Market Strategy of Blue Cross Blue Shield Assignment

Market Strategy of Blue Cross Blue Shield - Assignment Example Conducive research indicates that even during the financial crisis of 2008, the organization has been stellar because of their high customer equity and premiums. Healthcare is one the elements that were always solid. Looking at the financial statements, the company made annual sales of $75.7 million. This allowed the company to leverage itself in the industry.   One of the major strengths of the organization is its ability to have a strong customer base supported by its technological infrastructure. The infrastructure is heavily supported by its business model and understanding how technology can serve its needs. However, the key benefit that the Blue Cross achieved was the fact that it allowed its customers to the accessibility of information without much delay. In an industry where information is vital, this organization was able to accommodate the needs of their growing customers as well as provide information that was compliant with HIPAA and ACA.   One of the major strengths, as mentioned before, was the fact that it had a strong customer and revenue base. The premiums that were being derived from the organization truly harnessed growth and allowed the company to get a strong threshold as a company.   One of the major challenges of the company was to expand its private and public cloud with compliance. It was evident that the risk management involved in the insurance business is a huge focal point.   Blue Cross had a huge dilemma of expanding their IT infrastructure boundaries by maintaining old records and creating space for new customers. Furthermore, the company’s auditing team was able to ensure the legitimacy of network passwords within their own IT infrastructure. When it comes to cloud computing, many flavors are present.

Managerial Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managerial Finance - Essay Example Managerial accounting is in general used by the management team of the company for translating the trends and signals available from the financial information. Different levels of managers often use this information in a somewhat different manner in their own wisdom. The information is often used for Break even analysis, Measuring and evaluating the monthly, quarterly or annual performances or Preparing the targets for production and services.Managerial accounting is in general used by the management team for translating the trends and signals available from the financial information. Different levels of managers often use this information in a somewhat different manner in their own wisdom. The information is often used for Break even analysis, Measuring and evaluating the monthly, quarterly or annual performances or Preparing the targets for production and services.Financial This type of accounting gives an idea to people from outside the company as well as stakeholders from within the company to arrive at a decision regarding their decision to continue with the company or look for a better opportunity. Financial accounting provides information like;ï‚ § Profit and loss figures for the company over a financial year or select period of timeï‚ § Reserves and surpluses being maintained by the companyï‚ § Dividend payouts by the company in the recent pastï‚ § Nature of funding for the company e.g. debt or equityï‚ § Proportion of dependence on finances from outside the company’s own reservesï‚ § Number of stakeholders in the business.... Financial Accounting: This type of accounting gives an idea to people from outside the company as well as stakeholders from within the company to arrive at a decision regarding their decision to continue with the company or look for a better opportunity. Financial accounting provides information like; Profit and loss figures for the company over a financial year or select period of time Reserves and surpluses being maintained by the company Dividend payouts by the company in the recent past Nature of funding for the company e.g. debt or equity Proportion of dependence on finances from outside the company's own reserves Number of stakeholders in the business Operating ratios for assessing the financial health of the company Adherence to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) Number and types of external reports generated Judicious plans of the company for disbursing the profits Such information helps investors in looking for long-term or short-term targets for the investments being done in the ABX Company. It is worthwhile here to mention that individual shareholders, banking and financial institutions keep watch on the figures being communicated by the company from time to time. While on the one hand for an individual investor the dividend payouts and the price of the share in the stock market holds the key, the banking and financial institutions keep a close watch on a range of figures like operating ratios, profit margins, PE ratios etc. Therefore, even the dividend payouts and higher prices of company's share on the stock exchanges may not be attractive enough for the banks and financial institutions to advance finances for expansion and diversification. The financial accountant helps in preparing all such reports for the outside to

Sociological Theories Essay Example for Free

Sociological Theories Essay Mills was able to shift his focus to examine how people influence others based on external social forces that shape personal experiences. Mill’s definition of the sociological imagination allowed for the ability for others to see the impact of social forces on individual’s private and public affiliations. Through Mill’s establishment of the sociological imagination, a perspective on religion could then be observed through viewing religious institutions as merely a product of social foundations (Dandaneau, 146). In Steven P. Dandaneau’s book, Taking it Big, Developing Sociological Consciousness in Postmodern Times, the analysis of chapter seven entitled, Religion and Society- Of Gods and Demons, created an assessment which viewed the nature of religion as a social institution. The arrangement of religion within a society creates a structural analysis of patterns and beliefs that are replicated through the development of social establishments and are maintained within a society by linking social institutions directly to a religious belief. †¦Structural analysis, that is, systematic thinking about how patterns of life and belief are reproduced across time and space such that social institutions- composed of roles, positions, groups, norms, values, and rituals- are created and maintained, thereby building and rebuilding society†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dandaneau, 145). Therefore, we can conclude that social institutions help to formulate the individual within society by establishing the roles endorsed through the institutional framework. As an outcome, institutions and the individuals within it, consequently determine the structure of a society through using religion as a collective social enterprise (Dandaneau, 146). This establishment of social enterprise requires unique customs and practices in order to maintain social cohesiveness within a specific religious institute. Each religious society is then able to formulate distinct internal divisions that allow for individuals to develop a sociological imagination within a religious society (Dandaneau, 148). Through a historical context, religion has always been a product of human existence. Various religious institutions practiced today are an outcome of recent history after the shift away from Aminism. The transformations within the human consciousness arose as a result from the combination of urbanization and modernity. Through a more urbanized and contemporary society, the growth of the human population was abundant and inevitable. As a result, religion was then used as a form of material comfort for a new, emerging, and suffering population evolving within human history (Dandaneau, 150). Religion prevails today amongst people within a particular culture because of the ability for religions to reproduce themselves based on adaptations made from the establishment of modernization (Dandaneau, 150). However, the use of religion as a means of social change does not necessarily enhance or diminish societal modifications within a structured society. The sociological imagination was an outcome presented by religion partially because of the impact of sciences and nature within the development of the scientific revolution. These imagined responses are understandable, at least on sociological grounds, because never before had humans been so influenced by the scientific revolution. † (Dandaneau, 157). This skepticism of religion was a contributor to the initial expansion of the sociological imagination presented by Mills. Through the use of the sociological imagination today, a dystopian and dying world is presented. For Mills, religion had lost its sacred substance and it s ability to inspire current members. As an outcome of this, Mills offered the â€Å"immanent critique,† which is the involvement of a group’s own principles against them, and the inspiration for them to have their own individualized ideas. â€Å"Immanent critique†¦entails using a group’s own principles against them and encouraging them to live up to their own cherished ideals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dandaneau, 159). In conclusion, through the sociological imagination, Mill’s is able to determine the structure, history, and the society that prevails within a religious union. The meaning of religion within a communal setting is bound by social experiences. Despite Mill’s views that the world is dystopian and dying, he summarizes the sociological imagination is evidently an insufficient form of comfort; and that these devout experiences create a critical aspect in religious self-development through both an individual and a community perspective. â€Å"†¦Religions status and meaning for today’s world†¦is a subject that requires the sociological imagination because the sociological imagination is located at the crossroads of social structure, history, and biography. (Dandaneau, 156). In Steven P. Dandaneau’s account in chapter nine, The End of History, he analyzes an outlook presented to emphasize that our history is simply the reality in which we live in. This present reality is defined by former historical events that have contributed to creating and institutionalizing an objective and collective memory of the past. Through his concept of the sociological imagination, he demonstrates his conviction that history and biography should be linked together rather than seperated. In relation to Mill’s theory, the whole purpose of developing the sociological imagination is to simplify involvement in history making, not of history coming to an end. Through the expansion of social structure created by the sociological imagination, the media’s portrayal of historical events impacts the expansion of social change though changing perceptions within the lives of the individual. Through the changes in perception within the lives of an individual, as stated by Mills, we create â€Å"intricate connections between the patterns of their own lives and the historical level of reality. (Dandaneau, 198). Therefore, the sociological imagination cannot be reenacted through mere simulations or second hand accounts of individual experiences because of the failure to confront present humanity. In order to understand the structure of a particular society in history, we must understand the demise of the sociological imagination and how it is applied to existing histo rical accounts. Through the introduction of the industrial revolution and modernity came the introduction of time and space that was initially introduced as â€Å"clock time†(Dandaneau, 200). This mechanical means of measuring passing moments was incorporated into all social life within industrial society. â€Å"With the industrial revolution came â€Å"clock time,† which is rooted in a mechanical means of measuring passing moments and that was used to regiment work and, indeed, all social life† (Dandaneau, 200). Through this idea, the perception of time and space is historically and socially structured through being a product of culture. Through time and space in relation to history, together they represent primary media through which societies can then be regulated. â€Å"Time and space are socially organized and culturally conceived, and they represent primary media through which societies are integrated and regulated. † Through the use of history, human beings have been able to document societal structures based on the idea of learning and understanding past historical events. Through this, individuals can assume that history is continual and it affects all members within a society. As a result of absent facts about history, Mill’s finds that our society has no direction to our immediate history or current historical situations (Dandaneau, 216). This is problematic because with the end of history, â€Å"it is difficult to develop a sociological imagination within a single self-consciousness† (Dandaneau, 218). Consequently though, there are varieties of people who prevail despite the idea of the ending of history. Minority groups have a strong interest in history because they are engaged in a constant struggle for equality. Due to injustices and inequalities, minority groups look back on their history of struggles to determine solutions and to find courage to fight for individualism (Dandaneau, 219). Social and political change can be made possible through the possession of the sociological imagination through an analysis of history. Without this analysis, history will end. Unfortunately, because of inaccurate portrayals of history presented through social media, the end of history faces unpredictable challenges because our society’s institutions are both the solution and the root of postmodern societal problems. It is up to the individual who possesses the sociological imagination to make the realization that postmodern culture is merely a developed hyper reality created through the inaccurate depictions of our human history. â€Å"Through ideological distortion and as a result of its inflection through the mass media, â€Å"history† is today on life support†¦it is the task of the possessor of the sociological imagination to act as if his or her exaggeration is not yet true†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dandaneau, 222). In conclusion, this chapter emphasizes the necessity for access to â€Å"real historiography (reason) and the means to participate in radical social change (freedom)† rather than inaccurate representations of history through the media and other social institutions. Mill’s sociological imagination allowed him to look at history as a continuing process in order to reach the full understanding of society. Consequently, individuals within our postmodern society fail to intersect with the problem to end history because of the inability to change social institutions. As a result of this, the structure of human history is distorted through mass media. This makes the task of positioning ourselves within current history difficult because of the misrepresented comprehension about our past. â€Å"†¦The problem of the degradation of the public sphere intersects with the problem of the end of history because without a space in which to act toward and fundamentally change postmodern social institutions, a democratic history cannot be effected† (Dandaneau, 223). In chapter ten, Sociology without Society, Steven P. Dandaneau begins by reflecting that the impact of working against the sociological imagination exists for more reasons besides the degradation of public life and the loss of history. He states that â€Å"within sociology itself† (Dandaneau, 225) the sociological imagination follows the complex relationship between altering social structures and frequent individual occurrences within structured social institutions. So what exactly does this mean? The arrangement of sociology without scrutinizes that are derived from collective life and the self-consciousness of others within everyday life ends in the development of sociology without society. Sociology (according to Dandaneau’s accounts from Alan Wolfe) studies the moral basis of society; when according to his opinion, â€Å"Sociology should be a study of people as they interact and relate with other people,† and sociologists fail in this obligation to study people’s complex and morally dependent relationships with others (Dandaneau, 226). This idea of sociology without society is made even more prevalent through the works of Mill’s sociological imagination. Despite Mill’s evident transference of emotions through conveying an understanding of a society, Mills spent little time actively engaged with actual members (Dandaneau, 226). This view of society, the practice of the sociological imagination to create a civil society is â€Å"The product of a sociological perspective that attends primarily to the workings of the modern state and the capitalist market or the integration of both systems working together† (Dandaneau, 227). In postmodern times however, a civil society is thought to be maintained through moral rules learned from childhood experiences carried into adulthood (Dandaneau, 228). The sociological imagination is threatened today by any effort to suppress its pragmatic background (Dandaneau, 229). Ignoring the pragmatic background denies the importance of society itself; thus, the practice of a sociologically meaningful story derived from an accurate historical event is dowsed with the awareness of practicing sociology without society. Through this idea, Mills created a portrait of people that he describes through interactions between people within specific social settings. â€Å"He (Mills) focused attention on the relationship between these individual lives and the changing structure of American capitalist society-its class system, technological shifts, racial segregation, and the social policies that have affected all of these† (Dandaneau, 235). This type of society, and the various types of people in it, can be understood if the type of the social problem is identified. This could create a reconstruction of our social system, â€Å"†¦we stand a chance of restructuring our social systems in such a way as to eliminate the problem as it is experienced in civil society† (Dandaneau, 235). If social problems are derived from social institutions, and people have the ability to form moral bonds with others for civil societies, then it can be concluded that individuals who possess a sociological imagination have the ability for structural change. Even though Mills practiced sociology without society, he deemed it possible to retain a strong connection to people despite the lack of an empirical connection. As emphasized from a passage in chapter ten, â€Å"The possessor of the sociological imagination is as much concerned with ideas as facts; the trick is to bring them into a meaningful relation to one another†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dandaneau, 239). Through the possession of a sociological imagination, the division of sociological labor provides a historical totality of social and cultural experiences (Dandaneau, 239). The sociological imagination also is a form of self-consciousness that displays the complexities of the world through conceptualization. Mill’s final assertion is that civil society has â€Å"not disappeared altogether† (Dandaneau, 240) and that people must be understood for existing as moral agents, and social beings with moral rules and obligations. In closing, three questions regarding structure, human history, and varieties of people within it, are all parts of Mill’s perspective within the sociological imagination.

Development Of A Web Based Payroll System Computer Science Essay

Development Of A Web Based Payroll System Computer Science Essay Saving time considered to be a leading topic in this modern world where people try to get their work done in a least amount of time. Therefore time spent on simple things in day to day life made easier as web-online has conquered that place. With that intension this payroll system has been developed to organizations where small branches involved. Developing such web based payroll system may facilitate the process of attendance to paying wages for employees. Not only those employees will be able to print their payslips online with no hassle but also they will be able to view their attendance details in their payslip which would be an added feature compared to other systems. To develop the above said web application a research took place in finding which tools has to be used, how the system work, how many users should be involved, how it benefits the company and employees and how the taxations work. Therefore for the payroll web application php, mysql and apache has been used correspondingly in programming, database and web server which comes in a package as wamp for windows. In supporting the above chosen wamp server umlet, dreamweaver, css styles, java script used correspond to drawing uml diagrams, php codings, interface designs and codings. Further in calculating taxes, current tax code and percentages of taxes been used according to current rate of HMRC revenue. Hence, the current system of payroll in organizations has also been observed in concluding the whole process of payroll with the taxations. Payroll system is generally available and could be accessed multiply. An iterative and incremental approach applied throughout developing the payroll system where a piece of coding is tested as it went along with the development. This was useful in finding particular errors affected towards the system and not only that it helped to correct them but also it helped to step forward and trying new functions towards the goal. As php codes takes a major role in this payroll system, validations of functionalities based on it has been quite tricky and useful towards improving knowledge of php and the system. Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction 4 Chapter 2. Aims Objectives 4 Chapter 3. Prior research 5 Chapter 4. Literature Review 8 Chapter 5. Software Requirements 10 Chapter 6. WAMP server 11 Chapter 7. Design of the payroll system 13 16 Chapter 8. System architecture 17 Chapter 9. Development of Payroll System 19 23 Problem Log 26 List of figures 27 References 28 Appendices 30 Introduction Payroll system is a web application based on client server and electronic payment technology, which is aimed at developing a system that manages the payment of monthly wages of employees in an organization. It is supported by a database consisting of its employees details and their attendance details. According to that end of each month the salary is paid to the corresponding bank account of the employee. It also considers employees income tax regulations and NI contributions. Hence it shall deduct the appropriate amount of deductions at their salary if they earn more than  £647 per month. Further a payslip could be generated taking the above in to account. The following technologies have been used in developing the above said application. WAMP server CSS Macromedia Dreamweaver Umlet Aims Objectives The proposed system would allow the user to do their work in prototype. Hence, it has many gains compared to a manual system. In manual systems a main problem seems to be is maintaining the number of records and finding a particular record. Further calculating the final pay after income tax and other deductions would consume a lot of time. But the proposed system is capable of calculating the deductions automatically. Some of the features of the proposed system are given below: Maintaining the Database for Admin, Employee, attendance etc.. Attendance report. Generate payslips. Prior research Fact gathering techniques were used for the following reasons, To identify the problem in a payroll system. To avoid repetition. To complete these tasks following techniques has been used, 1. Interviews a basic source of quality information. Allows gathering information from an existing system where an administrator or manager could be the user. It facilitates to discover areas of misunderstandings, indication of resistance to the proposed system. An interview could be a structured or an unstructured in this state. In a structured interview questions are standardized and in an unstructured interview questions are worded to suit the respondent that provide the information about the areas overlooked or not thought to be important. Comparison of the structured and unstructured interviewing are detailed as below. Advantages: Structured: Ensures uniform wording of questions to all respondents. Easy to administer and evaluate. Less interview training required. Result in shorter time. Unstructured: Questions can be worded to suit the respondent. May produce the information about the areas overlooked or not thought to be important. Disadvantages: Structured: Cost of preparation is high. Such high level of structure may not always be suitable. Some respondent may resist to such structure. Unstructured: Inefficient use of interviewer and respondent time. Results take a longer time. Extra time required for the collection of essential facts. The success of the interview depends on the skill of the interviewer and his/her preparation for the interview. Analysts must also be aware of the kinds of difficulties at some interview, and must know how to deal with the potential problems. Conducting interviews determines qualitative information such as, Activities involved in process of taking the attendance. Activities involved in the process of Payslip generation. Limitation of existing system. Problems faced by the user in the existing system. 2. Record Inspection Analysing facts from documents, examining information which has recorded about the system and users. Examining forms, files about an existing system. Such records may include, Written policy manuals. Rules and regulations. Standard operating procedures used in the Payroll and Attendance System Forms and documents. A good documentation system provides relationships and interaction between them. Further would give an idea of the structure activities, procedures and flow of data. But it would not show how each task performed or where the decision making power lies. To gather details about the payroll system several kinds of records and reports has been reviewed such as, Standard operating procedure Reports generated by an existing system. Document flow (input/output) of the Payroll and Attendance System. Process of Preparing the Payslip. Process of deducting the salary for tax and NI contributions. Types and format of database registers. 3. Observation could bring missed facts, duplicate work done unintentionally. Its not the quantity of time observed is important but the unusual angles of observation of the work content and methods would be more useful. Observation may focus on, Operational inefficiencies. Alternate routes and procedures. Interruptions in the normal flow of work. The usage of files and documents. Informal communication channels, etc. On site observation provides a close view of the working real system, objects, documents and occurrences of events. Literature Review Considering the research took place towards developing a new payroll system the limits of the current system seems to be affecting in many ways not only the admin staff, manager or company but also to the employees concerning their wages and payslips. Check-in attendance to paying wages the whole process seems to be dragging and time consuming of admin, manager and employees. The attendance check-in system which is currently in operation has to be a double work where firstly the attendance is checked by paper in a prepared sheet for it and then will be entered to the system later with times when the employees started work and ended work. Therefore the each of employee has to look for his/her name in the registry which is in a paper and sign in/out with time ahead his/her name on it and then the admin staff who enters them in the system has also got to find the names on page in the system to clock him/her in/out. This system seems to be a hassle for the admin where it could be done in one go. So the new system would take away that headache from admin where he/she could do it one click per staff. When an employee logs in just a click in front of his name would clock him in and the time of work started will be recorded automatically. Like wise the when the employee finishes work clocked out time will be recorded and the attendance counts towards his pay. In the above case another popular scenario could be when an employee begins work at a late time, admin has to deduct the pay hours or pay corresponding to that. But because the times of clock-in will be entered to the system automatically there wont be any need of altering the timings of employees. Therefore again it facilitates the work of admin staff. Moving on with the attendance to the wages of employees, some of the companies account departments are outsourced simultaneously some others got their own accountants. So in transferring wages to employee bank accounts and for tax deductions account departments are involved and the attendance checked by admin staff will be forwarded to the appropriate account department. Account department uses the national rate of taxes for employee earnings according to HM Revenue Customs and the relevant amount of taxes will be deducted depending on employees earning. Even in this scenario it is another point where human resources could be saved a s software applications could be used which would process the attendance to final pay after calculating taxes. Therefore it is another advantage to be seen in the new payroll system. Not only that, chances of making mistakes in entering the attendances or pay to the system could be avoided in the new payroll system. Hence, the new payroll system shall lead towards paying wages to the employees. After making payments to employees keeping records of paid amounts and record of due amounts also seem to be an additional point when comparing against the previous systems where paid records kept at account departments. Therefore possibilities of misconception have been avoided between employees and management by having these records as proof. Looking at the employee payslips in the previous system it had to be sent by a separate department to the employees by post. But in the new payroll system, payslips made available online to employees where there wont be any need to wait for payslips to arrive. Retail giant Tesco reveals in The one (june) as below, Driven by security and environmental issues, the move to online notification of pay is set to take place this summer, saving postage and paper on up to 4.7million payslips a year. Further rather than just being a payslip provided in the new payroll system it also has the feature of displaying the attendance according to which the salary is paid. And also it is available to print in addition to viewing. Plus an employee will be able to view and print the salary sheets of the previous months too which has been another outstanding step in the new system. Even though it could be a large page of salary sheet due to displaying all the attendances, it is concerned as fact of giving the accurate information stored to the employees and this would build up confidence and trust towards the company. Software Requirements Functional Requirements Admin: In this module admin is provided with many services such as Add new employee, Update employee details, Mark in/out attendance, Update salary Details, view/print salary slips, payment to employees. Employee: In this module employee is provided with the services such as View earnings, View deductions, View and print salary slip. Non-Functional Requirements System can endure even though many number of users requested the desired service. By incorporating a robust and proven database, reliable performance and integrity of data is ensured. There must be a power backup for server system. Ensure sensitive data is protected from unwanted access by users and implementing appropriate technology to strict user- access criteria. WAMP server WAMP is an open source collaborated web development kit which contains all the ingredients such as Apache, PHP and the MySQL database you need to develop and create web applications It also comes with an inbuilt phpMyAdmin page which allows you to easily manage your databases. Further it is a solution kit that will allow you to reproduce your production server. One important aspect of the WAMP server is that once it is installed and is in play, the manager has the freedom to install as many latest releases of Apache, MySql or PHP. Functionalities of the WAMP Functions are very easy and less complicated; they are straightforward and can be viewed by just a click which will enable you to : Manage Apache and MySQL services Switch online/offline (give access to everyone or only localhost) Install and switch Apache, MySQL and PHP releases Manage server settings Access logs Access settings files Create alias Why an open source has been used They are free Totally free and available to the general public. Software developers and programmers can use them in improving their existing software or create new programs. Doesnt require a license or sales fee. They are cross-platform and technology-neutral. Programs are usable virtually by everyone as ensured by the open source community. Open source programs are not dependant on any individual technology or style and they are technology-neutral. It shall meet the criteria as long as it runs on more than one operating system. They must not restrict other software gives software developers the maximum control and flexibility. They embrace diversity open source programs cannot discriminate against any person or group of persons. Looking more into features of the above used, Apache 2.2.6 As its main job it parses files requested by a browser and display results according to the code. It is powerful and could achieve any virtual task that required. Authentication/authorization make simpler certain authentication configurations. Caching considering production quality. Configurations made simpler and modularised. Proxying load balancing provided. Large file support support files larger than 2GB. PHP 5.2.5 Stands for Hypertext Pre-processor and is a server-side scripting language which allows a website to be keep alive. Controls memory consumption between requests. Improved speed of arrays. MySQL 5.0.45 MySQL is a structured query language server which has been designed to process complex queries and for heavy loads. It enables PHP and Apache to work together to access and display data in a browser. For maximum efficiency and speed it allows many tables to join together as a relational database. Cursors server-side cursors supported. Triggers triggers supported. Views updatable, named views supported. Design of the payroll system Payroll system is designed for a small organization/branch/department where there would be less employees compared to a large number of employees payroll system. Admin and employee are the two main users of the system. Considering the system as a whole, the following steps have been taken in process of functionality. Add new employee personal details of the new employee would be added with a pay rate per hour. Edit employee details capacity of updating employee details Delete employee delete an employee when an employee is no more with the organisation Clock in/out marking the attendance according to which an attendance report would be printed and be paid to the employee. Attendance report to view/print attendance report. Salary sheet 1st of every month employees will get paid according to the hours worked and the salary sheet would include worked hours, hourly pay, NI contributions, income tax and net salary. The salary sheet could be printed/viewed. Payment payment is made according to the net salary of the employee. A record would be kept on payment details date, time, employee id and amount. Class diagram below shows the structure of the system with its classes, attributes and the relationships between the classes. CLASS DIAGRAM glass Relate to the design of the system as said above there are two users who get access to the payroll such as admin and employee. Use case diagram below presents a graphical overview of the functionalities of the payroll system in terms of actors, goals and their dependencies between use cases. It shall show what system functions are performed by admin and employee. USE CASE DIAGRAM System architecture Payroll system is a web based application created using three tier architecture and an iterative, incremental approach to design used in the process of development. Figure 1. three blocks which represents the client-server architecture Client block a client side application which runs on an operating systems graphical user interface. Passes the challenges to the middleware block and it handles the non-local services. Client also runs a component of the distributed system management which could be a simple negotiator to an entire front end application on a managed station. Server block a server side application which runs on top of a shrink-wrapped server software package. Server side depends on the operating system to interface with the middleware block which brings the requests. Server also runs a distributed system management which could be a simple negotiator on a managed PC to an entire back end application. Middleware block runs both on the client and the server side of an application. Likewise the above middleware also has a distributed system management component. As Orfali et al(1999)states in contrast to using other form of distributed software client server architecture inherits the following characteristics, Service client is a consumer of service and the server is a provider of service. Therefore, client-server provides a clean division of function based service. Shared resources server could provide service to many clients same time and regulate access to shared resources. Asymmetrical protocols clients always initiate with a request for service and servers wait for requests from clients. Transparency of location Mix and match client/server is independent of hardware or operating system software platforms. Able to mix and match between platforms. Message based exchanges message is the delivery mechanism for service requests and replies. Clients and servers interact through message passing mechanism. Encapsulation of services without affecting the clients server can be upgraded as long as the published interface is not changed. Scalability client/server systems could be scaled horizontally or vertically. In horizontal scaling with a slight performance impact client workstations could be added or removed. In vertical scaling, across multiple servers processing loads are distributed or larger and faster machines are migrated. Integrity server code and server data are centrally managed which outcomes in cheaper maintenance and protecting data integrity. Same time clients stay independent and personal. Development of Payroll System As mentioned above admin and employee are the two users of the payroll system. Many users could be added in the database as admin users. Therefore added all admin users shall be privileged to perform admin tasks in fulfilling their needs. A login process for any user involves few components such as, Form of submitting the login information A validation to confirm the information has been submitted. A database query which compares the submitted information against the stored information. After successful login as an admin staff view of the homepage would look like below, Admin homepage Figure 2. home page of admin staff with quick access icon. As shown above using icons of the homepage or using the tabs on top, corresponding page could be accessed. Further in addition to the tabs an admin could change his/her password using the icon on the homepage which would also update the database according to it. Doing so would give a conformation saying that the update has been successfully completed. Employee page allows admin to add a new employee with employee personal details and also allows updating details of employee. The details of employee would be saved in the database and further an employee attendance details, payments made, payment balance could be viewed. If an employee doesnt exist anymore his/her details will be deleted and this will remove his/her details from the database too.   Figure 3. a page which opens to update details of an employee from employee page. Update employee information An employee who is entered to the system in the database will automatically be inserted in attendance check-in in the attendance page. Therefore when admin staff does the attendance check employee name will be selected from the arrow-down list and it will display below to view which employees has arrived to work. Simultaneously database will be updated in the check-out table with the check-in information of the employee who has been clocked-in. By the time when the corresponding employee finishes his/her work shift, admin would check-out from the drop-down list again. Doing so would remove the check-in information of the employee from the check-out table in database and the attendance information will be entered to the attendance report and the payslip adding to his/her worked hours towards the final pay. Attendance check-in/check-out Figure 4. attendance check-in and out for employees by admin. Therefore admin staffs are able to view an attendance report of an employee in the employee page where it is referred to an employee. Not only that, the details of attendance will also be displayed in the payslips where could printed from the salary sheet page. In the salary page an admin staff can select the employee name which ever she/he wants to print the payslip of. Further after selecting the employees name, again admin is capable of selecting which months payslip she/he wants to print.   Doing so would open a page and enables to print it according to which was selected by admin.   Considering the deductions of taxes which are income tax and NI contributions, when the pay is calculated end of each month automatically the above taxes would be deducted in a rate 15% for income tax and 9% for NI contributions. Therefore the final net pay would be calculated automatically as the salary for each employee. An important factor here involved in deductions is, inclusion of a tax code to the pay.   At a national rate of 647 which reveals that up to a pay of  £647 per month the above said tax would not be deducted and who ever earns above the rate of  £647 will have to pay the above mentioned taxes. Therefore the above said taxes will automatically be deducted when an employee earns above the tax code.   Regarding salary payments to the employees, net pay for each month will be paid end of that month to the employee. In the payments page this could be done and who ever needs to be paid can be selected from the drop down list. When a payment is made to an employee a record will be kept in the database in the payments and also the recent paid payments records will also be displayed below in the payments page. Further if theres a balance due to pay it will record and could be viewed in the employee details. Therefore any remaining payments could be checked straight away and can get rid of under paying, shortages and keeping balance payments to employees. And also because the employee gets payments according to his worked hours there is no fraud involved or alterations cannot be made. In such way this payment could be considered as secure method of paying salaries.   Payslip of an employee Figure 5. Payslip of an employee which records not only the NI contributions and income taxes but also the attendance of an employee. Apart from functions of  payment and attendance an admin also can change his/ her password from the homepage using change password icon for a given admin username.   Finally taking admin privileges as whole, admin takes the responsibility of adding new employee, updating employee details, deleting employee, the attendance system which is checkin-in and out of employees in order to record their attendance towards their wages and the payment system which includes paying wages and keeping records of them.   Payments page where salary paid Figure 6. Paying wages for employees by an admin staff. In the event of employee user functions each and every employee will have their own passwords assigned by the admin when each employee registers with the payroll system. Doing so will create separate users for employees to access their attendance report and in printing their payslips. Passwords for employee login could only be changed by an admin user in edit employee details. Matching login details with the payroll database would allow the user to access his/her profile which contents the attendance report and the salary sheet of employee. Figure 7. Homepage of an employee user. Not only the tabs displayed would allow accessing the corresponding page but also the shortcut icons in the homepage would allow doing so. In the attendance page an employee could view his/her attendance so far and will also be able to print it. Likewise in the salary sheet page by selecting the necessary month of salary sheet allows to view and print the corresponding salary sheet. Figure 8. months of the salary sheets given to choose from. Figure 9. salary sheet for a chosen month of an employee. Problem Log Error Date Explanation Solution 1.fatal error: function name must be a string 03-05-10 appropriate brackets not used Change the brackets style 2.notice undefined index php 03-05-10 Post method not defined properly $fname = $_POST[fname]; 3.parser error: 25-05-10 Retrieving method not defined properly per row while($row = mysql_fetch_array( $result )) 4. Notice: Use of undefined constant id assumed id 27-05-10 Undefined id with brackets Define id with brackets 5. Parse error: syntax error, unexpected $end 01-07-10 No ending, missing brackets Include appropriate brackets 6. logging out to a blank page 02-07-10 Should revert to log-in page Include a header 7. Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_constant_encapsed_string 02-07-10 Using invalid symbol Use inverted comas appropriately 8. parser error 03-07-10 Unexpected ending Php headers and appropriate brackets List of figures Figure 1. three blocks which represents the client-server architecture 17 Figure 2. home page of admin staff with quick access icon. 19 Figure 3. a page which opens to update details of an employee from employee page. 20 Figure 4. attendance check-in and out for employees by admin. 21 Figure 5. Payslip of an employee which records not only the NI contributions and income taxes but also the attendance of an employee. 22 Figure 6. Paying wages for employees by an admin staff. 23 Figure 7. Homepage of an employee user. 23 Figure 8. months of the salary sheets given to choose from. 24 Figure 9. salary sheet for a chosen month of an employee. 25 Figure 10. Employee table in the payroll database 29

Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Essay

Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Andy and Larry Wachowski's movie, The Matrix parallels many of the characters and themes that are explored in Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. There are five main characters or groups of people that are explored in Dick's novel. First, Morpheus, the leader of the "unplugged" individuals, emulates the role that the Rosen Association plays. Next, Cypher, an underhanded man, who is comparable to Rachel Rosen, a typical android, shows no empathy towards anyone. Surprisingly, Rick Deckard, an android killer and the main character, resembles the "agents" in The Matrix. Following Rick, the androids represent the enlightened men and women in The Matrix. Lastly, John Isidore, an unintelligent man, symbolizes the mass amount of people plugged into the Matrix. On a grander scale, the Matrix itself is very much like Mercerism, a way of life, which is explored in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. In addition to this, both futures contain the results of world-wide-wars. To start, the Rosen Association, an android producing and harboring organization, compares to Morpheus in a variety of ways. The Rosen Association creates new androids just as Morpheus frees minds. Neither of which, are easy tasks. Rick is talking with the head of the Rosen Association, Eldon Rosen, about a test he needs to perform on some androids. Eldon complies with Rick, but he explains to him that it is not that easy, "We can't just phone down to production and ask for a diverse flock of items"(44). Androids are very complex and cannot just be mass produced. Morpheus has a similar problem. Humans are also extremely complex. It is dangerous to free a mind that i... ...p? and The Matrix, both contain futures that are strikingly similar in a number of ways. Primarily, the characters in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? match up perfectly with those in The Matrix. Dick's characters and creations: The Rosen Association, Rachel Rosen, Rick Deckard, the androids, and John Isidore resemble Morpheus, Cypher, the "agents," the "unplugged," and the people plugged into the matrix respectively. Interestingly, both stories involve global warfare. Finally and most obviously, Mercerism and the matrix itself serve the same exact purpose, which is to blind people from the truth in oder to control them with more ease. Works Cited Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. New York: Ballantine Books, 1968. Matrix, The. Dir. Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Film. Warner Brothers,1999. Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Essay Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Andy and Larry Wachowski's movie, The Matrix parallels many of the characters and themes that are explored in Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. There are five main characters or groups of people that are explored in Dick's novel. First, Morpheus, the leader of the "unplugged" individuals, emulates the role that the Rosen Association plays. Next, Cypher, an underhanded man, who is comparable to Rachel Rosen, a typical android, shows no empathy towards anyone. Surprisingly, Rick Deckard, an android killer and the main character, resembles the "agents" in The Matrix. Following Rick, the androids represent the enlightened men and women in The Matrix. Lastly, John Isidore, an unintelligent man, symbolizes the mass amount of people plugged into the Matrix. On a grander scale, the Matrix itself is very much like Mercerism, a way of life, which is explored in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. In addition to this, both futures contain the results of world-wide-wars. To start, the Rosen Association, an android producing and harboring organization, compares to Morpheus in a variety of ways. The Rosen Association creates new androids just as Morpheus frees minds. Neither of which, are easy tasks. Rick is talking with the head of the Rosen Association, Eldon Rosen, about a test he needs to perform on some androids. Eldon complies with Rick, but he explains to him that it is not that easy, "We can't just phone down to production and ask for a diverse flock of items"(44). Androids are very complex and cannot just be mass produced. Morpheus has a similar problem. Humans are also extremely complex. It is dangerous to free a mind that i... ...p? and The Matrix, both contain futures that are strikingly similar in a number of ways. Primarily, the characters in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? match up perfectly with those in The Matrix. Dick's characters and creations: The Rosen Association, Rachel Rosen, Rick Deckard, the androids, and John Isidore resemble Morpheus, Cypher, the "agents," the "unplugged," and the people plugged into the matrix respectively. Interestingly, both stories involve global warfare. Finally and most obviously, Mercerism and the matrix itself serve the same exact purpose, which is to blind people from the truth in oder to control them with more ease. Works Cited Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. New York: Ballantine Books, 1968. Matrix, The. Dir. Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Film. Warner Brothers,1999.

New Wave of Internet Technology and the Effects on off-line Relationshi

Abstract There is a new place for exploration in regards to relationships; traditionally we meet people on the street, at bars or by other friends. However, since the vast expansion of Internet users, there have risen new ways of interacting and communicating with others. There are places on line that are specifically made to meet people in different context and environments. Some of these areas include instant message engines, chat rooms, and different other Internet based companies, which provide these services. Along with these new technological advances, as with many other things, there are negative outcomes. There has been research done on how these new ways of communication may cause turmoil to a relationships, through the idea of ~{!0~}Internet Infidelity,~{!1~} Internet infidelity is defined by Shaw, ~{!0~}as taking the sexual energy of any sort thoughts, feelings, and behaviors out side a committed sexual relationship in such a way that it damages the relationship, and then pretendin g that that this drain in energy will affect neither partner or the relationship as long as it remains undercover. (p. 29)~{!1~} Some individuals discount these acts of interactions on line as ~{!0~}non-real,~{!1~} therefore not constituting them as cheating; but through my research and my qualitative inquiries, I have found that ~{!0~}cyber cheating~{!1~} may and has caused dire consequences in relationships. Introduction There has always been a concern about cheating with in relationships. However, the risk seems to have increase with the advances of new technologies, such as the Internet and the services it provides in regards to meeting people. The Internet now offers many opportunities to meet people on-line through services such as on-line personal ads, chat rooms, and instant messenger systems. It is reported that, ~{!0~}national averages indicate that families have wholeheartedly adopted the computer and the Internet access into their homes in relatively short time. The exponential growth of Internet access at home raises questions regarding how Internet sexuality influences couples sexual relationship and sexual satisfaction~{!-~}(Gonya, 2004, p. 386)~{!1~} These new technologies have provided individuals in relationships the opportunity to venture in to a new way of what would be considered ~{!0~}internet infidelity.~{!1~} The reason people get trapped into ... ...relationships, when in a real physical relationship will damage the relationship that is that is not cybernetic. However, I suggest more research to be in this new area of infidelity, in order to give a stronger base to its substitutability. References and Works Cited M. Castro. 2005, May. 21. (Personal Interview, May 21, 2005) Gonya, J. 2004. Internet Sexuality: Clinical Implications for Couples. American Journal of Family Therapy. Vol. 32, Issue 5 P.375 Gwinnell, E., 1998. Online Seduction and Falling in Love with Strangers on the Internet. New York: Kodansha America, Inc. p. 88-121. Leiblum, S. R. 1997. Sex and the Net. Clinical Implications. Journal of Sex education and Therapy. 22. p. 21-27 Patton Q., Michael. Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods 3rd Edition. California: Sage Publication Inc. p.215-225. Powell D.1995, Engendering Infidelity: Essentialist of Social Constructionist Readings of a Story Completion Task. Feminism and Psychology, p. 345-372. Shaw, J., 2001, Treatment Rational for Internet Infidelity. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, 22, p. 29-34. Whitty, M. 2004, Cyber Cheating. Counseling and Psychotherapy Journal, Vol. 15 Issue 8, p.38.

Teaching/training cycle

Teaching should be a learning experience for both the teacher and the students; we never stop learning, whether it is the unconscious referral to past experiences that prevents us taking a wrong turn down a well trodden path or a conscious decision to learn a new skill. As teachers it is our role to ease learners through the process of learning, Coffield, F (2008) supports this by stating that teaching and learning are not separate activities but â€Å"intertwined elements of a double sided, interactive process† which is enabled by the understanding and implementation of the key stages of the teaching/training cycle. The 5 Key Stages are: Identify needs, Planning and design, Delivery, Assess & Evaluate. Identify needs: Adult learners bring a wide range of abilities, skills and life experiences to the classroom and these can influence the way they learn. It is a crucial responsibility of the teacher to ensure that learning needs are identified in order that delivery can be planned or adjusted to meet these needs. When delivering short, legislative courses, identification of needs is not always achieved prior to commencement of delivery for many reasons. In some cases enrolment is completed by employers who may not be aware of learners’ literacy, numeracy or special needs, (e. g. dyslexia); some learners may have had previous bad experiences of learning but require the qualification to do their current job, or employees may just â€Å"have been sent† by their employer so may bring a negative attitude. It is the teacher’s role to identify any issues as early as possible and to implement delivery and support strategies ensuring learner needs are met throughout the delivery, at the same time respecting learners’ rights to confidentiality. Planning & Design: It is the responsibility of the teacher to plan and design the course to meet the needs of the learners and the awarding body. Occupation specific courses have very prescriptive learning outcomes, aims and objectives so it may be suggested that the teacher has little involvement in course planning or development. As supported by Armitage et al (2003) even highly prescribed courses still allow some freedom to interpret, resource and emphasise the various course elements in our own way. Every group of learners is different with a wide variety of learning needs and although the base design of the course remains the same each course delivered is adapted with varying resources, exercises, and anecdotes drawn from working experience. Many of these adaptations are made â€Å"on the hoof† in response to the limited learner knowledge prior to commencement of delivery. Delivery: The teacher is wholly responsible for delivery of the learning programme to achieve identified aims and objectives whilst meeting individual learner needs. Delivery should incorporate differentiation to allow for individual learning goals and expectations, competence levels and speed of progress and there should be a variety of learning methods utilised, while the pace of learning should be varied to maintain interest and concentration. Teaching should allow for different learning styles, such as VARK learning models & learning styles identified by Honey & Mumford, active learners should also be encouraged. Responsibility for the safety of the learners lies with the teacher, from both the physical and emotional viewpoint who should ensure that no learners are being discriminated against by themselves, other learners or the organisation as a whole. When delivering occupational training in the workplace an enhanced level of professionalism may be applicable to standards of dress and conduct, the teacher is also responsible for ensuring these standards are met. Assess: It is the teachers’ responsibility to ensure that learners are progressing and achieving throughout the course through a variety of methods of formative assessment. Methods of assessment must be linked to the course delivery and learning objectives supported by a clear idea of what students are setting out to learn and how far down the line they are to mastering that learning, as they progress through the course, this theory is well supported particularly by Minton (2003). The teacher is responsible for roviding timely feedback on learner progress which should be clear, concise and include both positive and developmental comments for learners to focus on. On legislative training courses summative assessment, is carried out in strict adherence to the requirements of the awarding body, however it is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that all learners are aware of the format and assessment requirements and are provided with any agreed support to ensure equality of oppor tunity. Evaluate: The teacher carries the responsibility for evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of sessions and the course as a whole. Evaluations should cover content, resources used or needed, teaching methods and learner satisfaction. On legislative training courses, where each session makes up a module of the whole day’s course delivery, it is not always feasible to carry out a formal session evaluation however each course is evaluated in depth to ensure that strengths and areas of improvement are identified for future delivery. Learner evaluations and achievement provide useful feedback on course content, whether learners achieved their individual aims and objectives and whether they believe their learning has helped them in their working role, which is invaluable information when delivering occupational courses, however any changes to delivery must be tempered with any employees needs, as identified in the first stage of the cycle, and requirements of the awarding body. Adult learners already hold diverse life experiences when they arrive to learn. It is the role of the teacher to ensure that their needs are identified & met through planned provision and delivered in a professional manner on order that they can achieve to the best of their abilities and ensure that they are happy with their learning experience.