of information about the performances of Australian schools. The focus is on the collection of nationally comparable data. Two purposes are envisaged: use by education authorities and governments to monitor school performances and, in particular, to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances; and use by parents/caregivers and the public to make informed judgements about, and meaningful comparisons of, schools and their offerings. Our advice is based on a review of recent Australian and international research and experience in reporting on the performances of schools. This is an area of educational practice in which there have been many recent developments, much debate and a growing body of relevant research. Our work is framed by recent agreements of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), in particular, at its meeting on 29 November 2008: C OAG agreed that the new Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority will be supplied with the information necessary to enable it to publish relevant, nationally-comparable information on all schools to support accountability, school evaluation, collaborative policy development and resource allocation. The Authority will provide the public with information on each school in Australia that includes data on each school’s performance, including national testing results and school attainment rates, the indicators relevant to the needs of the student population and the school’s capacity including the numbers and qualifications of its teaching staff and its resources. The publication of this information will allow comparison of like schools (that is, schools with similar student populations across the nation) and comparison of a school with other schools in their local community. (COAG Meeting Outcomes) Our work also has been framed by the recently endorsed MCEETYA Principles for Reporting Information on Schooling (see Section 1. 4). Before summarising our specific recommendations, there are some general conclusions that we have reached from our review of international research and experience. The specific recommendations that follow are best understood in the context of these general conclusions: †¢ Vigilance is required to ensure that nationally comparable data on individual schools does not have the unintended consequence of focusing attention on some aspects of the purposes of schooling at the expense of other outcomes that are as important but not as easily measurable. Parents/caregivers and the public are interested in a broad range of information about schools, and nationally comparable data should be reported in the context of this broader information. †¢ Although it has become popular in education systems in some other parts of the world to use statistical models to develop ‘measures’ of school performance and to report these measures publicly in league tables, we believe that there are very v Reporting and Comparing School Performances  sound technical and educational reasons why school measures of this kind should not be used for public reporting and school comparisons. †¢ Related to this point, we are not convinced of the value of reporting ‘adjusted’ measures of student outcomes publicly. Measures of student outcomes should be reported without adjustment. †¢ To enable the comparison of unadjusted student outcomes across schools, we believe that a ‘like-schools’ methodology should be used. This methodology would allow parents/caregivers, the public, and education systems to compare outcomes for schools in similar circumstances. †¢ While point-in-time measures of student outcomes often are useful, it is difficult to establish the contributions that teachers and schools make to point-in-time outcomes. In general, measures of student gain/growth across the years of school provide a more useful basis for making judgements about the value that schools are adding. †¢ Measures of gain/growth are most appropriately based on measurement scales that can be used to monitor student progress across the years of school. The NAPLAN measurement scales are an example and provide educational data superior to that available in most other countries. Consideration should be given to developing national measurement scales for early literacy learning and in some subjects of the national curriculum. †¢ Initially reporting should build on the understandings that parents and the public have already developed. For example a school’s NAPLAN results should be reported in forms that are consistent with current NAPLAN reports for students. Although much work needs to be done in defining the most appropriate measures, the principle should be to build on the representations of data that are already familiar to people. Recommendations Our report makes the following specific recommendations: student outcome measures †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the literacy and numeracy skills of students in each school, using NAPLAN (Years 3, 5, 7 and 9). †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the tertiary entrance results of students in each senior secondary school. These data could be reported as the percentage of students achieving tertiary entrance ranks of 60 or above, 70 or above, 80 or above, and 90 or above (calculated as a percentage of the students achieving tertiary entrance ranks). †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each senior secondary school completing Year 12 or equivalent; the percentage of students applying to all forms of post-school education; and the percentage of students completing VET studies. vi Reporting and Comparing School Performances †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the achievements of students in core national curriculum subjects (English, mathematics, science and history), beginning in 2010. National assessments could be developed initially at Year 10. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the early literacy learning of children in each primary school. These assessments will need to be developed and should be administered upon entry to school and used as a baseline for monitoring progress across the first few years of school. physical and human resources †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected about sources and amounts of funding received by each school, including all income to the school from State and Commonwealth governments, as well as details of fees payable by parents, including those that are mandatory and any voluntary levies that parents are expected to pay. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the numbers and qualifications of teaching staff in each school. Basic data would include academic qualifications, details of pre-service teacher education, and details of any advanced certification (eg, Advanced Skills Teacher; Level 3 Teacher). student intake characteristics †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the socio-economic backgrounds of students in each school. Data should be based on information collected at the individual student level, using at least parental occupation and, possibly, parental education levels, under the agreed MCEETYA definitions. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background under the agreed MCEETYA definition. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school identified as having a language background other than English (LBOTE) under the agreed MCEETYA definition. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the geo-location of each school using a 3-category scale: metropolitan, provincial, and remote. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school with special educational needs. A nationally agreed definition of this category will need to be developed. like-school comparisons †¢ In reporting student outcome data for a school, data for like-schools should be provided as a point of comparison. Like-schools will be schools in similar circumstances and facing similar challenges. †¢ In determining ‘like-schools’, account should be taken of the percentage of students with Indigenous backgrounds, the socio-economic backgrounds of the students in the school, and the percentage of students from language backgrounds other than English. vii Reporting and Comparing School Performances †¢ For each school separately, like-schools should be identified as the schools most similar to that school on the above characteristics (rather than pre-defining a limited number of like-school categories). †¢ Work should commence as soon as possible on the development of an appropriate like-schools methodology. public reporting †¢ For the purpose of providing public information about schools, a common national website should be used to provide parents/caregivers and the public with access to rich information about individual schools. †¢ The national website should provide information about each school’s programs, philosophies, values and purposes, provided by the school itself, as well as nationally comparable data, provided centrally. †¢ Nationally comparable student outcome data should, wherever possible, provide information about current levels of attainment (ie, status), gain/growth across the years of school, and improvement in a school over time. †¢ The complete database for each state/territory should be made available to the relevant state/territory departments of education and other employing authorities, enabling them to interrogate data for their schools and to make judgments about school performances using aggregated data and national summary statistics. We believe that almost all nationally comparable data collected centrally could be reported publicly. The exceptions would arise when the public reporting of data may have negative and unintended consequences for schools. For example, we can envisage negative consequences arising from the reporting of the socio-economic backgrounds of students in a school, or of the financial circumstances of struggling, small schools (both government and non-government). We also believe that data reported publicly should be factual data about a school, and not the results of secondary analyses and interpretations that are open to debate (eg, value-added measures). viii Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. INTRODUCTION In education, good decision making is facilitated by access to relevant, reliable and timely information. Dependable information is required at all levels of educational decision making to identify areas of deficiency and special need, to monitor progress towards goals, to evaluate the effectiveness of special interventions and initiatives, and to make decisions in the best interests of individual learners. The focus of this  paper is on the provision and use of information about individual schools. The starting point is the observation that relevant and reliable information about schools is required by a range of decision makers – including parents and caregivers, school principals and school leadership teams, system managers and governments, and the general public – all of whom require dependable information that they can use to maximise opportunities and outcomes for students. 1. 1 Audiences and Purposes  Parents and caregivers require valid and reliable information to evaluate the quality of the education their children are receiving, to make informed decisions in the best interests of individual students, and to become active partners in their children’s learning. They require dependable information about the progress individuals have made (the knowledge, skills and understandings developed through instruction), about teachers’ plans for future learning, and about what they can do to assist. There is also considerable evidence that parents and caregivers want information about how their children are performing in comparison with other children of the same age. And, if they are to make judgements about the quality of the education their children are receiving, they require information that enables meaningful comparisons across schools. School leaders require reliable information on student and school performances for effective school management. Research into factors underpinning school  effectiveness highlights the importance of the school leader’s role in establishing an environment in which student learning is accorded a central focus, and goals for improved performance are developed collaboratively by staff with a commitment to achieving them. School managers require dependable pictures of how well students in a school are performing, both with respect to school goals for improvement and with respect to past achievements and achievements in other, comparable schools. Governments and system managers require dependable information on the performance and progress of individual schools if they are to exercise their responsibilities for the delivery of quality education to all students. Effective management depends on an ability to monitor system-wide and school performances over time, to gauge the effectiveness of special programs and targeted resource allocations, to monitor the impact of policies, and to evaluate the success of initiatives aimed at traditionally disadvantaged and underachieving sections of the student population. Accurate, reliable information allows system managers to measure progress against past performances, to identify schools and issues requiring special attention, to target resources appropriately, and to set goals for future improvement. 1 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. 2 Forms of Information Because there are multiple audiences and purposes for information about schools, the forms of information required for effective decision making are different for different stakeholders. Parents and caregivers require a wide range of information, including information relating to their immediate needs (eg, Is the school easily accessible by public transport? Does it have an after-school program? What fees and/or levies does it charge? ); the ethos of the school (eg, What evidence is there of bullying/harassment? What are the espoused values of the school? Do students wear uniforms? What level of discipline is imposed? Who is the principal? ); their child’s likely educational experience (eg, Who will be my child’s teacher next year? Will they be in a composite class? How large will the class be? Does the school have a literacy intervention program? What extra-curricular activities are provided? ); and the school’s educational results (eg, Does the school achieve outstanding Year 12 results? ). School leaders require other forms of information, including information relating to staffing and resources (eg, What resources are available for music next year? How many beginning children have special learning needs? ); the effectiveness of initiatives (eg, Is there any evidence that the extra class time allocated to literacy this year made a difference?); and academic results (eg, How many Year 5 students did not meet the minimum performance standard in Reading? Have our results improved since last year? Are we still below the state average? How did last year’s Year 12 results compare with those of the neighbouring school? ). System managers and governments require still other forms of information, including information to monitor system-wide trends over time, to evaluate the effectiveness of attempts to raise standards and close gaps, and to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances. In general, the schoollevel information required by system managers and governments is less fine-grained than the information required by parents, teachers and school leaders. Figure 1 displays schematically various forms of information that could be made available about a school, either publicly or to specific audiences (eg, system managers). The forms of evidence represented in Figure 1 are: A: student outcome measures that a school could choose to report Most schools report a wide range of information about the achievements of their students to their school communities. This information is reported in school newsletters, local and community newspapers, school websites, and at school events. The information includes details of Year 12 results, analyses of postschool destinations, results in national mathematics and science competitions, language certificates, awards, prizes, extra-curricular achievements, community recognition, and so on. Most schools take every opportunity to celebrate the achievements of their students and to announce these achievements publicly. 2 Reporting and Comparing School Performances Figure 1. Forms of information that could be made available about a school B:a sub-set of student outcome measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data Within the set of student outcome information that might be reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of outcomes on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. A reason for identifying such a sub-set would be to ensure some common measures to facilitate school comparisons – within a local geographical area, across an entire education system, nationally, or within a group of ‘like’ schools. Inevitably, nationally comparable data would be collected for only some of the outcomes that schools, parents and communities value. Performances on common literacy and numeracy tests in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are an example of nationally comparable data currently in this category. C. physical and human resources measures that a school could choose to report Schools provide information in various forms and to various audiences about their physical and human resources. Information of this kind includes details of staff qualifications and teaching experience, staff turnover rates, school global budgets, computers and other technology, newly constructed facilities, bequests, results of fundraising drives, and so on. Some of this information may be reported to the school community; some may be kept confidential to the school, education system or government departments. D: a sub-set of physical and human resources measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data Within the set of physical and human resources measures reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of measures on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. For example, there have been recent calls for greater consistency and transparency in the reporting of school funding arrangements (Dowling, 2007; 2008) and for more consistent national approaches to assessing and recognising teacher quality (Dinham, et al, 2008). 3 Reporting and Comparing School Performances E. student intake measures that a school could choose to report Most schools have considerable information about their students. For example, they may have information about students’ language backgrounds, Indigenous status, socio-economic backgrounds, learning difficulties and disabilities. This information usually is reported only within education systems or to governments and is not reported publicly, although schools sometimes provide information to their communities about the range of languages spoken by students in the school, the countries from which they come, the percentage of Indigenous students in the school and the school’s special Indigenous programs, or the number of severely disabled students and the facilities and support provided for these students. F: a sub-set of student intake measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data. Within the set of student intake characteristics reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of measures on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. Some progress has been made toward nationally consistent definitions and nationally consistent data collections on student background characteristics. G. all other information that a school could choose to make available Beyond information about student outcomes, student backgrounds and their physical and human resources, schools provide a range of other information to the communities they serve. 1. 3 Nationally Comparable Data Acknowledging the many purposes and audiences for information about schools, and the various forms that this information can take, the specific focus of this paper is on the collection and reporting of nationally comparable data for the purposes of evaluating and comparing school performances. In other words, the focus is on categories B, D and F in Figure 1. We envisage three broad uses of such data: †¢ use by parents and caregivers in judging the quality of educational provision and in making informed decisions in the best interests of individual students; †¢ use by school leaders in monitoring a school’s improvement and benchmarking the school’s performance against other, comparable schools; and †¢ use by education systems and governments in identifying schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances. As noted above, these three stakeholder groups are likely to have different needs. The ways in which nationally comparable data are analysed, combined and reported may be different for different purposes. We see the process of reaching agreement on the core data that should be available about a school as a national collaborative process, and see little value in arriving at different conclusions about these data for different parts of the country. 4 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. 4 Principles for Reporting The Principles for Reporting Information on Schooling (see pages 6-7) adopted by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCCETYA) provide an important point of reference for any proposed collection and use of nationally comparable data on schools. These principles recognise the multiple audiences and purposes for information about schools, the need to collect broad evidence about student and school performances, and the desirability of monitoring intended and unintended consequences of reporting information on schools. Australian governments have undertaken to ensure that data provided for the purposes of comparing schools are reliable and fair and take into account the contexts in which schools work. Governments also have undertaken not to develop simplistic league tables of school performances. 1. 5 Structure of Paper This paper first considers the kinds of nationally comparable data that might be collected about schools for the purposes outlined above. We draw on national and international research and experience, attempt to anticipate the likely requirements of different audiences, and take into account what measures currently exist and what additional measures might be desirable in the future. Each of the three data categories in Figure 1 is considered in turn: †¢ †¢ †¢ student outcome measures physical and human resources measures student intake measures (sections 2-3) (section 4) (section 5) We then consider alternative ways of evaluating and comparing school performances. Two broad methodologies are discussed: †¢ †¢ the direct comparison of student outcomes the construction of measures of school performance (section 6) (section 7) Finally, we consider issues in reporting publicly on the performances of schools: †¢ †¢ audiences and purposes for reporting options for public reporting on schools (section 8) (section 9) 5 Reporting and Comparing School Performances MCEETYA PRINCIPLES FOR REPORTING INFORMATION ON SCHOOLING There is a vast amount of information on Australian schooling and individual schools. This includes information about the educational approach of schools, their enrolment profile, staffing, facilities and programs, and the education environment they offer, as well as information on the performance of students, schools and systems. Different groups, including schools and their students, parents and families, the community and governments, have different information needs. The following principles provide guidance on requirements for information on schooling, including the types of information that should be made readily available to each of the groups noted above. These principles will be supported by an agreed set of national protocols on the access to and use of information on schooling. Good quality information on schooling is important: FOR SCHOOLS AND THEIR STUDENTS. Principle 1: Schools need reliable, rich data on the performance of their students because they have the primary accountability for improving student outcomes. Good quality data supports each school to improve outcomes for all of their students. It supports effective diagnosis of student progress and the design of quality learning programs. It also informs schools’ approaches to provision of programs, school policies, pursuit and allocation of resources, relationships with parents and partnerships with community and business. Schools should have access to: †¢ Comprehensive data on the performance of their own students that uses a broad set of indicators †¢ Data that enables each school to compare its own performance against all schools and with schools of similar characteristics †¢ Data demonstrating improvements of the school over time †¢ Data enabling the school to benchmark its own performance against that of the bestperforming schools in their jurisdiction and nationally FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES. Principle 2: Information about schooling, including data on the performance of individuals, schools and systems, helps parents and families to make informed choices and to engage with their children’s education and the school community. Parents and families should have access to: †¢ Information about the philosophy and educational approach of schools, and their staffing, facilities, programs and extra-curricular activities that enables parents and families to compare the education environment offered by schools †¢ Information about a school’s enrolment profile, taking care not to use data on student 1  characteristics in a way that may stigmatise schools or undermine social inclusion. †¢ Data on student outcomes that enables them to monitor the individual performance of their child, including what their child knows and is able to do and how this relates to what is expected for their age group, and how they can contribute to their child’s progress †¢ Information that allows them to assess a school’s performance overall and in improving student outcomes, including in relation to other schools with similar characteristics in their jurisdiction and nationally. 1 Any use or publication of information relating to a school’s enrolment profile should ensure that the privacy of individual students is protected. For example, where the small size of a school population or of a specific student cohort may enable identification of individual students, publication of this information should be avoided. 6 Reporting and Comparing School Performances FOR THE COMMUNITY. Principle 3: The community should have access to information that enables an understanding of the decisions taken by governments and the status and performance of schooling in Australia, to ensure schools are accountable for the results they achieve with the public funding they receive, and governments are accountable for the decisions they take. Students are an important part of our society and take up a variety of roles within it after leaving school. The community is therefore a direct and indirect consumer of the product of our schools, as well as providing the means of public funding. Information about schools in the public domain fulfils the requirement that schools be accountable for the results they achieve with the public funding they receive, including relative to other ‘like’ schools; it should also give the community a broad picture of school performance and a sense of confidence in our school systems. The community should have access to: †¢ Information about the philosophy and educational approach of schools, and their staffing, facilities, programs and extra-curricular activities that enables the community to compare the education environment offered by schools. †¢ Information about individual schools’ enrolment profile, taking care not to use data on student characteristics in a way that may stigmatise schools or undermine social inclusion †¢ National reporting on the performance of all schools with data that allows them to view a school’s performance overall and in improving student outcomes, including in relation to other schools with similar characteristics RESPONSIBLE PROVISION OF SCHOOLING INFORMATION Australian Governments will ensure that school-based information is published responsibly so that: †¢ any public comparisons of schools will be fair, contain accurate and verified data, contextual information and a range of indicators to provide a more reliable and complete view of performance (for example, information on income, student body characteristics, the spread of student outcomes and information on the value added by schools) †¢ governments will not devise simplistic league tables or rankings and will put in place strategies to manage the risk that third parties may seek to produce such tables or rankings, and will ensure that privacy will be protected. †¢ reports providing information on schooling for parents and families and the community will be developed based on research on what these groups want to know and the most effective ways the information can be presented and communicated. FOR GOVERNMENTS Principle 4: Governments need sound information on school performance to support ongoing improvement for students, schools and systems. Government also need to monitor and evaluate the impacts (intended and unintended) of the use and release of this information to improve its application over time. Good quality information on schooling enables governments to: †¢ analyse how well schools are performing †¢ identify schools with particular needs †¢ determine where resources are most needed to lift attainment †¢ identify best practice and innovation in high-performing schools that can be mainstreamed and used to support improvements in schools with poorer performance †¢ conduct national and international comparisons of approaches and performance †¢ develop a substantive evidence base on what works. This will enable future improvements in school performance that support the achievement of the agreed education outcomes of both the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs and the Council of Australian Governments. 7 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 2. STUDENT OUTCOMES Information about the outcomes of a school’s efforts is key information for parents and caregivers if they are to judge the quality of educational provision; for school leaders to monitor a school’s performance and improvement; and for education systems and governments to identify schools in need of additional support. However, schools work to promote many different kinds of outcomes for their students. For some schools, an important objective is to improve school attendance rates. For others, assisting students to make successful transitions into the workforce is a high priority. Some schools are more focused than others on supporting the social, spiritual and emotional development of students. Still others measure their success in terms of entry rates into highly sought-after university courses. Decisions about the outcomes to be reported publicly for schools are important because they influence judgements about how well individual schools are performing. This is particularly true when education systems and governments attempt to construct ‘measures’ of school performance: Perverse incentives can arise when the [school] performance measure has both a large impact upon actors and focuses on an aspect of schooling that does not reflect the true or overall purpose and objectives of schools. Unfortunately, this can be common in school performance measures if the performance measure is too narrowly defined. (OECD, 2008, 26).

The Case Against Direct Changeover Information Technology Essay

The Case Against Direct Changeover Information Technology Essay The purpose of this report is to complete the requirements and implementation according to the CAVIES and VOLE case study. Evaluate if any objectives have changed or should have changed. Comments should address the following final installation plan. This report is about the CAVIES and VOLE final installation and support. This has been in place for .. months and this report covers the evaluation of the implementation. 1.2 Scope Analyze if proper limits were established in the feasibility study and if they were maintained during implementation. Comments should address the following: The business goals and objectives for this project will focus on implementing the system. Enhances the ability and effectiveness of staff to perform their jobs. Facilitates coordinated crime prevention and reduction. Provides data security. Provides an open, flexible, reliable technology base for the future. Facilitates the electronic capture of data at its source. Is easy to use. Eliminate redundant data entry throughout the organization. Ensure that end users have input into the design process. Accomplish project business goals and objectives within defined budget and time parameters. Minimize impact to standard business operations within the affected units. Craft a favourable and secure relationship between the Department and the selected vendor. Facilitates Help Desk Support System. 2. Installation 2.1 Deployment Plan Pilot Changeover Implement the new system at a selected location of the company, such as only one branch office. The first group to use the new system is called the pilot site. The old system is still running at the pilot site and for the rest of the organization. After the system proves successful at the pilot site, it is implemented into the rest of the organization, usually using the direct changeover method. Pilot conversion is a semi parallel and direct changeover method. Operating both systems at only one site is not as expensive. This strategy builds the confidence and the errors are traced easily. Pilot implementation where the new system will be implemented branch by branch, if there is an failure in the new system it will be in one branch only. The problem solved in any branch will not appear in the others. We recommend a pilot deployment. That is a deployment to a select group, probably power users or those in a particular department or division. Successful projects avoid a big bang approach which attempts to roll out the system to a large audience in a single deployment. This is asking for trouble. Instead start small using a pilot and obtain feedback. Pilot implementation: implementation_pilot With this strategy, the new system replaces the old one in one operation but only on a small scale.   For example it might be tried out in one branch of the company or in one location.   If successful then the pilot is extended until it eventually replaces the old system completely. Pilot operation is combination of both direct cutover and parallel operation, which restricts the implementation to a pilot site and reduces risk of system failure as compared with a direct cutover method. Operating system only at pilot site is less expensive than parallel operation. Creating a Pilot Program Need to create a test version of custom package, install it on a few lab computers, test and evaluate the performance, then update your package with any changes that we want to make. It is good practice to prepare a test plan and checklists for lab tests, and then use the test checklists to record satisfactory completion of tasks and note all problems with the process. Also, prepare a checklist to test each deployment and distribution strategy. Identify and select pilot groups and prepare them for pilot program. Run a pilot program for each unique environment or group. Locate groups that are representative of the users throughout organization. To maximize the success, make sure volunteers have enough time in their schedules to fully participate in pilot program. The following are procedures that can use to run a pilot program. To prepare a pilot program for deployment Identify the tasks and resources necessary to conduct the pilot program. Before deploy the new system to the organization, use lab clients to test and refine deployment strategies and configurations. To plan the pilot program: Select the appropriate pilot groups. Document the resources and tasks needed for the pilot program. Develop a user-training plan. Develop a user-support plan. Easy to train staff by letting them learn new skills on the pilot system. Easy to evaluate because the new and old systems are both running. Some staff have time to get used to and become fully trained in the new system before changeover but costs are spread (benefits of parallel running but costs are spread). When spread to other parts of the company, trained staff can act as mentors and so staff can train on a rota basis. Determine the ability of computer operations to schedule according to user needs and to complete scheduled tasks. Comments should address the following: Any problems in accomplishing the work The frequency and extent of the problems Suggested changes The effort required to make changes Volume of data processed (number of transactions) Number of errors made Frequency of problems with the interface Suggested changes Effort required to make the changes Identifying compatibility, conversion and migration strategies To top of page If the system will replace an existing system, compatibility, conversion, and migration issues must be addressed.   Specifically: Data from an existing system must be carried forward (and possibly converted in format) for the new system. Existing user interfaces (screen formats, commands, etc) must be supported in the new system. All existing application programming interfaces (APIs) must be maintained. Migration from the existing system to the new one must not disrupt end user service for more than a pre-determined amount of time (varies depending on the business). The new system must be capable of operating in parallel with the old system during the migration period. There must be a capability to fall back to the old system, if needed, during the first two weeks of operation. Old archive data may need to be processed on the new system. If it is cryptographically protected, then the encryption keys will need special consideration when migrating. The strategies chosen to address these issue will require appropriate support in the architecture and design of the system Determining user training needs To top of page For each category of user, including administration, operators, and end users, identify: What types of IT systems they use at the present. If this system will bring the first use of IT to any users, either within or external to the organization, flag this as a special requirement that will merit special attention. What new functions will be brought to them by this system. In broad terms, what their training needs will be. What requirements exist for National Language Support (NLS) Stage / milestone Planned date(s) Actual date(s) Implementation phase 9 Oct 2010 16 May 2011 9 Oct 2010 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (on-going and on-schedule) Preliminary installation and support plan By Week 5 (in February 2011) 18 Mar 2011 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Final installation and support plan By Week 13 (20 May 2011) 20 May 2011 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Installation 23 May 2011 31 Dec 2011 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Support phase Must start as soon as any part of CAVIES and VOLE is live à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2.2 The Case Against Direct Changeover The new system is first of all piloted (trialled) in one part of the business / organisation (e.g. in just one office, or in just one department). Once the pilot system is running successfully, the new system is introduced to the all of the business / organisation. stacks_image_DD1DE2A0-86E7-481C-9D4B-F5B766B39D27 The pilot changeover method involves implementing the complete new system at a selected location of a company. Direct cutover method and operating both systems for only the pilot site. The group that uses the new system first is called the pilot site. By restricting the implementation to a pilot site reduces the risk of system failure as compared with is less expensive than a parallel system. 2.3 Data Migration System will migrate data that is determined to be necessary for the future business process and manage the effort associated with any manual data clean up identified. Data Conversion Plan Transformation Calendar Planning Extraction Loading Three-Step Data Conversions: 1. Test a conversion sample of existing data 2. Initial data conversion 3. Final conversion of data before going live Once the decision is made to perform data migration; before migration can begin the following analyses must be performed: Analyze and define source structure (structure of data in the legacy system) Analyze and define target structure (structure of data in the new system) Perform field mapping (mapping between the source and target structure with data cleansing, if necessary) Define the migration process (automated vs. manual) Migration As part of the installation comes often the issue of migration: Replacing an older system with a new one, with or without constraints of continuity of operation. Converting existing data to a new format. Module Description Appointments-module Books appointments for clients to see a veterinary surgeon/nurse with one or more of their pets (i.e. can book multiple appointments) in CAVIES Records-module Enters details for individual pets belonging to clients, giving information on state of health, prescription(s), progress, review dates, etc. in CAVIES Treatments-module Books treatments for pets with a veterinary surgeon/nurse (can book multiple treatments) in CAVIES Sales-module Standard EPOS functions linked to the practice tills, with stock control and reporting functions available to the local practice manager on a PC through VOLE Orders-module Generates orders for replenishment of supplies (VPOM drugs must be approved by a veterinary surgeon) 2.4 Training Training courses may be conducted at the head office Southgate. Courses are customized to needs and may include topics ranging from an introduction to advanced topics such as advanced software development, tuning application to improve performance, and using the new system effectively. Training may include tutorials and hands-on practical experience. The timeliness of the training provided Method of training (Ex Formal classroom session, Informal seminar discussion, Computer aided training, User manuals) The adequacy of the training The appropriateness of the training Identification of additional training needs by job category The ability of the personnel to use the training provided Types of Training   APPLICATION STAFF TRAINING    Types of training for application staff may include:  · System Overview  · Transition to New System Training, including:  · How to Use the System  · New Procedures Itemized by Task, (tasks will differ for Application Management Staff, Application Line Staff, Application Administrative Staff)  · Refresher Training (summary version of Transition to New System Training)  · New Worker Training (may be the same as Transition to New System Training or Refresher Training)  · User Interface training, (e.g., Microsofts Windows)  · Network navigation, (e.g., LAN and WAN concepts, where data can be found, printing over the network, network support contact) OPERATION STAFF TRAINING Types of training for operations staff, (e.g., LAN Administrator, Help Desk Staff, and Network and Systems Management), may include: LAN Administrator  · Hands-on Training on the Product Installed  · Network Operating System  · Upper-Layer Protocols  · Scheduled Background processing, (e.g., error handling)  · Security, (e.g., how to establish user accounts)  · Back-up and Recovery Procedures  · Physical Media handling, (e.g., tape handling) Help Desk Staff  · Hands-on Training on the Product Installed  · Network Operating System  · Upper, Middle, and Lower Protocol Layers  · Network Components, (e.g., bridges, routers, and hubs) Network and Systems Management  · Hands-on Training on the Product Installed  · Network Operating System  · Upper, Middle, and Lower Protocol Layers  · Network Components, (e.g., bridges, routers, and hubs)  · Network Performance and Problem Diagnosis Tools TECHNICAL STAFF TRAINING  Ã‚   Depending on the system architecture and the role of the customer programming staff, the types of training for technical staff, (e.g., Application Programmers, Information Technology Manager, Database Administrator), may include: Application Programmers  · Principles of Client/Server    · Application Development/Maintenance (for the specific environment), including:  · Graphical User Interface (GUI) Design  · Event-Driven Programming  · Object-Oriented Concepts  · Object-Oriented Analysis and   Design  · Object-Oriented Programming  · New Programming Languages, (e.g., C++)  · Application Development Tools, (e.g., CASE, Powersofts PowerBuilder, Microsofts Visual C++, Microsofts Visual Basic)  · Database Training, (e.g., SQL, Microsoft or Sybase SQL Server, Oracle)  · Team Building  · Network Overview Information Technology Manager  · Application Programmer Training Courses  · Managing a Client/Server Environment Database Administrator  · Principles of Client/Server  · Database Training (e.g., SQL, Microsoft or Sybase SQL Server, Oracle)  · Multiplatform Environments  · Data Modeling  · Performance Monitoring Possible Training Methods Instructor-Led Training Instructor-led training includes:  · classroom training (group instruction),    · train-the-trainers (group instruction),    ·on-line group training (group instruction),    ·videoconferencing, (group instruction that is instructor-led, but for many participants the instructor is in another location),  ·video/on-line training (group instruction),    · on-the-job coaching (individual instruction). Self-Directed Training Self-directed training includes:  ·on-line self-directed training (individual instruction),    ·off-line self-directed training, such as the use of printed materials, audio cassettes, or video (individual instruction). Just-in-Time Training Just-in-time training includes:  ·Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) (individual instruction),  ·continuous improvement instruction (individual or team instruction),  ·computer-mediated asynchronous collaboration (group instruction from an individual perspective). 2.5 Documentation A number of documents are produced during the development of a new computer application. Essentially there are two types: User Guides User guides are written in plain English rather than technical language. The guide should cover how to run the system, how to enter data, how to modify data and how to save and print reports. The guide should include a list of error messages and advice on what to do if something goes wrong. Technical Documentation Technical documentation is used to explain a system to a specialist i.e. an analyst/programmer. This document will be used if any changes have to be made to the system. It is a very important document which needs to be fully up-to-date. Excellent documentation will reduce your support costs. Every answer that someone finds in the user guide or the help system means one less call or email to your support line. The support team can concentrate on finding answers to real problems, rather than explaining to a customer how to switch an appliance on, or how to install a computer program. User Manuals These are the easiest to read and use, and are designed for the non-technical reader who wants to start with how to switch it on and use it. It may even show where the On switch is. (Dont laugh people ask!) When designed for software packages, these guides are designed to provide the user all the information they need to use the software to perform a range of tasks. A well designed user guide can: reduce support calls help new staff perform daily tasks help experienced staff perform infrequent tasks standardise work practises. Technical Manuals These are for the more technical readers, often at graduate level, and may cover the complete setup of a software system, for example. Support Manuals These are for Help Desk staff, who need to know how the overall system should be set up, and including total support information. This normally includes Technical and User Manual content. Training Manuals These can be written for your training staff, and provide you with material for training other users of equipment or systems; or they may just complement your own Customer Training process. Working one-to-one with clients allows close cooperation, so when you need alternatives, we design accordingly. Reference Manuals (Programmer Bibles) These are typically comprehensive manuals which the user can use to check for information when required. They are fully indexed and cross-referenced. If your product is so complicated that a third-party specialist takes care of the maintenance on your behalf, then this type of manual is ideal. For portability and ease of use, these typically large manuals can also be generated in pdf format so they can be accessed on-line (via an intranet, on-line help or web site), or from a CD. Standards and Procedures As your company grows, you will need to document your standards and procedures. They bring together the knowledge within your company, help new staff learn company procedures, and help ensure everyone is working to the same standards. Basically, they are an ideal way to underpin your internal quality systems. Specifications Technical staff, while highly-skilled and very knowledgeable, frequently have problems putting their thoughts down on paper. We can make sense of the technical jargon and scribbled notes (including beer mats!) to produce your specifications. Release Notes These documents are primarily used by software houses and are aimed at internal staff and expert-end users. They describe new and advanced functionality at a high level in new software releases. Operating Instructions Ideal for anyone operating specialist equipment, in the home or commercial premises. Clear instructions, supported by illustrations (and photographs where appropriate), with trouble shooting tips. These instructions can be particularly useful for newly trained staff. Good operating instructions can enhance your product and your companys reputation. Assembly Instructions If you supply a flat-packed product, these are vital for your customers. They take the customer through the task step-by-step in a visual format. They also include a check list of components. Overviews Overviews are designed to support your sales literature and give an in-depth view of your product. They enable your clients, both new and established, to make informed decisions in conjunction with input from your staff. Skills Books Your company probably has at least one member of staff that all the others go to for knowledge and advice about one particular aspect of your business operations, products or services. A series of skills books can capture this invaluable knowledge so that it can be shared by everyone while reducing the pressures on your expert staff. These books can also be used to drive internal training sessions. Test Scripts Prior to going live with a new computer system, it is always advisable to run your own tests on a test system. It is not enough to simply enter a few sales orders. A series of carefully designed test scripts will ensure your staff puts the system through its paces, highlighting possible problems before the go-live date. Multimedia Systems These interactive solutions combine text, graphics and maybe even sound for presentations, demonstrations and tutorials. Document Redesign (Cosmetic Surgery) Maybe you have all the right documentation but it is old fashioned and looking dated. Maybe it doesnt completely cover everything. Maybe you just need to change the delivery format, for example, convert your paper documentation to on-line help. We can analyse your existing documentation to help you achieve the look, feel and content you need. 2.6 Business Change Issues As we can determine from above information that pilot approach is the best approach where we can see the combination of less risks as well as less implementation cost because. There are many health centers so we can implement the new system only at any one of the health centers to check whether it is working appropriately or not. And this method is also cheaper than all other methods except direct cut over where there are chances of risks here in this method risk of system failure is very less. Workshops close down for half a working day but it will take two full working days to install and configure CAVIES and VOLE system in live working environment. There should be little disruption as possible to normal business operation. The full business benefit will be achieved when all workshops are live on CAVIES and VOLE. Giving most priority to CAVIES and VOLE and train the staffs for the new system will cause the business slightly. And until the staff used to the new system there may be possible to have technical errors. STITCH (SMARTS Training Information Technology Communications Harmonisation) intends to evaluate the overall impact on business, social and technical issues for future attention. Issue Management The information contained within the Project Plan will likely change as the project progresses. While change is both certain and required, it is important to note that any changes to the Project Plan will impact at least one of three critical success factors: Available Time, Available Resources (Financial, Personnel), or Project Quality. The decision by which to make modifications to the Project Plan (including project scope and resources) should be coordinated using the following process: Step 1: As soon as a change which impacts project scope, schedule, staffing or spending is identified, the Project Manager will document the issue. Step 2: The Project Manager will review the change and determine the associated impact to the project and will forward the issue, along with a recommendation, to the Steering Committee for review and decision. Step 3: Upon receipt, the Steering Committee should reach a consensus opinion on whether to approve, reject or modify the request based upon the information contained within the project website, the Project Managers recommendation and their own judgment. Should the Steering Committee be unable to reach consensus on the approval or denial of a change, the issue will be forwarded to the Project Sponsor, with a written summation of the issue, for ultimate resolution. Step 4: If required under the decision matrix or due to a lack of consensus, the Project Sponsor shall review the issue(s) and render a final decision on the approval or denial of a change. Step 5: Following an approval or denial (by the Steering Committee or Project Sponsor), the Project Manager will notify the original requestor of the action taken. There is no appeal process. 2.7 Installation Schedule This section should outline the way you will roll out the technology, including the highest level milestones. GANTT CHART 3. Support 3.1 Support Needs RABBIT Steering Committee role Position Name Joint Executive Joint Owner/Managing Director Neil Nimbus Joint Executive Joint Owner/Managing Director Simon Wheatley Senior user Practice Manager Verity Green Senior user Financial Controller Hadi Esfahani Senior user ISS Manager Vanessa Phillips CAVIES and VOLE Project Manager ISS Project Manager F S Haroon MICE Project Manager ISS Project Manager Fergus Sheridan Support Services Offered We provide the following telephone, remote-access and onsite support for New System, hardware, network and Microsoft products: Phone and Remote Access On-site Support Software Implementation Upgrade Installation Hardware/Software Data Import/Export Business practices consulting Training-on site ATC Classroom Forms/Report Design 3.2 ISS Help Desk The Support Plan is what we call the backup service we offer to CAVIES and VOLE users to ensure that you have all the help you need to get the most out of the software. Here are the benefits. Unlimited Telephone, Email and Online Help Desk Support Unlimited telephone support from our technical staff, priority treatment for any email support and free use of our Online Helpdesk System FREE Version Upgrades* We usually release a major upgrade to every couple of years or so. Customers on the Support Plan receive a completely FREE upgrade to the latest version (otherwise an upgrade fee has to be paid). Online Backup Service Support Plan customers have the option of an Online Backup account. We will help to configure an automatic backup schedule for you so that Database is uploaded to a secure server every night, giving extra peace of mind. Discounts on other Support Services Support Plan customers receive massive discounts on our other services such as Report Designing, Data Conversion and On-Site Installation Training. Wishlist Implementation To continually improve the software, we operate a wishlist system so that users can make requests for new features or changes. Requests from customers on the Support Plan are given priority so that you can have an active role in the ongoing development of software. User Support and customer service on company supported computer application and platforms. Troubleshoot problems and advise on the appropriate action. Main Job and Responsibilities. Telephone Support Remote Support On-site Support Roles and Responsibilities Respond to requests for technical assistance in person, via phone, electronically Diagnose and resolve technical hardware and software issues. Research questions using available information resources Advise user on appropriate act Follow Standard help desk procedures Log all help desk interactions Administer help desk software Redirect problems to appropriate resource Identify and escalate situations requiring urgent attention Track and route problems and requests and document resolutions Prepare activity reports Stay current with system information, changes and updates Project Roles and Responsibilities Role Responsibilities Project Sponsor Ultimate decision-maker and tie-breaker Provide project oversight and guidance Review/approve some project elements Steering Committee Commits department resources Approves major funding and resource allocation strategies, and significant changes to funding/resource allocation Resolves conflicts and issues Provides direction to the Project Manager Review project deliverables Project Manager Manages project in accordance to the project plan Serves as liaison to the Steering Committee Receive guidance from Steering Committee Supervises consultants Supervise vendor(s) Provide overall project direction Direct/lead team members toward project objectives Handle problem resolution Manages the project budget Project Participants Understand the user needs and business processes of their area Act as consumer advocate in representing their area Communicate project goals, status and progress throughout the project to personnel in their area Review and approve project deliverables Creates or helps create work products Coordinates participation of work groups, individuals and stakeholders Provide knowledge and recommendations Helps identify and remove project barriers Assure quality of products that will meet the project goals and objectives Identify risks and issues and help in resolutions Subject Matter Experts Lend expertise and guidance as needed Help Desk will be located in Southgate, Head Office and it will staffed as follows; 2 project managers (F S Haroon, and the MICE project manager Fergus Sheridan) 3 system/database administrators 2 business analysts 4 Oracle developers The ISS Service Desk is the place to go with any queries about ISS services. Service Desk is open weekdays between: 0900 1700 3.3 Outsourcing the Help Desk Help Desk Staff Position Name Senior user Pract

Impact of Institutional Factors and Election Mechanisms on Voter Turnou

In the 2012 United States Presidential election 58.2 percent of the registered voters turnout out to vote (IDEA). This figure is in stark contrast to many other wealthy democracies in the western world for the same election cycle (IDEA). This begs the question, why is voter turnout significantly lower in the US compared to the rest of the first world and other OECD countries? There are countless factors that could affect voter turnout, the most standard of which are based on socioeconomic status. But when considering only developed nations, more is at play in predicting turnout. Focus is turned to institutional factors and the effect election mechanisms, such as registration laws and party systems, have on political participation. Europe and the United States differ on many key aspects of democratic structure including party systems, registration processes, and voting procedures. These unique institutional factors in the United States place an excessive burden on the public and increases the tangible cost to voting, which discourages political participation. In order to discuss these costs, an understanding of how broader institutional an structural factors influence an individuals participation must be reached. In a general context, political participation is defined as any form of individual engagement with politics, but within the scope of this essay, political participation is narrowed to include only the act of voting (Verba). This can be used to explain why voter turnout in the United States is so low compared to European democracies. By investigating the democratic institutions in Italy, Germany, and France, such a comparison can be made and the institutional effect on voter turnout rate can be investi gated. Final... ...rties in America."  Third World Traveler. Princeton University Press, 1984. Web. 1 May 2014. . Timpone, Richard J. "Structure, Behavior, and Voter Turnout in the United States."  The American Political Science Review  92.1 (1998): 145-58.  JSTOR. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . Powell, Bingham G., Jr. "American Voter Turnout in Comparative Perspective."  The American Political Science Review  80.1 (1986): 17-43.  JSTOR. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice and Equality. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Selections (BB) pg. 8-10; 23-24; 37-48. World Economic Outlook Database, April 2014, International Monetary Fund. Updated 8 April 2014. Accessed April 2014.

When to treat a condition as an absolute contraindication

A contraindication pertains to a state wherein the performance of a specific medical action is not recommended. There are two general types of contraindication that may be directly described in association with its urgency to a situation. A contraindication is deemed absolute when the procedure may not be entirely performed on an individual based of his current condition. On the other hand, a contraindication is relative when the situation of an individual does not entirely rule out the possibility of using a specific procedure unless it is essential that such specific procedure or action be performed. One example of an absolute contraindication is being in a highly infective state, such as having chickenpox. In this situation, the chickenpox virus has the ability to infect any other person that is directly interacting with the infected person and even through the air that is circulating around the room where the infected person is located. The infected person may also spread the chickenpox virus through coughing. Chickenpox is associated with skin blisters that are generally itchy and the fluid from these blisters is very potent in infecting other people that may it come in contact with. A person infected with chickenpox is known to be in a highly infective stage several days before the blisters appear on his skin. Hence, a condition such as chickenpox should be treated as a contraindication because the infected person is highly infective and may pose a health threat to other people surrounding him. Another example of an absolute contraindication is widespread inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis. In this condition, the patient’s autoimmune system is not normal and his joints are generally inflamed and are very easily affected by drugs and any simple movements. The patient’s connective tissues are generally destroyed hence they have a difficult time in maintaining a normal posture and even simple movements are painful and difficult. In such condition, any type of body massage may not be advisable to an individual with rheumatoid arthritis because it is not helpful and beneficial for such an individual to receive any forceful procedures to the body when the individual is already suffering from joint pains. An individual who has been diagnosed with a severe condition such as Parkinson’s disease should also be considered as an absolute contraindication for several procedures. A patient with Parkinson’s disease suffers from a major disability in terms of motor movements. This condition, also known as dystonia, results in involuntary jerking of specific parts of the body such as the hands, arms or even legs. When an individual has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, this individual’s condition should be treated as an absolute contraindication because his condition may present complications with most procedures. For example, surgery can only be performed on an individual with Parkinson’s disease if a medical release form has been issued by the patient’s primary physician. The reason behind this is that the patient’s condition may become more severe during or right after a specific surgery because his motor movements are not stable and controllable due to Parkinson’s disease. Another condition that should be treated as an absolute contraindication is a medical emergency such as appendicitis. In this situation, the individual’s appendix is infected and surgery needs to be done immediately, or else the patient may die from shock and from the infection (Rizk and Saleem, 2008). In this condition, any other procedure should not be performed unless surgery to remove the appendix has been completed and the incisions that were done on the patient have completely healed. The patient suffering from appendicitis also experiences extreme pain in the lower right portion of his abdomen hence he will be unable to perform any other action unless he is rushed to the hospital and surgery is done as soon as possible.

Spirits And The Supernatural i essays

Spirits And The Supernatural i essays The Idea of Spirits and the Supernatural You will no doubt notice that ghosts and spirits play a rather large role in Hamlet. Not merely as an oft used character, but also as a main basis for the plotline, and one of the key indications of Hamlets madness. His dead fathers spirit stays on our mortal plane to explain how he did to Hamlet. The idea in the play is that the ghost is actually there, as opposed to being a mere figment of Hamlets imagination. What was the basis for Shakespeare to use the ghost in the first place? The idea of supernatural beings was not new in Shakespeares time. It has been around since the dawn of time, due to mans constant fixation on that which he cannot see or explain. However, ideas surrounding ghosts seemed to get more serious in the Middle Ages, due to the rise of many new and different religions. Simply the belief in each person having his or her own spirit may have been enough for many people to see these ghosts. However, even with the wide occurrences of these visions, and the ease of persuading someone that you had seen one, there was (back then, as much as there is today) your famed privileged elite. The so-called enlightened people, who knew better than to believe in such laughable matters. They considered those who did believe to be mad. The general thought process was that ...many men do sadly persuade themselves that they see or hear ghosts. If you had seen a ghost, you had in all likeliness gone through something that had caused significant melancholic or angry emotions. The reasoning was that your brain, to compensate, formed a vision of something to do with those emotions. Another explanation was that the death of someone dear to you could cause you to see that person in spirit. If this happened, you were thought to have unfinished business with that ghost (which is ironic, as the p ...

The Complete Maus essays

The Complete Maus essays Ones ability to love changes from romance to romance and over time. In Art Speigelmans comic book novel, The Complete Maus, the central character, Vladek Speigelman, a Holocaust survivor, values his relationships with his first and second wives strikingly different. Speigelmans novel gives an enlightening and affective narrative account of the Holocaust through Vladek, a Polish Jew. The author, Vladeks son, Artie, uses an extended metaphor throughout the novel, portraying the Jews as mice, the Nazis as cats, and the Polish as pigs. Vladek displays his love for Anja, his first wife and Arties mother who killed herself years after the Holocaust, by constantly providing for her financially. He uses his money to keep her alive both before and after time at Auschwitz, a concentration camp. However, in the case of Mala, his second wife, he provides her with little financial support, which drives her away from him. Furthermore, Vladek supplies Anja with emotional support and consta nt love. Both before and after her death, it is clear that Anjas well-being is always on his mind. However, Vladek shows little emotional regard for Mala. He frequently speaks harshly about her to Artie and makes it clear that Anja is and will always be his one and only true love. In Speigelmans novel, the manner in which Vladek generously supports Anja financially demonstrates that he truly loves and values their relationship. Throughout his narrative, there are situations in which money is necessary in order to keep them both alive. Vladek often supports her financially even before the Holocaust. For example, when Vladek goes to Bielsko, a town in Poland, to run his factory, Anja begins a bout with depression. Her family feels that it is necessary to send her to a sanitarium, one of the most expensive in the world, so Vladek leaves behind his financial responsibilities in order to be with her, and learns...

Dogfight over Europe, Ryanair B and C Essays

Dogfight over Europe, Ryanair B and C Essays Dogfight over Europe, Ryanair B and C Essay Dogfight over Europe, Ryanair B and C Essay Dogfight over Europe RyanAir B / C (individual graded) 1. What went wrong? Why did Ryanair move from a successful launch to near bankruptcy? One of the biggest reasons for Ryanair’s downfall was that it tried to position itself as a low fare airline along with having first-rate services. It kept an unrestricted fare while still focusing on the best customer service and relationship. Although the low price was able to get Ryanair the customer base it needed, the increase in sales was not enough to make up for the cost of the amenities that Ryanair promised to its customers. This business model did not do sell well and proved to be very inefficient. Another significant reason was because of Ryanair’s expansion. It expanded its rounds to where some of its competitors were, specifically Aer Lingus. This overlap in routes led to a price war among the two companies. Ryanair tried to price its fares at 10% lower than its competitors which dug them deeper in a hole. The case also mentions that despite the route separation by the government, Ryanair continued to lose money – up until the January 1991. Ryanair failed to anticipate and defend against retaliation from its competitors. Ryanair went head-to-head against its competitors in a very tough price-war which undermined the industry structure. The CEO commented that â€Å"Aer LIngus will, of course, compete to the very limit of our ability as we have always done†. 2. How did Ryanair move from bankruptcy to become one of the most profitable airlines? One of the most important reasons why Ryanair turned around was because of their low cost strategy and became a low-cost, low-fare airline.. It dropped loss-making routes and planes redeployed on a handful of remaining routes. Ryanair turned its focus away from customer service and, as a result, was able to generate and preserve cash. For example, the case mentions that all in-flight amenities, such as free coffee and snacks, were eliminated. Additionally, labor contracts were renegotiated so that pay reflected productivity. As Ryanair started to eliminate its amenities and stray away from superior customer service, they dropped their fares substantially which caused passenger volumes to pick up. U. S. financial analyst would proclaim Ryanair â€Å"the Southwest Airlines of Europe†. In addition, Ryanair exclusively served secondary airports. These airports were not congested and made it easy to obtain landing slights and timely landing and departure times. Prior to opening a new route, Ryanair negotiated vigorously with airport authorities for low landing fees, low turnaround costs, and other incentives. Ryanair negotiated scheduled press conferences to announce new routes while negotiated with numerous airports at once. These contracts gave Ryanair an edge over the competition because it lowered their fees and the contracts lasted 5-10 years. -Ryanair started using online booking through its website and used several computerized reservation systems which the travel agents were used to. The online booking reduced the number of its employees while the reservation systems increased customer satisfaction. Ryanair also shifted its fleet to the Boeing 737 aircraft by buying at the end of the worldwide recession in the airline industry and getting very low prices which gave them a competitive edge. Ryanair’s changed its workplace environment also which helped it become more profitable. They made the environment informal and flexible so that it’s the employees could be more efficient and productive. Almost all employees were paid based on their productivity. These incentives were made so that the employees could put more effort. From a marketing standpoint, Ryanair established itself as a lo w-cost, low-fare airline. Ryanair advertised in newspapers, radio and television. They relied heavily of word-of-mouth advertising by satisfied customers. The case also mentions that â€Å"many customers found their way to Ryanair not because of advertising, but because they asked their travel agent for the absolute lowest fare. † Ryanair had many ancillary services that served as additional sources of revenue. On the flights, the spaces behind seat-back trays and on headsets were sold to advertisers. The case also mentions that â€Å"advertisers could emblazon the exterior of a Ryanair plane with a corporate logo for a fee of 150,000 – 200,000 per year†. In-flight magazines were also consisted purely of advertisements. Ryanair made a profit on its publication, which was not common in the industry. Lastly, charter flights and car rental referral fees also brought in additional revenue. 3. What is the most serious threat Ryanair faces today? Why? How should they address it? Imitation is one of the most serious threats that Ryanair faces today. Even though Ryanair’s entire business model is to have a low-cost strategy, which it has done successfully, it is easily imitated by many entrepreneurial airlines as the case mentions, some of which have been successful and some of which not been so successful. The ability for Ryanairs business model to be imitated is a big threat which is further extended because of the deregulation by the government which allows many airlines to enter the market and use the same strategy as Ryanair. The most serious threat that Ryanair faces is competition and rivalry from British Airway’s Go. Go has been able to use the strong brand image of British Airways to give their brand a competitive edge. Go is a low-cost airline that is still offering some of the service that British Airways is known for. Passengers are still given a seat assignment, have available an on-board food franchise from a relatively upscale caterer, and has award winning coffee. All these amenities along with low-cost are going to differentiate Go from Ryanair. Customers will be willing to pay more for Go and they will be able to create and claim more value as a result. Additionally, According to Exhibit 5, Go has a lower average arrival day for all U. K. arrivals at 12. 0 minutes compared to Ryanair’s 15. 6 minutes. Portion of flights that arrive early or less than 15 minutes late are also higher for GO than for Ryanair. Go is also doing much better than expected. In September, 1999, the company announced its first profitable quarter while Go’s original business plan called for 2001 to be the first profitable year. Because of all this competition, the only differentiating factor to compete on is price. Since prices are already so low, having price-wars have a huge impact on Ryanair’s profit margins. Ryanair needs to address this growing imitation, competition, and rivalry(specifically from a company like Go) before it is too late. They need to control the low-cost segment of the market and ease Go out of the market. There are many potential ways in which Ryanair can address this issue. One recommendation that Ryanair should consider is the expanding outside Europe to a wider market, such as the transatlantic routes which account for more flights and more customers. By moving into this new market with its low fare strategy and added options, Ryanair can utilize its existing core competencies and further expand and control the low-cost segment of the market becoming a true leader in the market.

Consumer Protection- Discussion post 5 Assignment

Consumer Protection- Discussion post 5 - Assignment Example On the other hand, a mortgage has two parties, which include the borrower and the lender. In an instance where the borrower is unable to pay, in mortgage the foreclosure and sale of the property have to use the judicial process (Vobeckà ¡, Kosteleckà ½, & Lux, 2014). The lender files the lawsuit. In a deed of trust, however, in case the borrower fails to pay, the home can be auctioned. This method does not use the courts, and the trustee is the one who auctions the home (Super, 2013). The deed of trust is more efficient and faster since it does not involve a judicial process. Different states have different laws on deeds of trust, and thus one may need to review such rules before deciding on which to use. Epstein, R. A. (2014). Public accommodations under the civil rights act of 1964: why freedom of association counts as a human right. Stanford Law Review, 66(6), 1241-1291. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1548675357?accountid=45049 Vobeckà ¡, J., Kosteleckà ½, T., & Lux, M. (2014). Rental housing for young households in the Czech Republic: Perceptions, priorities and possible solutions*. Sociologicky Casopis, 50(3), 365-390. Retrieved from

JetBlue Airline S.W.O.T analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

JetBlue Airline S.W.O.T analysis - Essay Example Other airline companies that JetBlue has formed alliances with include Lufthansa, OpenSkies, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Jet Airways and South African Airways among others. In its effort to maintain strong positive relationship with its clients, JetBlue emulates strong advertising strategies by use of local newspapers, televisions and social media including YouTube and Hulu.com. The company has adopted advertising phrases for example we like you too and unbelievable. As the result of extensive marketing strategies, the company has benefited from strong customer awareness and distinctive positioning aspects that have made it to attain a competitive edge in the market. One of the notable core values that make JetBlue Airline to be the option of US travelers is its strong binding with Customer Bill of Rights. According to the company management, if customer’s flights are cancelled or delayed, they are refunded their funds (Laurence, 2008). JetBlue has been involve d in two major incidents that did not result to any casualty. The first one is the 2005 emergency landing of Flight 292 at Los Angeles Airport. The second one happened on Flight 191 when the captain was subdued by the travelers and locked out of the cockpit after a panic attack. One of the major weaknesses of JetBlue Airline is that it does not have large number of hubs as compared to other airlines in the US. As a result, the company is not in a position to effectively compete with its rivals that includes Southwest, Pan AM, Northwest, American and Delta among others. Another weakness is that it does not have many destinations as compared to other firms in the US airline industry. This implies that the sales that the company makes are not maximum and if the company invests in more destinations across the US and abroad, it could make higher sales and sustainable

To what extent does political participation reflect a bias in favor of Essay

To what extent does political participation reflect a bias in favor of the privileged - Essay Example This is particularly reflected in political participation. Inherent Inequality Ideally, political exercise is open to all. The constitution and the collective laws of any democratic government ensure this. Here, most people are eligible to seek public office or be involved in electing people to public positions. For some communities, even those who do not know how to read and right are not excluded to participate. Unfortunately, the electoral process in democracies today is characterized by competition, wherein political participation is â€Å"circumscribed by unequal access to both resources and the decision-making process.†1 Equality would have been easier to practice in the brand of direct democracy adopted in Greece, wherein all citizens are entitled a voice in policymaking. But the circumstance today – one about political participation through representation – is radically different. The rules and dynamics of choosing representatives are no longer as straigh tforward as those in the past. Resources are needed in order to get represented and this aspect tilts the balance to those who have more than others. This is highlighted by the predomination of individuals and private enterprises in political exercises with their capability to influence all policy networks. Elitism In the United States, political representation is especially biased towards the elite. The manner in which individuals are elected, demonstrates a process wherein the privileged enjoy extreme advantage. For example, there are no laws that regulate private expenditures for partisan political purposes. The system currently treats private funding in the American elections as part of the egalitarian value of freedom to support the candidate of one’s choice. The argument is that when one restricts the use of money, it is tantamount to restricting the rights to liberty and free speech. This is demonstrated in the way candidates in the US can buy advertising airtime in th e media. Private money in this instance is translated into a very important political resource, severely disadvantaging those individuals and parties that do not have the means or cannot raise them in time. Chapman classified the privileged between the socio-economic elite and the political elite. She explained that the latter tend be dominated by the former and that in most likelihood property, income, occupation and education are those that would render people from this class more likely to enter politics.2 Another variable that underscore the bias of the current democratic political participation in the US is the conservative view on politics. This is manifested best by the American Electoral College system, wherein popular vote is disregarded in favor of certain groups and individuals. The Founding Fathers of the American Constitution were known to have noted the fickleness and selfishness of the masses and, hence, entrusted the power to elect the American President in the hands of the learned and the capable. This is rationalized, wrote Sullivan, Piereson and Marcus, by the idea that universal transformation of human nature is too much to expect and that political representation should be given only to the virtuous or the â€Å"more highly educated and more responsible segments of the public.†3 And so when Al Gore won the popular election, George W. Bush was elected

Proper essay form, with supporting argument, facts, and examples

Proper form, with supporting argument, facts, and examples - Essay Example , Auguste Comte (1798-1857), developed a form of scientific rationalism which stated that science is the highest form of knowledge that will inevitably lead to progress in humans. His argument was that positive or scientific knowledge is the highest stage of human development which would allow humans to discover the laws of human behaviour and be able to use them in improving the society. On the other hand, Romanticism rejected most of these ideologies by the positivists. They recognized the fact that humans have limits to reason and comprehend the reality and also rejected the artistic style called classicism. Instead, they explored the mysterious, strange, satanic, and exotic aspects of the human nature by incorporating it into myths and folk music. Their ideologies appealed to the liberals on the basis of rejecting an established order and emphasis on individual liberty, and conservatives on the basis of societal importance in religion. Liberalism held its ideology on the principle of economic, social, and political freedom. In particular, the liberals had three main aims: to establish and protect civil liberties; worked to achieve the right to vote to the middle class, and to promote free trade. They drew most of their support from merchants, manufacturers, ad middle-class professionals in urban areas. This ideology became prominent during the French revolution especially after the Congress of Vienna. It became a major force in France between the years 1830 and 1848, resulting in the overthrowing of the Bourbons who were replaced by Louis Philippe and attainment of republic status by France in 1848. In Britain, liberalism led to several reforms including the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 and also the Reform Bill of 1832. Another ideology that appeared during the French Revolution is Nationalism. This ideology held that nationalities had a right to identify and be attached to their nation. It aimed at establishing nation-states with people that shared the

Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333 (1966) & Williams v. Florida 399 Assignment

Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333 (1966) & Williams v. Florida 399 U.S. 78 - Assignment Example The unprecedented penetration of contemporary communications and the extreme difficulty associated with obliterating prejudicial publicity from the perception of the jury, necessitate the trial courts to adopt stringent measures to prevent a bias against the accused. The US Supreme Court found that the accused had been denied due process and reversed his conviction. With regard to the balance to be maintained between the First and Sixth Amendment rights, the Court held that collaboration between the press and counsel, regarding information influencing the fairness of the trial was subject to regulation, and was extremely censurable and merited disciplinary measures. The US Supreme Court decried the absence of decorum in the trial court, and the free reign given to the press during the hearing. The prejudicial posturing of the press had biased the jury, which declared the accused guilty, on the basis of the adverse publicity promoted by the press and not the evidence. In Williams v Florida, the prosecution admitted the deposition of an alibi witness to establish the guilt of the accused. The latter was convicted, and the conviction was upheld by the appellate court. At the US Supreme Court, Williams contended that his Fifth Amendment rights had been breached, as the evidence of the alibi witness had been utilized for convicting him. He also contended that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated, as the denial of a 12-man jury had deprived him of his right to trial by jury. (U.S. Supreme Court, Williams v. Florida, 399 U.S. 78 (1970), 1970). In this case, the US Supreme Court set aside precedent and legal tradition and declared the 12-man jury to be the perpetuation of a traditional idiosyncrasy. Accordingly, the Court upheld the constitutionality of the six-man jury, and held the 12-man jury to be its operational counterpart. The US Supreme Court held that the Florida criminal procedure did not force petitioners to provide courts

Intellectual's in chekov's work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Intellectual's in chekov's work - Essay Example He is modest and quiet, just like a girl!... He's simply wonderful." The memoirs f Maxim Gorky give us a modest and gentle and saintly Chekhov, too good to be true. In fact, not altogether true, according to Donald Rayfield's recent biography f Chekhov. Rayfield gives us the well-known facts--the boy who lived in poverty, whose father was tyrannical, who became the breadwinner f his extended family by working at two vocations (doctor and writer), who at the age f 24 began spitting blood, the first sign f the tuberculosis that would claim his life 20 years later, the doctor who treated poor peasants without receiving pay, who visited penal colonies to heal or console plague victims, the famous writer f short stories and plays--but he also tells us f Chekhov's callousness when he tried to protect his privacy and f Chekhov's many sexual relationships with women (what for many was a surprising finding about the man who had, according to V.S. Pritchett, an unusually low "sexual temperature"). The Rayfield biography gives us a truer, more balanced portrait f a complex man but it doesn't make cool the warm feelings we have toward the writer whose compassion informs his art and whose plays--complex, ambiguous, difficult--continue to be pop ular. What prods me to write about Chekhov is the American Repertory Theater's production, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, f Ivanov, which I saw in January, 2000. Ivanov (1887) is Chekhov's first full-length play--he had already written many oneact farces--written and produced before the four plays that give Chekhov his importance--The Sea Gull (1898), Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1901), and The Cherry Orchard (1904). Four plays is a surprisingly modest number f plays on which to sustain so high a reputation; obviously, it's enough. Chekhov worked very hard at his playwriting, which, unlike his writing f short stories, did not come naturally to him. His notebooks and letters are filled with remarks on his struggle. A playful but accurate indication f his attitude toward the two kinds f writing in his comment: "Narrative is my legal wife and drama a flamboyant, rowdy, impudent, exhausting mistress." (This is a variation f his much-quoted statement, "Medicine is my legal wife and literat ure is my mistress.") Chekhov said he didn't recall a single tale f his that took him more than a day to write; he wrote short stories, he said, with haste and carelessness. His mistress, it seems, gave him more trouble and demanded more attention. My focus is Chekhov's mistress. Ivanov was the A.R.T. debut f one f Russia's leading directors, Yuri Yeremin, who is Artistic Director f the Moscow Pushkin Theatre. Because Yeremin is a disciple f the Stanislavsky method f rehearsal and acting, and because Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre was the company that gave life, and took life, from Chekhov's plays, my expectations were high. They were disappointed, although I must admit I never saw a praiseworthy production f the play. Ivanov gave Chekhov much trouble in the writing; he spent many years revising it. During the revising he made many comments about it to his friends, itself a painful experience for a modest man who rarely discussed his work. From these comments we learn that Chekhov wrote the play to satirize a Russian type, whose existential sickness was a Russian disease. Its plot is conventional and melodramatic, what the Russian

Proper essay form, with supporting argument, facts, and examples

Proper form, with supporting argument, facts, and examples - Essay Example , Auguste Comte (1798-1857), developed a form of scientific rationalism which stated that science is the highest form of knowledge that will inevitably lead to progress in humans. His argument was that positive or scientific knowledge is the highest stage of human development which would allow humans to discover the laws of human behaviour and be able to use them in improving the society. On the other hand, Romanticism rejected most of these ideologies by the positivists. They recognized the fact that humans have limits to reason and comprehend the reality and also rejected the artistic style called classicism. Instead, they explored the mysterious, strange, satanic, and exotic aspects of the human nature by incorporating it into myths and folk music. Their ideologies appealed to the liberals on the basis of rejecting an established order and emphasis on individual liberty, and conservatives on the basis of societal importance in religion. Liberalism held its ideology on the principle of economic, social, and political freedom. In particular, the liberals had three main aims: to establish and protect civil liberties; worked to achieve the right to vote to the middle class, and to promote free trade. They drew most of their support from merchants, manufacturers, ad middle-class professionals in urban areas. This ideology became prominent during the French revolution especially after the Congress of Vienna. It became a major force in France between the years 1830 and 1848, resulting in the overthrowing of the Bourbons who were replaced by Louis Philippe and attainment of republic status by France in 1848. In Britain, liberalism led to several reforms including the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 and also the Reform Bill of 1832. Another ideology that appeared during the French Revolution is Nationalism. This ideology held that nationalities had a right to identify and be attached to their nation. It aimed at establishing nation-states with people that shared the