Roles & Responsibilities in Lifelong Learning

The roles and responsibilities of a teacher within in the lifelong learning sector have been shaped and developed by a range of factors. From cultural changes, greater understanding of learning styles and the laws which govern the education community as a whole. In this essay I will cover some of roles and responsibilities of a teacher and the relationships between teachers and the the various stakeholders in the LLS. I hope to illustrate the complex network of relationships between the individual and the professional bodies in this sector.Teach tiË tÊÆ'/Verb 1. impart knowledge to or instruct (someone) as to how to do something. The definition above doesn’t take into account the context of the information transaction itself. Teachers today are governed by a series of legislation, regulatory requirements and codes of practice which together underpin the professional boundaries which educators should operate within. The broad range of a teacher’s responsibilities begi ns with basic tasks such as recording attendance or complying with disciplinary procedures to understanding the complex needs of their learners.Every teacher is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of the learners in the classroom. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the legislation which underpins a teacher's duty of care to their students. Beyond the physical safety of a learner a teacher must also ensure they meet professional standards and observe the rules and guidance of awarding bodies. Equality & diversity in teaching is provided for by the Equality Act 2010 which covers nine protected characteristics.It is the responsibility of the teacher to promote and uphold the principles of fairness and inclusivity in the classroom. Disability is one of these protected characteristics; a teacher is required to make reasonable adjustments for learners with disabilities based on the impairment. e. g a reader for a blind learner or written materials for a deaf learner. Fur thermore where this is not practical or unavailable a teacher should locate additional support.My experience within the lifelong learning sector is very limited however I have adopted the role of a teacher whilst working in the youth employment sector – I coordinate the local authorities’ apprenticeship programme – and part of the role has required me to run sessions for young people searching for employment. I would facilitate workshops at the Jobcentre Plus – It was my role to arrange for a suitable learning environment and select an appropriate venue, and ensure handouts and resources are available for all participants.In my experience working within recruitment for a local authority the principles of equality and inclusivity are built into our processes ensuring all stakeholders are free from discrimination and exclusion. I would adapt my approach in the workshops by broadening the case studies used to reflect the cultural profile of the workshop part icipants. It is hugely important to detect and cater for differing learner needs. Dunn and Dunn, 1993 say matching teaching technique with learning styles significantly improves learning outcomes.The process of identifying learning styles and modifying of teaching techniques is known as differentiation. ‘Differentiation is†¦.. the process of identifying, with each learner, the most effective strategies for achieving agreed targets’. 1 (Weston 1992) The JCP sessions are stand-alone and in this context I am unable to understand prior to the session the individual learner needs. It was my responsibility to carefully plan the content of the workshop and the activities it contained to suit a variety of learner needs.To improve the sessions I could include powerpoint presentations, discuss the programme and set-up role play activities to cover the visual, audio & kinaesthetic learning styles. (VAK) To improve the JCP group’s engagement I would usually arrange for an existing apprentice to join the workshop to offer an insider perspective and act as a live case study which the young people can identify with. The apprentice can relate to the group with and this proves the most productive part of the session and is intended to elicit deep learning.‘Deep learning is fundamentally concerned with the creation of knowledge, which the learner is able to relate to their own experience and use to understand new experiences and contexts. ’ John West Bernhams,Understand Learning – Page 8 (Article) This inclusive approach is shown to improve motivation, and has always improved the value of the workshop and enhanced the session. There are many types of teaching role each with their own characteristics. From specialised teachers which tend to have particular knowledge and skill to trainers who use techniques to deliver information for a particular task.In the future I hope to adopt a different role; I plan to act as a mentor to an appre ntice. My role will be to provide guidance and support to an individual based on their needs. Mentoring is a 1-2-1 relationship which can mean I will either challenge or champion the mentee depending on the situation. In acting as a mentor I must observe my employers procedures and policies which may affect the frequency of the session or the protocols I should follow if difficulties arise. As I mentioned in the introduction a teacher is not just the conduit for learning – They are almost always part of a larger organisation.It was the responsibility of the teacher to adopt and implement their organisation's policies. A class teacher forms part of a chain and will report to year leaders a eadteacher, Governing body, local authority to the Department of Education. The Department of Education is the governing body responsible for the oversight of education in England. Teachers and the organisations they work within must meet professional standards. The Office for Standards in E ducation, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is the non-ministerial government department which reports directly to parliament.Its remit is to inspect and regulate education and training for learners of all ages and for inspecting and regulating those services which care for children and young people. From performance to safeguarding, as a teacher it would be my responsibility to be scrutinised by Ofsted and ensure my activities meet the agreed standards. Like most professional fields there are boundaries which must be observed by teachers. These can range from the syllabus, timescales, resources, awarding bodies to government policies. Each of these factors may have layers of external contributing factors which influence them in turn.Ofqual, who regulate qualifications, examinations and assessments in England (http://ofqual. gov. uk), came to prominence last summer over GCSE re-grading decisions. Although it did not directly impact on teachers it illustrates the interaction be tween two stakeholders in the sector. An awarding body will have clear codes of practice which must be adhered to, in order tallow for accurate quality assurance and standardisation on results. It is important for teachers to understand where professional boundaries lie.For example in some cases where an individual learners needs requires the assistance of expert help it must be sought. Attempting to support the learner without seeking expert advice may have a negative effect on the individual as well as others. Often a teacher’s role is to signpost learners to the best resources. In a school context this may mean directing someone to a more specialised teacher in the organisation or an external support like a Local Authority service. Keeping abreast of the support available is an important part of navigating these boundaries.Joining a professional association such as the Institute for Learning or researching best practice using the Excellence Gateway are recommended ways to keep up good practice polished and fresh. The government publish Teacher Standards. These standards set the minimum requirements for teachers’ practice and conduct. They are devised by educators and are in part there to ensure positive learning environment is sustained. It is particularly important in the lifelong learning sector to foster a supportive and safe learning environment.For instance adult students may have had a negative experience of education so it is essential that from day one ground rules are agreed upon and the teacher plans activities that will allow students to build relationships. â€Å"without ground rules, disruption may occur and affect the learning of your group† Gravels. A, (PTLLS 2008 pg 7) An effective way of promoting consensus in ground rules and compliance is giving the learners the opportunity to devise the rulebook themselves. In this model a teacher’s role is to facilitate the decision-making process and respect the outcome.By c ontributing as a group they each take ownership of their individual responsibility to follow the rules. In handing over this decision-making process the teacher will begin to build a trusting relationship with the learners are more likely to follow the rules they have devised over rules they are forced to adopt The techniques and activities used by a teacher can help to build respect and promote appropriate behaviour in class. The use of pair work, and small group activities can help to forge relationships and engender respect amongst the learners.A great ice breaker activity which includes the entire group can be an effective way to begin this process. A teacher would set the task and ensure everyone is included. I’ve talked about some examples of the roles and responsibilities of teachers with the lifelong learning sector, but in reality these are limited to what I’ve described. Beyond the walls of the classroom there are a multitude of organisations, professional bo dies and resources which exist to develop and support Teachers. Each of them play a role in providing the appropriate checks and balances needed to ensure a healthy, evolving sector. Roles & Responsibilities in Lifelong Learning The roles and responsibilities of a teacher within in the lifelong learning sector have been shaped and developed by a range of factors. From cultural changes, greater understanding of learning styles and the laws which govern the education community as a whole. In this essay I will cover some of roles and responsibilities of a teacher and the relationships between teachers and the the various stakeholders in the LLS. I hope to illustrate the complex network of relationships between the individual and the professional bodies in this sector.Teach tiË tÊÆ'/ Verb 1. impart knowledge to or instruct (someone) as to how to do something.The definition above doesn’t take into account the context of the information transaction itself. Teachers today are governed by a series of legislation, regulatory requirements and codes of practice which together underpin the professional boundaries which educators should operate within.The broad range of a teacher’s responsibilities begin s with basic tasks such as recording attendance or complying with disciplinary procedures to understanding the complex needs of their learners. Every teacher is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of the learners in the classroom. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the legislation which underpins a teacher's duty of care to their students. Beyond the physical safety of a learner a teacher must also ensure they meet professional standards and observe the rules and guidance of awarding bodies.Equality & diversity in teaching is provided for by the Equality Act 2010 which covers nine protected characteristics. It is the responsibility of the teacher to promote and uphold the principles of fairness and inclusivity in the classroom. Disability is one of these protected characteristics; a teacher is required to make reasonable adjustments for learners with disabilities based on the impairment. e.g a reader for a blind learner or written materials for a deaf learner. Furt hermore where this is not practical or unavailable a teacher should locate additional support.My experience within the lifelong learning sector is very limited however I have adopted the role of a teacher whilst working in the youth employment sector – I coordinate the local authorities’ apprenticeship programme – and part of the role has required me to run sessions for young people searching for employment. I would facilitate workshops at the Jobcentre Plus – It was my role to arrange for a suitable learning environment and select an appropriate venue, and ensure handouts and resources are available for all participants.In my experience working within recruitment for a local authority the principles of equality and inclusivity are built into our processes ensuring all stakeholders are free from discrimination and exclusion. I would adapt my approach in the workshops by broadening the case studies used to reflect the cultural profile of the workshop parti cipants.It is hugely important to detect and cater for differing learner needs. Dunn and Dunn, 1993 say matching teaching technique with learning styles significantly improves learning outcomes. The process of identifying learning styles and modifying of teaching techniques is known as differentiation.‘Differentiation is†¦.. the process of identifying, with each learner, the most effective strategies for achieving agreed targets’.1 (Weston 1992)The JCP sessions are stand-alone and in this context I am unable to understand prior to the session the individual learner needs. It was my responsibility to carefully plan the content of the workshop and the activities it contained to suit a variety of learner needs. To improve the sessions I could include powerpoint presentations, discuss the programme and set-up role play activities to cover the visual, audio & kinaesthetic learning styles. (VAK)To improve the JCP group’s engagement I would usually arrange for an e xisting apprentice to join the workshop to offer an insider perspective and act as a live case study which the young people can identify with. The apprentice can relate to the group with and this proves the most productive part of the session and is intended to elicit deep learning.‘Deep learning is fundamentally concerned with the creation of knowledge, which the learner is able to relate to their own experience and use to understand new experiences and contexts.’John West Bernhams,Understand Learning – Page 8 (Article)This inclusive approach is shown to improve motivation, and has always improved the value of the workshop and enhanced the session.There are many types of teaching role each with their own characteristics. From specialised teachers which tend to have particular knowledge and skill to trainers who use techniques to deliver information for a particular task. In the future I hope to adopt a different role; I plan to act as a mentor to an apprentice. My role will be to provide guidance and support to an individual based on their needs. Mentoring is a 1-2-1 relationship which can mean I will either challenge or champion the mentee depending on the situation. In acting as a mentor I must observe my employers procedures and policies which may affect the frequency of the session or the protocols I should follow if difficulties arise.As I mentioned in the introduction a teacher is not just the conduit for learning – They are almost always part of a larger organisation. It was the responsibility of the teacher to adopt and implement their organisation's policies. A class teacher forms part of a chain and will report to year leaders a eadteacher, Governing body, local authority to the Department of Education. The Department of Education is the governing body responsible for the oversight of education in England.Teachers and the organisations they work within must meet professional standards. The Office for Standards in Education , Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is the non-ministerial government department which reports directly to parliament. Its remit is to inspect and regulate education and training for learners of all ages and for inspecting and regulating those services which care for children and young people. From performance to safeguarding, as a teacher it would be my responsibility to be scrutinised by Ofsted and ensure my activities meet the agreed standards.Like most professional fields there are boundaries which must be observed by teachers. These can range from the syllabus, timescales, resources, awarding bodies to government policies. Each of these factors may have layers of external contributing factors which influence them in turn. Ofqual, who regulate qualifications, examinations and assessments in England (http://ofqual.gov.uk), came to prominence last summer over GCSE re-grading decisions. Although it did not directly impact on teachers it illustrates the interaction between two stakeholders in the sector. An awarding body will have clear codes of practice which must be adhered to, in order tallow for accurate quality assurance and standardisation on results.It is important for teachers to understand where professional boundaries lie. For example in some cases where an individual learners needs requires the assistance of expert help it must be sought. Attempting to support the learner without seeking expert advice may have a negative effect on the individual as well as others. Often a teacher’s role is to signpost learners to the best resources. In a school context this may mean directing someone to a more specialised teacher in the organisation or an external support like a Local Authority service.Keeping abreast of the support available is an important part of navigating these boundaries. Joining a professional association such as the Institute for Learning or researching best practice using the Excellence Gateway are recommended ways to keep up g ood practice polished and fresh. The government publish Teacher Standards. These standards set the minimum requirements for teachers’ practice and conduct. They are devised by educators and are in part there to ensure positive learning environment is sustained.It is particularly important in the lifelong learning sector to foster a supportive and safe learning environment. For instance adult students may have had a negative experience of education so it is essential that from day one ground rules are agreed upon and the teacher plans activities that will allow students to build relationships. â€Å"without ground rules, disruption may occur and affect the learning of your group† Gravels. A, (PTLLS 2008 pg 7)An effective way of promoting consensus in ground rules and compliance is giving the learners the opportunity to devise the rulebook themselves. In this model a teacher’s role is to facilitate the decision-making process and respect the outcome. By contributi ng as a group they each take ownership of their individual responsibility to follow the rules. In handing over this decision-making process the teacher will begin to build a trusting relationship with the learners are more likely to follow the rules they have devised over rules they are forced to adoptThe techniques and activities used by a teacher can help to build respect and promote appropriate behaviour in class. The use of pair work, and small group activities can help to forge relationships and engender respect amongst the learners. A great ice breaker activity which includes the entire group can be an effective way to begin this process. A teacher would set the task and ensure everyone is included.I’ve talked about some examples of the roles and responsibilities of teachers with the lifelong learning sector, but in reality these are limited to what I’ve described. Beyond the walls of the classroom there are a multitude of organisations, professional bodies and r esources which exist to develop and support Teachers. Each of them play a role in providing the appropriate checks and balances needed to ensure a healthy, evolving sector.

Critique of Theoretical Framework

Religion, Social Policy, and Social Work Practice Faith-based Services in Public Welfare It is generally accepted that the church has been a locus of social service and social change throughout America's history, and â€Å"that the concept of human services emerged, at least partially, from a religious base† (Ellor, Netting, ; Thibault, 1999, p. 13). Furthermore, it is recognized that the social work profession in the United States was influenced by a long history of religious traditions (Ellor et al, 1999; Hugen, 2012; Rosethal, 2006).The social welfare system that emerged in the United States, ormerly and presently, continues to be a mix of faith-based and secular organizations and groups with diversified perspectives and approaches (Ellor et al, 1999). The diverse perspectives and approaches to social welfare in the United States are rooted in an expansive array of worldviews and faith traditions. The U. S. is a pluralistic society characterized by a diversity of people, op inions, and religions (Monsma, 2012).The church is simply one of many places where social welfare ideations have manifested themselves, and the battles against social injustices have been fought. For many years a great variety of religiously affiliated organizations, colleges, hospitals, and social service agencies have received federal welfare funding. There is nothing profoundly new about the inclusion of faith-based organizations in the delivery of social welfare services to the disenfranchised and vulnerable populations (Karger et al, 2007).What is new is the prominence of postmodern, humanistic ideologies in social welfare that began in the 20th century (Hugen, 2012). The clashes between present-day humanistic and faith-based ideologies have spawned a lasting political debate over the correctness of federal government unding of faith-based social services. A major landmark for this political debate occurred in 1996 when the United States Congress passed a set of provisions unde r the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) section 104†also known as the Charitable Choice clause (Daly, 2009; Wuthnow, 2004).Charitable Choice removed many of the restrictions on integrating religious content with faith-based delivery of social services, and positioned faith-based social service agencies as equivalent to secular social service agencies (Karger et al, 2007). The ovement to incorporate faith-based social service agencies was further fueled by President George W. Bush's Faith Based and Community Initiative (FBCI) (Kennedy & Bielefeld, 2006; Daly, 2009; and Wuthnow, 2004).The Bush administration aimed to do two things based on the core Judicious principles of Charitable Choice: first, to increase the amount of federal social-welfare resources going to faith-based organizations; and second, to protect the organizational autonomy and religious identity of these groups when contracted with the government (Daly, 2007). As a result of the Bush-era FBCI, eleven faith and community-based offices were created n federal agencies, and many states began to develop programs to expand the role of faith-based social services in delivering anti-poverty assistance (Reingold, Pirog & Brady, 2007).The Bush-era faith-based initiative was strong enough that the Bush administration's proposed budget for 2002 allocated nearly $90 million to organizations that expanded or emulated models ot tai tn-based social service programs (Twombly, 2002). Today, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), there are 956,738 public charities, 97,435 private foundations, and 70,745 other types of nonprofit organizations (NCCS, 2013). According to the NCCS Core Files, public charities reported over $1. 59 trillion in total revenues, and $1. 9 trillion in total expenses in 2011. Of the public charities' revenues: 22% came from contributions, gifts and government grants; 72% came from program service revenues, which includ e government fees and contracts; and 6% came from â€Å"other† sources (NCCS, 2013). Blackwood, Roeger, & PettiJohn (2012) reveal that there was a 42. 3% growth in the number 501(c)(3) public charities from 2000 to 2010. In New York State alone, there are 1 5,362 religious or spiritually related public charities (IRS Business Master File 04/2010).Eric Twombly (2002), an affiliate of The Urban Institute, and Ira Colby (2007), a social work professor at the University of Houston, point out that many faith-based organizations, such as The Salvation Army, United Jewish Communities, Catholic Charities, and Lutheran Social Services have historically received government support and played a significant role in social service provisions in the United States. These groups are key players in many local areas in both direct ocial provision and setting government service priorities.The goal of this essay is to explore the political debate over Charitable Choice and the faith-based initia tive, and secondly, to uncover the implications for social work practice and social work education from this debate. It is evident that faith-based organizations play a substantial role in the delivery of social welfare services in the United States (Nagel, 2006). To begin our exploration of this issue, we will look at the relevant worldviews and belief systems that support or refute the federal government support of faith- based social service agencies.Worldview/ Belief Issues Republicans have favored the privatization of social welfare and reinforced the value of nonprofits. Conservative thinkers believe that churches can address welfare better than the government and the secular social service system (Cnaan & Boddie, 2002). Conservatives vigorously attack the belief that government should finance and deliver social services to the population (Karger et al, 2007). Conservatives argue privatization has become a paradox in social welfare because the private sector has been utilized in service provision and precedes the welfare state in many instances.David Osborne and Ted Gaebler (1992) assert in Reinventing Government that the private and public sectors have different roles. The government's role should consist primarily of establishing the objectives of social policy, and the private sector role should consist of executing the policy. David Stoesz (2007) co-author of American Social Welfare Policy argues, â€Å"nonprofit organizations have been poor competitors, often losing out to for-profit firms† (p. 193).He further asserts that the nature of nonprofits make them less competitive than commercial firms, and when for-profits nter the same market, they often take a substantial portion of the market until nonprofits adopt the same management procedures and become more efficient. A large assumption is this: if for-profits suspect that they can generate a profit by providing superior service to a clientele, they will seek to subcontract with the governme nt and provide the service.Conversely, Ira Colby (2007) the Dean and Professor of social work at the University of Houston asserts that privatization of social services as the answer to creating ettective service provisions tor the poor is a â€Å"grossly erroneous assumption† (p. 194). According to Colby (2007) the catchphrases of â€Å"compassionate conservative† or â€Å"faith-based social services† are simply resurfacing ideas from a previous welfare era where greater reliance on the private sector was emphasized.Liberal ideology asserts that the government should play a central role in the provision of services†that government is responsible for ensuring that all people, regardless of status in life, receive needed services and supports that maximize their well-being and ability to participate in society. In essence, basic social services are the business of the government (Colby, 2007). Monsma (2012) identifies 5 factors that underlie and work to mol d how liberals view the public role of faith- based organizations.The first is a strong emphasis on the free, autonomous, choosing individual. The second is a suspicion of traditional values and religion when they enter the public square. The third is seeing government as a potentially positive force for social change and improvement. Fourth is its embrace of the strict church-state separation, no-aid-to-religion standard. The fifth and final factor is the legacy of the nondiscrimination statuses of the 1960s. These factors, which can be onsidered beliefs, lead liberals to look negatively upon faith-based human service providers.The emphasis seems to be instead on freedom of choice and what the government can potentially do to improve societal conditions. Rev. Robert Owens (2001) posits that a negative correlation exists between the amount of funding received by religious organizations and the strength of religious mission. Owens, in his stance against public funding of religious or ganizations, argues that accepting government money to provide social service programs only deepens the confusion in communities about who works for whom. Accepting government money turns the state/ church relationship upside down†where the church works for the state.The solution then is to keep religious congregations independent of the influence of government. Political, Legal, Social Policy After the Great Depression, President Roosevelt's New Deal political ideations focused on the structural conditions contributing to poverty and social inequality. Because of the depression, it had become obvious that personal morality could not prevent or be the primary cause of poverty (Nagal, 2006). Therefore, the public responsibility for ocial welfare was emphasized, and the popular moral dimension was minimized in social service delivery.Following the New Deal era, the Reagan administration shifted the focus back to the inclusion of faith-based organization in social service provisi ons. President Reagan considered religious organizations to be more effective than public or secular, nonprofit social service providers (Cnaan & Boddie, 2002). Reagan went so far as to use the parable of the Good Samaritan as a metaphor for the cause of poverty. His perception of the biblical parable contrasted a bureaucratic aseworker against the Good Samaritan: The story of the Good Samaritan has always illustrated to me what God's challenge really is.He crossed the road, knelt down, bound up the wounds of the beaten traveler, the pilgrim, and carried him to the nearest town. He didn't go running into town and look tor a case-worker to tell him that there was a tellow out there that needed help. He took it upon himself. (Denton, 1982, p. 3 as cited in Cnaan & Boddie, 2002) Reagan believed in volunteerism and the increased responsibility of private organizations to meet society's social-welfare needs. The emphasis on volunteerism resulted in a decrease of government spending on so cial welfare initiatives in the 1980s.Reagan challenged the private sector to step up and meet the needs of society. He called on churches to provide for the needs of the poor within their own neighborhoods (Yancey, 2007). President Clinton took the challenge one step further and suggested that organized religion would be able to make a significant contribution to reducing the need for social welfare if each congregation in the United States would hire one person in need (Wuthnow, 2004). Here is what President Clinton said:Under this law [Charitable Choice], every state, when it becomes effective, every state in the country can say: If you will hire somebody off welfare, we'll give you the welfare checks as a supplement for the wages and the training. It means, folks, when you go back home, your church can receive a person's welfare check and add to it only a modest amount of money to make a living wage, and to take some time to train people and bring their children into the church, and make sure their children are all right and give them a home and family.I Just want every pastor in this audience to think about it. Just think about it. If every church in America hired one person off welfare, if every church in America could get some work to do that, it would set an example that would require the business community to follow, that would require the charitable and other nonprofit organizations to follow. We cannot create a government Jobs program big enough to solve the whole thing, but if everybody did it, one by one, we could do this Job. Associated Press, 1996, section A2) Throughout the later part of the 20th century, the federal government called on the Church to act as the primary safety net for people in need. History reveals that faith- ased organizations have always been a part of providing social welfare services. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with the Charitable Choice clause and Bush's Faith Based and Co mmunity Initiative simply increased the collaboration between faith-based organizations and the federal government.Separation of Church and State Before the Charitable Choice provision of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, faith-based organizations contracting with the government had to remove all religious symbols from the room where service was rovided; accept all clients; refrain from any religious ceremonies; hire staff that reflected society, not the organization's belief system; adhere to government contract regulations; and incorporate separately as an 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organizations (Cnaan ; Boddie, 2002).All this changed after the PRWORA of 1996. First, faith- based services providers retain their religious autonomy; second, the government could not curtail the religious expression or practice of faith-based services; third, taitn-based service providers were exempt trom complying with employment policies andated by the Civil Ri ghts Act of 1964; finally, faith based organization contracting with the government were no longer required to establish a separate, secular 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization (Cnaan ; Boddie, 2002).There are, however, some stipulations that remain in order to contract with the government. Faith-based organizations are fiscally accountable to use government funds for the intended social services and not for religious worship or proselytization. The purpose of this section of the law is to ensure a clear separation between church and state. In order or the government to remain neutral to the religious or secular character of organizations, both are offered an opportunity to participate in social service programs.As Rosenthal (2006) states in his conclusion on Charitable Choice Programs and Title VII's Co-Religionist Exemption: By offering religious institutions the opportunity to participate in social service programs, Congress is faithfully engaging the constitutional principle of n eutrality by affording these organizations the same opportunities as non-religious organizations. On the flip side, however, the Constitution requires that this participation be both ecular and non-discriminatory, so as to ensure that religious organizations are not benefited simply by virtue of their religious character. p. 665) Implication for Social Work Practice David Stoesz (2007) in his response to Should Social Services be Privatized asserts that the social work profession traditionally sides with social welfare. This leads to the dismissal of nonprofit agencies and blatant hostility to for-profit agencies. Because of this bias, social work education is devoid of the knowledge and skills that are essential to business strategies in service provision. The implication for social work education would entail an increase of content in finance, marketing, information systems, and contracting.This would equip social workers to be more competitive in the new human-service market. Wit h access to government funding that no longer regards the religious character of the service provider as a hindrance to the separation of church and state, it is likely (if not already evident by the NCCS reports) that more faith-based organizations and churches will engage in partnership with the public sector. This significant change has influenced social service delivery.As a social work practitioner, I could easily find myself working within a faith-based organization or at least collaborating with a faith-based organization in service delivery. Social work is a value-based profession. Although more secularized than ever before, social work can provide leadership in shaping the collaborative effort between the helping professions and faith-based organizations. This is especially important in considering the integration of spirituality and religion in social work practice.With the prevalence of faith-based organizations providing social services, it ould be beneficial for social work education to increase the content on ethical social work practice within religious settings. With an increased competency in the integration of social work practice with religion and spirituality, social work practitioners can further appreciate the efforts of religious organizations to address social problems. Social work should also â€Å"proceed cautiously to outline the parameters ot ethical social work practice in religious organizations† (Sherr et al, 2009, p. 64) so that service delivery does not cross the ethical line and become an opportunity for proselytizing. The profession of social work continues to realize the importance of religious and spiritual beliefs for clients. The importance of these issues in social work education is supported by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standard, 2. 1. 4: Social workers understand how diversity characterizes and shapes the human experience and is critical to the formation of identity.The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration tatus, political ideology, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation†¦ [Social workers] gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups†¦ (CSWE, 2008, p. 5) The NASW Code of Ethics (2008) points to the importance of recognizing religious and spiritual beliefs in order to practice in a holistic, client-centered manner.Section 1 . 05(c) of the Code of Ethics states: Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, ex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, martial status, political belief, religion, immigration status and mental or physical disability. (NASW, 2 008, p. 9) Competently addressing religious and spiritual beliefs is part of the holistic approach to working with the multi-dimensional person†bio, psycho, social, and spiritual.To ignore the value system of a client leaves the door open for social workers to taint the helping relationship with their own beliefs and values (Zellmer & Anderson-Meger, 2011). Summary populations (Karger et al, 2007). History reveals that faith-based organizations have lways been a part of providing social welfare services. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with the Charitable Choice clause and Bush's Faith Based and Community Initiative simply increased the collaboration between faith-based organizations and the federal government.Conservative thinkers believe that churches can address welfare better than the government and the secular social service system (Cnaan ; Boddie, 2002). Conservatives vigorously attack the belief that government should finance and deliver social services to the population (Karger et al, 2007). Liberal ideology asserts that the government should play a central role in the provision of services†that government is responsible for ensuring that all people, regardless of status in life, receive needed services and supports that maximize their well-being and ability to participate in society (Colby, 2007).With an increased competency in the integration of social work practice with religion and spirituality, social work practitioners can turtner appreciate the etto religious organizations to address social problems. With the prevalence of faith- based organizations providing social services, it would be beneficial for social work ducation to increase the content on ethical social work practice within religious settings. The clashes between present-day humanistic and faith-based ideologies have spawned a lasting political debate over the correctness of federal government funding of faith-based social servic es.In the American pluralistic society, public funds should not be used to promote any particular religion. Therefore, the social work profession should take a leadership role in appreciating diversity, and ethically navigating social welfare and the faith-based initiative.

Phases in the Negotiation Process, Objectives and Outcome Essay

Phases in the Negotiation Process, Objectives and Outcome - Essay Example The paper tells that communication is said to play a crucial part in determining the way that people would experience and also work during disagreement which is a job that is supposed to be quite challenging. Negotiation has been described as structures of ‘conflict management’ that include two or even more than two parties. Eventually, these parties have a disagreement of requirements based on which it is decided to negotiate by way of a ‘give and take’ procedure. This procedure would include suggestion and counter suggestions to look for an equally acceptable agreement. The process of negotiation includes expertise in few forms of skills like questioning and planning with the assistance of utilizing effectual communication that is non-verbal, assessing requirements and also by way of brainstorming. It frequently becomes essential for a particular individual to try with numerous techniques of negotiating so as to find out a combination of strategies that wo uld be best suited. An eagerness to find out the universal concern and acclimatize styles of communication forms the core part of an effectual negotiation. The process of negotiation involves few phases that are a quite significant part of the process. The initial phase is known as the pre-negotiation phase. It is important to prepare properly regarding the fundamentals of the negotiation prior to communicating them with the other parties. Preparation leads to success in case of any kind of activity and thus, is applicable for negotiation too. In this phase, it needs to be first ascertained whether there exists an acute reason in order to negotiate. Once this is ascertained, then some structure of the program needs to be set up. After this, the appropriate parties should be recognized who would be actively involved in the procedure along with their degree of responsibility and power.

To what Extent did the Rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada (1837) Essay

To what Extent did the Rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada (1837) Lead to Canada's Responsible Government in 1867 - Essay Example The aim of this paper is to look at Canada’s experience with responsible government during 1867 and look at the known, possible driving forces behind the implementation of the responsible government, namely the Durham report and the American influence, and provide arguments as to which one mainly affected or drove the implementation of responsible government. These topics will be discussed in detail as follows: Lord Durham’s report and how it was responsible for Canada’s responsible government The American influence that was responsible for Canada’s responsible government Conclusion and breakdown Lord Durham’s report and how it was responsible for Canada’s responsible government According to marianopolis.edu, John George Lambton was the first earl of Durham. He was also known as â€Å"Radical Jack† because of his support of certain causes by the Whig party in England. Some of these causes created quite a stir back in those times such a s free trade. He was sent to be a Governor General in British North America in 1838. This was done, according to the same article above in order to â€Å"investigate the circumstances of the rebellions of 1837 in Upper and Lower Canada and to make recommendations for the future government of the British North American colonies.† He was the person that created the Durham report which is now believed to have been one of the driving forces behind Canada’s responsible government of 1867. The main purpose of this report was to assess the situation in British North America and the local conditions. This report made several recommendations such as the unification of Upper and Lower Canada and the proposal of responsible government. One other recommendation includes the establishment of local municipalities in Canada. Some saw these recommendations as great advancements and key efforts in making a better Canada while others, specifically in Lower Canada regarded Lambton as a r acist for his suggestion to assimilate the French Canadians. We can consider this report to have been one of the best driving forces for responsible government because based on observation, the idea of implementing a responsible government was not something agreeable to the British, because, like the paper stated â€Å"Great Britain could not quite bring itself to implement responsible government in the colonies†. But despite this, the Union act of 1840 was created and Canada was united. The American influence that was responsible for Canada’s responsible government Around 2 years before the establishment of the responsible government of Canada in 1867, America was putting and end to its civil war. The actions taken by America at that time were also considered to be a major influence to the establishment of Canada’s responsible government; in fact some consider it more of an influence than the Durham report. Based on the information given, the Durham report sugg ested that Canada be unified and that they establish responsible government, however the British did not agree to the later suggestion but followed through on the unification of Canada. After seeing that America won against one of Canada’s major colonizers, their now unified country may have taken this as a queue point to establish responsible government for a few reasons; one being a show of defiance to England, another maybe in support of America and

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 7

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Human resource intranets are one of the fastest growing technologies in the market place. This offers a compatible and user friendly solutions which can be customized and offered according to the organizational needs. This helps in connecting various departments and branches of any organization to share information and communicate effectively. The first part of the paper deals with the human resource management. It describes various human resource management functions that are required for any organization. The second part deals with the intranet and its benefits and drawbacks. The last section of the paper describes the HR intranets and the activities it can handle. Challenges faced by the organizations in the research and the various factors of the environment influence development of their operations. The heterogeneity is present in the culture, political legal set up, social set up, availability of investors and funding parties for that particular area, work force, management att itude and perception about the host country. These all factors influence most of the industries and organizations in the strategic decision making process. There are number of activities within any organization that are very important like marketing and sales, human resource management, production and manufacturing, operations, information technologies which functions together for the organizational goal and profitability.

Marketing analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Marketing analysis - Essay Example The following discussion seeks to assert the purposes of the target market in the organisation. Further, the discussion shall argue upon the marketing mix variables adapted by the organisation in increasing its competence in the provision of health care services. The organisation asserts that its devotion is to deliver health services to the UK population. It declares that every person in the country has a vital role, and acquainting them with relevant health services is the ultimate way of ensuring functionality (Stuart, 2013). Holding to the fact that nursing and midwifery are a continued health course, it is knowledgeable that the organisation’s target market is centred on the existence of health complications in the society. Every person is vulnerable to diseases, hence at a certain point, he will need medical attention (Scullion & Guest, 2007). The organisation beseeches the UK society to trust in the health practitioners from all of their obligations aim at delivering profound health services. Its target market includes children in schools, arguing that they should seek health care in case of health complications from the available school nurses (Kirpal, 2011). Secondly, the organisation asserts that expectant women should seek healthcare services during their prenatal and postnatal stages from the midwives and other relevant personnel. Further, the organisation extends its care to people suffering from mental health arguing out that they are of importance as any other groups of people in the community (Scullion & Guest, 2007). On a different account, the organisation declares its devotion in providing health care services to the ageing and aged population (Kirpal, 2011). Arguably, it is knowledgeable that the organisation’s target market combines all groups in the demographic segment as it declares the types of services that its personnel shall deliver to each category of people in the population. The organisation combines

Systems Programming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Systems Programming - Essay Example In order to protect digital information, organizations are keen to implement technical controls such as firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems, honeypots and Demilitarized zones. These controls are considered as logical and provide security on the logical layer. However, often the important aspect i.e. information security management is not addressed to the optimal level. A typical information security program is led by an information security manager who establishes a steering committee for discussing security aspects focusing not only the IT department but every department within the enterprise. Some of the management controls that are implemented by the information security manager are IT governance, Risk management, monitoring Key Process Indicators (KPI) and Key Goal Indicators (KGI). KPI demonstrates the current state of security within an organization and KGI demonstrates the level of security to be achieved. As per the current scenario, critical data must be protected by impl ementing Firewalls to secure the network from external logical threats and Virtual Private Network will be implemented for securing the data transmission on the Wide Area Network. The modern operating system introduced by Microsoft is named as Windows 7. This operating system contains advanced tools for network security from viruses, malware and spyware thus reducing the security breaches and risks. Another feature Windows 7 comprises is an enhanced backup solution for the important data. This will also provide more control via parental tool to protect family from possible risks. The Windows 7 also includes enhanced protection, safety and privacy characteristic for better internet experience. 2 What security is all about The Windows 7 incorporates a tool named as an Action Centre that allows the users to check firewall updates, software’s updates such as antivirus. Furthermore, this Action Centre will automatically turn on for all the latest available software updates. This A ction Centre is located in Control Panel for easy access for the users. 2.1 Protect your data from theft, hackers and accidental loss Another new feature that is included in Windows7 is the BitLocker Drive Encryption. This allows your Windows to encode all the important data, passwords and other information stored in the hard disk. The data encodes automatically into the hard disk as soon as the BitLocker is activated. Similarly, firewall also plays a vital role in computer protection. The firewall is designed to block all the unsafe data or malicious soft wares that enter into computer. The firewall present in Windows 7 is made more flexible and easy to use to provide maximum protection against hackers. In Windows 7, the backup system is also enhanced and made user friendly. This helps to generates many copies of your important data and thus restores it when needed. In order to protect your computer from viruses, malware and other spyware you need to download â€Å"Microsoft Secur ity Essential†. This application is available for Windows 7 and is free of cost. The Microsoft Security Essentials provides protection against worms, viruses, Trojans, spywares and other malwares. A detailed catalogue is available online for Microsoft Security Essential and how to use it. Moreover, Windows Defender is also included in Window

Labor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Labor - Essay Example While the responsibility for providing a safe work environment falls onto the employer and its Human Resources management team, it is the responsibility of the employee to comply with the rules that are required to ensure a safe working environment. In this brief outline, the phenomenon of Labor Unions will be critically analyzed and explored, discussing the purpose of a union, experience with unions from a Human Resource perspective, Good Faith, and a number of associated terms that bring clarity to the whole labor union movement. Since before the 1950’s, United States employees have been fighting for equity, fairness, and to be treated with dignity and respect. It is through the labor union movement that the AFL-CIO was able to form and demand fair practices and acceptable working conditions on job sites all across America. The reasons why many workers from various industries came to join a union, and continue to do so to this day, is to ensure that their rights are preserved and that their health and safety are protected. In many cases, currently and historically, there are unfair practices going on around the world. American union members are now encouraging laborers in other countries to organize unions in order to do the same thing. Dressler states that as many as 14.7 million U.S. workers belong to unions, about 11.9% of the total (Dressler, 2013, p. 496) (Dessler, Human Resource Management, 13th Edition). The views of this outline concerning labor unions have more to do with the theoretical discourse that is ascertained through reading both historical and current events. Its perspective is also influenced by images in the news media of labor union strikes displaying angry blue collar workers and picketers marching and shouting in front of their place of employment, or at least the corporate office. It has much less to do with the limited knowledge and experience on a professional level. With that caveat being

MOVIE SHAINE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MOVIE SHAINE - Essay Example Producers began to scramble in order to get the rights to film the movie version of the movie. But this paper is not about the way producers came into possession of the literary work. Nor is this about the history of the author and his inspiration for the book. Rather, this paper is all about the comparison and differences that exist between the book and film versions of the story. The basic premise of the book and the movie does not stray from the original formula that was written by Jack Shaeffer. We find the main story in both the book and movie centering upon the Starrett family. Together with some other homesteaders, they find themselves being trapped by a local cattle baron into surrendering their land to him as he slowly usurps property that is not his. The cattle baron is named Fletcher and he does not mind being at war with most of his neighbors over the cattle range that should have existed for all of them to benefit from. The main character, Shane, comes into the story rig ht smack in the middle of this war. While the conflict in the book takes place mostly in the second half of the book, the film version, owing to time constraints and censorship considerations, found itself fast forwarding within minutes of the opening scene into the thick of the action. This is one of the main points that shows the difference between the book and the film. Whereas the book had enough time to flesh out the conflict and character development, the film had to abbreviate such development points in lieu of screen time. The film, which was shot in 1953 did not leave everything to one's imagination as the novel did. Rather, Director George C. Stevens took great pains to re-create what was about to become the finest western film in Hollywood into reality on film. The cinematography matched the grandness of the verbal descriptions and looked quite true to life in an era that did not have High Definition, Blu-Ray, or CGI technology to help polish its look. Character descripti on wise, the film differed from the book in such that the main character, Shane, first arrived at the Starret ranch, according to the novel, wearing an all Black outfit while he wore a Tan outfit in the film. Character wise, the film also took the liberty of renaming some of the characters as in the case of the character of Bob in the book, who became Joey in the movie. The cattle baron who was named Fletcher in the book, became Rufus Ryker in the Hollywood version. While the book took its time in developing character relationships during the first half of the story, allowing the reader to come to a deeper understanding of the story and its main protagonists and antagonists, those who watch the film without having read the book will be treated to a different version of character development far from the original vision and intent of the writer. The movie, perhaps thinking it would make for a far more interesting tale on screen found itself dealing with a combined storyline that allo ws for a rushed version of the back story between Shane and the family that took him in, and the action from the latter half of the movie that seems to be introduced within the first ten minutes of the film. This sense of screen time and film footage used is probably the reason why we find the characters doing things in the movie that were done by other people in the book. For example, Tory, who was supposed to be the one

Strategic management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Strategic management - Assignment Example In the last decade the company has progressively developed despite the challenges. However, within this period, the company has passed through different vicious contentions in the business, but it has still achieved growth enabling it to attain its current commanding status. There has been much interest in the German market, however, the state of affairs in Germany can be referred to as ‘a black hole’ since the market seems impenetrable by foreign firms. The same could apply to the Scandinavian market owing to non-existence of Indesit in these regions. However, the market in Turkey could be described as undeterminable yet rapidly advancing. This has forced Indesit to have minimal investment in these countries (Doole & Lowe, 2008). Despite establishing its presence in Europe, there are still some regions, such as Germany and Turkey, where the company has not established its presence, including recording poor performance in the Scandinavian countries. The Managing Director of the company acknowledged the fact that the location of the business disfavours the overall idea of innovative administrative practices, alongside adoption of technological solutions. This forces the company to rely on external concepts for the purposes of advancing the c ompany business. The expansion into the global market poses a major test to the firm and its assets. Such practice calls for the need to implement global marketing strategies such as adapting workable business models and theoretical constructs (Doole & Lowe, 2008). Indesit Company requires some theoretical concepts and business models for the purposes of penetrating Germany, Turkey and Scandinavian markets. In such a case, the company should consider cultural theory of buying behavior. In this case consumers make purchases based on their cultural backgrounds. Culture refers to set of values and beliefs defining a particular community. In such regions as Scandinavia, purchases are based on various aspects

Modern Architecture de Stijl Architecture Essay Example for Free

Modern Architecture de Stijl Architecture Essay De Stijl architecture was formed by a group of young artists who created the new movement in 1917; calling both the movement and the magazine they published De Stijl. The group promoted utopian ideals and group members believed in the birth of new age in the wake of WWI. They felt it was a time of balance between individual and universal values. The work was completely abstract as well. The goal was total integration of art and life. GERRIT THOMAS RIETVELD, Schroder House, the Netherlands, 1924. Rietveld came to the De Stijl group as a cabinet maker and created spectacular furniture throughout his life. He used this as an inspiration for the plans and designs of his architecture. He expresses his spirits and definition into the whole piece. This structure is an anti-cube and does not contain much functional space, nor did it intend to. It instead throws all of this space out of the center therefore making the height, width, and depth an open space. The main areas such as the living room are on the second floor where as the private rooms are confined to the bottom. The second floor also uses sliding objects in order to be able to have definite shape or be open when needed. The movable panels illustrate three-dimensional ideas but have proportional planes. This contemporary style portrays nature through its open plan. The Bauhaus Walter Gropius developed a particular vision of â€Å"total architecture†. He made this concept the key to his work and the work of others who studied under him at a school called, The Bauhaus. It taught that all art forms, from simple to complex should be designed as a unit. WALTER GROPIUS, Shop Block, the Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany, 1925-1926. In 1924 a new government was elected who forced the Bauhaus to move north to Dessau. When the Bauhaus program had matured, Gropius set guidelines for the schools universal goals. These included maintaining a positive attitude to living in a contemporary world (technology was embraced), avoid all romantic embellishment and whimsy, restriction to basic forms and colors to what is typical and universally intelligible, and simplicity within complexity. All these goals are used in Gropius’ Work Shop Block. The building consisted of workshop, class areas, dining rooms, a theatre, and gym. Standing 3 stories tall, it housed many activities and programs however in a simplistic form. They constructed the Skelton of reinforced concrete but supported it back farther in order to sheath the entire building with glass creating a streamlined and light effect also revealing the classrooms beyond. The building is lifted off the ground slightly, seemingly floating. The white horizontal stringcourses also embrace the building. He wanted the â€Å"economy in the use of space† which was one of the schools ultimate goals. It is organized and simplistic, free from embellishments or architectural motifs, a masterpiece he always dreamed to create during his career. International Style This style from the 1920s to 1950s was greatly influenced by the Bauhaus. Its qualities and styles focus on simple geometric aesthetics. Le Corbusier, an influential architect and theorist on modern architecture applied himself to designing a functional living space which he referred to as a â€Å"machine for living† using these ideas. LE CORBUSIER, Villa Savoye, 1929, Poissy-sur-Seine, France Le Corbusier made an elegant country house which dominates its site and has a broad view of the landscape that surrounds it. It is essentially a cube that is composed with the idea of space where free open-rooms let light flow freely throughout the house as well as utilizing the space it has, including using the roof as a patio. It contains a three-bedroom villa with servant’s quarters and the main part of the house is lifted off the ground by narrow columns and thin freestanding posts. It does not have a definite entrance and the building has no traditional faà §ade so one must walk around the house to truly comprehend its layout, however, the turning circle on the bottom floor is a carport so that family members can enter directly from their car. The boxlike horizontal quality of the house displays its abstraction by showing that the spaces and masses interpenetrate so fluently that the inside and outside space intermingle. Art Deco Contradicting the simplistic forms of the international style, Art Deco focuses strictly on industry, the machine and aerodynamics by focusing on industrial designs. The names comes from the 1925 exposition International des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, held in Paris, which celebrated living in the modern world. It replaces the vegetal forms of its parent with machine stylization. Its products have a â€Å"streamlined† elongated symmetrical aspect through its simple flat shapes alternate with shallow volumes. Many themes of Art Deco include automobile wheels, grills, cruise ship portholes and railings. This style was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. WILLIAM VAN ALEN, The Chrysler Building, 1928-1930, New York Art Deco’s masterpiece is the stainless steel spire of this particular building being the world’s tallest building during its time, even taller than the Eiffel Tower! It is built up of fan shapes and has an extensive use of metalwork on the faà §ade. The car motifs dominate the building; the symbols of hubcaps, car fenders, gargoyles in the form of radiator caps and hood ornaments. At the top there is a brilliant crown honoring the business achievements of the great auto manufacturer. The Chrysler Building was dedicated to the principles and successes of American Business before the Great Depression. FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT- Robie House, Chicago, Illinois, 1907-1909. Frank Lloyd Wright was influenced by volumetric shapes. His architecture is â€Å"natural and organic†. He sought to develop an organic unity of planning, structure, materials, and site. Also he showed a lot of continuity in his patterns and designs. This structure (the Robie House) was known for its naturalism in the way it was adjusted to the site. The long, sweeping, ground-hugging lines, unconfined by abrupt wall limits, reach out toward and capture the expansiveness of the Midwest’s great flatlands. This building has no symmetry, and the entrance is almost concealed. For the plan of the Robie House, Wright filled it with intricately joined spaces (some large and open, others closed) grouped freely around a great central fireplace. He extends the roofs far beyond the walls for dramatic effect. This house has domestic significance showing unexpected light sources designed with enclosed patios, overhanging roofs, and strip windows. Also they show glimpses of the outdoor viewers as they move through the interior space. The construction of this house creates a sense of motion, inside and out. The flow of interior space is determined by the sharp angular placement of exterior walls. FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT- Kaufmann House (Fallingwater), Bear Run, Pennsylvania, 1936-1939. This residence was nicknamed â€Å"Fallingwater† because of the image of the water that flows through the exterior of the house. Wright believed that the inhabitants of this Residence would become desensitized to the waterfall’s presence and power if they merely overlooked it, so he built it over the waterfall. He confines the building-to-site relationship in this architecture by incorporating the natural water around the building into the actual construction of it. This was designed as a weekend retreat at Bear Run near Pittsburgh. It is perched on a rocky hillside over a small waterfall; the building extends in all four directions. The full-length strip windows enliven the house’s shape, as well as the contrast in textures between concrete, painted metal, and natural stones in its walls. This site is an icon of modernist architectural design because of its unique approach to space design. It was made as a space designated to fit the patron’s life. Unfortunately, Fallingwater has been plagued in recent years with structural problems due to the unusual terraced design. The dynamic exchange of fluid between the interior of the house and the natural environment outside was a problem. Frank Lloyd Wright designed a series of terraces that extend on three levels from a central core structure, like self-supporting shelves. However, overtime the â€Å"shelves† became unstable. In the end, about $11.5 million was put into the restoration of Fallingwater and was completed in 2003. FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (exterior view from the northwest), New York, 1943-1959 (photo 1962) In the age of modernism, architects became concerned with a formalism that stressed simplicity. Wright had already introduced curves and circles in his earlier plans, so the spiral (the circle brought into the 3 rd and 4th dimensions) was the next step. The thick walls and solid organic shape give the building a sense of turning in on itself. Inside the building, the shape of the shell expands toward the top, and a winding interior ramp spirals to connect the gallery bays, which are illuminated by a sky light strip embedded in the outer wall. The long interior viewing area opening onto a 90-ft. central well of space gives the impression of a sheltered environment, secure from the bustling city outside. LE CORBUSIER- Notre Dame du Haut, 1950-1955. Ronchamp, France. This is a fusion of architecture and sculpture. The building is illusive, giving the impression that it is huge from afar, when it actually only holds about 200 people. The stale, heavy walls and ambiguous illumination make the building reminiscent of a sacred cave or a medieval monastery. Like the medieval cathedrals, this structure was built and designed with an underlying system integrating mathematics. This structure is made from fabric formed by a steel frame and metal mesh. The entire interior is painted white except for the ceiling in a couple of private chapel niches which were left unpainted to darken and lighten with the time of day. Corbusier constructed the roof so that it appears to float freely by elevating the roof with near invisible blocks. The same illusion can be seen on the Indian structure Hagia Sophia with had the same effect achieved through the usage of windows. These two structures share many qualities and thus demonstrate the roots of inspiration. The overall design of the building came from shapes such as praying hands, the wings of a dove (which is the symbol for the Holy Spirit), and the prow of a ship (this is referring to the Latin word â€Å"nave† which means ship, referencing old basilicas). Through those images, Corbusier wanted all who viewed this structure to be in awe of the floating roof, see the religious shapes, and then have the urge to go forth and profess their faith in God. He hoped to develop a new interpretation of the sacred beliefs of his people and of the natural environments, bringing them closer together as a society. LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE and PHILIP JOHNSON- Segram Building, 1956-1958. Manhattan, New York. This is a rectilinear glass and bronze tower in Manhattan and was one of the first models for skyscrapers when the industrial revolution was taking place in the United States and large cites began to urbanize. Once finished, this building plan was common in all major cities, all around the world. Although many people vulgarized this design, it was easy to duplicate and so many companies used the same design for their own buildings. This building was designed thin purposely so that the first quarter of the space that the building was to occupy could be used as an open pedestrian plaza. This plaza has been famous for drawing people to the building for social interactions. The architects gave the illusion of the building rising out of the street on stilts; they even made the lobby completely out of glass giving it the illusion of being invisible and unsupported to further that effect. The recessed structuring of the building makes it seem to have glass skin being that everything is glass apart from the bronze that holds the windows in place. Together, the bronze and amber glass make the building appear more elegant, rich, and illuminated. The architects even went a step further and planned the interior and exterior lighting to achieve an intriguing and elegant look both day and night. RICHARD ROGERS and RENZO PIANO- Georges Pompidou National Center of Art and Culture (the â€Å"Beaubourg†), 1977. Paris, France. This structure marked the beginning of deconstructivist architecture, incorporating the characteristics of being unfinished and incomplete. The architects incorporated motifs from industrial building in their design for this structure, seen by the metallic, factory theme to the building. What is fascinating about this structure is that the anatomy of the entire structure was left visible with no exterior walls, very reminiscent of the Crystal Palace. What is even more intriguing is that the metabolism -pipes, ducts, tubes and corridors- is visible and color coded according to function (red=movement of people, green=water, blue= air conditioning, yellow=electricity). Common criticism of the structure is that it requires frequent maintenance to protect the exposed structure from the elements. While that is true, it doesn’t stop the many people who still go to enjoy the art that they building holds. Its many functions include art galleries, industrial design centers, a library, science/music center, conference rooms, research/archival facilities, movie theaters, rest areas and even a restaurant. The same type of activities and demonstrations that occurred outside of the great cathedrals can be seen outside of this building. Art lovers can be found performing day and night outside of the building along with the likes of salesmen and people who utilize the large number of tourists that visit to their advantage. It is all of these characteristics that further the building’s prominent reputation for culture and popular entertainment.

The Fundamental Rethinking Processes Of BPR

The Fundamental Rethinking Processes Of BPR BPR is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service and speed. The major benefit of BPR is that it eliminates redundancies of work and improves accuracy. BPR can transform the basic ways that people and departments work and allow users to work better and often to produce higher quality work. BPR would enable smooth restructuring process of business processes at Velogic Airlines Limited. The chapter discusses BPR process, implementation method and the changes those may have to be made for upgrading the existing ERP system at Velogic Airlines Limited. Details about the modules related to Human Resource and Payroll System, Finance and Accounting System and Inventory Management System have also been elaborated in the chapter. Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is the organizational procedure required to align people, processes and technology with strategies to accomplish business integration. It can be considered as taking a business in its current state and forming an organizational and operational blueprint to redirect skills, polices, information (data), cultural values, organizational structures, processing and incentives towards targeted improvements15.  [1]   Velogic Airlines Limited are now inspiring to enhance their airline by coordinating their business processes more closely and in some cases integrating these processes so that they can focus more on efficient management of resources and customer service. The oracle application would not require specific non-intuitive software to be installed. Virtually all-new systems available in the market today run in industry standard web browsers, thus reducing software and training costs. Moreover with the emergence of new competitors they need to enhance their service level and be a step ahead of competitors. A powerful type of organization change is brought forward the business process reengineering (BPR) also known as Business Process Improvement (BPI) or business process redesign. From the early 1990s it became familiar for management in many organizations to focus their attention inwards and to consider how proficient business processes can be redesigned or re-engineered. Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) is the popular term for reutilisation of organizational procedures and structure following the introduction of new information technologies into an organization. It is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to accomplish impressive improvements in critical contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service and speed. Objectives of BPR A more significant kind of organizational change is business process reengineering, in which business processes are analyzed, simplified and redesigned. Using information technology, organizations can rethink and streamline their business processes to improve speed, service, and quality. Business Process Re-engineering reorganizes workflows, combining steps to cut waste and eradicating repetitive, paper-intensive tasks (sometimes the new design eliminates jobs as well). It is more ambitious than rationalization of procedures, requiring a new vision of how the process is to be organized  [2]  16. BPR Advantages over Automation and Rationalization The evolution of the information-processing pattern over the last four decades to build intelligence and administer amendments in business functions and processes has generally progressed over three phases: Automation Rationalization Business Process Re-engineering Each of them carries different rewards and risk. The most common form of IT-enabled organizational changes is automation. The first applications of information technology implicated assisting employees with achieving their tasks more efficiently and effectively. A deeper form of organizational change one that follows quickly from early automation is rationalization of procedures. Automation frequently reveals new bottlenecks in production and makes the existing arrangement of procedures and structures painfully large. Rationalisation of procedures is the streamlining of standard operating procedures more efficient. BPR, ERP AND IT In the majority of cases, information technology powers BPR. Formerly, information technology was used to facilitate companies automate existing business processes but now, technology is being used to transform those processes fundamentally. Current developments in information technology have not only made BPR possible on a radical and extensive scale, but also more efficient. The merger of the two concepts has resulted in the latest concept, namely, business engineering (BE). BE combines the innovations of information technology with BPRs focus on better business processes. The heart and soul of BE lying in radical, process-oriented business solutions, which have been greatly enhanced by the information technology of client/server computing. ERP is a tool, which acts as a facilitator of BE to mould business processes efficiently  [3]  17. While the objectives of BPR have not been altered by information technology, they have gained an extra dimension in business engineering. The main thrust of BE is the efficient redesign of a companys value-added chains. By definition, value-added chains are the set of connected steps running through a business which, when quickly and efficiently completed, add value to both, the company and the customer. With the appearance of enterprise software systems, information technology has become a business-modeling vehicle that can assist in the redesigning of those processes. Method of implementation Before deciding upon a BE project, the management, IT users, and the IT experts must get together to chart out Velogic Airlines Limited goals and identify the key processes that affect its success. Next, those processes should be reengineered to improve their effectiveness. At this point, the BE team must establish how information technology can enhance the reengineered process. Other potential benefits of information technology should be identified, such as its role in developing a business strategy to satisfy customer requirements. The BE team must maximize and streamline business process and access whether they should be changed or perhaps thrown out, before they apply technology to them. Velogic Airlines Limited has different kinds of information systems that support different functions, organizational levels, and business processes. Most of these systems are built around different functions; business units and business processes that do not talk to each other. Because of the challenges mentioned earlier the company has decided to set up an ERP system. Oracle Application consist of a set of interdependent modules for applications such as sales and distribution, financial accounting, investment management, and human resources that allow data to be used by multiple functions and business process for more precise organizational coordination and control. The modules can communicate with each other directly or by sharing a common repository of data. ERP helps to support organization-wide process coordination and integration. It creates an integrated organization-wide platform to coordinate key internal processes of the firm. They address the issue of organizational ineffi ciencies created by isolated islands of information, business processes, and technology. Information that was previously split in different applications can seamlessly flow throughout the company so that business processes in finance, accounts; human resources, payroll and inventory can share it. The systems collects data from various key business processes and stores the data in a single comprehensive data repository where they can be used by other parts of the business. Managers emerge with more precise and timely information for coordinating the daily operations of the business and the company wide view of business processes and information flows. Select the process appoint process team for restructuring the process. Business processes are simply a set of activities that transform a set of inputs into a set of outputs for another person or process using people and tools. The strategic processes: Account Payable/Receivable Client Record Employee Record Training plans Inventory Separate systems were built over a long period of time to support discrete business processes and discreet business functions. The organizations systems rarely included vendors and customers. Managers also required IT support in order to create accounting and inventory reports, a labour- and time-intensive project that complicated the estimation of future inventory levels and product availability. In many cases, these simple reports took days to complete. It was difficult to assemble data to get an overall picture of the organizations operations. Facing increasing accounting and administrative needs, the company wanted to streamline business practices and provide better visibility into financial information. ERP systems integrate the key business processes of the company into a single software system that allows information to flow seamlessly throughout the organization. These systems focus primarily on internal processes but may include transactions with customers and vendors. The new system proposes to give employees an easy-to-use interface for creating reports, tracking sales and customers, and searching inventory lists. Prime benefits from BPR are: positive effect on service quality the entire organization can respond more efficiently to customer query and deliver information on time labor resources (improved employee morale and productivity) Customer satisfaction (quicker response to customer requests). elimination of bottlenecks and delays between steps provide simultaneous access to documents by multiple departments/people allow for quick, simple access to information elimination of redundancies of work and improves accuracy decreasing defects, errors Business engineering makes companies more customer-focused and responsive to changes in the market. The organisation achieves these results by reshaping corporate structures around business processes. BE implements change not by the complete automation of a business but rather by the redefinition of company tasks in holistic or process-oriented terms. Only companies with innovative staff, products, and services as well as short development cycles, will be able to retain the market or by hope to get a bigger slice of the pie. By maximizing individual and team creativity and emphasizing a process-oriented approach, BE enables a company to realize its goals. Examples of business processes With the current practice Accounting and Finance department was not able to tell what the items available in inventory were and when they were ordered without consulting the inventory department. All entry for invoices, credit notes, accounts receivable and checks had to be continually checked with each department before entering data. Human resource Payrolls had to send report for all payments. Transferred of information was done on paper and then each department made the necessary entry or adjustment. There was no control over data transmitted and on items ordered. The traditional system also affected employee productivity. Staff members struggled to use online resources to complete daily tasks. Sales teams had difficulty tracking customer history and face difficulty to extract data from the system. It was time consuming to use the traditional system resulting delay in work and customer dissatisfaction, as they could not get the information they requested on time. After reengineering process all departments will be interconnected. Transfer of information will occur more smoothly and on time. The process will be as follows: When a reservation officer enters a customer reservation, the data flows automatically to others in the company who need to see them. The ERP system stores the reservation information where customer service representatives can track progress and know how many seats are available. Updated sales data automatically flow to the Accounting and Finance department. The system transmits the information to calculate the companys balance sheets, accounts receivable and payable ledgers and available cash. Management can view up-to-date minute data on sales and inventory at every step of the process. With the present system Accounting and Finance department get all the information automatically for instance all checks are printed now instead manually prepared. For any information required each department just have to verify on the system and it is automatically processed whereas before for all information they have to consult respective departments. Now there will be better control and resource management. After reengineering, staff members can perform customer service-related and inventory-related tasks without having to open multiple programs. Role-based security features keep sensitive information from employees who are not authorized to view it. On the other hand, managers and employees can gain access without having to call IT support to the information that they need to perform their jobs well. Employees have access to company information from a centralised point-of-entry. Through powerful analytics-reporting tools, Velogic Airlines Limited decision makers have a way to better manage operational matters, such as reservation fulfillment and inventory levels and improved management with real-time data, such as accounts receivable. IT Requirements A commonly disregarded area is the issue of information technology change. Often, the IT infrastructure changes required to implement a new ERP Oracle are not given high priority, which these technology issues otherwise, deserve. Undoubtedly, business issues should drive implementing ERP Oracle, not technology that improves business processes. Ignoring the preparation and education new information technology requires is asking for trouble. Further, IT personnel often must make the technology transition quickly. If the technology and infrastructure transition are not done well, the project, at the very least, will be delayed. Oracle Technology Oracle Applications include the license usage for Oracle 9i RDBMS and Oracle 9iAS Enterprise Edition software  [4]  18. Oracle 9i Oracle Applications run on Oracle technology. Oracle RDBMS 9i is the market leader in reliable and scalable database technology that continuously upgrades its products upgrading to the latest version is made easy with subscription to the Oracle Technical Support Service. Oracle RDBMS is the market leader with a market share of 33.8% compare to IBM which maintained a steady 30% portion of total database sales. Microsofts SQL Server product cornered 13.9% of the market. Oracle is based on three-tier architecture. This is different from the traditional client server architecture in the way that the application instead of residing on the client now resides on the middle-tier i.e. the Application Server. This enables access of application from the client-end, which just needs to have a web browser. The three tiers of Oracles architecture are as follows: Presentation tier (or user interface) This tier interfaces with the user and consists of hardware such as a PC or workstation and a web browser. This may consist of any number of client machines. Functionality /Business Logic tier- This tier provides functionality to the end users and contains the business logic (application). It provides the bridge between the first and the third tiers. Data tier This tier includes the database that contains all the data of the organization and this is encapsulated from the end users. This three-tier architecture can work on the Intranet as well as over the Internet. A typical diagrammatic representation of the three-tier architecture of Oracle is as follows: Figure 4 Oracles 3-Tier Architecture The various software components at the three tiers are as follows: Client Tier Operating System (Windows XP/7) Java enabled web browser (Internet Explorer 8.0/higher or Mozilla Firefox 4.0 of higher) Middle Tier Platform Windows NT 4.0/Windows 2000/SUN Solaris Oracle IAS Developer 2000 Server 2.1 (Forms Reports Server required for ERP component) Database Tier Platform Windows NT 4.0/SUN Solaris Oracle 9i Workgroup server Technical Strengths Oracle product being based on three-tier architecture enables resource intensive components to run on Middle tier thereby moving bulk of the processing load away from the client. Oracle Application server has built-in components which deliver high degree of scalability and consist of balancing, logging, automatic failure recovery, security, directory, and transaction components. The ERP based on Oracle is highly scalable and robust to handle volumes of clients requests concurrently. The Java Servlet Engine runs in a multithreaded environment and can process numerous client requests at one go. Hardware Infrastructure Server Sun Fire x4540 The Sun Fire x4540 storage server delivers 2 to 3 times the storage density of traditional solutions the maximum data throughput at 3 GB/sec from disk to memory, and 30% to 50% power savings at almost half of the total cost  [5]  19. The specifications of Sun Fire x4540 620 Software Oracle database will be the relational database management system installed on the server. The actual Oracle 8i will be upgraded to Oracle 9i standard Edition. Operating System Solaris 9 Operating Systems The Solaris 9 Operating environment is intended to sustain Multiprocessing multithreading. SUN Microsystems servers are designed from the ground to have Symmetric Multiprocessing. From Entry level workstation to SUNFire 15k (106 processors), SUN Microsystems employs the same architecture (UltraSparc) and Solaris OS. Also, Solaris OS is less prone to Virus attacks unlike other Operating systems  [7]  21. The Solaris platform supports; One million simultaneous processes on a single system Up to 128 CPUs on a single system More than four billion network connections 32- and 64-bit applications Two-, four-, and eight-node clusters IPv4 and IPv6 network addresses Up to 512 CPUs in a clustered environment Client Hardware The client should be linked to the server through a local area network and have the following minimum configuration: 1 processor core 2 duo 3.00 GHz 1 GB RAM 320 GB HDD Software and Operating System The client PC should be loaded with Explorer 8.0/higher or Mozilla Firefox 4.0 and should have one of the following OS: Windows XP, or Windows 7. Communications Computers and communications equipment can be connected in networks for sharing voice, data, images, sound, or even video. It is to be noted that the number of user at the company will be 60 persons. In the existing environment 30 data points are being used and with speed up to 10 mbps (megabits per second), and the proposal is to move to 100 mbps, using 60 data points, assuming that their will be 60 users. The company will need cabling whose speed is up to 100 mbps at an affordable price. Secondly, there are routers device that forwards packets of data from one LAN to another. Local Area Network (LAN) are recommended for applications transmitting high volumes of data and other functions requiring high transmission speeds, including video transmissions and graphics. LANs often are used to connect PCs in an office to shared printers and other resources or to link computers and computer-controlled machines in factories  [8]  22. Application Software Oracle Financials for Accounting Software Oracle Integrated Payroll/HR System Application supporting BS7799 Information Security Standard Information is an asset that, like other business assets, has value to an organization and consequently needs to be suitably protected. Information Security protects information from a wide range of threats in order to ensure business continuity, minimize business damage and maximize return on investment and business opportunities. Information can exist in many forms. It can be printed or written on paper, stored electronically, transmitted by post or by using electronic means, shown on films and spoken in conversation. Whatever form the information takes, means by which it is shared or stored, it should always be appropriately protected. Information security is characterized as the preservation of: Confidentiality: ensuring that information is accessible only by those authorized to have access; Integrity: safeguarding the accuracy and completeness of information and processing methods; Availability: ensuring that authorized users have access to information and associated assets when required. Figure 5 Source: BS 7799-2/2002: ISMS Specifications with Guidance for Use Increasingly, organizations and their information systems and networks are faced with security threats from a wide range of sources, including computer-assisted fraud, espionage, sabotage, vandalism, fire or flood, sources of damage such as computer hacking and denial of service attacks have become more common, more ambitious and increasingly sophisticated. The following diagram suggests a structure for the ten domains of the standard. Each domain deals with a separate topic built around administrative, technical and physical measures and driven from the top down, in other words such that its impact is felt from the management level all the way to the operational level. The 10 main control points of BS 7799 are: 1. Security Policy To provide management direction and support for information security. 2. Organizational Security To manage information security within the company 3. Asset Classification and Control To maintain appropriate protection of corporate assets 4. Personnel Security To reduce risks of human error and ensure that users are aware of information security threats 5. Physical and Environmental Security To prevent unauthorized access to information 6. Computer Operations Management To ensure the correct and secure operation of information processing 7. System Access Control To control access to information 8. System Development and Maintenance to protect the confidentiality, authenticity and integrity of information. 9. Business Continuity Planning -To ensure business continue to operate from the effect of a disaster 10. Compliance To avoid breaches of any criminal or civil law Technical Design Requirements The current system runs as three distinct and separate databases (Human Resource Payroll system, Finance Accounts system, and Inventory Management system). Currently, Velogic Airlines Limited has separate, elements in all three systems; examples include the definition of departments and divisions, which is handled manually now. While they try to maintain consistency, the systems do not demand it, so they cannot easily pull department costs across the Human Resource Payroll, Finance Accounts, and Inventory databases. Departments should be defined only once and used by all data elements. Similarly, Human Resource data on employees should only be defined once on a master screen and all databases use this same information. The proposed modules for ERP are: Human Resource and Payroll System Finance and Accounting System Inventory Management System Systems Interconnection Diagram The figure below shows the interconnection of the three modules and gives a brief description of the systems that will support Velogic Airlines Limited main activities and their requirements. Payroll System Human Resource and Payroll System Human resource and payroll systems help business develop staffing requirements; identify potential new employees; maintain employee records; track employee training, skills, transportation (allowances), salary, overtime and job performance; and help managers develop appropriate plans for employee compensation and career development. ERP systems help the company coordinate their staffing levels with sales activities and financial resources. Employee Details Basic Information on: Surname, Name, Maiden Name, Marital Status, Gender, Date of Birth, Age, NID, Social Security Number, Telephone Number, Residential Address. Manage Recruitment process Leaves management Sick Leaves, Casual Leave, Computation of Annual Leaves, Refund for Contract Officers, Maternity Leave: Study Leave, Leave without Pay, Leave with Pay: Record and Listing, Miscellaneous Leaves: e.g. Injury / Special Leaves: Record and Listing Staff Development Plan Database of qualifications: Professional! Academic/Vocational possessed by Staff. Record of all training programmes provided to Velogic Airlines Limited staff. Performance Management Monitor employee competencies for career planning. Payroll Basic Salary + Gross Salary Allowances paid by Type, e.g. Acting / Responsibility, etc Overtime paid Record of all Staff having received Incremental Credits Record of all Staff eligible to Uniform Allowances Deductions made Car Loan entitlement: Staff entitled to Car Loan and Amount Other categories of staff eligible to Car Loan 2) Finance and Accounting System Finance and accounting systems help firms keep track of their assets and fund flows. ERP systems integrate financial information with productions and sales information so that the impact of transactions can be immediately reflected on the companys balance sheets, accounts receivable and payable ledgers, and reports of cash flows. ERP systems will help to obtain up-to-the-minute reports of the companys overall financial performance. The accounting system should be operated on an integrated standard accounting package incorporating the following modules/functions: [23] General Ledger Purchasing Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Fixed Assets Register A. General Ledger The system should also provide for: Unlimited number of sets of accounts for as many divisions as required. Balance forward facility creating new year open balances All journal entries should automatically balanced Cash movement report to show the net in flow/out flow of cash Financial statements and reports such as the Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet and Sources and Support for VAT Tax system. Rate of VAT must be more definable. The general ledger system should allow analysis of transactions by cost  ­centres at division as may be appropriate. B. Purchasing The purchase order processing system should integrate with the general ledger, purchase ledger and stock control systems. The system should provide for: identification of suppliers by name, product, order number, etc monitoring of purchase orders checking of purchase invoices against orders and deliveries for quantities and price report on outstanding orders, purchase and overdue deliveries link multiple purchase orders or Goods Received Notes to a supplier invoice C. Accounts Payable The purchase ledger should integrate with the general ledger and the purchase order processing systems. It should provide for: Unlimited number of suppliers accounts Recording and analysis of credit purchases returns and adjustments in accordance with user defined Analysis codes The recording of payment due date for each purchase invoice for settlement within credit period Printing of checks as per Velogic Airlines Limited format Support for VAT Tax system. Rate of VAT must be more definable. D. Accounts Receivable The Debtors Ledger system should integrate with general ledger system and provide for: Unlimited number of customers accounts The recording and analysis of credit sales in accordance with user-defined analysis codes Debtor classification by category Automatic generation of invoices Support for VAT Tax system. Rate of VAT must be more definable. E. Fixed Assets Register It is desirable that the Fixed Assets register be integrated with the general Ledger but, this is not an essential requirement. The system should provide for the following: User defined fixed assets codes as well as analysis codes for divisions, location, and types of assets, etc. Calculation of depreciation using either straight line or written down value methods Re-evaluation of assets Memorandum entries for each asset to keep track of the assets profile from acquisition to disposal in terms of maintenance, repairs, insurance, down-time replacement date, on loan 3). Inventory Management System Since the inventory system is a perpetual system, all transactions are posted at the time of entering, regardless of the transaction date. Therefore, if an inventory valuation is required for month-end, this report must be produced at the last working day after all current month transactions are posted and before any transactions f