Interventions to Meet the Needs of Consumers

Interventions to Meet the Needs of Consumers with Mental Health and Add Issues. BY songster CHAMBER Provide interventions to meet the needs of consumers with mental health and ADD issues. Introduction Case study of Susan a female patient age 40 years old. Name change due to confidentially and I had been given consent to obtain and access her personal medical file for the purpose of my study. In her ass, Susan is beginning to experiencing bouts of unhappiness. She turned to alcohol. The trauma early in Suntan's life, coupled with the subsequent health problems had placed Susan at risk or developing a serious psychiatric disorder as an adult.Despite getting help for depression, her drinking gradually increased. Following the death of her mother in 2003, Suntan's addiction escalated to the point that she could not start the day without a drink. It was in great emotional pain, and her drinking increased. At this point, she was never sober. Recently she had turned herself to cannabis smok ers. Susan had identifying her first problem. She wanted to get well and be normal allowing her greater freedom from the horrible side-effects of alcohol. She was placed on an antidepressant medication to assist her in functioning better. Her family is very supportive.She had a secure and stable family. Susan is fully aware of her mental state. She scored full in Mini mental state examination. Her speech is normal and calm. Therapeutic relationship Susan and I had a nurse-patient relationship that's based on mutual trust and respect. I had been providing care in a manner that enables Susan to be an equal partner in achieving wellness. I had always make sure Susan has privacy when provide care and be sure that her basic needs are met, including relieving pain or there sources of discomfort. I too had actively listened to her to make sure I understand her concerns by restating what she has verbalized.I had maintained professional boundaries like respecting differences in her cultures. We as nurses help Susan achieve harmony in mind, body, and spirit when engaging in a therapeutic relationship based on effective communication that incorporates caring behaviors. It's a win-win situation in which the nurse and Susan can experience growth by sharing the moment with each other. Assessment We did assessment for Susan as the first part of the nursing process, and thus form he basis of the care plan. The essential requirement of accurate assessment is to view Suntan's holistically and thus identify her real needs.Through the use of a scoring formula identification of evidence to support decision making and practice. The assessment tool will assist nurses to both articulate and quantify the nursing contributions to care. Suntan's chart provides information about his health status. It includes details about the current medical condition, treatment plan, related past medical history and other important data required to create a care plan. Vital Signs, jugular monitoring of a patient's heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and evaluate a Suntan's overall condition.Abnormalities can indicate a variety of problems ranging from anxiety to heart failure. Suntan's interview is the one of the most important assessment tools the patient herself. An initial detailed interview to get a full picture of Suntan's physical and mental status. Patient Safety Plan There was a Patient Safety Plan for Susan. The purpose of the safety plan is to encourage Susan to identify calming strategies that may be of assistance to them while she is in hospital. This plan helps to list those things that can be assistance and encourage helping prevent a crisis developing that might place the patient and others at risk.The plan helps to list Suntan's activities and strategies that find helpful in keeping calm. For example Susan likes listening to slow and sentimental music and doing artwork to calm her nerves. She does not like noise and being bullied these will act as triggers and she will get angry. Risk Factors Alcohol abuse also can have serious repercussions on a person's life, leading to financial and legal troubles, impaired thinking and Judgment, as well as marital tress. If we're struggling with money or grappling with a failed relationship, we're more likely to feel depressed.A person's home and social environment also can play a big role in determining whether they will develop both depression and a drinking problem. Children who have been abused or who were raised in poverty appear to be more likely to develop both conditions. Researchers have been searching for a common gene or genes that might lie behind both conditions. They have pinpointed at least one a variant of the gene CHARM that is involved in several important brain functions, including memory and attention. Variations in this gene might put people at risk for alcohol dependence and depression. Surveillance, R.A Primer of Drug Action, Macmillan, 2005. J. Goldberg, 2012. Minimize social isolation We had suggested that Suntan's family members and friends can also benefit from the hospital support group that they learn more about the disorder and become more constructively involved in recovery of Susan. Possible alternatives to traditional treatment. Here is some traditional treatment that Susan attends in her day activities in the day Centre in the hospital itself for relaxing. A number of essential oils are believed to be specially beneficial in the treatment of depression as they help to balance and relax the nervous system.Aromatherapy can be helpful in alleviating mental disorders including depression. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to produce different emotional and physiological reactions. Some essential oils affect the nervous system, can help relieve tensions and anxieties, and even reduce blood pressure. Massage therapy is believed to be helpful for people with depression. Massage produces chemical changes in the brain that result . In a feeling of relaxation, calm and well- being. It also reduces levels of stress hormones – such as adrenalin, cortical and morphogenesis – which in some people can trigger depression.Yoga breathing exercises are beneficial for depression. Yoga is an ancient Indian exercise philosophy that provides a gentle form of exercise and stress management. It consists of postures or ‘asana' that are held for a short period of time and are often synchronized with the breathing. It is very helpful for reducing stress and anxiety which are often precursors to depression. We have given leaflets on acupuncture for traditional medicine China, Japan and other eastern countries. Acupuncture is based on the principle that stimulation of specific areas on the skin affects the functioning of certain organs of the body.Fine needles are inserted into specific points called acupuncture points Just below the surface of the skin. It is believed that acupuncture can help to relieve depression, along with anxiety, nervous tension and stress. Other self-help measures include: Meditation, relaxation, diet, alcohol and drug avoidance and exercise. Withdrawal symptoms The common symptoms of alcohol intoxication include slurred speech, euphoria, impaired balance, loss of muscle coordination, lushes face, dehydration, vomiting, reddened eyes, and erratic behavior.Which Susan does not have but she does not sleep well, not thinking clearly, irritability and loss of appetite. These symptoms are related to withdrawal from another drug as well Management of dependent drug intoxication and withdrawal Encourage and monitor diet and fluid. Reduce all environmental stimuli like providing single room with dim lights 4 hourly vital signs Administer medication prescribed by MO Consider assessment of breath or blood alcohol level where there is a concern of polycrystalline use. Report mental state and concerns, discuss with MO Referral to psychiatry.Treatment her treatment includes Disappear, Thia mine, and multivitamin and foliate supplements. Mobility: Performs falls risk assessment on falls risk management tool (FROM) On going assessment and management Assessment of the patient's risk and protective factors status at the current time. Provision of feedback on the patient's risk level. Review of progress since the last towards achieving current goals. Identification of upcoming high-risk situations. Development and practice of coping responses Addressing any problems the patient may currently experience and Setting new oils for the time until the next.For Susan the goal is to disrupt the cycle and reduce the risk of relapse. Treatment can include continuing care. We use intensive inpatient care based on 12-step principles. Followed by continuing care involving self-help groups, 12-step group counseling, and some individual therapies. Alternative approaches to enhance treatment retention in both initial and continuing care. The 12-step programs that provide a spiritual and b ehavioral guide to self improvement and offer social support for people seeking to achieve abstinence Each of these groups offers several hypes of meetings like speaker meetings.With invited speakers such as discussion meetings in which all participants contribute to the discussion of a given topic or â€Å"12- step meetings† that discuss one of the 12 steps and participants are encouraged to attend all types of meetings. Cognitive-behavioral therapy begins with an analysis to identify beliefs, attitudes, and situations that contribute to the patient's ADD use. Based on this analysis, coping responses that the patient can use are developed and practiced in high-risk situations to avoid relapse (Carroll 1998; Month et al. 1999). Monitoring of her sleep pattern.Monitoring of her fluid and diet intake. Being The aim is addressing Suntan's social care needs including possible triggers or substance misuse. To give her education in improving awareness of risks taking behavior and e xplaining how to find support. To give her treatment of mental health problems, drug treatment, psychosocial therapy and complementary therapies.

Penn Square Bank & Down Corning Bankruptcy Essay

According to Norm Bowie, â€Å"sometimes being moral enhances the bottom line rather than reduces it† (Hartman, 2005, p108). Unfortunately, in the instances of Penn Square Bank and the Dow Corning bankruptcy, that may not have been the case. The following will examine the particulars of these situations and discuss the ethical issues present for each. Penn Square Bank Penn Square Bank was a small bank that played a large role in the Oklahoma banking crisis of the early 1980s. In an effort to maximize on the profits of the booming oil industry, the upper management of Penn Square Bank cut corners in several areas of its new lending division. Documentation to support million-dollar loans became lax. Collateral valuation and revenue recognition was severely over estimated without verification of the documentation to support such claims. Loan contracts were with casual deals and unspecific terms. Credit was extended based upon unverified personal letters paid for by the client. These documentation errors led to loans not properly secured (Caskey, 1985). In addition, Penn Square was more and more money, which facilitated errors in revenue recognition as the bank accepted over estimated valuation claims without requiring loan or interest payments. Thus, on paper the bank looked successful without ever possessing the funds to support its lending endeavors. Finally, credit was extended without true verification of asset valuation or proper documentation, and re-extended when the client could not produce the payments necessary to support the lofty loans (Caskey, 1985). Each of Penn Square Bank’s actions represents a form of financial statement fraud, which led to its downfall in 1982. According to Fraud Examination, there are three ways to deter financial statement fraud: (1) reduce the pressure to commit the fraud, (2) reduce the opportunity to commit the fraud, and (3) reduce the rationalization of the fraud (Wells, 2005). However, in this instance, most if not all of the fraud committed can be attributed to demanding goals set by Penn State Bank owner, Bill Jennings. As explained by Hartman, the â€Å"driving force† of â€Å"profit maximization† created a business environment to facilitate fraud (2005). Because profit was the sole motivator, documentation was inadequate, collateral valuation and revenue recognition was overstated, and credit extension was unverified and inferior. Instead,  Penn Square Bank should have considered the following measures: †¢An oversight or review board should be been established to oversee verification of credit or collateral valuation and determine the risk associated with each loan. †¢Documentation requirements should have been heavily enforced and maintained by the review board. †¢Contract and loan deals should have been regulated to the office with strict documentation requirements. †¢Disclosures should have been made regarding the lack of loan and interest payments. †¢Asset valuation and revenue recognition should have been accurately portrayed to investors, clients, and potential buyers. †¢Upper management should have established company ethical standards and enforced these standards with strict consequences for violation without exception. Unfortunately, all the measures to deter fraud that should have been considered were undermined by the owner’s overwhelming demand for success. Thus, Jennings’ need to maximize profits and increase sales created the pressure, opportunity, and rationalization to commit each action of fraud. Dow Corning Bankruptcy Dow Corning Corporation is the big name in silicone and silicone-based material production. But in 1995, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to protect itself from lawsuits regarding their silicone-based breast implants. Some advocated that the action was an effort to â€Å"avoid compensating women for their injuries† (Book review, 1996, p7). However, according to Hartman, Chapter 11 bankruptcy is intended to protect companies from creditors while it undergoes restructuring in an effort to stave off liquidation. By doing so, the company continues business, pays taxes, and provide jobs but is allowed time to reorganize to triumph over its economic hardship (Hartman, 2005). The ethical challenge is to use Chapter 11 as it is intended – as a restructuring tool to avoid losing everything – rather than file for Chapter 11 as a way of cheating its creditors out of owed money. Hartman suggests that what is ethical in regard to bankruptcy is to go beyond what the laws require and uphold the debt agreements made with creditors (Hartman, 2005). Dow Corning seemed to have that same perspective. Nine years later the company emerged from bankruptcy after settling the lawsuits for a payout of $3.3 billion over the next 15 years (Arndt, 2004). During the time under Chapter 11, the company reorganized  itself to refocus silicone production to develop fabrics, materials, and pharmaceutical products (Arndt, 2004). These sales and expanding markets will help Dow Corning to pay its debts to the 300,000 women named in the settlement (Sissell, 2004). Thus, Dow Corning is Chapter 11 bankruptcy free but still upholding its ethical obligation to the wronged party and its creditors. Although Dow Corning’s actions following the Chapter 11 emergence was ethically sound, its actions leading to the filing was anything but. Problems with Dow Corning’s silicone breast implants began as early as 1984 when they lost a lawsuit claiming the implant caused medical illness such as autoimmune disease. During the investigation for this lawsuit, lawyers found evidence showing Dow Corning executives were aware of complaints from doctors, concerns about the lack of long-term testing, and cases of the implant bursting during surgery. In addition, the study that supposedly proved the effectiveness and safety of the product revealed detrimental long-term effects on the animals under experimentation (Book review, 1996). However, throughout all the breast implant concerns, Down Corning continued to advocate the safety of their product going as far as to hire high profile and extremely expensive teams of legal and public relations specialists. In addition, allegations were present of executives attempting to destroy damning internal documents suggesting upper management was trying to cover up its liability in the claims. The 1984 lawsuit found Dow Corning guilty of fraud and deceit stating the company provided inferior and incomplete information by understating the risks to make an informed decision (Book review, 1996). More important, it revealed the unethical behavior of the executives and company as a whole.

Post-War Boom Essay

Every 22nd of April, the world celebrates Earth Day, where the importance of environmentalism given emphasis. What was once an ideology is now a social movement, with major corporations joining in the campaign to preserve the environment. In the US, the road to environmental movement started as early as the 1960s but only reached extensive recognition in the 70s. In 1962, Rachel Carson, a biologist, wrote a book entitled Silent Spring, which exposed the threats brought on by the use of pesticides (Brinkley 875). She wrote that it was the first time that human beings were being subjected to â€Å"dangerous chemicals† and called on the government to act on it (LaFeber et al 547). But it was not only Carson who opened the door for environmental movement. Following the war, the drastic effect on the environment was starting to put people in a crisis. Water pollution was spreading; toxic fumes from factories and power plants had started to infiltrate the water and the atmosphere (Brinkley 876-877). In Ohio, for example, the Cuyahoga River had â€Å"burst into flames† following constant dumping of petroleum waste into it (877). The word â€Å"smog† was created to refer to the combination of smoke and fog which relentlessly plagued the people living in cities (877). Environmental destruction had started. The realization made people become aware of the possible damages it could inflict not just on the people but also on their surroundings. In fact, as early as 1950s, the Sierra Club, a traditional conservation organization, had contested the proposal to dam the Green River in Colorado (Glen Canyon Institute 2008). Sierra Club deemed the proposal as â€Å"America’s most regretted environmental mistake† (2008). The group sought to stop it but was in vain. The Glen Canyon damming opened the waters (put intended) for the environmental movement that when proposals for damming Marble and Grand Canyon were put forward, the Sierra Club staged not just protests but also placed advertisement in the New York Times to stop it. In a way, the Colorado incident put forth the rising environmental movement. It triggered the concern for environmental conservation and preservation. Among the environmental problems which people hoped to address were the aforementioned water problem, ozone layer, greenhouse effect, nuclear power and the escalating amount of garbage (Divine et al 870-871). For instance, studies in the 70s revealed the effects of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) to the earth’s ozone layer (870). Scientists also discovered that smoke and other toxic fumes contributed to the formation of acid rain, which was dangerous not only to forests but the aquamarine (870). Only April 1970 the first Earth Day was celebrated in campuses, the start of what was to be a campaign to expand the threats of toxic wastes to the environment (LaFeber 547). Earth Day was the idea of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin who initially thought of conducting a series of talks around campus (Brinkley 878). Compared to the antiwar rallies that as common during these days, the Earth Day demonstration had an â€Å"unthreatening† aura that made it interesting to people. During President Nixon’s first term, the Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (Brinkley 878). Laws were also created to regulate environmental hazards, preserve endangered species and protect wilderness areas (LaFeber 547). The Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act were passed in 1972 (Brinkley 878). The support of government in environmentalism made it easier to somehow alleviate environmental degradation brought on by pollution and the advancing industrial society. However, during the Reagan administration, federal cuts were made in favor of promoting private enterprises (547). Reagan also hoped to abolish the Council on Environmental Quality and cut funds for the Environmental Protection Agency (547). However, his anti-environmental revolution only made the environmental movement stronger. Environmental groups saw rise in its members.

Sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sports - Essay Example The basketball class focused on teaching the methods of defense, ball handling, guarding, passing, shooting, and offense. These classes provide a wonderful opportunity for the students to learn and develop their physical, mental, and social skills. Physically it helps the students develop stamina, remain physically healthy and active, while also leading to weight reduction. Overall, extracurricular activities such as outdoor sports provide general health improvement. Sports also help in the development of social skills such as cooperation and teamwork. Task 6 was looking for coding qualitative measures of teaching in the class. I counted how many times the teacher accurately conducted to inform, refine, extend, repeat, and apply the individual task. I also measured how many students had clearly understood and responded based on three different teaching cues and based on the teacher’s information and demonstrations. At the beginning of the class, the teacher defined and described the basketball rules, movements, skills, and techniques. Those learning concepts were easy to understand for most students as they had been playing basketball from a very young age. However, to ensure that all students had a thorough knowledge of all the different individual tasks, the teacher tested their knowledge by asking some random questions. When the teacher found that a student faltered in answering properly, the teacher went through the question again till he was convinced that the student had understood it properly. The introductory game of basketball is basketball relays. The purpose of the game is improvement of dribbling skill while the students run. The teacher divided the class into four teams. Each team player was asked to line up behind the line. The first team player then dribbled the ball to the assigned line and returned back the ball to the next member of their team. A few players preferred using le ft handed dribble or alternating hand dribble which was permitted by the teacher. After the basketball relays was played, the teacher made some changes to the original task content, and manipulated it to reach an advanced condition. The aim was for the students to gain practice in dribbling, passing, and shooting skills in the next assigned task. Moreover, the teacher looked for a variety of variations and responses. He divided the basketball court into nine red boxes by using blue tape prior to starting the class. The players took position each in one box. Only one ball was given to all nine players. Each player was allowed just one chance to shoot into a basket without leaving the assigned box. If a player succeeds in obtaining a score, he or she could leave the box, but if a player failed to do so he would have to pass the ball to the next box player. It worked in a clockwise direction. The next task was to qualitatively seek to develop the previous activity that focused on impro ving the mechanics of basketball skills or tactical aspects of play. All the basketball skills were practiced: dribbling, passin

Implications for teaching Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Implications for teaching - Assignment Example In that interview, the artist revealed his passion and dedication for arts. As the interview progressed, Charlie Ross employed various techniques that enabled James reveal more detail as well as stay within the confines of the topic (Leslie 56). In particularly, Charlie Rose used skills such as gesturing using hands and nodding head to encourage James to reveal more details. At some point, Charlie Rose smiled to signify that the point was well taken. A part from gesturing, Charlie Rose also phrased questions for James to ensure that he fully understood the question. Another aspect that stood out was the strategies he used to encourage dialogue throughout the period of interview. He employed the use of thought provoking questions that influenced James to critically think, analyze, and together with evaluate all facts before answering. In the event, dialogue ensued. As this was not enough, Charlie Rose in most of his question tactfully invited two answers for his questions. This was a master class strategy as anyone capable of providing two answers for the same question proves that he/she has an in depth understanding on the topic under discussion (Leslie 56). In learning, proactive approach is vital for the learners to understand fully the concepts. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the instructor to ensure that the learning process is as active as possible. In particularly teaching arts to students should be as interactive. The best way of achieving this is to involve the student in dialogue, where the instructor asks relevant questions tactfully to enhance the rate of understandability of the concepts. In addition to this, the instructor should at all-time ask questions that require two answers after teaching a concept as this will evaluate the extent at which the concept has been internalized by the learners. In this regards, dialogue is the key

Personal Perspectives of Death and Dying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Perspectives of Death and Dying - Essay Example Man doesn’t know from where he comes and doesn’t know when and where he goes. He has come to the world unknowingly and disappearing from the world knowingly. The only thing most of the people does not want in their life is death. I have accepted all the realities mentioned above and most of the times I hated to think about death since such thoughts about death will never give us the opportunity to concentrate in our mission on earth. For me, I came to the earth unknowingly and I strongly believe that some unknown force might have sent me to the earth for some mission. It is our duty to identify the mission and execute it successfully. I believe that once our mission is completed the force which sends us will call us back. Earth is not a permanent place for us and hence what all we received from the earth need to be dispose here itself before going for another mission at another place. In other words the material things which were acquired from the earth will not help us in our future assignment. I believe that the spirit does not have death and hence only the spiritual improvements will help us in our future missions. Those who work on spiritual things also along with other activities on earth will be the wise persons for me. Even though science and technology has advanced a lot, still it was not able to decode the secrets of life. Even the science and technology do not know where our spirit lies or what type of forces driving us. Religions and their teachings will have values till the science discloses the secrets of life and after death situations. Till then it is better not to question the beliefs of religions in my opinion. What is going to happen after death is a question which is unanswered so far and it will remain like that only for ever in my opinion. Religions have defined death and after death situations in their own views. Though most of the beliefs among religions are

Community Foundations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Community Foundations - Essay Example The ACF acts as a connection between donors, and the charitable money from the donors helps to improve the lives of all of the people living in Central Texas. The Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides positions for over two hundred individual charitable funds. The Austin Community Foundation handles over five hundred charitable funds that have been established by non-profit agencies, individual donors, and corporations. Some of these charitable funds include scholarship funds, special project funds, and donor designated funds. The task of the ACF is to help the funds back into the community to help in the supporting of charitable efforts, such as scholarships and grants. These grants support animal-related services, recreation, education, arts and culture, the environment, and health, among others. Some of the projects that the Austin Community Foundation sees to vary in the type of fund that is it, and the fund, or project, itself. Unrestricted funds help the most pressing of needs of the community, allowing the Board of Governors to decide on the recipients. Some of these funds include, but are not limited to, the Austin Community Foundation Fund, the Emily Lake Fund, and Gatewood Newberry Endowment Fund. Donor advised funds are made through the consultation of the donor, which will benefit charitable organizations. Some of these funds are The Austin High School Endowment Fund, Austin Playhouse Endowment Fund, and the Charity Partners of Austin Fund. Donor designated funds benefit the specific organization or fields of interest – a few of these funds include A.I.S.D. Redesigning High Schools Fund, Jeanne Deason Fund for the Salvation Army, and the Sidney Burleson Smith Red Cross Fund. Non-profit endowments are non-profit organizations that provide permanent structure and professional investment

Common agricultural policy (research paper) Essay

Common agricultural policy (research paper) - Essay Example Currently, there are reforms that are being instituted with a view to reducing control on imports, as well as the transfer of subsidy to land stewardship, as opposed to a specified production of crops. In addition, the implementation of this scheme usually varies among the various member countries of the European Union. Up until 1992, the European Union share on agricultural expenditure amounted to 49 percent of the union's budget. It has thus far been projected that come the year 2013, the traditional share spending of CAP will have reduced by half, to 32 percent. It has further been opined that the cause behind this reduction shall be as a result of a reduction in real terms in the present financial period. Conversely, the amount spent by the European Union on regional policy, and which in 1988 represented 17 percent of the EIU budget, will by 2013 be more than double, to stand at 36 percent. The Common Agricultural Policy hopes to provide reasonable living standards to farmers the one hand, while also ensuring that consumers receives high quality food at prices that are fair (Richardson 2000). In addition, the CAP hopes to preserve rural heritage. Although some critics have regarded the CAP as a project whose sole intent is a waste of money, still there is a majority of others who views it as the most successful policies of the European Union. ... As opposed to the paying of farmers so that they can produce more, the payment made by the European Union are conditional; as long as the farmers are able to meet animal welfare and environmental standards. Additionally, the farmers are also supposed to ensure that their land is kept in a good condition always. Thus far, the CAP has recognized a need to take into consideration the agricultural social structure, as well as the natural disparities among various agricultural regions. Through the maintenance of the levels of commodity prices, the integrated measures of the CAP ensure that production of commodities in the European Union is subsidized. To achieve this, the cap uses a number of mechanisms: First, import levies are charged to specific goods that are imported from outside the European Union. Such levies are often set at such a level as to aid in the raising of world market prices to reach the target price of the European Union. Secondly, the CAP uses import quotas as a means of restricting the quantity food that is to be imported into the European Union. Then, such prices of the foods are usually set with a view to raising the world market prices so at to reach the targets fro the European Union. Such a target price is often chosen to become the maximum price that can be desired for such goods within the co9nfuines of the European Union. Thirdly, the import quotas are also used as a way of restricting the amount of food that can be imported into the European Union. To this end, there are some countries who are non-members of the European Union that have been able to negotiate for quotas that enables them sell specific products within the EU minus the tariffs. Finally, there is

Literature review Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Literature review - Coursework Example l development to the economic growth and on the other Robinson (1952) and Lucas (1988) opined that financial development at most might qualify as a supplementary condition to economic growth and at times extremely over emphasized. Again, MacKinnon (1973) and Shaw (1973) provide theories on how distortion in financial market hinders growth. The present paper choses to conduct a comprehensive study of empirical literatures on financial development and economic growth nexus related with China; relates the findings with the present theories on the same domain and thereafter moves to reach a conclusion. Shan and Morris (2002) used panel data for 19 OECD countries along with China over the period 1985 to 1998 to test the association between financial development and growth through a VAR model. The empirical result obtained this way depicts weak association between financial development and economic growth and cast doubts on the much celebrated association between the two. The results obtained this way is in tune with the theoretical proposition of Robinson (1952) and Lucas (1988) who have mentioned that financial development can at most be a supplementary condition to economic growth and not the propelling factor for the same. Liang (2005) has developed a theoretical model at first referring that financial intermediaries can affect economic growth. Then the author has empirically tested the model using panel data for 29 Chinese provinces over the period 1990 to 2001 through applying GMM techniques of panel data analysis. The result obtained this way refers to the fact that financial development together with government deregulation in financial sector have contributed significantly and positively to Chinese economic growth. Regarding the theoretical support; the empirical results are in tune with theoretical propositions of Bagehot (1873), Schumpeter (1912), Hicks (1969) and Grossman and Miller (1988) regarding the relation between financial development and economic

Balance Sheet and Sylvan Essay Example for Free

Balance Sheet and Sylvan Essay On January 1 2007, Pillar purchased 60% of the common shares of Sylvan for $4,500. On that date, Sylvan had common shares of $1,250 and retained earnings of $3,000. Fair values were equal to carrying values for all Sylvan’s net assets except inventory, capital assets and notes payable. The fair value of inventory was $60 more than book value, the book value of capital assets was $100 greater than fair value and the Notes payable had a fair value of $150 less than book value. Assume that all shares of Sylvan have the same value and no control premium was paid at the date of acquisition. The Consolidated Financial statements will be prepared using IFRS Entity Method. The financial statements for Pillar and Sylvan for the year ended December 31, 2010 were as follows: Balance Sheets December 31, 2010 $000’s PILLAR SYLVAN Cash $680 $435 Accounts receivable 1,755 1,025 Inventory 2,849 1,790 Capital assets—net 3,976 3,000 Investment in Sylvan 4,500 Total assets $13,760 $6,250 Current liabilities $400 $255 Notes payable 5,800 1,185 Common shares 2,000 1,250 Retained earnings 5,560 3,560 Total $13,760 $6,250 Statements of Income and Retained Earnings Year Ended December 31, 2010 PILLAR SYLVAN Sales and all other Income $4,040 $2,710 Cost of sales 1,600 1,140 2,440 1,570 Amortization (480) (310) Other expenses and losses including taxes (500) (210) Net income 1,460 1,050 Additional information: numbers in $000’s 1. Capital assets are to be amortized over an average remaining useful life of 8 years at January 1, 2007 and the notes payable mature on December 31, 2011. Goodwill impairment losses for 2008 and 2010 were $240 and $300 respectively. Straight line amortization is acceptable for all acquisition differentials. 2. At December 31, 2010, Sylvan’s inventory included goods purchased from Pillar for $760. Total purchases from Pillar in 2010 were $1000 all priced at mark-up’s averaging 25% of Pillar’s cost. 3. On December 31, 2009, the inventories of Pillar contained $500 of merchandise purchased from Sylvan. Sylvan earns a gross margin of 30% on all sales to Pillar. During December 2010, Pillar purchased merchandise from Sylvan for $900 and did not pay for$250 of the purchases by December 31, 2010. 40% of the inventory was resold by Pillar before the year end. 4. On July 1, 2010, Sylvan sold a new tract of Land to Pillar for $170. On December 1, 2009, Sylvan had bought the land for $200. The fair market value of the land at July 1, 2010 was $220. 5. On September 30, 2008, Pillar sold Land to Sylvan for $100. The land had a book value of $60 on the date of the sale. 6. On December 1, 2010, Pillar and Sylvan declared and paid dividends of $150 and $100 respectively. 7. Both companies pay taxes at the rate of 40%. Assume all intercompany Transactions are taxed at 40% REQUIRED: Please use a GREEN BOOKLET 1. Prepare a Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2010. (22 Marks) 2. Prepare an independent calculation of ENDING Consolidated Retained Earnings at December 31, 2010. (11 marks) 3. Assume Pillar wishes to use the equity method in their General Ledger, calculate Investment income from Sylvan for the year ending December 31, 2010 (10 Marks) NOTE: This question will help you prepare for the technical question on the midterm. Do more than the question asks so that you are prepared for any possible questions you may be asked: Eg. Prepare a Consolidated Income statement and an independent calculation of Consolidated Net Income attributable to Parent company shareholders Calculate the Investment Income under the equity method: Note the only difference between the equity method used when significant Influence is present and the equity method used in the general ledger of the parent when control is present is the treatment of downstream transactions. According to IAS 28.28 all unrealized intercompany profits are eliminated proportionately between investor and investee. Therefore if investor owns 30% of investee, 30% of all unrealized profits/losses are removed. When control exists the parent eliminates upstream proportionately with NCI and downstream unrealized profits are eliminated 100% from parent. Check figures: At December 31, 2010 Goodwill at acquisition ($3,140) $2,600 Consolidated total Assets $17,615.6 Capital assets $6916 Consolidated Retained Earnings $5331.28 NCI Balance Sheet $2924.32 Consolidated Net Income Entity $2052.1 Attributable to Parent shareholders 1754.78 Attributable to NCI $297.32 Investment account Balance sheet :equity method $4,271.28 Investment income equity method 2010 $354.78(removing 100% downstream)

The Need For Women Empowerment Sociology Essay

The Need For Women Empowerment Sociology Essay Seeing as the older era, a woman has been treated as inferior citizens of all across the world. The position is more or less the same universally irrespective of the urbanized nation. Women have been consigned to inferior position regardless of the fact that they numerically represent about 50% of the world population today. In perspective of sound and qualified ability, this situation has lowered the womans self-esteem, autonomy and pride as human beings. Therefore, women empowerment is a compelling issue in the present world. Women empowerment is the course of actions taken by women to have ownership and control of their lives through extension of their selections (Khan Awan, 2011).  Now this paper will discuss about the factors i.e.; gender inequality, lack of education and that hinders women empowerment and also several recommendations to promote it. In the extremely commencement of evolution, women enjoyed a highly regarded position in society at equivalence with men. They dynamically indulged in social, religious dealings as well as in competition. Moreover, the traditional ceremonies were considered imperfect if women do not participate. Though, it was their considerable constitution which became hurdle on the approach of doing a variety of different complicated tasks. Gradually, they start becoming dependent on men for their food, work and other necessities. During the development of society, the position of women changed because of the establishment of patriarchy i.e; male dominancy. Gradually, male dominancy enters in society and the caliber of women is been thrown up, who surpass the skills on men. Women have made great progress in different areas of life and got achievements like teacher, doctor, engineer, pilots etc. This achievement should really appreciate as they have achieved these things by passing through highly wo rst situations and at the cost of severe social criticism. According to the Fourth UN World Conference for Women, men-controlled society, firm traditional standards and inflexible socio-cultural customs makes women to suffer (Awan, 2012). Although, a lot of effort has been done by civil society organizations, microfinance institutes, governing bodies, different international bodies like CARE, UNICEF to uplift women but the status of women is more or less same in the present circumstances. Women are discriminated and more subjected to problems in many aspects because of gendered social structure. The fact is evident that women are among the vulnerable segment in society (Naz, Ibrahim Ahmed, 2012). Gender inequality influences women empowerment in a negative manner. In todays world, although females are working in many fields of work but they are still considered weak in comparison with men. Many cultures and societies question womans ability to work in certain tasks. For instance; in Africa, politics and economics are believed to be fields for males. Moreover, in Nigeria, it is a tradition that males will not participate in domestic work but its only a responsibility of women. According to the Liberal Feminism theory, society believes that women are by nature less intellectual and physically less capable which excludes women from political, economical and academic domains (Bimolain, 2013). In Pakistan, women discrimination is very apparent in every aspect. As there is a male dominant society, women are restricted to have participation in jobs, properties and even they do not have the right to raise their voice. A study was done in Faisalabad and Rawalpindi to measure the empowerment level of women in study area and to identify the socio-cultural factors that influence women empowerment in domestic aspect. Results showed that majority of women had lack of resources and low education, their paid job involvement was negligible, low level of awareness about their rights, less decision making ability, less mobility and lower level of participation in family discussions (Khan, 2010). The need for women empowerment came through minor position they were getting for so long. The empowerment is a tool that can bring change in their socio-economic condition. It has been known that no society can progress without the women lag behind. Empowerment needs to start on with women involvement in different aspects of life. Education contains a huge value in this view but education for promoting women empowerment is still not fully understood. To attain empowerment women have to have education about their rights with in a modern society. It is the education that can convey knowledge in them associated with their social status, prejudice and discrimination for them. According to International Center for Research on Women (2005), women with higher education have more control over their destinies. Moreover, higher education also plays a pivotal role in reducing violence against women, female and infant mortality and risky behaviors. Studies done in Africa and Latin America showed that education lowers risky behaviors and risk of sexually transmitted diseases (A second look, 2005). Besides this, financial autonomy is the most important factor that contributes in empowering women. In Pakistan, women are getting educated but still there is a great discrimination. According to Islamic teachings; It is a duty of every Muslim man and woman to seek knowledge (Tariq, n.d.). Usually, it is observed that if the family affords to give education only to their one child, they always choose male to be their bread earner. In Pakistan, 69% men are literate whereas for females literacy rate is 45% only which indicates a great gender gap. To improve women empowerment worldwide, people need to change their own perspectives, norms and values. Women and men are equal in all respect and there must be some effective work to be done to make women to work equally with men in every aspect of life. There should be some comprehensive framework for women on the national and international level and effective ways for its implementation and monitoring. Women right should be protected in every aspect on governmental level. For Instance, discrimination and abuse against women would lead to jail immediately and have to pay cash penalties. Health resources should be made accessible and affordable to reduce female mortalities but on the other hand women should be given enough freedom to go for their checkups without their husbands as well because humanity comes first irrespective of any culture. Western countries instead of raising voice for the violation of right of women in Pakistan should help them to make the standard living of wom en by building schools for their education and some vocational training should be there so that they can groom their abilities and to provide the opportunities of earning especially for the women living in rural areas. The main cause of violation of women rights is the lack of earning opportunities and education. If empowerment of women will be their then next coming generation will be more educated and then women will be secured and less hesitated to raise the voice against their rights. Moreover, effective higher education should be provided to poor women with low fees or there must some financial assistance from different governmental bodies. According to one study done in Egypt, it was found that women with post-secondary schooling were about 25 percent more likely to be formally employed (A second look, 2005). Participation in politics and decision making on broader level should be in cooperated so that women can raise their voices and opinions and fight for their rights. Biasn ess regarding sexes and stereotypes against women must be taken under consideration to save women from violence. There must be counseling sessions for women in both the rural and urban areas so as to make females aware of their rights, needs and risky behaviors and their consequences. This crucial insight suggests that strategies for change need to be targeted at specific groups of girls and women and significant others such as fathers, husbands and sons, taking into account their particular circumstances (David, 2012). In Islam, women have given huge respect as it can be proved by the sayings of Prophet Muhammad that PARADISE LIES UNDER MOTHER FEET. Whether it is a Pakistani society or western, women should get equal rights and respect from every aspect. The chore is not too complex to accomplish. Two things that are honesty and sincerity on the element of those concerned are required. If the change occurs in lots of women then definitely it will provide a constructive impact on society. Hence, the womens empowerment is the need of the hour. Word count: 1379 1328 Words Essay on Womens Empowerment in India http://cssexam2013.blogspot.com/2012/11/essay-women-empowerment-in-pakistan.html http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1482560 The task is not too difficult to achieve. The honesty and sincerity on the part of those involved is a must. If the lots of women change, definitely it will have a positive impact on society. Hence, the womens empowerment is the need of the hour.

Effects of Yoga on Weight Loss

Effects of Yoga on Weight Loss Austina Burton Abstract For this single-system research design, the main goal was to analyze the effect a 35 day intervention of doing yoga had on weight loss in a college student. A young, single Caucasian female student participated in yoga every day, for 35 days, for 60 minutes each time. A baseline was documented over 15 days, and the intervention was documented over 35 days. Her weight was recorded every five days between seven o’clock and nine o’clock in the morning. At the end of the 35th day, the participant showed an increased weight loss of 7 pounds. The results suggest that doing yoga can have positive effects on weight loss. These results are consistent with prior studies; however those studies included other factors that could influence weight change into their research, whereas this study focused solely on yoga as the main intervention. Effects of Yoga on Weight Loss Research suggests that obesity rates in the United States have more than doubled in the past fifty years, with 32.2% of adults considered obese in 2004 (Ogden et al., 2006; Flegal et al., 2002). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or most commonly referred to as the CDC, has found that obesity is becoming more common, serious, and costly. Currently, more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese (Adult, 2014). That is 34.9% or 78.6 million people. Rates of overweight and obesity appear to be increasing most dramatically among young adults, the 18-to-29-year-old age group. To be more detailed, the rates went from 7.1% in 1991, to 12.1% in 1998. With those having some college education, they demonstrated even greater increases in overweight and obesity (Mokdad et al., 1999). A young Caucasian woman, currently in her sophomore year of college, would like to lose weight by doing yoga; however, she has had trouble losing weight in the past. Studies show that college students are affected greatly by obesity. This critical period, involving the young adult, contains the term â€Å"Freshman 15†, which refers to the notion that the first year of college is associated with a fifteen pound weight gain. Yoga has been positively correlated with helping people â€Å"shed pounds, or at least keep them from gaining weight† (Fred, 2005). In addition, Bruckheim (1990) found that reducing fat intake can increase weight loss; however, the participant would not like to change her eating habits at this time. Statement of the Problem In this study, the case that will be presented is a 19 year old woman, who is going to do yoga; and not change what she eats. She is 5’7† tall and weighed 150 pounds at the beginning of the study. In an interview during the baseline period of the study, the participant stated she was unhappy with her weight, which causes her to feel bad about the way she looks. The participant talked about prior attempts at losing weight, which included dieting and exercising. She also stated that, with being a full time college student, she is unable to stick to a regular schedule of exercising, and has been unable to stay on a diet. Her weight has been over 150 pounds since her 9th grade year of high school, and she has had trouble losing weight ever since. The goal of this study is to increase the participant’s weight loss by doing yoga for 60 minutes per day, for 35 days. The participant’s reason for wanting to lose weight is because she wants to look thinner, and fit b etter in her clothes. Literature Review There have been numerous research studies conducted to find out more about obesity rates in America, as well as how general exercise and dieting can affect weight loss; however, there are few studies addressing the effects yoga can have on weight loss among Caucasian women who are full time students. One study completed by Wharton, Adama and Hampl (2008) found that university students are prone to using inappropriate weight loss practices , and Lloyd-Richardson et al. (2009), found that both males and females gain weight, with similar patterns observed over the freshman year and the greatest weight changes for both sexes occurred during the first semester. When it comes to physical activity and exercise, Rocette et al. (2005) found that exercise participation was approximately 50% at the beginning and end of freshman year. Although they observed no changes in aerobic or strengthening exercises, more students reported engaging in stretching exercises at the end of freshman year; however, more than half of the students in Rocette’s (2005) sample reported eating high-fat fried or fast foods at least 3 times during the week. Its widely known that regular yoga can help reduce stress, which in turn slows the production of cortisol, the hormone responsible for belly fat. A study done by Caffrey (2013) found that yoga practitioners lost fat over an initial 6 month study period, and â€Å"kept losing it during a maintenance period with less direct supervision.† Another study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, â€Å"involved 15,500 healthy, middle-aged men and women who were asked to complete a written survey recalling their physical activity, and weight history between the ages 45 and 55† (Fred, 2005). The study measured the impact of yoga with weight change, independent of other factors such as diet or other types of physical activity. The result was that those practicing yoga, who were overweight to start with, â€Å"lost about 5 pounds during the same time period those not practicing yoga gained 14 pounds† (Fred, 2005). Methodology A single system, research design was conducted over 50 days to assess the effectiveness of yoga on weight loss for an overweight 19 year old Caucasian woman. The weight loss intervention was introduced after a 15 day baseline period. The primary objective was to determine whether yoga could decrease weight, while keeping the same eating habits over a 35 day intervention period. During the 15 day baseline period (February 1st-15th), the participant was asked to document her weight in pounds every five days by nine o’clock in the morning, using a standard weight scale. The baseline period was reported to the researcher through text messages. Following the 15 day time period, an interview was conducted over the phone, where the participant established her goal to participate in yoga for 60 minutes each day for 35 days. After the baseline period and interview were over, the researcher made phone contacts with the participant every five days to monitor the progress (February 16th-March 22nd). The researcher recorded the participant’s weight in pounds on a graph over a 50 day time period (see Figure 1). Figure 1. The intervention was implemented following the 15 day baseline period, which is marked by the dotted line. Results The goal of this research study was to analyze the effect of a 35 day weight loss intervention based on yoga. A young female college student participated in yoga seven days per week for 60 minutes each day. A baseline was documented over a 15 day time period and the intervention was documented over 35 days. The participant’s weight was recorded every five days. At the end of the 50th day, the participant showed a weight loss of seven pounds. As shown in Figure 1, the goal of decreasing the participant’s weight was met. The participant showed decreased body weight, from 150 pounds to 143 pounds. Those findings are consistent with previous studies. Discussion Single-system research designs are a research methodology that lets a practitioner track their progress with a client (Bloom, 1993). Yoga has been positively associated with weight loss in experimental and quasi-experimental designs, â€Å"which look at the effect of an intervention within, or between, groups of people† (Fred, 2005). The use of yoga as an intervention in a single system design worked due to being able to establish a realistic goal and an intervention plan. Limitations occur within most research studies. In this single system research design, there were such limitations. Weight loss is affected by numerous things, such as your environment, genetics, metabolic rate, activity level, and what you eat. This study focused solely on activity levels and did not take into account the environment, genetics, metabolic rate or what the participant was eating. An uncontrolled diet was the main limitation to this study. The participant stated that she ate out at least once a week, and mostly ate at the dining hall on her college campus, where the food did not usually meet nutritious guide lines. The effect of this can be seen in Figure 1, when a pound or less was lost between day 25 and 35. The participant’s influx of weight during the baseline period was due to her ending menstrual cycle. The participant stated it was normal for her to gain weight towards the end of it. Before this study, the participant was not getting any exercise on a reg ular basis, so when she started doing yoga 60 minutes per day, it had a profound effect on her weight. Although a form of exercise alone helped this participant lose weight, research has found that, when coupled with high activity levels, eating healthy can have an even more profound effect on weight loss (Sareen et al, 2012). For that reason, when research is done further on the effects of yoga on weight loss, I recommend having a diet plan incorporated into the design if weight loss is the main goal of the study. References Adult Obesity Facts. (2014, September 9). Retrieved March 15, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html Bloom, M. (1993). Single-system designs in the social services: Issues and options for the 1990s. New York: Haworth Press. Bruckheim, A. (June 26, 1990). Reduce fat intake to reduce weight. Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext), 2. Caffrey, M. (2013). Restorative Yoga Better Than Stretching for Trimming Subcutaneous Fat in Overweight Women. American Journal of Managed Care. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from http://www.ajmc.com/publications/evidence-based-diabetes-management/2013/2013-1-Vol19-sp7/Restorative-Yoga-Better-Than-Stretching-for-Trimming-Subcutaneous-Fat-in-Overweight-Women Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. (2005, July 21). Regular Yoga Practice May Help Prevent Middle-age Spread. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 22, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050720064358.htm Lloyd-Richardson, E.E., Bailey, S., Fava, J.L., and Wing, R.; Tobacco Etiology Research Network (TERN). (2009). A prospective study of weight gain during the college freshman and sophomore years. Prev. Med. 48 (3): 256–261. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.12.009. PMID:19146870. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, McDowell MA, Tabak CJ, Flegal KM. (2006). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999–2004. Jama; 295(13):1549–1555. Racette, S. B., Deusinger, S. S., Strube, M. J., Highstein, G. R., Deusinger, R. H. (2005). Weight Changes, Exercise, and Dietary Patterns during Freshman and Sophomore Years of College. Journal Of American College Health, 53(6), 245-251. Sareen S. Gropper, Karla P. Simmons, Lenda Jo Connell, and Pamela V. Ulrich. (2012). Changes in body weight, composition, and shape: a 4-year study of college students. Applied Physiology, Nutrition Metabolism, 37(6), 1118-1123. Wharton, C. M., Adams, T., Hampl, J. S. (2008, January 01). Weight loss practices and body weight perceptions among US college students. Journal of American College Health : J of Ach, 56, 5.)

The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes and Lord Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott

The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes and Lord Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott In this essay, I intend to examine the storylines, themes and language of ‘The Highwayman’ and ‘The Lady of Shalott’ and then explain why I think that one of the poems is more powerful than the other one. ‘The Highwayman’ is a love story full of romance and adventure. The hero is the rakish highwayman of the title who dies for the love of his mistress – the darkly beautiful innkeeper’s daughter, Bess. ‘The Lady of Shalott’ is a mysterious poem set in the mythical time of legend Camelot. It is also a tragic love story in which the Lady of Shalott, who is cursed to stay in her tower and not look out of the window, dies for her love because she looks out of the window at Sir Lancelot. The highwayman himself is a romantic hero of the 18th century. He is very well dressed, with ‘a French cocked-hat on his forehead’ and ‘lace at his chin’. His ‘breeches of brown doe-skin’ fit ‘with never a wrinkle’. He is a thief – the highwayman tells Bess that he will be ‘back with the yellow gold’. In addition, he is very daring. He could be caught but still steals things and comes to visit Bess. This shows that he is passionate about Bess. He loves Bess and promises her that he will be back ‘though Hell should bar the way’. Sir Lancelot is also a hero and a very brave and religious man as he is ‘a redcross knight’. He is also cheerful because as he was riding by the river he was singing ‘Tirra Lirra’. The writer does not describe how Sir Lancelot looks in great detail except that he has ‘coal-black curls’ and a ‘broad clear brow.’ Sir Lancelot is a typical romantic, Victorian hero. Bess, the landlord’s daughter, has ‘long black hair’ and ... ...d. After examining both of the poems, I prefer ‘The Highwayman’ to ‘The Lady of Shalott’. Firstly, the main reason is because ‘The Highwayman’ is much more dramatic and the storyline is much easier to follow than that of ‘The Lady of Shallot’. Secondly, I like Noyes’ use of language. He has used lots of similes, alliterative phrases, personification and examples of onomatopoeia to bring the ballad to life and give the reader a vivid image of what is happening all the way through the poem. Although ‘The Lady of Shalott’ has many sensual images, much of the description of the surroundings is left out which makes it harder to get a clear picture of what is going on. Finally, I think that ‘The Highwayman’ is a more powerful poem because the pace is quicker than that of ‘The Lady of Shalott’, which has a much slower and gentler, less dramatic pace.

Sapir-Worf Hypothesis: Linguistic Determinism and Linguistic Relativit

Sapir-Worf Hypothesis: Linguistic Determinism and Linguistic Relativity The romantic idealism of the late eighteenth century, as encountered in the views of Johann Herder (1744-1803) and Wilhelm von Humboldt (I 762-1835), placed great value on the diversity of the world’s languages and cultures. The tradition was taken up by the American linguist and anthropologist Edward Sapir (1884-1939) and his pupil Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941), and resulted in a view about the relation between language and thought which was widely influential in the middle decades of this century. The â€Å"Sapir-Whorf hypothesis,† as it came to be called, combines two principles. The first is known as linguistic determinism: it states that language determines the way we think. The second follows from this, and is known as linguistic relativity: it states that the distinctions encoded in one language are not found in any other language. In a much- quoted paragraph, Whorf propounds the view as follows: We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages. The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds--and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds. We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in this way-an agreement that holds throughout our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language. The agreement is, of course, an implicit and unstated one, but its terms are absolutely obligatory; we cannot talk at all ... ...version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is generally accepted. Language may not determine the way we think, but it does influence the way we perceive and remember, and it affects the ease with which we perform mental tasks. Several experiments have shown that people recall things more easily if the things correspond to readily available words or phrases. And people certainly find it easier to make a conceptual distinction if it neatly corresponds to words available in their language. Some salvation for the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis can therefore be found in these studies, which are carried out within the developing field of psycholinguistics. Works Cited: Crystal, David. "Language and Thought." in Language: Readings in Language and Culture, Sixth Edition. Clark, Virgina P., Eschholtz, Pual A., Rosa, Alfred F., editors. St. Matin's Press. New York. 1998. p. 631-32 Sapir-Worf Hypothesis: Linguistic Determinism and Linguistic Relativit Sapir-Worf Hypothesis: Linguistic Determinism and Linguistic Relativity The romantic idealism of the late eighteenth century, as encountered in the views of Johann Herder (1744-1803) and Wilhelm von Humboldt (I 762-1835), placed great value on the diversity of the world’s languages and cultures. The tradition was taken up by the American linguist and anthropologist Edward Sapir (1884-1939) and his pupil Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941), and resulted in a view about the relation between language and thought which was widely influential in the middle decades of this century. The â€Å"Sapir-Whorf hypothesis,† as it came to be called, combines two principles. The first is known as linguistic determinism: it states that language determines the way we think. The second follows from this, and is known as linguistic relativity: it states that the distinctions encoded in one language are not found in any other language. In a much- quoted paragraph, Whorf propounds the view as follows: We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages. The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds--and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds. We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in this way-an agreement that holds throughout our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language. The agreement is, of course, an implicit and unstated one, but its terms are absolutely obligatory; we cannot talk at all ... ...version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is generally accepted. Language may not determine the way we think, but it does influence the way we perceive and remember, and it affects the ease with which we perform mental tasks. Several experiments have shown that people recall things more easily if the things correspond to readily available words or phrases. And people certainly find it easier to make a conceptual distinction if it neatly corresponds to words available in their language. Some salvation for the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis can therefore be found in these studies, which are carried out within the developing field of psycholinguistics. Works Cited: Crystal, David. "Language and Thought." in Language: Readings in Language and Culture, Sixth Edition. Clark, Virgina P., Eschholtz, Pual A., Rosa, Alfred F., editors. St. Matin's Press. New York. 1998. p. 631-32

Discuss Marxist’ Theory of Alienation

OUTLINE AND ASSESS MARX’S CONCEPT OF ALIENATION When considering the concept of sociology and its definition, one immediately thinks of trying to understand the world in which we live. However, for Karl Marx we should not only understand the world, but also seek to actively change it (Macintosh, 1997). The concept of alienation differs in terms of its sociological meaning in relation to that of the psychological definition and has been used to describe many other phenomena’s over the last four centuries.The aim of this essay is to assess the concept of alienation according to Karl Marx and explore his theory relating to four differing perspectives assigned to this, whilst also researching its historical roots and any relevance in today’s society. The concept of alienation in relation to sociology was developed by Karl Marx (1818-1883), a German philosopher, political economist, revolutionary and the founding father of Communism. His ideas for this theory originat ed in the writings of Feuerbach, who along with George W.F Hegel, were major influences on Marx. However, unlike Feuerbach, who believed that religion had a negative impact on human experience and that man was alienated from god, Marx considered man to be alienated from man in a social context. Indeed, Marx criticised Feuerbach’s work entitled ‘The Essence of Christianity’, which was published in 1841 for not developing the concept of alienation further by linking it to economic production strategies.In it, Feuerbach insists that visions of god being similar to their own image allow for them to alienate themselves from this fictionally created character. Therefore, issues regarding low self esteem and other social or personal problems can be diluted by visiting places of worship. He insists that guidance, leadership and solace can be found within the church. Indeed, Feuerbach argued that the church was used by the government as state apparatus to control society (Hughes et al, 1995 pp. 29-30).Marx took these points onboard and rather than relate them to religion, embraced it to include the notion that alienation was an objective condition associated with the social and economic attributes of capitalism, thus leading to alienated labour. For Hegel, human thoughts were continuously developing and advancing throughout history, thus providing a more knowledge and rational understanding of society (Hughes et al, 1995, pp. 25-26). Unlike, Marx, who states materialism and economic power, shapes our thinking, Hegel insists it is the other way round and that mind shapes matter.In other words, our knowledge shapes the need and inventiveness needed to shape future materials. Historically, according to Hegel, by exploring previous economic processes, then the material base on which societies, institutions and ideas are built are in evidence due to rational logic and natural progression. Marx however, disagrees with this theory. He believes that such ab stract ideas did not exist and therefore provided limited explanations relating to the social world. The true nature of human experience therefore and life were totally under emphasised.His theory of historical materialism was constructed further in future writings. ‘The first historical act is . . . the production of material life itself. This is indeed a historical act, a fundamental condition of all of history’ (Marx & Engels, 1976). His many writings, which spanned four decades, underpin what has become known as Marxist theory and are used to develop our understanding of many areas relating to social life (Abercrombie et al, 2000). However, Marxist theory is primarily based around the class conflict of the bourgeoisie, i. . ruling class who own the mode of production and the exploitation of the proletariat, i. e. working class who are forced into selling their labour. The 3 stages relating to the industrial revolution have led to his alienation theory being supporte d by many sociologists. First came the agricultural revolution (1700-1800), followed by the industrial revolution (1800-1950). The final stage of these phenomena was the service revolution from the 1950s to the present day. Economic and surplus values are at the heart of Marxist theory.For Marx, alienation is an objective condition associated with the social and economic attributes of capitalism and results in alienated labour. The main use of Marx’s theory relating to this concept is in relation to the form of labour in any given capitalist society. However, he also talks of ‘alienation’ in the sphere of social and economic relations (Turner, 1999) Marx argues that humans are denied their basic natural essence, and as such was only realised in their labour. This allowed for a creative activity which was carried out in unison with others.Marx was of the opinion that people transformed a world outside themselves. Now the processes relating to production were one o f ‘objectification’. By this he means that man now produces material objects that embody human creativity, yet leaves them feeling detached and separated from the creator. Once the product is objectified, man no longer recognises himself in the product and autonomous manufacturing techniques leave him feeling alienated. Within capitalist societies Marx identified four levels of separation resulting in the concept of alienation. 1) Within a capitalist society the worker has no control over the fate of their production, therefore alienating them from the results of their labour. Although having been involved actively in the production of such commodities the worker is left feeling subdued, unattached and emotionally removed from the end product. This is now controlled by others, and as increased production multiplies, so does the division and separation of the labour process. (2) The worker is alienated from the act of production. For Marx, no individual satisfaction is a chieved as the worker’s own creativity is alienated from production.Furthermore, external constraints forced upon the worker removes any attachment from the’ fruits of their labour’ and in doing so, the product ceases to be an end in itself with work becoming merely a commodity. To the worker, the saleability of the product is their only concern. (3) The worker is alienated from their ‘specific being’ or human nature. Marx states that the individual’s human qualities are deprived. This is due to the first two levels of alienation, as outlined above, reducing the workers creative production activities and thus removing themselves from their natural self being and converting them into social animals. 4) The worker is separated from other humans. The emergence of capitalism has transformed human social relations into market relations. According to Marx, people are now judged, not be their human qualities and attributes but rather by their positi on within the market (Giddens, 1970). For example the separation of labour is also the separation of man from man in relation to class conflict and competition and also lends theory to their alienation of the products of their labour.Capital itself can also be seen as a source of alienation because its accumulation generates its own needs which reduce people to the level of commodities (Haralambos, 1998). The above four levels of separation and alienation of man is intrinsically linked and can be used to identify phenomena in regards to any society. Many pro-capitalist economists agree with Marx’s theory that all humans are treated as commodities that can be rented and that everything can be traded for monies. For Marx, this ensures that the gap between rich and poor widens, with both lasses pushing in opposite direction. However, he attacks other economists’ interpretations of the causes of capitalism and believes that they do not distinguish between both capitalists and the workers. Marx argues that competition is seen as an enforcement mechanism of the capitalist’s mode of production (Reiss, 1997). According to Marx, as all aspects of feudalism are connected, then so too are all aspects relating to capitalism. He is quoted as saying, ’’the worker becomes the poorer the more wealth he produces’’ (Marx, 1976).In other words, as the worker increases production, this only enriches their bosses whilst they still remain poor. Capitalist economists however, view each aspect of feudalism as an accidental corruption in relation to capitalism. Marx also explores the historical development of alienation and its intrinsic link to the division of labour. As society changes and tribes and villages continue to expand, so too does the division of labour (Rius, 1996). For society to survive trade and exchange must occur.This leads to more growth in exchangeable goods which in turn leads to an upsurge in use-value and exchange -value commodities. When considering use-value, this relates to how in demand a commodity may be of use to the individual. However, exchange-value relates to what commodities can be traded for other objects. For Marx, commodity fetishism has attributed to the alienation of man from the fruits of their labour (cowling, 1989). There are many examples of alienation in today’s society. The term Fordism originates from Henry Ford and the techniques he initiated to instil mass production.Indeed, his ideas and practices are still dominant in today’s society and are at the forefront of all technological mass production facilities and businesses. To enable production on such a large scale, Ford redesigned the whole manufacturing capabilities of his workforce. Unlike industrialists of the nineteenth century where skilled labour and handmade crafts were a necessity in the making of goods, Ford recognised an ability to mass produce by giving individuals a particular task in relati on to their labour duties.This would be made possible by re-designing all machines to carry out one specific purpose, rather than numerous functions (Watson, 2003). As such, there was now no need for skilled persons in which to operate machines. Individuals were now taught how to use particular machines which they would now carry out monotonously for the rest of their employment. This de-skilling technique ensured minimum waste and maximum output as the machine only had one way in which to operate. Ford realised that once you standardise the design of the car, you can standardise the whole production system.Thus, with the standardisation of machinery producing standardised parts, it now allowed for mass reproduction as all parts are identical therefore interchangeable. Although production of Fords automobiles had increased rapidly, the initiation of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s (1856-1915) scientific management system would ensure mass production on an even larger scale. Taylor was the man who introduced ‘time and motion’ studies to the workplace. He carried out an experiment on a pig iron gang at work. By observing their working habits, Taylor was able to redesign their work pattern.Like Ford, his task was to break a job down into standardised parts. He initially listed a set of rules to which the workers must comply to and then instructed them when to start, walk, lift and stop. Once the experiment was complete Taylor found that their productive output had increased by 400%. Taylor’s results would now allow for managers to command instructions to staff who would carry out tasks they specifically assigned to. This would undoubtedly lead to a separation of labour and also man’s alienation from man, as people who had previously worked side by side where now given specific tasks (Hughes et al, 1995).Ford would eventually instil Taylor’s scientific management technique into his workplace to generate even more productivity. T o do this Ford introduced the assembly line. Before this point, many of his employees worked unsupervised and at their own pace. However, with the emergence of assembly lines, workers now had to work in unison with the speed of the production line, and not that of the individual. This technique has greatly enhanced fords production levels and as such, Fords’ automobile plant in River Rouge USA, is now the largest in the world.By the 1990s over 10,000 people were employed there and over 90,000 cars and trucks were being produced each year (Watson, 2003). . Other examples which support Marx’s theory on alienation include multi-national companies such as McDonalds and Burger King, who epitomise our need for fast food productivity and back up his argument of commodity fetishism. Regardless of which outlet of McDonalds visited, the consumer will receive identical foodstuff and levels of service due to the standardisation of the product (Huczynski, 1991). Also, such companie s are immediately recognisable due their uniforms and company logo.Mass reproduction is applied to give the consumer a standardised food source which consists of various items such as burger, bun, relish and tomato. A time scale is also in place and many of the products on offer are controlled by a timer which goes off when certain items such as French fries and burgers are deemed ready. The main objective is to get the product to the consumer as quickly as possible with the minimum fuss. This is made possible by the way each McDonalds’ outlet is designed. By using both Fordism and Taylorist techniques workers can produce vast amounts of food that can then be passed onto the consumer within seconds.Marx’s concept of alienation is evident here as there is no need for skilled workers such as cooks and chefs to be employed due to the nature and resulting end product of such businesses (Huczynski, 1991). A critique of Marxist theory would be to suggest that if alienation i s produced and enacted by humans, then surely they also have the ability to change and reverse it. It is also contradictory as individuals opinions of alienation differ in relation to each person’s objective situation and consciousness.Although it cannot be denied that workers within capitalist societies do contribute to the common wealth as stated by Marx, the emergence of flexi-time, paid holidays and overtime empowers the worker and enables them to generate extra sums of money for themselves (Watson, 2003). Also, working for someone else may perhaps lessen the burden experienced by others, such as those who own small businesses. It is easy to engage Marx’s suggestion that workers lack rights, and there is much evidence to support this with the emergence of sweatshops and low paid immigrant workers (Rattansi, 1982).However, trade unions play a significant part in readdressing these issues by way of fair representation. Many jobs available to the masses today, do in f act, alienate workers and help establish capitalist theories, but humans have the freedom to change jobs or start their own businesses and trade unions are also in place to protect and represent employees (Giddens, 1971) His ideologies can also be construed as outdated as most of his concepts and terminologies are from over 100 years ago.Man may have been separated by man in relation to labour over centuries, but although this may be true in some aspects, technology and working conditions have rapidly improved over the same period. We also have the ability to influence each other rather than work in isolation. It appears that his concepts of alienation, although significant in his earlier political works and in lending credibility to research at that particular time, are rarely given a second thought in his later writings.For this reason it could be argued that Marx no longer held the opinion that the alienation of man and the collapse of capitalism was a foregone conclusion. BIBLIO GRAPHY Abercrombie, N. Hill, S and Turner, B. (2000) Dictionary of Sociology Penguin Book Cowling, M & Wilde, L. (1989) Approaches to Marx, Open University Press Giddens, A. (1971) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory, C. U. P. Giddens, A. (1970) Marx, Weber and the development of capitalism Haralambos, M. (1986) Sociology – a new approach, Causeway Press LtdHuczynski, A. Buchanan, D. (1991) Organizational Behaviour, Prentice Hall Hughes, J. A. , Martin, P. J. , & Sharrock, W. W. (1995) Understanding Classical Sociology, London: Sage Macintosh, I. (1997) Classical Sociological Theory. Edinburgh University Press Marx, K. , & Engels, F. (1976 [1845-46]) the German Ideology, Part 1 London: Lawrence & Wishart. Rius, E. (1996) Introducing Marx, Icon Books Turner B, (1999). Classical sociology. 1st ed. Uk: Sage. Watson, Tony J. (2003) Sociology, Work and Industry Routledge

Hotel Management System Essay

The following subsections of the Software Requirements Specifications (SRS) document provide an overview of the entire SRS. 1.1 Purpose The Software Requirements Specification (SRS) will provide a detailed description of the requirements for the Hotel Management System (HMS). This SRS will allow for a complete understanding of what is to be expected of the HMS to be constructed. The clear understanding of the HMS and its’ functionality will allow for the correct software to be developed for the end user and will be used for the development of the future stages of the project. This SRS will provide the foundation for the project. From this SRS, the HMS can be designed, constructed, and finally tested. This SRS will be used by the software engineers constructing the HMS and the hotel end users. The software engineers will use the SRS to fully understand the expectations of this HMS to construct the appropriate software. The hotel end users will be able to use this SRS as a â€Å"test† to see if the software engineers will be constructing the system to their expectations. If it is not to their expectations the end users can specify how it is not to their liking and the software engineers will change the SRS to fit the end users’ needs. 1.2 Scope The software product to be produced is a Hotel Management System which will automate the major hotel operations. The first subsystem is a Reservation and Booking System to keep track of reservations and room availability. The second subsystem is the Tracking and Selling Food System that charges the current room. The third subsystem is a General Management Services and Automated Tasks System which generates reports to audit all hotel operations and allows modification of subsystem information. These three subsystems’ functionality will be described in detail in section 2-Overall Description. There are two en users for the HMS. The end users are the hotel staff (customer service representative) and hotel managers. Both user types can access the Reservation and Booking System and the Food Tracking and Selling System. The General Management System will be restricted to management users. The Hotel Management System’s objectives is to provide a system to manage a hotel that has increased in size to a total of 100 rooms. Without automation the management of the hotel has become an unwieldy task. The end users’ day-to-day jobs of managing a hotel will be simplified by a considerable amount through the automated system. The system will be able to handle many services to take care of all customers in a quick manner. The system should be user appropriate, easy to use, provide easy recovery of errors and have an overall end user high subjective satisfaction. 1.3 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations. SRS – Software Requirements Specification HMS – Hotel Management System Subjective satisfaction – The overall satisfaction of the system End users – The people who will be actually using the system 1.4 Overview The SRS is organized into two main sections. The first is The Overall Description and the second is the Specific Requirements. The Overall Description will describe the requirements of the HMS from a general high level perspective. The Specific Requirements section will describe in detail the requirements of the system. 2 The Overall Description Describes the general factors that affect the product and its requirements. This section does not state specific requirements. Instead it provides a background for those requirements, which are defined in section 3, and makes them easier to understand. 2.1 Product Perspective The HMS is an independent stand–alone system. It is totally self contained. 2.1.1 Hardware Interfaces The HMS will be placed on PC’s throughout the hotel. 2.1.2 Software Interfaces All databases for the HMS will be configured using Oracle 8i. These databases include hotel rooms and customers information. These can be modified by the end users. The room database will include the room numbers and if they are vacant or occupied. The customers information database will contain all the information of the customer such as first name, last name, number of occupants, assigned room, default room rate(may be changed), phone number, whether or not the room is guaranteed, credit card number, confirmation number, automatic cancellation date, expected check in date and time, actual check in date and time, expected check out date and time, amount owed by customer, and abbreviated customer feedback. 2.2 Product Functions Reservation and Booking System Allows for typing in customer information Has a default room rate that is adjustable Includes a description field for the changed rate When a customer checks in, the room number will be changed to occupied in the database Ability to modify a reservation When no rooms are available and a customer would like to extend their reservation their information will be placed in a database and when there are rooms available the first customer on the list will have the room When a customer checks out the amount owed is displayed If the internal clock states that is a customer’s time to have checked out and customer has not checked out, adds an extra night to amount owed and provides a report Records that room is vacant Records payment Allows for space to write customer’s feedback Tracking and Selling Food System Tracks all meals purchased Charges the current room as necessary General Management Services and Automated Tasks System Reports generated to audit hotel occupancy, future occupancy, room revenue, and food revenue Exception reports listing exceptions to the normal cost Allows addition, deletion and modification of information on rooms and rates, menu items and prices, user profiles Creation of users and assigning passwords 2.3 User Characteristics Educational level of HMS computer software – Low Experience of HMS software – None Technical Expertise – Little 2.4 Apportioning of Requirements The audio and visual alerts will be deferred because of low importance at this time. 2.5 Assumptions and Dependencies – The system is not required to save generated reports. – Credit card payments are not included 3 Specific Requirements This section contains all the software requirements at a level of detail, that when combined with the system context diagram, use cases, and use case descriptions, is sufficient to enable designers to design a system to satisfy those requirements, and testers to test that the system satisfies those requirements. 3.1 External Interfaces The Hotel Management System will use the standard input/output devices for a personal computer. This includes the following: Keyboard Mouse Monitor Printer 3.1.1 User Interfaces The User Interface Screens are described in table 1. Table 1: Hotel Management User Interface Screens Screen Name Description Login Log into the system as a CSR or Manager Reservation Retrieve button, update/save reservation, cancel reservation, modify reservation, change reservation, adjust room rate, accept payment type/credit card Check-in Modify room stay (e.g., new credit card), check-in customer (with or without a reservation), adjust room rate, special requests, accept payment type/credit card Checkout Checkout customer, generate bill Hotel Payment Accept payment for room and food Room Service/Restaurant Create order, modify order, view order, cancel order, generate meal bill Customer Record Add or update customer records Administer Rooms Availability and rates Administer User Create, modify, and delete users; change password Administer Meals Create, modify, and delete meal items and prices Reports Select, view, save, and delete reports 3.1.2 Software Interfaces The system shall interface with an Oracle or Access database. 3.1.3 Hardware Interfaces The system shall run on a Microsoft Windows based system. 3.1.4 Communication Interfaces The system shall be a standalone product that does not require any communication interfaces. 3.2 Functional Requirements Functional requirements define the fundamental actions that system must perform. The functional requirements for the system are divided into three main categories, Reservation/Booking, Food, and Management. For further details, refer to the use cases. 1. Reservation/Booking 1.1. The system shall record reservations. 1.2. The system shall record the customer’s first name. 1.3. The system shall record the customer’s last name. 1.4. The system shall record the number of occupants. 1.5. The system shall record the room number. 1.6. The system shall display the default room rate. 1.6.1. The system shall allow the default room rate to be changed. 1.6.2. The system shall require a comment to be entered, describing the reason for changing the default room rate. 1.7. The system shall record the customer’s phone number. 1.8. The system shall display whether or not the room is guaranteed. 1.9. The system shall generate a unique confirmation number for each reservation. 1.10. The system shall automatically cancel non-guaranteed reservations if the customer has not provided their credit card number by 6:00 pm on the check-in date. 1.11. The system shall record the expected check-in date and time. 1.12. The system shall record the expected checkout date and time. 1.13. The system shall check-in customers. 1.14. The system shall allow reservations to be modified without having to reenter all the customer inforamtion. 1.15. The system shall checkout customers. 1.15.1. The system shall display the amount owed by the customer. 1.15.2. To retrieve customer information the last name or room number shall be used 1.15.3. The system shall record that the room is empty. 1.15.4. The system shall record the payment. 1.15.5. The system shall record the payment type. 1.16. The system shall charge the customer for an extra night if they checkout after 11:00 a.m. 1.17. The system shall mark guaranteed rooms as â€Å"must pay† after 6:00 pm on the check-in date. 1.18. The system shall record customer feedback. 2. Food 2.1. The system shall track all meals purchased in the hotel (restaurant and room service). 2.2. The system shall record payment and payment type for meals. 2.3. The system shall bill the current room if payment is not made at time of service. 2.4. The system shall accept reservations for the restaurant and room service. 3. Management 3.1. The system shall display the hotel occupancy for a specified period of time (days; including past, present, and future dates). 3.2. The system shall display projected occupancy for a period of time (days). 3.3. The system shall display room revenue for a specified period of time (days). 3.4. The system shall display food revenue for a specified period of time (days). 3.5. The system shall display an exception report, showing where default room and food prices have been overridden. 3.6. The system shall allow for the addition of information, regarding rooms, rates, menu items, prices, and user profiles. 3.7. The system shall allow for the deletion of information, regarding rooms, rates, menu items, prices, and user profiles. 3.8. The system shall allow for the modification of information, regarding rooms, rates, menu items, prices, and user profiles. 3.9. The system shall allow managers to assign user passwords. 3.3 Nonfunctional Requirements Functional requirements define the needs in terms of performance, logical database requirements, design constraints, standards compliance, reliability, availability, security, maintainability, and portability. 3.3.1 Performance Requirements Performance requirements define acceptable response times for system functionality. The load time for user interface screens shall take no longer than two seconds. The log in information shall be verified within five seconds. Queries shall return results within five seconds. 3.3.2 Logical Database Requirements The logical database requirements include the retention of the following data elements. This list is not a complete list and is designed as a starting point for development. Booking/Reservation System Customer first name Customer last name Customer address Customer phone number Number of occupants Assigned room Default room rate Rate description Guaranteed room (yes/no) Credit card number Confirmation number Automatic cancellation date Expected check-in date Expected check-in time Actual check-in date Actual check-in time Expected check-out date Expected check-out time Actual check-out date Actual check-out time Customer feedback Payment received (yes/no) Payment type Total Bill Food Services Meal Meal type Meal item Meal order Meal payment (Bill to room/Credit/Check/Cash) 3.3.3 Design Constraints The Hotel Management System shall be a stand-alone system running in a Windows environment. The system shall be developed using Java and an Access or Oracle database. 3.3.4 Standards Compliance There shall be consistency in variable names within the system. The graphical user interface shall have a consistent look and feel. 3.3.5 Reliability Specify the factors required to establish the required reliability of the software system at time of delivery. 3.3.6 Availability The system shall be available during normal hotel operating hours. 3.3.7 Security Customer Service Representatives and Managers will be able to log in to the Hotel Management System. Customer Service Representatives will have access to the Reservation/Booking and Food subsystems. Managers will have access to the Management subsystem as well as the Reservation/Booking and Food subsystems. Access to the various subsystems will be protected by a user log in screen that requires a user name and password. 3.3.8 Maintainability The Hotel Management System is being developed in Java. Java is an object oriented programming language and shall be easy to maintain. 3.3.9 Portability The Hotel Management System shall run in any Microsoft Windows environment that contains Java Runtime and the Microsoft Access database. 4 Change Management Process Changes to this document may be made after approval from the project manager and the client approval officer. 5 Document Approvals 5.1 Team One Approval ____________________________________ Sandra Busik/Reita Sikka Date 5.2 Team Two Approval ____________________________________ Lisa Ferrett Date 6 Supporting Information A system context diagram as well as use cases and use case descriptions have been developed in separate documents.