Statistics project what factors affects the happiness of a country - 1

What factors affects the happiness of a country - Statistics Project Example influenced by the economic, social, political, psychological and geographical factors such as Life Expectancy, Well-being, Happy Life Years, Footprint, Happy Planet Index, Population, GDP and governance ranking (Michael 21) and (Neil 32). The aim and objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the factors listed and the level of happiness of a country (Helliwell et al, 54). It therefore applies the quantitative analysis methods to show how the different factors are related to the level of happiness of the counties (Joop & Hessel 28). This study applies three statistical methods in the analysis of the relationship between countries’ happiness and the factors that cause happiness. The two methods are linear correlation analysis, statistical descriptive summary and graphical comparison (James 43). The data used for this study was collected as secondary data from www.happyplanetindex.org/data/). The dataset already has data in quantifiable metrics such that they can be used for quantitative data analysis. The data analysis methods applied in this study will be quantitative and descriptive. All the independent variables are in numerical forms except the country and the regions (McMahon 54). The relationship between each country’s happiness and the rest of the variables is tested through the correlation analysis (Gregg 32). The correlation coefficients demonstrate the link between happiness ranking for all the countries and each of the individual independent variables. The result for the linear correlation analysis is shown in table 1 below The third measurement taken in the analysis is the weight of influence of each of the variables on the level of happiness foe all the countries. The countries were divided into two categories, high happiness and low happiness countries. The ratios are taken as the average values of each dependent variable for the high happiness countries divided by the average equivalent for the low happiness countries

Implications of Development in the Environment Essay Example for Free

Implications of Development in the Environment Essay This paper deals with the implications due to the development in Northern Canada. The effects of these developments in the environment and people are included in this paper. Also, the groups that are established to eliminate or rather reduce the pollutants emitted in the atmosphere due to these developments and their goals are stated in this paper. Northern Canada is the northernmost region of Canada which can also be called as far north that may refer to the Canadian Arctic’ the portion of Canada which is near to the north of Arctic circle. Canada is known as the largest supplier of crude oil and refined products to the United States. Different explorations are conducted to find oil wells and processed into useful products. Other industrial activities are done to add up into the economic development being raised in Northern Canada. These industrial activities are mineral extraction and processing, forest products and hydroelectric generation. Hence, these developments are the major factors that contribute in destructing the rich land of northern Canada. According to an article these industrial development continued to contaminate the soil in Canada. This contamination leads to denude the land and places that are ecologically significant in Canada’s flora and fauna. Moreover, different test methods are conducted to evaluate this contaminated soils thus, this test methods shows the toxicity of the land. Oil refineries play the foremost destruction of ecosystem. Refining oil leaves a bitumen deposit in soils. Bitumen deposits include extra heavy oils or tar sands and oil sands. Large amount of these sands are can be in Canada. These are dense and viscous form of petroleum which is naturally occurring mixtures of sand and clay. Most of these sands are can be seen in the arctic region of Canada. Accordingly, like all non-renewable resource developments projects, operations related to this mining event have a great impact in polluting the environment. The water used in the separation during the separation process is not dispose properly nor recycled by the processing plant. A large volume of water used in producing synthetic crude oil ends up in ponds. These ponds are connected to Athabasca River which is one of the largest rivers in Canada. Consequently, aside from water pollution, air is also abused in processing crude oil. Most of the petroleum is being burned this action emit carbon dioxide as well as other air pollutant. Of course the huge amount present in the air is carbon dioxide. Aside from this the other pollutants specified are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone, particulate matter and sulphur dioxide. These gases are highly toxic in humans it is a major treat in our health based on different studies as well as in our environment. These are the main cause of global warming that we are experiencing right now. Also, hydrogen sulfide and mercury are found to be present in burning fossil fuels and refining oil. Hydrogen sulfide is a gas that naturally occurs in crude petroleum and natural gas. As for mercury, it is associated in burning fuels. Furthermore, lands are also not safe in refining oil because oil sands are used to produce barrels of oil. This oil sands are mined which means that to be able to mine these sands clearing of trees is must be done. Removing of topsoil, sand, clay and gravel that is present in top of the oil must also be done. Climate change bound to be the major effect of these developments. As I have said earlier gases with high toxicity are emitted in land, water and air. These gases are named to be as green house gases which are huge in Canada, thus, making the environment clearly denuded. Effects of these developments vary from agricultural, forestry, infrastructure, industry, transportation, water resources, marine ecosystem and terrestrial ecosystem. Since soils are widely affected a lot of aspects with regards to soil greatly suffered. Soils and climate conditions in the North of Canada are now unfavorable to agricultural production. Somehow, hope has its chance for in some areas in Yukon have been seen that there is a moderate capability in terms of agriculture but this takes a long term of cultivation and longer growing seasons may increased the risk of greenhouse production. Moreover, this production is limited due to soil condition. Forestry is also greatly affected. This deals with the hunting and gathering of people. Although forestry is a small contributor in their economy, it plays an important role for them because there is an interest in the growth of this part. Due to extreme heat that we are all experiencing forest fires particularly in Yukon has been emerging in the past few years. This event is expected to continue if developments do not prioritize our environment also. Excessive heat also triggers the stability of transportation and infrastructures in Northern Canada. In some areas, permafrost melt increase the risk of landslides that can cause unwanted damages. It also threatens the water supply, foundation of old buildings and waste disposal infrastructure. Since it is in the Arctic region, it was quite icy there therefore permafrost melting may cause the buckling of pipes and storage tanks that are used in water and sewage. Roads also rely on the ground stability. Transportation in most areas in north relies in this stability. Warmer winters made transporting goods to the communities more difficult because ice roads are freezing later then suddenly melts earlier during spring. Accordingly, this problem will increase if the temperature continues to rise. Economic Impacts are also inter related in climate change, this phenomena has a deep impact in the commercial and industrial activity of Northern Canada. This unfavorable change in weather could require costly upgrades and redesigning of dams structures in mining industry. This can also hinder explorations of oil well which is somehow good and bad. Good, because it means that there will be a reduction in greenhouse gases emitted in the atmosphere. It is bad, because as I stated a while ago oil exploration and refineries is the major factor in economic abundance of Canada. In addition, water resources are also significant in North Canada. The hydrology of North Canada is at risk because an increase in temperature will also increased the possibility of melting of snow and ice. Peat lands may dry out because of increased evaporation and plant transpiration. This climate change may affect hydropower generation in the Yukon. Effect is uncertain; increasing amount of water runoff may boost the capacity of hydropower, while possible heavy storms may reduce its potential. Also, due to the problems arise together with the developments. Thickness of sea ice is also in line with the devastating threats that these developments brought up. Du to climate change extent and thickness of sea ice are expected to reduce in many areas of the arctic. The victims here are those animals that are dependent or those who are living in these areas. These animals include polar bears, walrus and seals. However it may be an advantage as it becomes open water. But it was very unfortunate to those animals. Thus, this is important to all that are included in marine ecosystem because their entire food chain relies on the abundance of plankton and other microorganisms. If the thickness and distribution of sea ice are affected this will be a vast tragedy in the whole marine food chain. Terrestrial ecosystems are also not safe in these changes. Species composition varies as the temperature continues to warm or suddenly change. Due to this extreme heat, parasites and other insect bone disease continue to promulgate in the land infecting the animals that leads to declination of animal population. In addition, since northern Canada is near arctic region warming the region is not a good sign for those animals that are herbivores. Most of the plants are suddenly dying due unwanted climate change, so an herbivore animal will look for their food in other place making them move in other places where they can get their food. As a result those carnivorous animals follow them because they are their prey. This is not a good sign for a country because they will not able to preserve their wildlife. For birds, it is somehow a good sign for them because they can decrease their chick mortality thus; this may decrease the foraging ability of migrating birds. I suppose these changes in marine ecosystem, terrestrial ecosystem, etc mostly affect the traditional lifestyle of Canadians especially those who are in north. It greatly affects their hunting and gathering practices and threatened their long existing traditions. Uneven increased of temperature makes the animals leave and find a more comfortable habitat. Numbers of these animals in particular fishes and plants species greatly affect those people that rely on these; the indigenous people. These probably leads to their traditional way of living such as hunting and harvesting moreover, those traditional foods they eat or sell might be lost now. These changes however are being taken care of different agencies of the government of Northern Canada and other civilian groups that are concern in preserving our environment. Based on an article, several test methods are used to monitor the toxicity of soil in North Canada. They examine the soils to assess or detect the toxic wastes present in that soil. And they identify them individually. These several tests are done for them to develop a better risk assessment plan to punish those polluters and to maintain the rich resources of Canada. Industry sectors are also mandated to provide effective remediation methods at contaminated areas and to monitor every progress that complies with environmental policies. Arctic Council Action Plan to Eliminate Pollution of the Arctic (ACAP) and Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) are two of the leading bodies that protect the environment. Their goal is to reduce emissions of pollutants present in the environment and they encourage Arctic governments to make preventive actions that relates in reducing pollutants that are released by processing plants. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna is also one the concern of the citizens of northern Canada. This deals with the conservation of Arctic ecosystems and habitats. Its goal is to maintain and enhanced the integrity of ecosystem in the Arctic and to avoid the degradation and fragmentation of habitats. The scope of their goal is not just only the flora and fauna of the Arctic thus, they include the physical environment and the socio economic environment of those people who live there. Another is the Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) Group. This group deals with as they were called, prevention, preparedness and response to environmental emergencies in the Arctic caused by human activities. And the last group would be Protection of Arctic Marine Environment (PAME). This group deals with the protection of Arctic marine environment. It is directed to respond to emerging knowledge of the Arctic marine environment, determine the adequacy of regional or international commitments and promote their implementation and facilitate program and cooperation and support communication, reporting and outreach both within and outside the Arctic Council. Somehow this leads to only one thing, government and industry sector are required to create a strong array in creating methods that appraise the risks that could lead to massive destruction of our environment. Reference Biological Methods Section and ST Liaison Protecting. Canadas Boreal Forests and Northern Ecosystems: Developing Biological Methods to Assess and Preserve Canadas Soil Environments of the North. Retrieved: July 5, 2010. From: http://www. ec. gc. ca/scitech/default. asp? lang=Enn=4B40916E- 1xsl=privateArticles2,viewfullpo=3AB28EB3

The Political Writings of Charles Brockden Brown Essay examples -- Cha

The Political Writings of Charles Brockden Brown Charles Brockden Brown, famous as the first professional American writer, was an inventive creator of novels, stories, pamphlets and journal articles. His life extended from 1771-1810, over some of the most significant periods of American history. He came from a Quaker community of Philadelphia, a very intellectually and politically active city. Not surprisingly, Brown was â€Å"swept up in a strong current of challenges to traditional authority† (Watts: 51). He was heavily influenced by the thought of his time, notably Godwin, Wollstonecraft, French Revolutionary thinkers and the American â€Å"disciples† of Locke (Clark:110). Much of his political writing addressed specific situations, though Brown also held very strong beliefs on government and power generally: â€Å"[Law] is the shortest and safest road to the possession of power, and power must be desirable by bad men for its own sake, and by good men for the sake of the beneficial employment of it† (Th e Rhapsodist: 108). Due to this focus on legislative power, Brown’s political writings are intensely critical of the Jefferson government and its actions. â€Å"He is a moralist, and extractor of lessons from specific incidents, not a pointer of people in action† (Warfel: X). Brown was generally concerned with the theory of government and its relation to happiness. Throughout the 1790s he developed many Utopian visions in an attempt to create the perfect political world (Watts : 65). He adamantly demanded â€Å"artistic, intellectual, commercial, and†¦ political independence from Europe† (Axelrod: 4): â€Å"In every work proceeding from my pen, my chief demand†¦ [is] the liberty of judging for myself† (The Rhapsodist: 22). Brown... ...nd the Cession of the Mississippi to France, drawn up by a Counsellor of State. Ed. David Lee Clark. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1952. pp. 261-268. ----. Monroe’s Embassy, of the Conduct of the Government in Relation to our Claims to the Navigation of the Mississippi. Ed. David Lee Clark. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1952. pp. 268-270. ---. The Rhapsodist. Ed. Harry R. Warfel. New York: Scholar’s Facsimiles and Reprints, 1977. Clark, David Lee. Charles Brockden Brown: Pioneer Voice of America. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1952. Warfel, Harry R. Introduction. The Rhapsodist. Ed. Harry R. Warfel. New York: Scholar’s Facsimiles and Reprints, 1977. pp. v-xii. Watts, Steven. â€Å"The Young Artist as Social Visionary† The Romance of Real Life. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. pp. 49-70.

Cosmopolitanism: Cultures Essay

The essay â€Å"Making Conversation† by Kwame Antony Appiah is a reflection on the term â€Å"cosmopolitanism† and the steps people in any nation have to take in order to achieve â€Å"cosmopolitanism† and â€Å"globalization†. He brings up the point of how all cultures have their similarities and differences and in most cases these differences are so different that it makes these cultures hard to connect with one another. He believes that conversation is the first and most important step to the understanding of others. Appiah explains how all cultures have standards that they believe to be the norm and how some cultures with also find these customs acceptable while others will find them repulsive. Due to the nature of all human beings, people tend to only think of themselves as having the correct views on the world and are less accepting of the beliefs of others. I wholeheartedly agree with Appiah as he says how small agreements essential to eventually having two cultures that work in harmony for long periods of time. Over time, this will eventually open up people’s minds to other cultures, customs and beliefs. Citizens of each culture will then learn to accept the beliefs of others and by â€Å"changing our minds† we will slowly move towards becoming more cosmopolitan and globalized. But only when all citizens of a nation become completely accepting of everyone’s beliefs without necessarily agreeing with them at all will the nation and culture fit the definition of cosmopolitan and become completely globalized. Only the nations that will strive to accept other cultures will become globalized. These countries will then become an asset to communications between all other countries on this Earth and become a successful and thriving nation.

Laboratory Management- General Functions of a Laboratory Manager

MEDICAL LABORATORY MANAGEMENT (MLB 2120) BTECH: BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 2: APPRAISE MANAGEMENT STYLES APPLICABLE TO THE LABORATORY DATE: 19 MARCH 2013 JJ. ROSSOUW S210034297 Contents:page Introduction3 What is expected from a manager? 3-4 What knowledge and skills do they need? 4 What training and qualifications do they need? 4 Five basic functions of a manager5 Roles performed by managers5-7 Skills required by a manager8 Conclusion 9 References10 Introduction In this assignment the general functions of a laboratory manager is being discussed.The laboratory(lab) manager is involved in organizing all aspects of the laboratory environment. They supervise general workflow; to ensure that the staff pertains to professional customer service. They do the maintenance of equipment such as the quality control, pricing, purchasing and the day-to-day functioning of the lab. The lab manager must have excellent customer service skills in order to liaise with photographers and designers. They must set up clear communication channels and develop systems and strategies to deal with fast-moving and sometimes unpredictable workload. Read this  Respiratory ActivityThey are also required to keep up with the latest development in technology and help improve productivity, profitability and client satisfaction (http://www. ceartiveskillset. org). What is expected from a Lab manager? * A lab manager must organize and manage the workflow in the laboratory. * They must co-ordinate activities throughout the laboratory. * It is expected that they delegate work amongst the various technicians and technologists. * They must monitor outputs and keep record of workflow and the usage of supplies. * They must supervise the ordering and delivery of new laboratory supplies. They must test and calibrate equipment to ensure optimum results, monitor chemistry in equipment. * A lab manager must perform quality tests and ensure the company meets its quality assurance standards. * They must oversee customer service to maximize sales. * They must promote the continuing professional development of staff and oversee the training of trai nees. * A lab manager must therefore make risk assessments for the laboratory and ensure that the company’s Health & Safety policy is observed. * The lab manager may also be involved in the development of new products and service to encourage the growth of the business. It is also required that a lab manager work long hours, however they are fairly well paid and enjoy the benefits of a regular salary, holidays and a company pension. What knowledge and skills do the need to have? The lab manager must possess excellent colour vision and have an excellent eye for colour, contrast, density and other graphic effects. They must also possess good analytical, problem solving and decision making skills. They must have a positive, pro-active attitude and pay close attention to detail. They need first class planning and time-management skills.They must also have the ability to motivate staff members. They should be a good listener and have the ability to communicate ideas and instructio ns clear and in a concise manner. They should be able to understand graphs and accounts, maintain accurate records, and put schedules and reports together. Lab managers need to have an excellent all round knowledge of all the equipment and processes used in the laboratory. They must have IT and Digital Imaging skills. They must always stay calm and level headed and be able to make racional decisions under stressful conditions. What training and qualifications do they need?Most laboratory managers first work as a technician or technologist before becoming a lab manager. Therefore it is required that they do some form of management training courses that may be useful. Employers usually place more value on applicants who have training and experience in the operation of most forms of processing, digital imaging and printing equipment. There are five basic functions of a Manager: 1. Planning- this step involves mapping out exactly how to achieve a particular goal. 2. Organizing- After th e plan is in place, a manager needs to organize the employees and assign work and granting authority. . Staffing- After a manager discerns their areas needs, they decide to beef up staffing by recruiting, selecting, training and developing employees. They often work with the Human resource department to approach this goal. 4. Leading- A manger must do more than just plan, organize to achieve their goals but they must also lead. Leading involves motivating, communicating, guiding and encouraging. It requires the manager to coach, assist, and solve problems with the employees. 5. Controlling- After the other elements are in place, a manager’s job is not finished.They need to continuously check results against goals and take any corrective actions necessary to make sure that their areas plans remain on track (http://m. cliffsnotes. com). Roles performed by managers: A manager wears many hats. Not only are they a teamleader but are also involved in planning, organizing coaching, problem-solving and decision-making. Manager’s schedules are usually jam-packed. Henry Mintzberg describes a set of ten roles that a manager fills. These roles fall into three categories: * Interpersonal: this role involves human interaction. * Informational: This role involves the sharing and analyzing of information. Decisional: This role involves decision making. Table 1 explains the category roles that a manager carries out. Table 1: Mintzberg’s set of Ten Roles Category | Role| Activity| Informational| Monitor| Seek and receive information; scan periodicals and reports; maintain personal contacts with clients. | | Disseminator| Forward information to nd phone calls. organization members via memos, reports | | Spokesperson| Transmit information to outsiders via reports, memos and speeches. | Interpersonal| Figurehead| Perform ceremonial and symbolic duties such as greeting visitors and signing legal documents. | Leader| Direct and motivate subordinates; counsel and communicate with subordinates. | | Liaison| Maintain information links both inside and outside the organization via mail, phone calls, and meetings. | Decisional| Entrepreneur| Initiate improvement projects; identify new ideas and delegate idea responsibility to others. | | Disturbance handler| Take corrective action during disputes or crises; resolve conflicts among subordinates; adapt to environment. | | Resource allocator| Decide who gets resources; prepare budgets; set schedules and determine priorities. | Negotiator| Represent department during negotiations of union contracts, sales, purchases, and budgets. | Skills required by a manager Not anyone can be a manager. Certain skills, or abilities to translate knowledge into action that results in desired performance, are requires helping other employees become more productive. These skills fall under the following categories: * Technical: This skill requires the ability to use a special proficiency or expertise to perform partic ular tasks. * Human: This skill demonstrates the ability to work well in cooperation with others.Human skills emerge in the workplace as a spirit of enthusiasm, and genuine involvement in interpersonal relationships. A manager with good human skills has a high degree of self awareness and a capacity to understand or empathize with the feelings of others. * Conceptual: This skill calls for the ability to think analytically. Analytical skills enable managers to break down problems into smaller parts to see the relations among the parts and to recognize the implications of any one problem for others. Although all three categories contain skills essential for managers, their relative mportance tends to vary by level of managerial responsibilities. Conclusion: A laboratory manager/general manager plays an important role in any organization or company. A manager has to have certain characteristics in order to be a successful leader. They are also required to possess certain leadership ski lls, in order to be a great leader. References: Lab manager (n. d). Skillset, viewed 19 February 2013, http://www. creativeskillset. org/uploads/pdf/asset_10118. pdf? 4. Functions of Managers. CliffsNotes. com, viewed from http://m. cliffsnotes. com/study_guide/Functions-of-Managers. topicArticleId-8944,articleId-8848. html.

fatboy slim bio essays

fatboy slim bio essays With Fatboy Slim albums, the clue is always in the title, and Norman Cook's third outing is no exception. Norman was staying at LA's Chateau Marmont hotel, when the title came to him. As the New Year dawned Norman ventured back into his home studio in Brighton, England to make the most emotional, innovative album of his career. Norman explains the progression by pointing out that "The Rockafeller Skank" was the first track he recorded for his last album, and "Right Here Right Now" was the last. The first UK single, 'Sunset (Bird Of Prey)' is adapted from an ambient track that Norman wrote several years ago. So Norman Cook's back, but he does not want to get any bigger, just better. Fatboy Slim is the newest alter ego of DJ Norman Cook. The Beats international album Let Them Eat Bingo (1990) was a dub filled sound-fest. Norman and others had succeeded in creating unique and original music almost completely out of the use of other records. Beats international recorded another album "Excursion on the Version" (1991), where Norman's musical songwriting talent shone through more than on the previous album. (The first three tracks on the album are damn fine tho). Beats international toured for a while, where Norman met multitalented brass player, vocalist and all round 'artistic entrepreneur' Ashley Slater (previously from cult UK funk group Microgroove). Ashley arranged and played brass for the second Beats International album, but Beats was disbanded in favour of a new group - Freakpower. In fact, Freakpower's first album Drive Thru Booty (1994) was mainly made up from material that Norman had written for a third Beats International Album. This dub material sounds similar to the "Praise You - Original Version" remix which is found on the Right Here Right Now Fatboy Slim single. The track became a summer anthem, Launching Freakpower ...

7 Ways to Improve your Creativity and Become a Better Writer by lauren Gartner

7 Ways to Improve your Creativity and Become a Better Writer 7 Ways to Improve your Creativity and Become a Better Writer If you are a writer, creativity is your lifeblood. It does not matter if you write fiction, advertising copy, news articles, technical and training materials, or text books. The writing process still requires you to think of new and different ways to communicate thoughts, information, and experiences to your readers. If you struggle with what to write next, or if you feel as if you are constantly writing the same thing over and over again, you probably need a creativity boost. When many writers are stuck in this sort of rut, they focus on methods of developing creativity that only focus on writing. Many of these are great (we’ll cover a few below), however, if you want to truly improve your creativity, you have to take a holistic approach. This means becoming a more creative person overall. Because getting started on this journey can be so difficult, here are 7 ways that you can boost your creativity. 1. Drop the Idea that Creativity must Result in a Product If you give up any creative suit the moment you realize that you will not end up with a tangible product, you will never improve your creativity. Developing and improving your creativity is a process. Improving your creativity requires immersing yourself in that process without being concerned about the final results. Try thinking of it like this; an experienced and gifted painter can effortlessly produce a beautiful painting and use little to no creativity while doing so. An inexperienced artist can spend an hour or more using lots of creative energy just conceptualizing a painting and doing some rough drawings. 2. Wake up Early and try Morning Pages The idea of  morning pages  is to wake up each morning and write three pages in longhand. The idea behind this is to simply write without self-editing or being concerned with the final product. Spelling, grammar, voice, and sequence should be the last thing on your mind while you do this. Whatever thoughts, ideas, words, fragments, sentences that come to you, go directly down on paper. Some people believe that it is the writing that builds creativity. Other people believe that this is essentially an information dump that gives room for new creative focus. 3. Indulge your Curiosity How many times in a day do you become curious about something, ‘I wonder how they do that?’, ‘where does this come from?’, ‘who designed that building I drive by every day?’, ‘what was the name of that book?’. How often do you allow yourself the time to pursue those questions? If you brush your own curiosity aside in order to deal with more practical matters, you are doing yourself a major disservice. Pursuing creativity, even if you feel that the subject is trivial opens your mind to new ideas and information. 4. Schedule time to be Creative How can you develop your creativity and become a better writer if you won’t even pencil in time for creativity into your weekly schedule? Give yourself time to work on creative projects each week. 5. Remember that Creativity is not a Talent Creativity is a  learned skill. Developing the creativity you need to become a better writer means that you have to you have to put in work. Natural creativity is a myth as is the idea that a person is simply not creative. 6. Attend Creative Events Visit art museums. Go to concerts. Go to conventions. Invite your friends and drink wine and sculpt or paint in a public art studio! Attend a poetry slam. 7. Try a Different kind of Writing Every once in a while, switch things up and do a bit of writing in a genre or category that isn’t in your wheel house. If you write non-fiction, try writing a poem. If your focus is short stories, try writing a review of the last restaurant you visited. You’ll use different vocabulary when you do this, and you’ll engage different parts of your mind.

How to become a medical receptionist

How to become a medical receptionist Careers in healthcare are booming right now. With significant advances in technology changing the game and an ever-larger population in need of healthcare services, it’s one of the biggest growth industries for the foreseeable future. But what if you’re not as interested in the hands-on medical end of things, or your skills are more administrative in nature? Becoming a medical receptionist could be the right path for you, with the best of both worlds. What does a medical receptionist do?Medical receptionists have many of the same duties as receptionists in other industries, but with a healthcare twist- managing patient records, taking initial medical information when a patient comes in, and managing day-to-day tasks for a medical office. A medical receptionist’s responsibilities may include the following:Answering phones and greeting patients in the officeTaking preliminary patient information, including medical and billing dataAnswering questions for patients an d visitorsCommunicating with patients and medical staffHelping to manage patient flow by communicating delays to patients, and announcing patient arrivals to the medical staffManaging patient details and records in accordance with patient confidentiality lawsMonitoring and stocking medical office suppliesMaintaining the waiting room or other public areasThe medical receptionist is often the first person people see when they enter a doctor’s office or other medical facility, so he or she is responsible for keeping a calm, welcoming environment for patients. This is typically a job with a standard 40-hour work week, although shifts may be necessary in medical offices that maintain weekend or overnight hours.What skills do medical receptionists have?Medical receptionists need to have solid people and administrative skills to keep things flowing efficiently in the doctor’s office.Organizational Skills:Â  Because the medical receptionist is usually the front-line person in a medical office, things need to be kept organized. We’ve all been in situations where the doctor’s office waiting room is chaotic with appointments delayed, and the medical receptionist can help manage this effectively by processing people quickly and efficiently, and making sure that all the necessary information is being communicated to the medical staff.Technical Skills:Â  The medical office may have recordkeeping software used to record patient information, so the job may require a degree of tech-savviness in addition to the usual Word and Excel skills. You should also be adept at using multi-line phone systems.Customer Service Skills:Â  Patients are customers, and the fact of being at a doctor’s office can add an extra level of stress. The medical receptionist should be friendly and good at handling people calmly, no matter what the situation may be.Time Management Skills:Â  Medical offices, especially busy ones, are based around appointment schedules. That means that as a medical receptionist, you may need to be multitasking (checking in multiple people, communicating information from the medical staff to waiting patients, processing paperwork) at any given time.What do you need to become a medical receptionist?There’s no specific degree necessary to become a medical receptionist, but you should have a high school diploma (or equivalent). Because of the administrative nature of the job, it’s typically not necessary to have specific medical knowledge. A background of basic medical knowledge and terminology can be helpful, however.How much does a medical receptionist make?The median annual salary for medical receptionists is $29,832, or $13.52 per hour, per PayScale.com. This can vary depending on whether the job is heavier on medical expertise or administrative focus.What is the outlook for medical receptionists?According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for these receptionists is expected to grow by more than 10% by 2022- faster than average for all jobs.This can be a best-of-both-worlds job if you’re looking for an entry point into the healthcare field- you won’t be working with the gritty ins and outs of medicine, but you’ll still be an essential part of the medical office. If this sounds like the path for you, good luck!

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Relations - Essay Example As much as the United States opted to become a member country of the United Nations and party to the ratification of internal laws and agreements, it was mandatory for it to obtain permission from the UN to invade Iraq in 2003. This is mainly due to the voluntary decision of US leaders to become a member of the UN and thus, subject to all agreements enacted at the UN level. It is mandatory for all member-countries to abide by the rules and regulations of the UN most especially when these were made with the consent of its members, and US is obviously one of them. There were several instances that the US have practiced their obligation before the members of the UN Security Council and one of these instances were when US Secretary Colin Powell presented the George Bush’s view on February 5 before the council [1]. This meant that the US respected their role and the role of the UN with regards to the international conflict. Powell argued that Resolution 1441 of the Security Council aimed at disarming Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. Powell insisted that Iraq was already found guilty of material breach whatever hat may mean. But it would soon be established but no sooner than in 2002 that the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) found no trace of evidence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq [2]. ... In addition, Article 51 arose from the need for imminent self-defense when Council deliberation can no longer be an applicable due to the urgency of an action. The US appeared exaggerating at that time to argue that Article 51 was applicable for Iraq to be invaded by force by the US. 2. What are the implications of the Iraq war for nation-state sovereignty? There are various negative implications [6] of the Iraq war for nation-state sovereignty but with contrasting meanings for nations depending on the level of military might. The Iraq war meant that the United States remain a superpower to reckon with. Its administration decides when, where, who, and why attack an individual, or a nation-state. This was a dangerous period of democracy and international relations as US through its president George Bush defied the mandate of the international body when it comes to actions beyond the US borders and territory. It flouted its force and might among the organization of nations, and togethe r with the United Kingdom which supported the US, they showed that their intents backed by might and a blinded military are above any kind of international law and understanding. It acted like the Nazi Germany for occupying other nations. The international laws that they tried to use as an excuse to invade Iraq were lame and a breach of UN membership. They have brazenly shown that for economic reasons that will benefit their oil magnates – British’ Shell and 14 other contractors [7]. For the part of Iraq and other nations that future US leaders will have their hot eyes on like Iran and North Korea, and the rest of other nation states in the world who cannot stand the force of a superpower, the implication

Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Discussion Questions - Essay Example (word count 105) Personality measurements can be used when an applicant is interested in employment. Tests have been developed that can determine certain factors of personality that are common for certain behaviors. As well, the ability to lead and make effective decisions can be made by the use of such tests. In the hiring practices in companies I have worked for these tests have been used. However, I have never seen an instance where the test actually excluded anyone from an interview or from being hired. It appears that these tests are given at the insistence of corporate, however there is no real substitute for human evaluation. (word count 104) Psychoanalytical theory uses the experiences of an individual to explain the development of abnormal behaviors. The way in which this has value is in understanding that not all behavior is derived from a physiological source, but can be developed from adverse experiences. When developing a clinical study about behavior, theories of origin can provide insight and dimension. However, psychoanalytical theory does not allow for the chemical imbalances that can influence psychological development. Using just this theory to analyze behavior is limiting and without the depth that influential physiological elements can provide within the context of developing a case study on an individual. (word count 102) Freud divided the personality into the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. The Id is the unconscious drive for basic needs in which pleasure is the driving motivation. The Ego is the conscious force that can temper the drives of the Id with reason and acknowledgement of consequences. The Superego creates a balance between the conscious and the unconscious, inhibiting drives that could be counterproductive. An understanding of this could allow for an employer to develop motivational strategies that

Ethics in Public sector - USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics in Public sector - USA - Essay Example Intergovernmental transfers are explicit transfers of funds from the state and Federal governments. The Federal government uses numerous different government programs to implement intergovernmental transfers. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Medicaid are just a few examples of the numerous Federal government programs which provide support for local government expenditure on financial assistance to low-income households and health care. Intergovernmental transfers have a positive effect on local residents and businesses because they enable the provision of essential services. Essential services improve the welfare of residents and provide local businesses with an accommodating environment for carrying out their activities. They include public safety, sanitation, education, environmental and natural resource management, transportation, public health, economic development, and capital expenditure on infrastructure. The amount of Intergovernmental transfers allocated to various local authorities varies considerably. It is not a reliable source of revenue for local governments, and the Federal government provides intergovernmental transfers based on need and merit among the jurisdictions of local governments, as well as the national economic circumstances. ... in terms of property tax. Property taxes account for the majority portion of tax revenue collected by local governments. It may be levied on personal property or real estate. These include buildings, land, and personal improvements. Local governments mainly use revenue from property tax to fund public schools, therefore, serving to facilitate the provision of quality education. They also use it to finance the provision of social services and amenities. Property taxes levied on businesses reduce their revenue and profits. Businesses do not benefit from them because their main use is funding of public schools at the expense of improving infrastructure. Property taxes are relatively reliable as a source of revenue for local governments because they do not fluctuate significantly in response to changing economic circumstances. Local governments usually calculate it as the property’s fair market value times a tax rate times an assessment ratio, and may adjust the tax rate to mainta in steady revenue even when economic circumstances are unfavorable. Sales and gross receipts tax are the third major sources of revenue for local governments in the U.S. Local governments impose sales tax on the consumers of products produced by various businesses, whereas they levy gross receipts tax on a company’s total gross revenue. Sales and gross receipts tax are unpopular among residents and businesses respectively. This is because sales tax makes goods more expensive for consumers and gross receipts taxes reduce the income and profits of businesses. Revenue from sales and gross receipts tax vary in accordance with economic circumstances. This is because the income of businesses and the ability of residents to spend on

Discuss the image of the post-war family in realtion to parethood, Essay

Discuss the image of the post-war family in realtion to parethood, suffering and Vergangenheitsbewaltigung in timm's Am Beispiel meines Bruders and Treichel's Der Verlorene - Essay Example The presentation of post-war society within the family domain in the two novels will be closely analysed in this essay, with regard to the family image, in order to ascertain what life was like and why family traits and painful emotions were present, as Weigel suggests above. Firstly, guilt and shame will be presented as a means of suffering within the family. Secondly, the effects of these emotions will provide a continuation into issues of parenthood and how ghosts from the past affect upbringing. Finally, Vergangenheitsbewà ¤ltigung will be examined in relation to language and generational gaps in order to determine how the past is dealt with in each novel in order to decipher how each author depicts the family image during this period and the traumatic effects this has had on offspring born after the war. Traumatic experience can be defined within the family setting through suffering. However, it is necessary to examine what it is to suffer and the consequences of it. This can be categorised by guilt, something that, according to Clarke, is â€Å"The feeling of having broken an internalised code of conduct or morality. To experience guilt is to feel pricked by conscience at this transgression, even if the individual is not called to accounts by others.†2 If suffering is symptomatic of guilt within the post-war image of the family, then let us now consider the meaning of shame. Undoubtedly, guilt is concerned with the inner-feelings of the individual while shame is how the individual believes himself to be considered by others. Lynd describes this notion as follows, This definition can be clarified further by alluding to Sartre, who points out that those who are guilty feel the force of a judgemental gaze by others, thus evoking emotions of shame with regard to their actions.4Therefore, the two emotions merge and emphasis is used accordingly, within the two novels, in order to nuance the

Strategic Analysis Report on a company Research Paper

Strategic Analysis Report on a company - Research Paper Example The criteria on which these initiatives are based can be differentiated under the influence of the internal and the external organizational environment. Current paper focuses on the strategic positioning and decisions of a specific company: Macquarie Group, a leading Australian bank. The firm has managed to keep its competitiveness despite the pressures of the global economic crisis. The examination of the firm’s environment but also of its strategies led to the conclusion that the company’s growth has been mainly based on the continuous update of its strategic decisions and the close monitoring of its strategies’ development. It is concluded that through the above strategies the firm has achieved the continuous increase of its competitiveness towards its rivals in the Australian and the international banking industry. 1. Introduction Banks have a key role in the development of Australian economy; in fact, in accordance with a report of the Australian Bankersâ₠¬â„¢ Association, in Australia banks are ‘the third largest contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product’ (Australian Bankers’ Association, 2011). It is for this reason, that in these institutions, ‘the staff enjoy excellent pay and flexible workplaces’ (Australian Bankers’ Association, 2011). ... has been kept high mostly because of the support offered by the country’s banking industry – the shares of which achieved a high increase (Banking Industry Today, 2011). In order to minimize the potential threats from the global crisis, the Australian government has announced in December its intentions to support the specific industry in case that such need emerges (Bloomberg, 2011). Moreover, in the report published in June 2010 by ‘Austrade’s Financial Services division’ (GovMonitor, 2010) it is noted that banking industry in Australia is facing a significant growth while ‘its collective financial wealth is predicted to surpass that of North America by 2013 and be worth US$13.5 trillion, accounting for 28 per cent of the world’s total’ (GovMonitor). 2. Macquarie Group - Overview Macquarie Group is one of the leading firms in the Australian banking industry; the firm was first established in 1970; currently, it operates in about 28 countries and the number of its employees has been estimated to ‘14,600 people’ (Careers, in the firm’s website, 2011). The alignment of the firm’s strategies with the business ethics and values is ensured and controlled through a detailed code of conduct; moreover, the monitoring of organization’s operations has been delegated to specific groups of persons, ensuring that all business practices follow the principles described in the firm’s corporate governance statement and its Goals and Values statement; the latter emphasizes on the promotion of six principles/ values through the organizational activities: ‘a) integrity, b) client commitment, c) strive for profitability, d) fulfillment for our people, e) teamwork and f) high standards’ (Goals and Values, in the firm’s website, 2011). The firm’s key

Discuss the image of the post-war family in realtion to parethood, Essay

Discuss the image of the post-war family in realtion to parethood, suffering and Vergangenheitsbewaltigung in timm's Am Beispiel meines Bruders and Treichel's Der Verlorene - Essay Example The presentation of post-war society within the family domain in the two novels will be closely analysed in this essay, with regard to the family image, in order to ascertain what life was like and why family traits and painful emotions were present, as Weigel suggests above. Firstly, guilt and shame will be presented as a means of suffering within the family. Secondly, the effects of these emotions will provide a continuation into issues of parenthood and how ghosts from the past affect upbringing. Finally, Vergangenheitsbewà ¤ltigung will be examined in relation to language and generational gaps in order to determine how the past is dealt with in each novel in order to decipher how each author depicts the family image during this period and the traumatic effects this has had on offspring born after the war. Traumatic experience can be defined within the family setting through suffering. However, it is necessary to examine what it is to suffer and the consequences of it. This can be categorised by guilt, something that, according to Clarke, is â€Å"The feeling of having broken an internalised code of conduct or morality. To experience guilt is to feel pricked by conscience at this transgression, even if the individual is not called to accounts by others.†2 If suffering is symptomatic of guilt within the post-war image of the family, then let us now consider the meaning of shame. Undoubtedly, guilt is concerned with the inner-feelings of the individual while shame is how the individual believes himself to be considered by others. Lynd describes this notion as follows, This definition can be clarified further by alluding to Sartre, who points out that those who are guilty feel the force of a judgemental gaze by others, thus evoking emotions of shame with regard to their actions.4Therefore, the two emotions merge and emphasis is used accordingly, within the two novels, in order to nuance the

Let the Beat Build by Nyle Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Let the Beat Build by Nyle - Article Example This paper helps to provide an insight regarding the band, the vocalists and instruments, as well as the thoughts and ideas behind this very music video. Most people that have viewed the video for this particular song have found it to be amazing as the video builds up beats as it progresses along, just as the title suggests. The technique used within the video is the play of instruments as Nyle moves on to build up the tempo and the musical beats and tells his story through various instruments like a banjo, piano and even the drums. The music gives a very indie – hip-hop feel and is like a visual mixed tape and is very impressively shot simultaneously with the audio in the background coming along at the same time. The various instruments add towards the final climax and complete the story that Nyle is trying to portray through the music; the video is more like a three act story. The video is quite random in nature as well as Nyle makes a reference to the DVD of Aladdin: Return of Jafar and also in the middle somewhere, stops the music, apologizes, and then starts again. The characters within the video all seem to be having serious fun as they go along with the music and help to tell the story through extremely precise photography. Nyle has tried to keep with the New York spirit and state of mind while telling the world the kind of life that every man goes through all in a day’s worth of hard work.

To My Best Friend Essay Example for Free

To My Best Friend Essay I just wanted to tell you that I am so glad that we became friends. I do have friends that I could tell anything and not be judged but you are different; you are an exception. You are my sister, maybe not by blood but definitely by destiny. You love me for me, and I love you for you, no bargaining or explanations needed. Thank you for always being close to me even when we are in separate schools and separate stages of life. I know we don’t have the same interests most of the time and maybe we don’t hang out as much anymore. You hang out with your friends I hang out with my friends but thank you for not letting us be awkward and distant by facts like distance or time or interest. Thank you for never giving up on our friendship, for never shrugging and being like â€Å"Things change, people change† and suddenly drifting away. We can go days, weeks, months, even a year without talking to each other are still able to be close. When we do finally see each other again, it’s as if we’ve just seen each other the day before. We all get distant to a certain degree when we make huge transitions but you didn’t let me get very far because you knew what was truly important. You never got mad when I didn’t contact you for weeks because I was too busy being someone’s girlfriend, but you were right there to pick up my heart-splinters when things probably shatter. Thank you for believing in me when I was too weak and exhausted to believe in myself. Thank you for not judging me when I did something really stupid, but also thanks for telling me I was an idiot and probably shouldn’t have done the stupid thing. Thank you for always being honest. Thank you for believing me when everyone was against me. I don’t have to state what that problem was I know you know. Thank you for judging me at first but also thanks for finally believing in me when things were clear. Thank you for not letting that incident shatter our friendship. Thank you for loving me even though most were not there for me. Let others say what they want to say. You can never please everybody; you just have to prove them wrong by being you. Let your revenge be your sweetest smile and don’t drop to their level to prove your worth. Just bear in mind that we, especially your mom and dad, will always accept you for who you are. You don’t have to put on a mask for us to appreciate you. We know you are special and how important you are. Always remember, I will always love you no matter what happens. Whatever your family background is, what your past love lives were, no matter who you are and what you become, I’ll always be your sister. I will never leave you, AV Barrios. Thanks for all the great memories, long talks, and laughs. Thanks for being there through my ups and downs. Thanks for being the best friend a girl could have. Thanks for being true, and thanks for being YOU. You are truly the best friend I have ever had.

Nostalgia In Cinema Paradiso Film Studies Essay

Nostalgia In Cinema Paradiso Film Studies Essay In Cinema Paradiso, Toto goes to watch a film with 50 lire his mother gives him to buy milk. He is not supposed to go to the cinema house and yet he cant  stay away from Cinema Paradiso. In this scene, we see Toto watching the film in awe along with others from the community. The theater is packed and alive. Gisueppe Tornatore, the director, pays great attention to detail-facial expressions, gestures and reactions of the crowd are well captured. The theater stall and balcony reflect the class divide. The kids take the front row, working class Italians fill the stall, the rich man, who spits sits in the balcony, and the projectionist, Alfredo is stuck in the dingy projection room. Like Toto, I watched films when I was in school. I bunked school and went with my friends to watch an Indian Bollywood film in Mumbai, India. We all chipped in our pocket money and went for the movies. Like Italian Cinema, Indian films were an occasion for families and communities to come together. This was before the multiplexes. The cinema house that I visited was small like Cinema Paradiso. It had one screen, stalls and balcony. People whistled during kissing scenes, some kids danced during a song-dance sequence and grown men sometimes cried during an emotional scene. In that scene in Cinema Paradiso, Toto is watching La terra Trema (The Earth Trembles) directed Luchino Visconti.  The audience reception of the film is lukewarm and most people dont get the language and context of this Neorealism film. But during the kissing scene which is edited out, we see the crowds engrossed, disappointed and then laughing at the strict censorship. Twenty years, and I havent seen a kiss, a man from the audience shouts. During the screening of the Chaplin film, we see the crowd engaged. Kids and adults, rich and poor, men and women laugh together. Cinema thus becomes a great equalizer. But more importantly, this embedded film within a film creates a sense of double nostalgia. The audience in the film is nostalgic as they consume the images in the theater, and we as an audience are nostalgic about our own experiences of watching films, etc like Toto. In Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, Jameson writes, Nostalgia films restructure the whole issue of pastiche and project it onto a collective and social level, where the desperate attempt to appropriate a missing past is now refracted through the iron law of fashion change and the emergent ideology of the generation. (19). In Cinema Paradiso, the screened films (Toto and others watch in the theater) create a pasticheHollywood classics, Italian and Art films, popular comedies and so on. However, Jameson explains that the postmodern nostalgia is never a matter of some old-fashioned representation of historical content, but instead approaches the past through stylistic connotation, conveying pastness by the glossy qualities of the image, and 1930s-ness or 1950s-ness by the attributes of fashion (19). Thus keeping Jamesons argument in mind, Cinema Paradiso doesnt represent the historical content by verisimilitude, but evokes the feeling of nostalgia by aesthetic a ppropriation. However, this seems to be a reductive approach to fully understand and appreciate the nuances and texture of Tornatoras film. Joy Marcus, on the other hand argues that in Cinema Paradiso, Tornatore defies the reductiveness of postmodern citation by embedding earlier film footage in his 1989 work so that waning of historicity or aesthetic colonization cannot take place. Every time Tornatora splices images of old movies into Cinema Paradisohe calls attention to what the film is not-that is, he announces the irreconcilable distance between the current work and its cinematic forebears (201). There is a disconnect or distance between the Cinema Paradisos audience watching the embedded film La terra Trema and a simultaneous feeling of connection. Likewise, we also feel a sense of nostalgia and disconnection watching Cinema Paradiso, and watching the audience watch a film. In my viewing of the film, I also noticed that Cinema Paradiso and this scene in particular created a sense of nostalgia for my community, culture and country. The connectedness that Toto and others feel in a small town going to a theater is also the connectedness we as viewers feel towards our past memories of childhood and community. My own experience of watching films in India then symbolizes a nostalgia for the lost homeland and sense of community I once belonged to. The cultural rootedness or lack of it, becomes a way in which the Cinema Paradiso evoked nostalgia for me-or as Jameson puts it eloquently, the film/scene/image consumption becomes a desperate attempt to appropriate a missing past.

Neil Young In Halifax :: Free Essay Writer

Neil Young in Halifax   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I was getting ready for school one morning when my father said that my cousin Jennifer was on the phone and she wanted to know if I wanted a ticket to the Neil Young concert coming up in Halifax. I said I did and I kind of forgot about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was Halloween night and I was listening to an old Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album when I looked at the release date when I realized that in a mere five days I was going to witness a legend in his finest form. Some say the Neil Young is playing the finest guitar of his life these days. Some people say that he's just an old man who can't sing, never could sing and should have retired a long time ago. I on the other hand see him differently. He is man who doesn't care about his appearance, doesn't care about what other people think about him. He is an entertainer. He is a healer. He is a Canadian. He is a man. When I picture myself at fifty I picture myself like him. We left for the concert on Tuesday morning and we arrived in the city at about noon. My uncle drove me and my cousin Edward up. We bummed around the city for a while and then we went to Jen's place where we were staying. There were a few other people from Inverness staying there as well. My uncle, Edward and I left for the concert at around quarter to seven. We kind of got lost. We got to the show at around seven thirty. While we were in line waiting to get in I could here the band that was performing. It was then that I realized what I was about to experience. I stumbled to my seat, half looking a my feet, half looking at the band on stage. I can't remember their name but they were good. As soon as we sat down the band ended their set and the lights came on. Then we just sat their for a while and I saw a lot of people that I knew from Mabou.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The lights went out and the place started to rumble with excitement. Moist came out on stage and started playing their set. When the band started to play Push I ran down to the front along with just about everyone else. But we were pushed back by the security. So we just sat in our seats for the rest of their set. The lights came back on and their were a bunch of guys on stage who were

Argumentive Essay Essay

I believe that a child should complete a parent’s life. On the other hand I don’t believe that it is biblically right for homosexual couples to be able to adopt a child and raise that child. In the bible God created man and woman for a purpose. This purpose was to be able to reproduce the population and for one man to be in love and with one woman. I do not believe that in a homosexuality house hold that a child would be raised properly and normally like most children are able to be raised. I feel putting children in that environment is suggesting that homosexuality is okay and it truly isn’t when in terms of the bible. This sin was so important to God that he directly approached the subject in the bible saying it is a sin and that a man should be with a woman and a woman should be with a man. Being a huge supporter of the Christian faith because I am apart of that faith, I believe that being a homosexual is dishonorable and truly upsets God. On the other hand I am aware that not every heterosexual home in the world is a stable and a suitable home to raise a child in. In many homes in this world there are children that are beaten, raped, hungry, and also very poorly supported. In those terms and in those cases I do believe that it may be acceptable for a child that are in those conditions to be placed in a home where they will be loved and supported and be loved. I do also agree that a homosexual couple is very capable of loving and providing and taking care of a child. If the child is being beaten and unloved and raped and other extreme conditions I would be supportive and feel that it was okay for a child to be adopted into a homosexual home. I also feel that it is hard for the children that are being adopted to be able to accept what is going on and being able to know what is natural and taboo. Same-sex couples raising children must stand ready to prove to the world they are a family, just one that happens to have two mothers or two fathers. For example I would like to share this one homosexual couple’s tory. This constant burden of proof is especially difficult for families like the Muzingos, who live in a state that doesn’t allow them to establish legal ties to each other. Michelle Muzingo was in the delivery room when her wife, Katrina, gave birth to each of their three children, who are now 7, 4 and 1. She cut their umbilical cords and was the first to hold the children, who call her â€Å"mommy. † Yet because they live in Ohio, a state that does not allow gay couples to adopt, she is unable to make that title official. We are always scanning the circle around us to see what we need to put in place to protect ourselves,† said Katrina, 37. A report released earlier this week illustrates just how vulnerable these couples and their children are, both legally and financially. After all, 30 states do not have laws that allow same-sex parents to either adopt, while six states restrict them or impose outright bans. Even families who live in states that recognize their relationships can run into trouble if they travel or move. And if something were to happen to a parent who was unable to adopt or otherwise establish legal ties, the child might be denied certain federal benefits something that children of most heterosexual parents receive automatically. When having a child normally, with one man getting one woman that is married pregnant, it can be an extremely rocky road. Also I believe that not every home is perfect and there are many problems within each family. But I just think that too many complications can come from homosexual couples adopting a child.

Toyota Production System and Kanban System

This article was downloaded by: [210. 212. 186. 193] On: 17 July 2012, At: 23:18 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK International Journal of Production Research Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www. tandfonline. com/loi/tprs20 Toyota production system and Kanban system Materialization of just-in-time and respect-for-human system Y.SUGIMORI , K. KUSUNOKI , F. CHO & S. UCHIKAWA a a a a a Production Control Department, Toyota Motor Co. , Ltd, 1 Toyota-cho, Toyota-shi, 471, Japan. Version of record first published: 28 Mar 2007 To cite this article: Y. SUGIMORI, K. KUSUNOKI, F. CHO & S. UCHIKAWA (1977): Toyota production system and Kanban system Materialization of just-in-time and respect-for-human system, International Journal of Production Research, 15:6, 553-564 To link to this article: h ttp://dx. doi. org/10. 1080/00207547708943149PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www. tandfonline. com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date.The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. INT. J. PROD. RES. , 1977, VOL. 15, No. 6, 553-564 Toyota production system and Kanban sy stem Materialization of just-in-time and respect-for-human system Y. SUGIMORIt, K. KUSUNOKIt, F.OHOt and 8. UOHIKAWAt The Toyota Production System and Kanban System introduced in this paper was developed by the Vice-President of Toyota Motor Company. Mr. Taiichi Ohno, and it was under his guidance that these unique production systems have become deeply rooted in Toyota Moter Company in the past 20 years. There are two major distinctive features in these systems. One of these is the' just-in-time production I, a specially important factor in an assembly industry such as automotive manufacturing. In. this type of production,

Description of my visit to cemetery

The cemetery visit causes eerie feelings of stillness and uneasiness. 1. It is very quiet, serene, peaceful and absolutely still, except for birds chirping all around me. 2. I made sure that I visited during the daylight hours when the sun was indeed shining brightly: displaying brilliant beauty and dispelling any shadows as I walked on tiptoes it seems. -I am very afraid to visit the gravesite after sunset hours. I do not like dark shadows or anything that is mysterious or makes me feel queasy and uneasy. -The gravesites all around are flat for the most part, with a few mounds of earth and head stones. -The entire place is not even called a cemetery or gravesite, but it is known as a memorial garden. It does seem far more pleasant to me to visit and explore a memorial garden instead of a cemetery. When I hear the word garden connected to anything I think of doing fun things, of flowers, the green blossoms and the springtime buds and joyful memories. I think of vegetables and fruits growing on a plot of ground. I think of well-manicured lawns carpeted by rich, healthy green grass. I think of produce I can harvest from the earth, wash off and eat right away. 4.  Ã‚   My cemetery visit is pleasant and exciting simply because of the weather and the environment I encounter at the site and it is daytime and the light everywhere is very bright. The grounds are also immaculate and blossoming. The whole of nature seems to be at peace everywhere. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most gravesites have names on them with very pretty collections of flowers and floral arrangements atop the ground. I cannot help but notice the green grass is flourishing well — healthy well-fed and quite inviting. A few other visitors stroll through the garden thoughtfully, mincing and watching their every step, apparently out of respect for the dead buried there. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I also notice a few crystal white gazebos scattered throughout the garden where visitors can sit in order to reflect and meditate. Indeed flowers and perennials surround their white lattice work of wood with intricate and striking designs. Everything seems to have been made to encourage reverence and awe. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though very beautiful and still and quiet, the gravesite environment causes me inevitably to think of my life, to think about death itself — what it is and why it is. I really wonder where all of those people went whose remains are buried beneath the cemetery dirt. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The entire scene also makes me think of my own mortality. How very fragile and transient human beings really are. â€Å"Here today and gone tomorrow† is a commonly spoken folk phrase that reminds me of how we must really take care of ourselves and live our lives as long and as rich as we can. The gravesite makes me think of the beauties of life that I possess now. Its joys and its many opportunities are incomparable. I certainly do not plan or wish to die now. I want to live as long as I can. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The cemetery visit also forces me to think of my own passage into the other realm, into oblivion. What shall it be like it? I really wonder and have wondered for some time, now. What is

Federal courts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Federal courts - Assignment Example Sole proprietorships in business have unlimited liability, which means that their owners are normally held responsible personally for the business’ obligations and debts (Dine & Koutsias, 2012). Thus, lenders may seize the personal assets of the owner in order to effect payment for the debts and obligations. The website and the advertisement resulted in an express warranty, indicating that all expenses would include a queen sized bed, three daily meals, and all expenses. The contract was entered into on the basis of mistaken material fact that the hotel was aware of being untrue. Finally, written disclaimers under the UCC require all disclaimers to be displayed conspicuously for them to be held as valid (Dine & Koutsias, 2012). The common law deals with employment contracts, intangible assets, insurance, service, and real estate. On the other hand, UCC deals with transactions involving the sale of goods, contracts, leases, and borrowing money. UCC mainly covers commercial tran sactions carried out between the states in the US and US territories. The court is most likely to apply UCC because offers made by companies cannot be revoked if in writing, especially when common law disallows option contract revocation (Dine & Koutsias, 2012). In addition, whereas contracts under UCC can be modified in the absence of any more consideration, under common law, contracts are only modified with additional consideration. Negligence refers to harm caused to other parties by failing to utilize reasonable care.

Tourism Industry in Arizona Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tourism Industry in Arizona - Essay Example But overall the tradition leisure and recreation tourism activities have remained core to the growth of the industry. Tourism has been one of the growing industries in Tucson, Arizona. It is one of the rapidly growing industries in the state having been ranked third in revenue. Tucson metropolitan attracts more that 3.5 million tourists every year which is one of the highest tourism numbers in the region. There are diversified tourism activities that attract tourism to Tucson from all parts of the world. The region has a good climate and the Sononarn Desert and the majestic mounts that ring the city continue to attract more and more tourist. This has contributed to the robustness of the industry. With an annual 300 days of sunny weather Condition and the natural ability to attract winter tourism from cold climates, Tucson makes one of the bets tourism destinations in Arizona. (Tucson, 2008a) Tourist attraction in Tucson include Saguaro National Park, Arizon-Sonoar Desert Mesuem, Reid Park Zoo, Pima County Fairgrounds, Kino Sport Complex, Old Tucson Studios, Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley, Arizona Historical Society, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Biosphere 2 Center, and others. There are other attraction sites in Tucson but these are the major leading attractions . Source: Tucson, (2008b). Tourism industry Data. Retrieved from http://www.visittucson.org/media/research/tourismdata/ on 23rd May 2008 Tourism companies operating in Tucson The growth of the industry in Tucson has corresponded with increased number of operation and hospitality companies. There are more that 289 local tourist companies in Tucson which absorbs a workforce of more that 44,200 employees. These companies have been contributing to more that $2 billion in revenue which has been a major boost for the economy of Tucson and the larger Arizona state. There are many companies which operate in Tucson offering tourism services. The major companies in the industry include Canyon Ranch Health Resort which employs 855 employees, Metro Restaurant Inc. with a workforce of more that 750, JW Marriot Starr Pass Resort & Spa employs about 696, Loew Ventana Canyon Resort which employs about 589 people, Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort employing 555 employees, and The Westin La Panaloma Resort & Spa with a workforce of more that 436 employee. These are the major operators in the industry. However there are other small operators providing the same services but the above are the major players who have been offering stiff competition to one another. Most of them have an international operation. These companies produce various tourism packages. Most of them offer travel services where they take their visitors from one tourism attraction to another. In this case they have the transport section which is concerned with arranging travel series from one area to another. They also offer accommodation services. This is one of the most important functions of the operators in the industry. They offer room accommodations and camp sites where accommodation is offered in cottages and tents. An accommodation service also comes with other in room services including meals, laundry services, and other. Although accommodation ser

Britvic plcs 2011 annual report,1)Critically evaluate the information Essay

Britvic plcs 2011 annual report,1)Critically evaluate the information contained in the Chairmans Statement - Essay Example According to his statement and the financial report, the company has made a record of both revenue and volume growth in 2011 in the international market (Gibson 201). This growth is evident in the French and an international territory which contributes to the company’s overall growth of about 4.3%. This growth brings the company to the current 138.1 million Euros. The statement indicates that there was a growth of revenue for Britvic in the year 2011 to 14.6%. That means that the current revenue position in the company according to its financial statement is 1.3 billion Euros. The chairman’s stamen indicates the underlying revenue excluding that of the French territory in the previous financial year. It was a notable achievement for the company given the situation of the cost of raw materials. Their cost was high in this particular year, but Britvic recorded high revenue. The chairman also congratulates the company on its progress quoting that there was a weaker consumer environment in comparison to the previous years. The GB revenue of the company in 201 was 2.7 %, which indicates a growth of 11.3 % from the previous two years. There is an association between growth and the strong carbonates performance of the company (Gibson 2010). The chairman’s report attributes the continued success of the company to its strategy of supply chains, distribution channels and innovation. His statement also indicates of the company’s strategy of business efficiency as being one of the contributors to its success. Britvic also operates in Ireland, though operations in this region have been difficult. In 2011, the company was able to launch new brands in the market like juicy drench and Mountain Dew. The two brands have been a success in the market because consumers are purchasing them. Difficult macro trading conditions in the market led to a decline in revenue by 9.6 % (Gibson, 2010). The chairman explains how the

Greeks and Extra Marital Sex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Greeks and Extra Marital Sex - Essay Example Many societies believe that sexual pleasures are only realized in a committed relationship, which is governed by love. In spite of customs, sexual characteristics, age and marital status, a devoted affiliation usually include a sexual devotion. Such commitments are necessary for preserving the promise of love. Hence, violation of the promise of love may lead to legal issues, and it is an unethical act. Thesis: Although, extramarital sex is regarded as morally and legally wrong; it is also discouraged in many societies because it contributes to diverse consequences such as divorce, punishment and even death. The moral question has been a significant issue since history and immorality have never been accepted in the society basing on legal and religious grounds; thus, the thesis is worth plausible. This is because people knew to differentiate right from wrong; thus, extramarital issues have never been accepted. The spirits and God authorized the proper way of action and penalty for goi ng against the law. In other words, morality and religious issues have been virtually identical, but atheistic moral issues appeared in the late age of civilization. Aesthetic dogmatic have always charged the moral actions of human being. However, sexual behaviors whether adultery, infidelity or other immoral acts have never been illegally nor morally accepted in the society. ... The issue of moral convictions dates back to the historical background especially the ancient time of Christianity and Judaism. The sexual morality has been influenced by varied religious convictions, and the influence was quite often indirect, restrained or concealed (Carmichael123). Therefore, it is significant to cast the cursory glance of some western religion and focus of the biblical teachings about humanity sexual behaviors and moral principles in the society. For instance, the early Greeks had affirmative stance towards sexuality, but this has profoundly changed due to western influences. They viewed sex as basic life vigor, and sexual urges were acknowledged as principally good. They also understood that all their gods virtually directed them to enthusiastic and diverse sex lives. The research carried out revealed that sexual conduct is a highly regulated activity, and it has emerged as a complex web of legal regulation of impressionistic (Chamallas 777). The sex decree func tions as a value, and it underlies the vision of proper sexual behaviors. The legal regulations concerning sex arise at different occasions, but in history, sex law was identified the concern of bold belief. The strict laws and discouragement of sex basing on strong moral foundations in the Greece society enabled the society to reduce incidences of STIs and other varied consequences. For instance, the empirical study carried out indicated that Greece continues to be the remaining nation among the European countries with the least rate of STIs such as Aids. This is because cases of immoral behaviors have been highly discouraged since history up to the present. The inherent philosophical considerations and the rationality are the issue of consideration in the extra-marital sex

Frank Capra, Meet John Doe Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Frank Capra, Meet John Doe - Movie Review Example Keeping in mind public reaction, power players got involved in realization of John Doe project, picking out a man ready to play the role for money and disappear at the right moment. However, the â€Å"actor† eventually realizes the scale of social manipulations and sets himself against his puppeteers. The movie vibrantly reflects the topic of social manipulation and power play, vesting it in the settings of contemporary New York and then the entire America. Here, I would like to mention Harry Cooper’s brilliant acting – to my thinking, Capra chose a perfect man to embody the image of John Doe, the symbol of protests against rotten social order. The topic that was most vividly illustrated in the Meet John Doe movie is definitely the role of mass media in public conscience and its ambiguous nature. No invention can be exclusively positive or negative by its nature – it only has potential. Mass media is an example of such invention depicted in the movie. On one hand, newspapers and radio plat and grow the idea in minds of thousands of people – good idea celebrating unity and mutual respect among â€Å"average† citizens. On the other hand, it is mass media that distort this idea, convert it to the use of political campaigns and make the adherents abandon John Doe’s ideas. Here, on the example of Ann Mitchel and others, a narrower topic of journalist ethics is raised. At the same time, the ideas professed by John Doe are rather close to biblical ones, reminding average people of general human morality – Mitchell encourages them via Willoughby’s voice on the radio to help and unite with their neighbors, implying that such average people are the nation, not the politicians. The movie is an absolute masterpiece despite the fact that it wasn’t fully appreciated after release in 1941. Classical work of the world’s cinema,

Infancy and Early Childhood Paper Essay Example for Free

Infancy and Early Childhood Paper Essay I believe Piagets theory of cognitive development best explains the cognitive development both in infancy and early childhood. His theory is explained by a theory of cognitive organization called schemes. Schemes are the actions or mental representations that organize knowledge (Santrock, 2008, p. 94). According to his theory, schemes change with age; in other words, they are action-based (motor patterns) at first and then gradually change to a mental (thinking) level. There are several key terms that explain Piagets process of developmental change; those include adaptation, assimilation, accommodation, organization, and equilibration. Sensorimotor stage is the first of the Piagets theory of cognitive development. It lasts from birth to the about 2 years of age, where awareness of the world is limited to what can be known through sensory awareness and motor acts. Furthermore, Piaget divided the sensorimotor stage into six sub-stages: 1) simple reflexes; (2) first habits and primary circular reactions; (3) secondary circular reactions; (4) coordination of secondary circular reactions; (5) tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity; and (6) internalization of schemes (Santrock, 2008, p. 96). †¢Reflexive Schemes: this is present in newborns. Initially, the infants actions are coordinated through reflexive behaviors, such as rooting and sucking. But gradually the infant produces behaviors that resemble reflexes in the absence of the usual stimulus for the reflex (Santrock, 2008). †¢Primary circular reactions: it develops between 1 and 4 months of age. In this stage, infants begin to adapt their reflexes to their environment; simple motor habits are centered around own body (Caulfield, 2001)†¢Secondary circular reactions: it develops between 4 and 8 months of age. The focus of infants exploration shits to external events. Infants develop awareness that objects continue to exist even when not in sight at about 8 months of age (Caulfield, 2001)†¢Coordination of secondary circular reactions: develops between 8 and 12 months of age. Infants begin to demonstrate intentional behavior and anticipate events; they coordinate separate actions to achieve desired goals (Caulfield, 2001). †¢Tertiary circular reactions: develops between 12 and 18 months of age. Infants reach an advanced level of proficiency; they begin to explore properties of objects through novel actions (Caulfield, 2001). †¢Internalization of schemes: develops between 18 and 24 months of age. Their ability to represent the external world internally begins to develop, also called as symbolic representation. Also, deferred imitation, the ability to retain and copy a representation of an observed behavior, begins to develop (Caulfield, 2001). I also believe Piagets theory best explains the cognitive development in early childhood as well. His Preoperational period, the second stage of Piagets theory of cognitive development lasts from approximately 2 to 7 years of age. In this age, children begin to represent the world with words, images, and drawings. Not only that, they begin to form stable concepts and embark on reasoning (Santrock, 2008, p. 145). Also, egocentricism (inability to distinguish between ones own perspective and someone elses perspective) and magical beliefs also begin to play a role in childs cognitive development. There are different sub-stages of the preoperational stage. Symbolic function sub-stage is the first sub-stage of the pre-operational thought. In this stage, the child has the capability to mentally represent an object that is not physically present. This stage occurs between the ages of 2 and 4 years of age. The Intuitive Thought Sub-stage, the second sub-stage of preoperational thought that generally occurs between 4 and 7 years of age. In this stage, children are tempted to ask many questions. In other words, one of the most prominent words for the children around this age is why. There are many similarities and differences between the Piagets theory of cognitive development that explains infancy and early childhood. Similarities †¢Both the selected theories that I believe best describes cognitive development in infancy and early childhood come from Piaget. †¢Both theories have stages (Sensorimotor and preoperational) and are further divided into sub-stages. †¢Both theories rely on the assumption that infants and children actively construct an understanding of the world. †¢Both theories give a time frame of when the stages and the sub- stages occur†¢Both theories have limitations. Differences †¢Sensorimotor stage deals with infants from birth to 2 years of age and Preoperational stage deals with early childhood that generally occurs between the ages of 2 and 7. †¢Sensorimotor is the stage one of the Piagets theory of cognitive development; whereas preoperational period is stage two of his theory. †¢The limitation of the sensorimotor stages rests on the accuracy of the timing of the events that Piaget mentioned; whereas the limitation of the Pre-operational thought rests on the concepts such as centration and conservation. Therefore, in this paper, I have considered Piagets theory to explain cognitive development in both infancy and early childhood. I have also considered the similarities and differences between the two theories. References Caulfield, R. A. (2001). Infants and toddlers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice HallSantrock, J. W. (2008). Essentials of life-span development. NY: McGraw-Hill.

Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework

Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter will begin with a presentation of the background of my research area. The presentation will thereafter be followed by a problem and Significance of the research that will result in the objective and research question of my study. Background Over the past years innovation has arguably become one of the most discussed and sought after organisation-capabilities. It is recognised as a major goal of economic activity and one of the most important instruments through which organisations can gain advantages over their competitors. In order to survive in highly competitive business environments, companies have to continuously change their business processes. New conditions in the marketplace have provided a special stimulus to modelling business processes: product expansion, competitive sales conditions, development of global distribution networks, better informed customers, and the orientation of businesses towards satisfying the individual needs of the customer. In the light of this, business process reengineering has often been employed, and information technology is a frequently utilised approach used to improve business processes. This study stressed the necessity for organisational restructuring in the context of global information connectivity. Business Process Reengineering is an organisational method demanding radical redesign of business processes in order to achieve greater efficiency, better quality and more competitive production (Hammer and Champy, 1993). It means analysing and altering the business processes of the organisation as a whole. A business process includes activities and tasks that cross functional and/or organisational boundaries. Information technology (IT) is the most important factor in enabling newly redesigned processes. Modern information technology is oriented towards business processes and communications between persons using these processes, and is therefore called process and information technology (Ould, 1995). In that way, Business Process Reengineering can be described as organisational process redesign, with the direct influence of IT. At the same time organisational expenditure on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has also grown significantly during the 1990s and beyond. ERP systems have been adopted by the majority of large private sector organisations and many public sector organisations in the UK, Europe and the industrialised world in general. We would not expect this growing trend to materialise unless significant advantages were to be expected from the introduction of ERP systems. It is because ERP systems have such a significant impact on the organisation, the working practices of individuals and on human interaction that we wish to explore their impact on innovation. Origin of the term ERP In the 1960s, no manufacturing company could afford to own a computer. Therefore, both manufacturing and inventories were handled on the basis that companies must hold enough stocks to satisfy customer demand, and that customers would order what they had ordered in the past, quantity and time wise. There after manufacturing management systems have evolved in stages over the past 30 years from a simple means of calculating materials requirements to the automation of an entire enterprise. In the 1970s and 1980s, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual readjustments in production, as well as inflexible fixed system parameters, led material requirement planning (MRP) and master production schedule (MPS) to evolve into a new concept called manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) in 1980 (Kakouris Polychronopoulos, 2005). Finally in the early 1990s the generic concept Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), incorporating all the MRPII functionality, in addition to Financ e, Supply Chain, Human Resources and Project Management functionality (Anderson, 1982; Wallace, 1986; Wilson et al., 1994). Figure1 illustrates the gradual evolution of the Enterprise Resource Planning with respect to time. Enterprise resource planning systems are commercial software packages that enable the integration of transaction-oriented data and business processes throughout an organisation (Markus and Tanis, 2000). The key elements of an Enterprise Resource Planning system according to Miller (2003) are: one large real-time database which reduces data redundancy and improves accuracy; integrated business process that cut across business functions such as supply chain management; and seamless transitions between business transactions. According to Newman (2003), Enterprise Resource Planning Systems are software modules for different business functions that are linked by a common database to produce an integrated enterprise-wide system. Enterprise Resource Planning packages, the enterprise system that makes company stick together, it is a nervous system of every corporation, large or small, when you check inside it tells whats going on, it helps you act as what nervous system do, how to react, to treat the information about competitors, about products, how do you get best out of it. It pays employees, makes billing, run accounts, interacts with customers, ships goods, basically it runs the process of any company and helps accelerate business innovation for your customers. They build process factories for enterprises, which are so flexible and configurable for the identical companies so that they can do different things with the same factories and Helping Companies Become Best-Run Businesses. ERP integrates key business and management functions and provides a view of the happenings in the company, in the areas of finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. (Davenport, 1998; James and Wolf, 2000). An ERP solution is valuable when it represents the characteristics demonstrated in Figure 2. Significance and objective of research In the 1990s, customers experienced more costly and complex ERP implementations then they expected (Eschinger et. al., 2003). One research group found that the average ERP implementation took 232 months, had a total cost of ownership of $15M, and rewarded the business with an average negative net present value of $1.5M (Wailgum, 2008). Because of their wide scope of application within a business, ERP software systems are typically complex and usually impose significant changes on staff work practices, Implementing ERP software system is typically not an in-house skill, so even smaller projects are more cost effective if specialist ERP implementation consultants are employed. The length of time to implement an ERP system depends on the size of the business, the scope of the change and willingness of the customer to take ownership for the project. A small project (e.g., a company of less than 100 staff) may be planned and delivered within 3-9 months; however, a large, multi-site or multi-country implementation may take years (for more details see table 1 and table 2). Although implementing an ERP system may be costly and time-consuming, its benefits are worthwhile. However, there are a number of examples where organisations have not been successful in reaping the potential benefits that motivated them to make large investments in ERP implementations (Davenport, 1998). The research is also predicting that ERP new license revenue will have fallen 24% in 2009, as companies severely rein back implementation and expansion projects. While the organisation expects ERP spending to rise slightly in 2010, vendors will be fighting hard for every available dollar, and that should translate into cost savings for customers (Kanaracus, 2010). Therefore year 2010 is predicted to be different and better in terms of ERP implementation. According to Langenwalter (2000), Enterprise Resource Planning implementation failure rate was from 40% to 60%, yet companies try to implement these systems because they are absolutely essential to responsive planning and communication (see Appendix 2 for ERP solution satisfaction). The competitive pressure unleashed by the process of globalisation is driving implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning projects in increasingly large numbers, so methodological framework for dealing with complex problem of evaluating Enterprise Resource Planning projects is required (Teltumbde, 2000). All ERP vendors came up with solution and build their implementation methodology which they recommend to all their clients to utilise the approach during their implementation and continuously looking for improvements in those methods. Therefore the Research in this subject will value the investment put in by the companies in these projects. The primary objective of this dissertation was to explore the application of ERP implementation methodology framework by different vendors when implementing ERP and to find commonalities or diversion in the ways of improvement by them. Therefore the key research questions that are the focus of this study are: To what extent different companies follow AcceleratedSAP as methodology when implementing SAP? Is different companies use different innovative ways to improve the process? Are there commonalities or diversion in this innovation? Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of this chapter is to present my theoretical framework. In this chapter first I will present different implementation framework models from some researchers and academician. Then select one model as my theoretical base. Information Systems Development Methodology Creation of an Information System is not a trivial matter, and must strive to fulfil four main goals; usefulness, usability, reliability and flexibility (Kruchten, 2000). To minimise risks of failure in any of these primary objectives there are a number of specialised development methodologies available, each with different strengths and weaknesses and suited to different project types: The Classic Model This model, often called the Waterfall model (figure 3), represents the traditional software lifecycle, and outlines an Information System project in clearly defined, partitioned phases that follow in sequential order (though the actual phases are not always the same) (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This approach has strengths when requirements are well known and unchanging, unfortunately problems with this approach are quickly identified. The main failings of this model stem from its linear nature, where each stage must be completed and the outputted deliverable passed to the next phase. This produces an inflexible model that is hard to step back to previous stages without changing everything (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). Due to this separated structure a gap of understanding can become present between users and developers, and as no deliverables are viewed until the end of the sequence unsatisfactory results can be delivered. It also typically suffers from long development times (wh ich are certainly not available in this project) and as such is not usually practised in the formal fashion (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This model alone is clearly unsuitable to the ERP implementation project as completion in a timely fashion is a key objective, and with this extra constraint risks will be extremely high. As such requirements capture/analysis will need to on-going throughout the entire process. With these points noted, a partially phased approach is attractive from a project management point of view, and an extensive initial requirements capture phase could greatly reduce project risks through understanding of the problem domain. Business Process Reengineering Implementing Methodologies One approach of information system development, which takes into account strategic aspects, is business process reengineering. It has presented organisation with the opportunity to rethink out dated procedures, rules, and assumptions underlying their business activities. This opportunity is usually enabled partly by the application of technology to outdated process (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). The initial research of the subject starts with Business Process Reengineering which is achieved by the adoption of ERP as it streamline the organisations processes by integrating the information flow into a single system. The term business process reengineering had its origin at MIT during 1984-1989 while MITs enumerating management techniques for the 1990s. Business process reengineering simply means transformation from function based to process based. The radical redesign of a process is easily achieved by involving information technology (IT) in business processes and hence the prominence of IT in business process reengineering. IT is accepted not only as just a business process reengineering enabler (Hammer and Champy, 1993) but also as an essential enabler of business process reengineering (Davenport and Short, 1998). There exists a recursive relationship between business process reengineering and IT which can be utilised for thorough process change. In the modern times and due to rapid proliferation of computers in the business arena, business process reengineering through IT is getting a big boost. Business process reengineering using IT emanated from gradual progression in the use of computers from routine clerical job processing to IT-based decision making. Many corporations reaped benefits by re-engineering their processes at various stages of IT development. At the same time, re-engineering cannot be planned and achieved in small cautious steps for any corporation (Hammer, 1990). Some of the commonly used IT tools for re-engineering are ERP systems. First we adopt the work of Kettinger al.s (1997) for a literature review on business process reengineering implementing methodologies also chosen by Pellerin and Hadaya (2008). This implementation methodology proposes a generic stage-activity framework for conducting business process reengineering projects, because The technology is derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting organisations and Unlike most business process reengineering studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation, Kettinger et al.s (1997) work is cantered on the business process reengineering project, which is more relevant to Information System professionals. Kettinger et al.s (1997) framework comprises six stages, each containing the following activities (See Figure 4). The first stage, envision (S1), typically involves the business process reengineering project champion engendering the support of the top management. A task force, including senior executives and individuals knowledgeable about an organisations processes, is authorised to target a business process for improvement based on a review of business strategy and IT opportunities in the hope of improving the organisations overall performance. The second stage, initiate (S2), encompasses the assignment of a reengineering project team, setting of the performance goals, project planning and shareholder/employee notification and buy-in. This is frequently achieved by developing a business case for reengineering via bench-marking, identifying external customer needs, and cost benefit analysis. The third stage, diagnose (S3), is classified as the documentation of the current process and sub processes in terms of process attributes such as activities, resources, communication, roles, IT, and cost. In identifying process requirements and assigning customers value, root causes for the problems are surfaced, and non-value-adding activities are identified. The fourth stage, redesign (S4), a new process design is developed. This is accomplished by devising process design alternatives through brainstorming and creativity techniques. The new design should meet strategic objective and fit with the human resource and IT architecture. Documentation and prototyping of the new process is typically conducted, and a design of new information system to support the new process is completed. The fifth stage, reconstruct (S5), heavily relies on change management techniques to ensure smooth migration to new process responsibilities and human resources roles. During this stage, the IT platform and systems are implemented, and the users go through the training and transition. The sixth and last stage, evaluate (S6), requires monitoring of the new process to determine if it met its goal and often involves linkage to an organisations total quality program. This methodology was empirically derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting firms which takes the management accounting perspective by attempting to reorganise business processes while using information as an enabler then it provides a set of tools and techniques to facilitate the reengineering effort and unlike most BPR studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation (Kettinger et al., 1997; Pellerin and Hadaya, 2008). This justifies the use of this methodology to build on the relation of further theories but just to compare and have further opinion let look at another business process reengineering implementation methodology. A seven-step methodology, as shown in Figure 5, that shows the various steps in IT driven business process reengineering implementation (Davenport and Short, 1998; Armistead and Rowland, 1996). These steps are prioritising processes based on the comparative importance of objectives, identifying the processes to be redesigned, understanding and measuring/benchmarking the existing processes, identifying the appropriate IT tool, designing/building a process prototype, testing the reengineered process, and implementing the changed process. The first step is to define the objectives of the process redesign which can be cost reduction, time reduction, improvement in output quality and/or improvement of quality of work life. Rarely, organisations become successful in meeting multiple objectives, concurrently. In the second step, selection of the processes to be redesigned is carried out. The two approaches, namely, exhaustive and high-impact approaches are available for the selection of the processes to be redesigned. Exhaustive approach ranks all processes to be redesigned based on the order of urgency prior to the identification of the process to be redesigned whereas the high-impact approach tries to identify only the most important processes which are in conflict with business vision and process objectives. The third step tries to measure the process before redesign in order to avoid repetition and to set a baseline for future improvements. In the fourth step, it is better to have a picture of all latest IT technologi es available for redesign prior to the redesign and freezing of the redesigned process under study. The fifth step can be easily dealt with by using IT as a design tool in creating a more generic design of the process under study in arriving at a suitable organisational prototype. After generating the redesigned process prototype, implement the same in one of the units of the organisation to study the actual benefits before launching it on an organisation wide basis and the same is done in the sixth step. If the pilot launch is found successful in meeting the process objectives, launch the redesigned process throughout the organisation which is the seventh and last step in IT-based implementation of the redesigned process. If both the implementation methodologies are compared there is not just the difference in number of steps between the two methodologies, there is also the difference in the approach in cut-overs where training of users are missing in second as well the pilots and rollouts are mentioned in the later methodology. This goes with Kettinger et als (1997) findings that, while business process reengineering implementing methodologies may vary based on philosophical differences, there is enough commonality among the practiced approaches to generally describe a prototypical business process reengineering efforts. Generic Enterprise Resource Planning Implementing Methodologies In the past, companies used to decide how they wanted to do business and then made a decision about a software package that best supported their business processes. This was changed with ERP systems that required the business processes to be modified to fit the system (Davenport, 1998). Business Process Reengineering implementation exists ranging from technology enabled re-engineering to clean slate re-engineering. If ERP system is chosen first, then the re-engineering is driven by the chosen ERP system or re-engineering is technology enabled. The reason why many companies chose to conduct ERP system development was to attempt to solve all their organisational problems without reengineering business processes first. Then the Costs involved with such re-engineering are very low as alteration done on the system is least or none. In clean slate re-engineering, design starts from scratch and ERP system software is highly customised to fit the processes of the enterprise in discussion. ERP implementation significantly impacts company culture, organisational structure, business processes, in addition to procedures and rules. Furthermore, ERP applications integrate many best business practices and much knowledge that could be worthwhile if included as a part of BPR projects. By taking the best practices inherent in ERP applications, companies can change their processes simultaneously with technological change. As a result, many companies changed their business processes to fit the ERP system requirements, and the possibilities of ERP systems have been used to underpin Business Process Reengineering (Kooch, 2001, Chenn, 2001). As ERP systems have traditionally taken too long to implement, a dynamic and incremental implementation of ERP components is recommended as opposed to massive reengineering. Also pointed by Ahmed (1999) the focus of ERP implementations has shifted from matching business processes with the ERP system to developing knowledge-workers that can quickly understand and work with redesigned processes and realise the ERP-enabled benefits. Boudreau and Robey (2005), suggest a vital importance to acceptance of ERP systems. They also note that if not successfully implemented, users may work around the system and otherwise doom the project to costly duplication of effort, or worse, system failure. A phased implementation approach is highlighted in Robey et al. (2002). It is important to have a structured approach, similar to systems development, for the implementation and maintenance of ERP systems. Systems development theory uses the concept of a lifecycle and stages in the lifecycle to indicate development of information systems. The waterfall model, incremental model, RAD (rapid application development) model and spiral model are some of the systems development methods prevalent in the literature. Newer approaches to systems development address component-based development using off-the-shelf packages, agile development and the unified process for object-oriented software development (Pressman, 2005). The newer approaches have fewer stages in the development of systems. For example, the unified process which draws upon the best practices of conventional software process models has inception, elaboration, construction and transition phases. A common aspect of all these models is that they focus little attention on implementation and the post implementation of the system. The literature review undertaken revealed a lack of research with regard to some critical factors of ERP implementation (eg client consultation, schedule and plans), and this could be due to the fact that these factors are related to any information system project, not particularly to ERP project implementation. However, and generally speaking, there has not yet been a common comprehensive or integrative approach to ERP implementation. Successful ERP project implementation is a complex and difficult task. Implementing an ERP system package causes vast change that needs to be managed carefully to get the full advantages (Bingi et al, 1999; Sor, 1999). More importantly, it has been stressed by many that it is really a mistake to view ERP project implementation as merely an IT project (Davenport, 2000; Milford Stewart, 2000; OLeary, 2000). A major difference between ERP systems and traditional information systems comes from the integrated nature of ERP applications. Implementing an ERP system causes dramatic changes that need to be carefully administrated to reap the advantages of an ERP solution. Holland and Light (1999) cite that the implementation of an ERP software package involves a mix of business process change and software configuration to align the software with the business processes. In that sense, it has become clear through the literature review, and studying the experiences of leading organisations, that the implementation of an ERP system is radically different from traditional systems development. In an ERP system implementation, the key focus has shifted from a heavy emphasis on technical analysis and programming towards business process design, business-focused software configuration (Kelly et al, 1999), and legacy data clean-up (Smethurst Kawalek, 1999). In essence, there are several critical and inter-related issues that must be carefully considered to ensure successful implementation of an ERP system project. The framework (Figure 6) presented in this report is the result a major research study undertaken to propose an integrative Critical Success Factors view of ERP. ERP system implementation has been subdivided into three levels: strategic, tactical, and operational. Each level contains a number of critical factors. These levels of implementation, however, are not independent of each other, and each level should be used to derive the next level. Moreover, each level requires differing inputs; for example, there is a direct relationship between the implementation level at which a decision is being taken and the characteristics of the information required supporting decision making (Bocij et al, 2008). Communication Communication is one of most challenging and difficult tasks in any ERP implementation project (Welti, 1999). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define communication as the provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to all key factors in the project implementation. Communication has to cover the scope, objectives, and tasks of an ERP implementation project (Sumner, 1999). Failure to establish and manage the communication process with stakeholders can lead to a lack of support from stakeholders, disapproval of the deliverables and dissatisfaction. ERP implementation levels Strategic level The decisions made at this level significantly change the manner in which business is being done (Bocij et al, 2008), and these decisions are the responsibility of top management (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Turban et al, 2000). This level can be considered as the process of establishing overall goals and of planning how to achieve those goals. Kelly et al (1999) suggested that the strategic level is the premeditated plan for transforming the organisation, enabling it to operate in the new style environment. Current legacy system evaluation: This includes the existing IT (hardware and software), business processes, organisation structure, and culture. Holland and Light (1999) argue that the nature and scale of problems that are likely to be encountered can be defined by evaluating the existing legacy system (by asking what the status of the enterprises legacy system is and how it will affect the transition to ERP and common business processes). It is clear that ERP implementation involves a complex transition from legacy information systems and business processes to an integrated IT infrastructure and common business process throughout the organisation (Gibson et al, 1999). Project vision and objective: It is very important that the organisation has a clear sense of whom and what it is before implementing an ERP project (Davenport, 2000). A global survey showed that an understanding of business objectives and clear vision are key success factors (Cooke Peterson, 1998). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define project vision as the initial clarity of goals and general direction. Welti (1999) advises on determining the project vision in the planning phase, particularly within the project scope, where the project scope includes the project definition, objectives, and strategy. He argues that all these components of the project scope are compulsory to create a clear project vision. At this stage in the ERP project, the vision should provide a direction and general objective, and no details are required. ERP implementation strategy: This will be reviewed in this level to determine the impact of ERP system implementation on the enterprise. Trepper (1999) argues that the organisations executive managers must understand how ERP system implementation will impact on the organisation to ensure a smooth transition. Holland and Light (1999) suggest that the propensity of an organisation for change should influence the choice of ERP implementation project strategy. There are two main technical options to implement an ERP system: modify the ERP system package to suit an organisations requirements or the implementation of a standard package with minimum deviation from the standard settings. Companies that do not select the second option are liable to face major difficulties (Bancroft et al, 1998; Martin, 1998; Gibson et al, 1999). Hiring consultants: Due to the complexities of implementing an ERP system, most companies choose to hire consultants to help them select, configure, and implement the system. Welti (1999) argues that the success of a project depends on the capabilities of the consultants, because they have in-depth knowledge of the software. Somers and Nelson (2001) point out those consultants may be involved in different stages of the ERP project implementation. There are hundreds of companies that provide such ERP services. Since it is a critical success factor, it has to be managed and monitored very carefully. Benchmarking: Al-Mashari and Zairi (2000) argue that benchmarking works essentially at capturing both external and internal best practices related to all aspects of ERP system implementation, and enabling the transfer of knowledge across all levels of project implementation. They argue that benchmarking can play a significant role in shaping the strategic direction to be taken for change introduction using an ERP package. Tactical level At the tactical level, also termed managerial level, the medium-term planning of ERP specific organisational issues is largely concerned, where decisions are made by middle managers (Turban et al, 2000). In order to make sure that the enterprise is meeting its targets, objectives of top management are accomplished, and it is not wasting its resources, the tactical level provides middle-level managers with the information they need to monitor the performance of the organisation, control operations, and allocate resources and set policies effectively (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Bocij et al, 2008). Client consultation: Slevin and Pinto (1987) define client consultation as the communication and consultation with, and active listening to all affected parties, mainly the client. It is essential for an organisation to keep its clients aware of its future project to avoid misconception. They also argued that the consultation with clients should occur early in the process; otherwise the chance of subsequent client acceptance will be lowered. In general, this factor has not been thoroughly discussed in the literature reviewed. Business process change (BPC): As mentioned before, there are two main options to implement ERP syst Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Application of ERP Implementation Methodology Framework Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter will begin with a presentation of the background of my research area. The presentation will thereafter be followed by a problem and Significance of the research that will result in the objective and research question of my study. Background Over the past years innovation has arguably become one of the most discussed and sought after organisation-capabilities. It is recognised as a major goal of economic activity and one of the most important instruments through which organisations can gain advantages over their competitors. In order to survive in highly competitive business environments, companies have to continuously change their business processes. New conditions in the marketplace have provided a special stimulus to modelling business processes: product expansion, competitive sales conditions, development of global distribution networks, better informed customers, and the orientation of businesses towards satisfying the individual needs of the customer. In the light of this, business process reengineering has often been employed, and information technology is a frequently utilised approach used to improve business processes. This study stressed the necessity for organisational restructuring in the context of global information connectivity. Business Process Reengineering is an organisational method demanding radical redesign of business processes in order to achieve greater efficiency, better quality and more competitive production (Hammer and Champy, 1993). It means analysing and altering the business processes of the organisation as a whole. A business process includes activities and tasks that cross functional and/or organisational boundaries. Information technology (IT) is the most important factor in enabling newly redesigned processes. Modern information technology is oriented towards business processes and communications between persons using these processes, and is therefore called process and information technology (Ould, 1995). In that way, Business Process Reengineering can be described as organisational process redesign, with the direct influence of IT. At the same time organisational expenditure on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has also grown significantly during the 1990s and beyond. ERP systems have been adopted by the majority of large private sector organisations and many public sector organisations in the UK, Europe and the industrialised world in general. We would not expect this growing trend to materialise unless significant advantages were to be expected from the introduction of ERP systems. It is because ERP systems have such a significant impact on the organisation, the working practices of individuals and on human interaction that we wish to explore their impact on innovation. Origin of the term ERP In the 1960s, no manufacturing company could afford to own a computer. Therefore, both manufacturing and inventories were handled on the basis that companies must hold enough stocks to satisfy customer demand, and that customers would order what they had ordered in the past, quantity and time wise. There after manufacturing management systems have evolved in stages over the past 30 years from a simple means of calculating materials requirements to the automation of an entire enterprise. In the 1970s and 1980s, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual readjustments in production, as well as inflexible fixed system parameters, led material requirement planning (MRP) and master production schedule (MPS) to evolve into a new concept called manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) in 1980 (Kakouris Polychronopoulos, 2005). Finally in the early 1990s the generic concept Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), incorporating all the MRPII functionality, in addition to Financ e, Supply Chain, Human Resources and Project Management functionality (Anderson, 1982; Wallace, 1986; Wilson et al., 1994). Figure1 illustrates the gradual evolution of the Enterprise Resource Planning with respect to time. Enterprise resource planning systems are commercial software packages that enable the integration of transaction-oriented data and business processes throughout an organisation (Markus and Tanis, 2000). The key elements of an Enterprise Resource Planning system according to Miller (2003) are: one large real-time database which reduces data redundancy and improves accuracy; integrated business process that cut across business functions such as supply chain management; and seamless transitions between business transactions. According to Newman (2003), Enterprise Resource Planning Systems are software modules for different business functions that are linked by a common database to produce an integrated enterprise-wide system. Enterprise Resource Planning packages, the enterprise system that makes company stick together, it is a nervous system of every corporation, large or small, when you check inside it tells whats going on, it helps you act as what nervous system do, how to react, to treat the information about competitors, about products, how do you get best out of it. It pays employees, makes billing, run accounts, interacts with customers, ships goods, basically it runs the process of any company and helps accelerate business innovation for your customers. They build process factories for enterprises, which are so flexible and configurable for the identical companies so that they can do different things with the same factories and Helping Companies Become Best-Run Businesses. ERP integrates key business and management functions and provides a view of the happenings in the company, in the areas of finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. (Davenport, 1998; James and Wolf, 2000). An ERP solution is valuable when it represents the characteristics demonstrated in Figure 2. Significance and objective of research In the 1990s, customers experienced more costly and complex ERP implementations then they expected (Eschinger et. al., 2003). One research group found that the average ERP implementation took 232 months, had a total cost of ownership of $15M, and rewarded the business with an average negative net present value of $1.5M (Wailgum, 2008). Because of their wide scope of application within a business, ERP software systems are typically complex and usually impose significant changes on staff work practices, Implementing ERP software system is typically not an in-house skill, so even smaller projects are more cost effective if specialist ERP implementation consultants are employed. The length of time to implement an ERP system depends on the size of the business, the scope of the change and willingness of the customer to take ownership for the project. A small project (e.g., a company of less than 100 staff) may be planned and delivered within 3-9 months; however, a large, multi-site or multi-country implementation may take years (for more details see table 1 and table 2). Although implementing an ERP system may be costly and time-consuming, its benefits are worthwhile. However, there are a number of examples where organisations have not been successful in reaping the potential benefits that motivated them to make large investments in ERP implementations (Davenport, 1998). The research is also predicting that ERP new license revenue will have fallen 24% in 2009, as companies severely rein back implementation and expansion projects. While the organisation expects ERP spending to rise slightly in 2010, vendors will be fighting hard for every available dollar, and that should translate into cost savings for customers (Kanaracus, 2010). Therefore year 2010 is predicted to be different and better in terms of ERP implementation. According to Langenwalter (2000), Enterprise Resource Planning implementation failure rate was from 40% to 60%, yet companies try to implement these systems because they are absolutely essential to responsive planning and communication (see Appendix 2 for ERP solution satisfaction). The competitive pressure unleashed by the process of globalisation is driving implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning projects in increasingly large numbers, so methodological framework for dealing with complex problem of evaluating Enterprise Resource Planning projects is required (Teltumbde, 2000). All ERP vendors came up with solution and build their implementation methodology which they recommend to all their clients to utilise the approach during their implementation and continuously looking for improvements in those methods. Therefore the Research in this subject will value the investment put in by the companies in these projects. The primary objective of this dissertation was to explore the application of ERP implementation methodology framework by different vendors when implementing ERP and to find commonalities or diversion in the ways of improvement by them. Therefore the key research questions that are the focus of this study are: To what extent different companies follow AcceleratedSAP as methodology when implementing SAP? Is different companies use different innovative ways to improve the process? Are there commonalities or diversion in this innovation? Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of this chapter is to present my theoretical framework. In this chapter first I will present different implementation framework models from some researchers and academician. Then select one model as my theoretical base. Information Systems Development Methodology Creation of an Information System is not a trivial matter, and must strive to fulfil four main goals; usefulness, usability, reliability and flexibility (Kruchten, 2000). To minimise risks of failure in any of these primary objectives there are a number of specialised development methodologies available, each with different strengths and weaknesses and suited to different project types: The Classic Model This model, often called the Waterfall model (figure 3), represents the traditional software lifecycle, and outlines an Information System project in clearly defined, partitioned phases that follow in sequential order (though the actual phases are not always the same) (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This approach has strengths when requirements are well known and unchanging, unfortunately problems with this approach are quickly identified. The main failings of this model stem from its linear nature, where each stage must be completed and the outputted deliverable passed to the next phase. This produces an inflexible model that is hard to step back to previous stages without changing everything (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). Due to this separated structure a gap of understanding can become present between users and developers, and as no deliverables are viewed until the end of the sequence unsatisfactory results can be delivered. It also typically suffers from long development times (wh ich are certainly not available in this project) and as such is not usually practised in the formal fashion (Avgerou and Cornford, 1998). This model alone is clearly unsuitable to the ERP implementation project as completion in a timely fashion is a key objective, and with this extra constraint risks will be extremely high. As such requirements capture/analysis will need to on-going throughout the entire process. With these points noted, a partially phased approach is attractive from a project management point of view, and an extensive initial requirements capture phase could greatly reduce project risks through understanding of the problem domain. Business Process Reengineering Implementing Methodologies One approach of information system development, which takes into account strategic aspects, is business process reengineering. It has presented organisation with the opportunity to rethink out dated procedures, rules, and assumptions underlying their business activities. This opportunity is usually enabled partly by the application of technology to outdated process (Avison and Fitzgerald, 2006). The initial research of the subject starts with Business Process Reengineering which is achieved by the adoption of ERP as it streamline the organisations processes by integrating the information flow into a single system. The term business process reengineering had its origin at MIT during 1984-1989 while MITs enumerating management techniques for the 1990s. Business process reengineering simply means transformation from function based to process based. The radical redesign of a process is easily achieved by involving information technology (IT) in business processes and hence the prominence of IT in business process reengineering. IT is accepted not only as just a business process reengineering enabler (Hammer and Champy, 1993) but also as an essential enabler of business process reengineering (Davenport and Short, 1998). There exists a recursive relationship between business process reengineering and IT which can be utilised for thorough process change. In the modern times and due to rapid proliferation of computers in the business arena, business process reengineering through IT is getting a big boost. Business process reengineering using IT emanated from gradual progression in the use of computers from routine clerical job processing to IT-based decision making. Many corporations reaped benefits by re-engineering their processes at various stages of IT development. At the same time, re-engineering cannot be planned and achieved in small cautious steps for any corporation (Hammer, 1990). Some of the commonly used IT tools for re-engineering are ERP systems. First we adopt the work of Kettinger al.s (1997) for a literature review on business process reengineering implementing methodologies also chosen by Pellerin and Hadaya (2008). This implementation methodology proposes a generic stage-activity framework for conducting business process reengineering projects, because The technology is derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting organisations and Unlike most business process reengineering studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation, Kettinger et al.s (1997) work is cantered on the business process reengineering project, which is more relevant to Information System professionals. Kettinger et al.s (1997) framework comprises six stages, each containing the following activities (See Figure 4). The first stage, envision (S1), typically involves the business process reengineering project champion engendering the support of the top management. A task force, including senior executives and individuals knowledgeable about an organisations processes, is authorised to target a business process for improvement based on a review of business strategy and IT opportunities in the hope of improving the organisations overall performance. The second stage, initiate (S2), encompasses the assignment of a reengineering project team, setting of the performance goals, project planning and shareholder/employee notification and buy-in. This is frequently achieved by developing a business case for reengineering via bench-marking, identifying external customer needs, and cost benefit analysis. The third stage, diagnose (S3), is classified as the documentation of the current process and sub processes in terms of process attributes such as activities, resources, communication, roles, IT, and cost. In identifying process requirements and assigning customers value, root causes for the problems are surfaced, and non-value-adding activities are identified. The fourth stage, redesign (S4), a new process design is developed. This is accomplished by devising process design alternatives through brainstorming and creativity techniques. The new design should meet strategic objective and fit with the human resource and IT architecture. Documentation and prototyping of the new process is typically conducted, and a design of new information system to support the new process is completed. The fifth stage, reconstruct (S5), heavily relies on change management techniques to ensure smooth migration to new process responsibilities and human resources roles. During this stage, the IT platform and systems are implemented, and the users go through the training and transition. The sixth and last stage, evaluate (S6), requires monitoring of the new process to determine if it met its goal and often involves linkage to an organisations total quality program. This methodology was empirically derived from the methodologies practiced by 25 leading reengineering consulting firms which takes the management accounting perspective by attempting to reorganise business processes while using information as an enabler then it provides a set of tools and techniques to facilitate the reengineering effort and unlike most BPR studies, in which the unit of analysis is the organisation (Kettinger et al., 1997; Pellerin and Hadaya, 2008). This justifies the use of this methodology to build on the relation of further theories but just to compare and have further opinion let look at another business process reengineering implementation methodology. A seven-step methodology, as shown in Figure 5, that shows the various steps in IT driven business process reengineering implementation (Davenport and Short, 1998; Armistead and Rowland, 1996). These steps are prioritising processes based on the comparative importance of objectives, identifying the processes to be redesigned, understanding and measuring/benchmarking the existing processes, identifying the appropriate IT tool, designing/building a process prototype, testing the reengineered process, and implementing the changed process. The first step is to define the objectives of the process redesign which can be cost reduction, time reduction, improvement in output quality and/or improvement of quality of work life. Rarely, organisations become successful in meeting multiple objectives, concurrently. In the second step, selection of the processes to be redesigned is carried out. The two approaches, namely, exhaustive and high-impact approaches are available for the selection of the processes to be redesigned. Exhaustive approach ranks all processes to be redesigned based on the order of urgency prior to the identification of the process to be redesigned whereas the high-impact approach tries to identify only the most important processes which are in conflict with business vision and process objectives. The third step tries to measure the process before redesign in order to avoid repetition and to set a baseline for future improvements. In the fourth step, it is better to have a picture of all latest IT technologi es available for redesign prior to the redesign and freezing of the redesigned process under study. The fifth step can be easily dealt with by using IT as a design tool in creating a more generic design of the process under study in arriving at a suitable organisational prototype. After generating the redesigned process prototype, implement the same in one of the units of the organisation to study the actual benefits before launching it on an organisation wide basis and the same is done in the sixth step. If the pilot launch is found successful in meeting the process objectives, launch the redesigned process throughout the organisation which is the seventh and last step in IT-based implementation of the redesigned process. If both the implementation methodologies are compared there is not just the difference in number of steps between the two methodologies, there is also the difference in the approach in cut-overs where training of users are missing in second as well the pilots and rollouts are mentioned in the later methodology. This goes with Kettinger et als (1997) findings that, while business process reengineering implementing methodologies may vary based on philosophical differences, there is enough commonality among the practiced approaches to generally describe a prototypical business process reengineering efforts. Generic Enterprise Resource Planning Implementing Methodologies In the past, companies used to decide how they wanted to do business and then made a decision about a software package that best supported their business processes. This was changed with ERP systems that required the business processes to be modified to fit the system (Davenport, 1998). Business Process Reengineering implementation exists ranging from technology enabled re-engineering to clean slate re-engineering. If ERP system is chosen first, then the re-engineering is driven by the chosen ERP system or re-engineering is technology enabled. The reason why many companies chose to conduct ERP system development was to attempt to solve all their organisational problems without reengineering business processes first. Then the Costs involved with such re-engineering are very low as alteration done on the system is least or none. In clean slate re-engineering, design starts from scratch and ERP system software is highly customised to fit the processes of the enterprise in discussion. ERP implementation significantly impacts company culture, organisational structure, business processes, in addition to procedures and rules. Furthermore, ERP applications integrate many best business practices and much knowledge that could be worthwhile if included as a part of BPR projects. By taking the best practices inherent in ERP applications, companies can change their processes simultaneously with technological change. As a result, many companies changed their business processes to fit the ERP system requirements, and the possibilities of ERP systems have been used to underpin Business Process Reengineering (Kooch, 2001, Chenn, 2001). As ERP systems have traditionally taken too long to implement, a dynamic and incremental implementation of ERP components is recommended as opposed to massive reengineering. Also pointed by Ahmed (1999) the focus of ERP implementations has shifted from matching business processes with the ERP system to developing knowledge-workers that can quickly understand and work with redesigned processes and realise the ERP-enabled benefits. Boudreau and Robey (2005), suggest a vital importance to acceptance of ERP systems. They also note that if not successfully implemented, users may work around the system and otherwise doom the project to costly duplication of effort, or worse, system failure. A phased implementation approach is highlighted in Robey et al. (2002). It is important to have a structured approach, similar to systems development, for the implementation and maintenance of ERP systems. Systems development theory uses the concept of a lifecycle and stages in the lifecycle to indicate development of information systems. The waterfall model, incremental model, RAD (rapid application development) model and spiral model are some of the systems development methods prevalent in the literature. Newer approaches to systems development address component-based development using off-the-shelf packages, agile development and the unified process for object-oriented software development (Pressman, 2005). The newer approaches have fewer stages in the development of systems. For example, the unified process which draws upon the best practices of conventional software process models has inception, elaboration, construction and transition phases. A common aspect of all these models is that they focus little attention on implementation and the post implementation of the system. The literature review undertaken revealed a lack of research with regard to some critical factors of ERP implementation (eg client consultation, schedule and plans), and this could be due to the fact that these factors are related to any information system project, not particularly to ERP project implementation. However, and generally speaking, there has not yet been a common comprehensive or integrative approach to ERP implementation. Successful ERP project implementation is a complex and difficult task. Implementing an ERP system package causes vast change that needs to be managed carefully to get the full advantages (Bingi et al, 1999; Sor, 1999). More importantly, it has been stressed by many that it is really a mistake to view ERP project implementation as merely an IT project (Davenport, 2000; Milford Stewart, 2000; OLeary, 2000). A major difference between ERP systems and traditional information systems comes from the integrated nature of ERP applications. Implementing an ERP system causes dramatic changes that need to be carefully administrated to reap the advantages of an ERP solution. Holland and Light (1999) cite that the implementation of an ERP software package involves a mix of business process change and software configuration to align the software with the business processes. In that sense, it has become clear through the literature review, and studying the experiences of leading organisations, that the implementation of an ERP system is radically different from traditional systems development. In an ERP system implementation, the key focus has shifted from a heavy emphasis on technical analysis and programming towards business process design, business-focused software configuration (Kelly et al, 1999), and legacy data clean-up (Smethurst Kawalek, 1999). In essence, there are several critical and inter-related issues that must be carefully considered to ensure successful implementation of an ERP system project. The framework (Figure 6) presented in this report is the result a major research study undertaken to propose an integrative Critical Success Factors view of ERP. ERP system implementation has been subdivided into three levels: strategic, tactical, and operational. Each level contains a number of critical factors. These levels of implementation, however, are not independent of each other, and each level should be used to derive the next level. Moreover, each level requires differing inputs; for example, there is a direct relationship between the implementation level at which a decision is being taken and the characteristics of the information required supporting decision making (Bocij et al, 2008). Communication Communication is one of most challenging and difficult tasks in any ERP implementation project (Welti, 1999). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define communication as the provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to all key factors in the project implementation. Communication has to cover the scope, objectives, and tasks of an ERP implementation project (Sumner, 1999). Failure to establish and manage the communication process with stakeholders can lead to a lack of support from stakeholders, disapproval of the deliverables and dissatisfaction. ERP implementation levels Strategic level The decisions made at this level significantly change the manner in which business is being done (Bocij et al, 2008), and these decisions are the responsibility of top management (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Turban et al, 2000). This level can be considered as the process of establishing overall goals and of planning how to achieve those goals. Kelly et al (1999) suggested that the strategic level is the premeditated plan for transforming the organisation, enabling it to operate in the new style environment. Current legacy system evaluation: This includes the existing IT (hardware and software), business processes, organisation structure, and culture. Holland and Light (1999) argue that the nature and scale of problems that are likely to be encountered can be defined by evaluating the existing legacy system (by asking what the status of the enterprises legacy system is and how it will affect the transition to ERP and common business processes). It is clear that ERP implementation involves a complex transition from legacy information systems and business processes to an integrated IT infrastructure and common business process throughout the organisation (Gibson et al, 1999). Project vision and objective: It is very important that the organisation has a clear sense of whom and what it is before implementing an ERP project (Davenport, 2000). A global survey showed that an understanding of business objectives and clear vision are key success factors (Cooke Peterson, 1998). Slevin and Pinto (1987) define project vision as the initial clarity of goals and general direction. Welti (1999) advises on determining the project vision in the planning phase, particularly within the project scope, where the project scope includes the project definition, objectives, and strategy. He argues that all these components of the project scope are compulsory to create a clear project vision. At this stage in the ERP project, the vision should provide a direction and general objective, and no details are required. ERP implementation strategy: This will be reviewed in this level to determine the impact of ERP system implementation on the enterprise. Trepper (1999) argues that the organisations executive managers must understand how ERP system implementation will impact on the organisation to ensure a smooth transition. Holland and Light (1999) suggest that the propensity of an organisation for change should influence the choice of ERP implementation project strategy. There are two main technical options to implement an ERP system: modify the ERP system package to suit an organisations requirements or the implementation of a standard package with minimum deviation from the standard settings. Companies that do not select the second option are liable to face major difficulties (Bancroft et al, 1998; Martin, 1998; Gibson et al, 1999). Hiring consultants: Due to the complexities of implementing an ERP system, most companies choose to hire consultants to help them select, configure, and implement the system. Welti (1999) argues that the success of a project depends on the capabilities of the consultants, because they have in-depth knowledge of the software. Somers and Nelson (2001) point out those consultants may be involved in different stages of the ERP project implementation. There are hundreds of companies that provide such ERP services. Since it is a critical success factor, it has to be managed and monitored very carefully. Benchmarking: Al-Mashari and Zairi (2000) argue that benchmarking works essentially at capturing both external and internal best practices related to all aspects of ERP system implementation, and enabling the transfer of knowledge across all levels of project implementation. They argue that benchmarking can play a significant role in shaping the strategic direction to be taken for change introduction using an ERP package. Tactical level At the tactical level, also termed managerial level, the medium-term planning of ERP specific organisational issues is largely concerned, where decisions are made by middle managers (Turban et al, 2000). In order to make sure that the enterprise is meeting its targets, objectives of top management are accomplished, and it is not wasting its resources, the tactical level provides middle-level managers with the information they need to monitor the performance of the organisation, control operations, and allocate resources and set policies effectively (Schultheis Sumner, 1995; Bocij et al, 2008). Client consultation: Slevin and Pinto (1987) define client consultation as the communication and consultation with, and active listening to all affected parties, mainly the client. It is essential for an organisation to keep its clients aware of its future project to avoid misconception. They also argued that the consultation with clients should occur early in the process; otherwise the chance of subsequent client acceptance will be lowered. In general, this factor has not been thoroughly discussed in the literature reviewed. Business process change (BPC): As mentioned before, there are two main options to implement ERP syst