One Branch Of Faith Is Assenting - 1992 Words

One branch of faith is assenting. Comprised of â€Å"knowledge, trust, and acceptance,† it is the standard faith that most Christians think about. Thomas Aquinas, the Doctor of the Church, was and is a brilliant theologian. His work, the Summa Theologica, is unmatched in depth and wisdom. Through it, Aquinas wrote a masterful detailed overview of all theology. In the Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas defines this faith as â€Å"an infused virtue by reason of which we accept on God’s authority what he has revealed to us† (Nature and Grace, Aquinas). In other words, faith is within us and by it we accept what God has revealed to us. However, there is another aspect of faith. As Rich Lusk says in his book, Paedofaith: A Primer on the Mystery of Infant Salvation and a Handbook for Covenant Parents: Faith therefore here means a confident personal relatedness of the heart of Jesus which can exist without a detailed and articulated understanding of what is and must be unfolded in the proclamation of the gospel...This state of affairs leads to an intensification of the concept of faith in the case of children on account of the fact that it here means a relatedness to Christ, a trust in the person of Christ behind which the individual and utterable elements of the deposit of faith recede. Even for adults, there obtains in principle no other way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for children and infants: faith in Jesus. (qut Gottfried Hoffmann by Lusk ii-iii) This beautiful statementShow MoreRelatedContract Act of Pakistan10329 Words   |  42 Pagesthe communication of intentions may be effectually made in many other ways besides written, spoken, or signalled words. For example, delivery of goods by their owner to a man who has offered to buy them for a certain price will be understood by every one, unless there be some indication to the contrary, to signify acceptance of that offer. No words are needed, again, to explain the intent with which a man steps into a ferryboat or a tramcar, or drops a coin into an automatic machine. It is also possibleRead MoreEssay on LAW4198 Australian Commercial Law27758 Words   |  112 Pagesfinancial terms on which one party will later be prepared to consider a sale (Gibson); Revocation General rule: An offer may be revoked at any time before it is accepted. Withdrawal is only effective when it has been communicated to the offeree (no exception made for post). Acceptance Bilateral contracts For bilateral contracts, the acceptance must be: 1. An unqualified assent to the terms of the offer; 2. Such that a reasonable person would believe that the offeree is assenting to the terms (even

Case Analysis Of General Electric - 2243 Words

CASE ANALYSIS OF GENERAL ELECTRIC Aaron Sneddon DeVry University BUSINESS POLICY (BUSN412) Edward Pinero June 24, 2015 Company Information †¢ Company Name: General Electric †¢ Website: www.ge.com †¢ Industry: Diversified Machinery Background and History of General Electric General Electric was originally the Edison Electric Light Company that was established in 1878 by Thomas A. Edison. In 1892 it merged with Thomson-Houston Electric Company to create General Electric. In this current time, General Electric has now grown to a huge conglomerate. The business units that make up General Electric are GE Aviation, Capital, Energy Management, Healthcare, Lighting, Power Water, Oil Gas, and Transportation. The company has been trying to expand into emerging markets and shrinking the Capital business unit. Jeff R. Immelt is the current CEO and has been in that seat since 2001. According to Steve Lohr, General Electric’s net profit loss for quarter one of 2015 was 13.6 billion dollars and the revenue was 29.4 billion dollars† (Lohr, 2015). The net profit loss for the quarter relates back to General Electric selling most of GE Capital. General Electric is expecting to take a initial loss of 16 billi on dollars from selling the majority of GE Capital. Porter’s Five Forces Model on General Electric: †¢ Threat of New Entrants o The threat of new entrants in the businesses that General Electric is primary involved in is pretty low as each of the industries have a highShow MoreRelatedGeneral Electric Case Analysis1247 Words   |  5 PagesGeneral Electric Case Analysis Case Recap General Electric, (GE), is a diversified technology and financial services corporation that has a history of tremendous success. The company’s name is well known across the United States and is recognized by consumers as the â€Å"practical innovator† (Crystal amp; Herskovitz, 2010). In order to continue its achievements, GE’s strategy is to focus its resources in new product innovation and comprehensive brand positioning. It has created the â€Å"Profile† andRead MoreEssay about General Electric Case Analysis927 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Case Discussion Questions 1. GE used to prefer acquisitions or Greenfield ventures as an entry mode rather than joint ventures. Why do you think this was the case? According to our textbook, a firm can establish a wholly owned subsidiary in a country by building a subsidiary from the ground up, the so-called Greenfield strategy, or by acquiring an enterprise in the target market. Acquisitions have three major points in their favor. First, they are quick to execute. By acquiring an establishedRead MoreGeneral Electric And Its Swot Analysis1458 Words   |  6 Pagesoperations on a global scale. In this regard, General Electric s diversification approach and its potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats would be discussed further.// Areas of diversification of General Electric and its SWOT Analysis Diversification refers to the expansion of operations by a company in order to grow outside the industry in which it currently deals. In light of this, the diversification areas of General Electric can be highlighted. GE is an American multinationalRead MoreTyco vs Ge1032 Words   |  5 PagesTyco versus General Electric Financial Analysis This paper will give a financial analysis of two corporate moguls: Tyco International and General Electric Corporation. Through thorough research of each company’s shareholder’s equity, preferred stock equity, market capitalization, net profit margins and other factors, this paper will review which company’s strategy has presented a greater risk to the shareholder’s investment. It will also determine whether the investors who are assuming the riskRead MoreToyota Business Plan834 Words   |  4 PagesToyota is the leader of the hybrid technology with its Prius. The Prius was the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car (Case, paragraph 2, ‘The Prius†¦higher speeds.’). Toyota used the Prius as the centre-piece of their campaign to give themselves a more environmental image compared to their rivals. The reason why the Prius was such a success and other hybrid models were having troubles to get buyers, is that the buyers of the Prius w ant to make a statement about themselves. They want to show peopleRead MoreLincoln Electric Company Case Study Study Analysis1026 Words   |  5 PagesLincoln Electric Company Case Study Analysis In this Case Study Analysis, I will identify examples of the types of organizational culture (innovative and stable) that the Lincoln Electric Company has, as well as the benefits and problems the company could experience as a result of these. The idea that stuck out the most about the Lincoln Electric Company is that they obviously have a strong culture that all levels of employees are proud to be a part of. According to Carpenter, Taylor, and ErdoganRead MoreThe Automobile Industry And What Effect Car Emissions Have On Innovation972 Words   |  4 Pagesin places such as New York City or Beverly Hills, there is always a market for domestic and international car manufacturers. The market has changed a lot in the last 10 years, and that is why we will both look at the provided automotive industry analysis from 2004 and go into the current landscape. We will look at the history of the American auto market and see the changes since 2004. We will determine how the market is divided in the current market and what global competition is prominent. We willRead MoreAnalysis On The Lincoln Electric Company Essay948 Words   |  4 PagesANALYSIS ON THE LINCOLN ELECTRIC COMPANY INTRODUCTION The general outlook of The Lincoln Electric Company shows that it was a successful company regardless of the death of James F. Lincoln in 1965. The many college management texts refer to the Lincoln plan as a model of achieving high worker productivity. SUBJECTING THE LINCOLN ELECTRIC COMPANY TO THE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE ANALYSIS Organizational Culture according to the text book refers to a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs thatRead MoreGeneral Motors Packard Electric Division Essay741 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ General Motors: Packard Electric Division Luiz Zuneda BU-502 Applied Business Research and Communication Skills Instructor: Dr. Peggy Bilbruck Southern States University Abstract In this case study we will analyze the options which David Schramm will be submitted to decider the use of a new product, RIM groomet is the best option to be used in the 1992 year of cars manufactured by the company General Motors. Throughout the text, concepts will be reviewed on decision making (WilliamRead MoreThe And Management Of Euro Manufacturing Technologies ( Emt ) Essay820 Words   |  4 PagesThis report will provide a microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis to identify potential strengths, and weaknesses, and thereby assessing the opportunities, and threats faced by Tesu. The microeconomic analysis will cover the two influential forces from the porter’s five forces, while the macroeconomic analysis will look at political, economic, and technological factors to analyze the impact on the company’s decisions. MICROECONOMIC ANALYSIS: PORTER’S FIVE FORCES From microeconomic perspective, Tesu’s

Sexual Harassment at Work for Economic Review- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theSexual Harassment at Work for Economic Review. Answer: Salman, M., Abdullah, F., Saleem, A. (2016). Sexual harassment at workplace and its impact on employee turnover intentions.Business Economic Review,8(1), 87-102. This paper analyses in particular the impact of sexual harassment on employee turnover. It tries to establish a relation between the two variables. It specifically considers the educational sector and carries out an in depth statistical analysis. After presenting an elaborate and meticulous research, the paper provides recommendations so that the cases of sexual harassment can be reduced and efficiency and employee retention can be improved. The paper puts forth the problems Pakistani women have been facing in the past and the problems they are now facing in the transitional process from being dominated by men to becoming more practical. As the paper considers proper statistical data and uses primary data collected by using the most efficient instrument which is Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ), the results are appropriate and the recommendations based on those are valid. The paper also considers the point of view of both males and females for this issue, so that the scope of research is broadened. However, it is noticed that the data analyzed consists of a sample size consisting of only 126 people, and so the results and recommendations cannot be applied to a large population and considering a larger sample would make the research more robust. Morral, A. R., Gore, K. L., Schell, T. L. (2015).Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the US Military. Volume 2. Estimates for Department of Defense Service Members from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study. RAND NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH INST SANTA MONICA CA. This paper analyses the scenario of sexual harassment that prevails in the working class of the United States military members. It considers a reiteration of the research conducted in 2014 of the RAND Military Workplace Study (RMWS). It uses a more detailed approach using easier questions, it makes sure of including events that happened only in the year 2014-15 and considers cases that are up to the legal mark of sexual harassment. The paper sheds light on the intensity of those cases by using empirical data and evidences in some cases. The paper highlights a very important sector, where sexual harassment prevails due to the tough conditions and circumstances at work. Being specific to the military sector, it helps gain perspective of the sexual harassment cases which are part of the public sector and not the usual corporate sector. It uses rigorous statistical data and analyses a wide sample consisting of responses from around 560,000 members who provide services in the US military. As it depicts the percentage of population who faced sexual harassment at work in the past one year it provides accurate information. However the recommendations provided are traditional and the policies prescribed will not be put to effect immediately. Holland, K. J., Rabelo, V. C., Gustafson, A. M., Seabrook, R. C., Cortina, L. M. (2016). Sexual harassment against men: Examining the roles of feminist activism, sexuality, and organizational context.Psychology of Men Masculinity,17(1), 17. This paper specifically takes into account the sexual harassment cases of working men. The study does not only include physical exertion but also derogatory comments passed. The study takes firms where employees get associated with feminist activities , where being a part of a sexual minority counts for and where sexual harassment towards men is also catered to. This paper also brings to light how these sexually harassed men are psychologically affected and how their job satisfaction reduces because of these unhealthy experiences. This paper again plays an important role in this study as it shifts focus from women to men and pays greater attention to the sexual minority and uses sexual orientation as a predictor. It asserts that supporting feminism and working in an organization which tolerates sexual harassment toward men causes men to be more prone to be experiencing sexual harassment. The study claims that even in this generation, sexual harassment is meted out to men whose perspective of masculinity differs from the traditional and orthodox beliefs of masculinity. However, the sample size of the responses collected for every question is very small of about 326 men, so the results can vary when applied to a bigger population. McDonald, P., Charlesworth, S., Graham, T. (2015). Developing a framework of effective prevention and response strategies in workplace sexual harassment.Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources,53(1), 41-58. The last paper chosen for this study prescribes effective strategies that if put into force will help reduce this problem. The study uses functioning and timing techniques to formulate and implement preventive strategies at worplaces. It effectively builds a framework to prevent such activities at work places. It reflects how the quality of work and mental stability of the employees gets hampered because of this problem. Unlike the other papers mentioned above which focus on the problem and sheds light on the same problem from different perspectives, this paper provides the cure. It establishes techniques which when integrated forms a framework that if followed might help in reducing sexual harassment and even cure people who have already been exposed to this issue. It also highlights areas on which further research can be done. It segregates the three types of interventions that can be used to deal with the problem, before the situation has arrived, immediately after the harassment has occurred and long after it has occurred. The three sections highlight measures and describe examples based on earlier researches. However, this paper uses only secondary data for the most part and hence is not robust enough. Bibliography: Holland, K. J., Rabelo, V. C., Gustafson, A. M., Seabrook, R. C., Cortina, L. M. (2016). Sexual harassment against men: Examining the roles of feminist activism, sexuality, and organizational context.Psychology of Men Masculinity,17(1), 17. McDonald, P., Charlesworth, S., Graham, T. (2015). Developing a framework of effective prevention and response strategies in workplace sexual harassment.Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources,53(1), 41-58. Morral, A. R., Gore, K. L., Schell, T. L. (2015).Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the US Military. Volume 2. Estimates for Department of Defense Service Members from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study. RAND NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH INST SANTA MONICA CA. Salman, M., Abdullah, F., Saleem, A. (2016). Sexual harassment at workplace and its impact on employee turnover intentions.Business Economic Review,8(1), 87-102.

Lessons from the Mountain free essay sample

Skiing has always had an impact on me. Growing up a skier was the best thing that ever could have happened. At a young age I experienced one of the greatest feelings in the world, the joy of taking my ski boots off at the end of the day. No matter what the ski conditions were, my feet would always feel amazing once I put on my shoes. The only thing that can almost match this is the joy of waking up, looking out mywindow to see that its freshly snowed, and know that I’m going skiing. I’m lucky to experience these feelings quite often. Working at a small, local ski hill has its benefits. The free lift ticket is a major perk. I get to ski seven days a week while theres snow, and this gives me the opportunity to take off my ski boots every single day. We will write a custom essay sample on Lessons from the Mountain or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My passion for skiing is something that I love to share with others. Working at the hill I meet lots of different people and they often times love the sport after Im done teaching them. The differences in learning styles, age, and general balance skills varies with every lesson. The best lesson I ever taught was to a kid named Ryan.Ryan was a seven year old with autism. He had taken a few lessons the year before so he knew how to put on his skis, but not much more. Distracted by the other kids doing jumps, it was tough to keep his attention. When I noticed what he was looking at I asked him if he wanted to jump. He responded with an enthusiastic yes and from there on he was mine. He quickly gained the skills to take the chairlift and eventually we made it to the trail jumps. We looked down the trail, and I told him how proud of him I was for learning enough to get to this point. He went, and as he made it up the jump he didnt realize that he needed speed to help him. He would always wedge to a stop at the top, and the look of disappointment on his face made me more determined to get him to jump. We met several more times and at the end of each lesson we would try the jump.Finally, after eight lessons and countless attempts at the jump, it was the end of the season and our last lesson. He made sure his mom was at the base of the mountain watching him. I gave him one last bit of advice and he was off. When he started off the jump he kept his skis straight and got the couple of inches of air he was looking for. He was so happy. The next season I ran into him again. That year I wasnt his instructor but I knew who was his instructor so I told them to hit the jump. I was glad I could share my love of skiing with someone who might end up loving the sport more than I do.

Philosophy Is A Vast Field. It Examines And Probes Many Different Fiel

Philosophy is a vast field. It examines and probes many different fields. Virtue, morality, immortality, death, and the difference between the psyche (soul) and the soma (body) are just a few of the many different topics which can be covered under the umbrella of philosophy. Philosophers are supposed to be experts on all these subjects. The have well thought out opinions, and they are very learned people. Among the most revered philosophers of all time was Socrates. Living around the 5th century B.C., Socrates was among the first philosophers who wasn't a sophist, meaning that he never felt that he was wise for he was always in the pursuit of knowledge. Unfortunately, Socrates was put to death late in his life. One of his best students, Plato, however, recorded what had occurred on that last day of Socrates' life. On that last day of his life, Socrates made a quite powerful claim. He claimed that philosophy was merely practice for getting used to death and dying. At first, the connection between philosophy and death is not clear. However, as we unravel Socrates' argument backing up his claim, the statement makes a lot of sense. In order for Philosophers to examine their world accurately and learn the truth accurately, they must remove them selves of all distractions. These not only include physical distractions, but they include mental distractions and bodily distractions as well. Philosophers must get used to viewing and examining the world with out any senses. Senses merely hinder and obscure the truth. Sight for example can be fooled easily with optical illusions which occur normally in nature. Sound can be very distracting as well when a philosopher is trying to concentrate. All of these cloud the judgement, and must therefore be detached from the soul. Socrates argues that philosophers must view the world around them with their souls in order to accurately learn about it. However, by detaching their souls from all bodily functions, philosophers may as well be in an induced state of death. In mortem, the soul wanders free and there are no bodily hindrances. Socrates also believed that philosophers look upon death with good cheer and hope. This I find hard to believe because if this were true, the philosopher would not be able to love life, and without the love of life, there is no life to examine and learn about. It is understandable however from another point of view to understand why the philosopher would look forward to death with good cheer. Once the philosopher is dead, his soul is free to roam around without hindrances forever, and all the worlds secrets shall be revealed to him. In fact, Socrates' sees his death as a liberation from the shackles of life for his last wish was for Crito to sacrifice a rooster to Asclepius. This god was normally given sacrifices to free the sickly from the grips of a virus or illness. Perhaps Socrates saw the body as a sickness that fed upon the soul. If this were the case, then indeed Socrates would be happy to leave the bonds of life, for then he could have an eternity to seek out his answers, all without the diversions and distractions of a body. Socrates believed that it was this search that was important, even more so than the answers them selves. Socrates believed that the journey toward the answers is where most of the learning takes place, and it is this journey that truly integrates the answers as part of your very own being.

Harsh Fate - Short story about giving up somthing important for the greater good.

Harsh Fate - Short story about giving up somthing important for the greater good. It had been 2 years since Hassan Feiraz had returned to his home country of Iraq after living most of his life in America. As he was sitting there, listening to his training instructor tell him how to cock a gun to finish reloading after gunning out of ammo in the last cartridge, he couldn't help thinking about how he got to be where he was now. Hassan Feiraz was born in Iraq in 1986.but his family sent him to America when he was six, to attend school there, get an education as well as learn English. When he stayed in America, he lived with a foster family who looked after him and helped him anyway they could. The family had a son named Will, who was exactly the same age as Hassan was. They grew up together and fast became best friends, Hassan was considered part of the family and even with his origin, and he was fitting in nicely.Hassan, parade of girls in whiteHis life couldn't have been any better until the attacks started. September 11 had an impact on every American, especially Hassan.Being of middle-eastern origin he started receiving all of the taunts of the other boys and girls paying out his nationality, calling him words like towel head or telling him to go back to his own country. This made Hassan get extremely depressed and a loathing for America started to form in the bottom of his stomach. The only thing keeping him there was Will. Will would stick up for him and help him ignore the taunts but Will couldn't be around to protect him all the time and eventually Hassan decided it would be best if he returned to his own country to escape the inhuman comments he was getting at school and everywhere else he went.

Cancer and apricot seeds also refered as laetrile or vitamin B 17 Research Proposal

Cancer and apricot seeds also refered as laetrile or vitamin B 17 - Research Proposal Example The natural treatment mechanism that has come to my attention thee use of apricot seeds. Apricot seeds is also known as laetrile or vitamin B 17. Because its natural treatment meechanism â€Å"laetrile is the one most used alternative cancer treatment† (Serfontein, 2011, p. 273). However, laetrile that is found in apricot seeds contains cyanide and benzaldyhide which are very dangerous elements when injected directly in the body. However, cyanide and benzaldyhide exists as compounds of other elements when extracted from plants, in this form they are not harmful to the body (Serfontein, 2011). When cyanide and benzaldyhide exist as part of other compounds they are able to get in and out of normal cells without causing them harm, however once they get into cancer cells â€Å"the cells contain enzymes which hydrolyze cyanogenic glycosides to liberate free hydrogen cyanide and benzaldyhide both of which are highly toxic and kills the cancer cells† (Serfontein, 2011, p. 273) . Jason Vale had been cured from cancer by use of apricot seeds and he also presents evidence of this success (Sade, 2014). Although, MDA prohibits doctors from recommending apricot seeds to patients the product is legal and is sold in the market (Sade, 2014). My research will involve the testing on the validity of the use of Laetrile medication as a treatment of cancer. The research will involve monitoring of three patients as they exclusively use the Laetrile product. The research activity will involve a weekly monitoring recording of the progress of patients as they continue with their medication. With a background literature the expected results from this research are due to be positive. A positive result will mean that a possible alternative natural cheap and natural way of cancer treatment will be

Self-organization in complex systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Self-organization in complex systems - Essay Example The changes in the business environment have constantly altered the ways companies do businesses nowadays. Because of the advancement of technology, environmental factors such as political, economic and the social landscape have been altered, which has caused a drastic shift in terms of the rules of the marketplace. Information Technology plays a huge role in this shift of trends in the market, especially the Internet. The Internet has created numerous possibilities in terms of interactions between many stakeholders of the company, most notably, the consumers. The Internet has enabled the consumers to interact with the company in many ways, making them the most important co-creator of value in the process. Gone are the days when consumers are just a passive group in the past to whom a company offers its products. With the interactivity of the Internet, consumers have been given ways to affect the value-creation in terms of the products that a company offers. Consumers also participat e actively in many areas of the value chain such as marketing, with the creation of online communities and greater networking being made possible by the Internet. This creates a shift in terms of the balance of power, where consumers are active determinants of value.

History and Culture of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History and Culture of China - Essay Example Their work of art during the Qing Dynasty is mainly examined in accordance with the psychological and historical circumstances of the time. This was mainly triggered by the Brutal takeover of the Manchu in which many Chinese harbored a strong cultural consciousness which saw new invaders of the dynasty as foreigners who disgraced the Han ethnic group which constitute the majority population in China. This kind of resentments is considered the atmosphere under which most of the artists worked and reflected in their art (Dynasty Landscape painting). From the paintings done during this period, one is able to see pessimistic dark images; references to the fallen Ming Dynasty, trees and other forms of natural resources were depicted growing in an up-side down position with dense claustrophobic forms (Dynasty Landscape painting). This was a way of expressing their feelings of discomfort. Despite the emperor rulers of the Qing Dynasty view their Machu ethnic group as superior over other sma ll tribes, they did put a cold shoulder on the Chinese culture, and decided to develop and promote the traditional Han Culture and the patrons of art (Dynasty Landscape painting). ... This paper will explore Zheng Banqiao’s artistic work in explaining the history of Chinese Culture with regard to Qing Dynasty. Zheng Banqiao was Chinese artist during the Qing dynasty. He was born in 1693 and passed away in 1765.Zheng Bangiao was a Chinese painter from Jiangsu. He began life in poverty but rose in the exam system to become a magistrate at Shandond. His original name was Zheng Xie; he was among the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. Zheng Bangiao was brought up by the wet nurse’s fee after his mother passed away while he was three years old. He studied in Yizheng School of lyrics while he was twenty years old. He studied poetry while he was twenty six years old in a private school based teaching. He was a great Literati and painter of the Qing Dynasty according to Yoshiho, Chu and Iverson (2007). Zheng Bangiao became a successful candidate of the highest imperial examination in 1736.This was the first year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign. Due to his succe ss Zheng Banqiao was appointed a magistrate. Zheng Banqiao was an incorruptible official; he tried so much to help the poor by applying a relief fund for them. He became critical of the life of an official as he refused to ingratiate himself with the officials. His incorruptible and sympathetic character to the poor annoyed the superiors and he was fired. After he was dismissed from work, he went back home and lived on painting bamboos stones and drawing orchids. Zheng Banqiao was the best poet and composed a lot of poems. He wrote calligraphy works and drawing paints. His works were known as â€Å"Three unique skills† by the whole word. Zheng Banqiao’s poems are very original and focused certain aspects of the Qing dynasty. They were never cliche, he wrote about ordinary

System Analysis Report

System Analysis Report Table of Contents Executive Summary System Vision The purpose of this report is to present the proposed system analysis for the client, Click Connect, with the intention of ensuring all stakeholders involved agree on the planned solution. Throughout the project the analysis, development, implementation and testing phases will be conducted using, the industry standard, agile development life cycle. This specifies that changes can be made if required and appropriate. The system analysis report is intended for all the projects major stakeholders: the client, the academic supervisors and the development team. Firstly, this report will highlight the system vision by expanding on the project description, system capabilities and business benefits. The purpose of this initial section is to ensure that all stakeholders involved agree on the expectations and benefits of the system.   Secondly, in this deliverable the system requirements section is used to describe the functionality listed in the system vision and with the use of diagrams allow for all stakeholders to agree on the system requirements. With the use of a functional decomposition diagram the major subsystem for the Click Connect system have been described and all major functions identified. Alongside this a conceptual data model (entity relationship diagram) is presented to assist in explaining the main business processes and their relationships. It is expected that this diagram will change throughout the iterative development process. Following on, an architecture overview is utilised to highlight the current IT system and any proposed constraints. Finally, in the system requirements section a prioritised list of the system build plans has been included. The purpose of this section is to identify and describe the system requirements and constraints on the system. Thirdly, the project organisation section of this report focuses on the system development approach, the team structure, the overall project plan and risk management plan. Ultimately this section will describe how the system develop will be approached with both its iterative and incremental nature in each build. A Gantt chart has been included to list the major tasks that will be carried out and the proposed timetable that will be followed. This chart, as a part of the overall project plan, includes the tasks and activities highlighted in the system overview. Alongside this, the risk management plan outlines current risks and possible impact they would have on the project completion. The intention of this section is to ensure all stakeholders are across the incremental development and risks involved with this project. Finally, in this document a sign off sheet has been provided to ensure that the client has acknowledge the system overview report and to signal acceptance of the scope, content and expectations laid within. In this section if aspects are to be changed they need to be noted and agreed upon. As well an appendix has been included with client interactions and development artefacts. Project Description Client Background Click Connect English for kids Inc. is not for profit organisation that use technology to connect with disadvantaged students from underprivileged backgrounds. Using skype, volunteers connect with their students to achieve both academic success and self-empowerment for their students. Their focus is on enriching the lives of those less fortunate by teaching English and other skills. Click Connect skype lessons are currently taught out of King David School, in Armadale, where volunteers teach English to students from elementary schools in Israel. They are currently connected with two schools however aspire to educate students from across the globe, when the organisation grows. The program has been acknowledge and welcomed by the Israeli Ministry of Education. History Leading up to the Project Click Connects current website was created by volunteer programmer who designed a basic website. The websites current functions allow for visitors to access information about the organisation and how to contact them. The website also allows for individuals to apply to be a volunteer, which is done by filling out an online form, attaching a police check and a working with childrens check. Alongside this the website has an image carousel which displays images highlighting the students and volunteers learning together. The current website has an upcoming events section, where the client can create, read, update and delete. System Modifications Including System needs and Current Problems The current system is simple and does not provide all necessary functionality that the organisation requires. The clients aspires for the organisation to expand over the next few years and they have acknowledges that a more complex system is required. The dream for client is to have the organisation expand regardless of geographic location and ultimately enable volunteers to teach students from around the world. Firstly, the client has requested that the website to be aesthetically enticing to encourage visitor to either volunteer as a teacher or donate to the organisation. Secondly, the website has a video carousel (vimeo) which the client is not entirely happy with. The client is happy to keep the image carousel however they would like it to be presented better and to include more images of education and the students learning. Thirdly, and arguably the most important aspect, the client would like a secure password protected portal for volunteers to log into and access all the information required. The client would like the volunteers to be able to access lesson information prior to starting the skype lessons. Additionally, as mentioned before, all skye lessons calls are currently made from the King David School in Armadale where volunteers log into skype. The client is requesting if there is a way for volunteers to make their skype lesson calls from home (or any geographic location) via the volunteer portal. With this new feature it will be fundamental that the calls can be monitored so the organisation is aware who is calling the students. This aspect will allow for the organisation to grow and allow for volunteers from around the world to teach the students. Next, the client wants to modify their system to include an internal calendar. This calendar will be used to advise dates of important events and post classes per semester. Additionally, the client currently accepts donations by cheque and responds by writing a handwritten thank you letter to the donor. The client has requested that the revamped website has an aspect for visitors to the website to donate to the organisation. The donation of the aspect will ultimately increase the number of donations received due to the usability and efficiency of online donations. System Capabilities Stakeholders Volunteers: those volunteering time to teach students via skype Admin: those individual/s which manage the system Donors: those individuals who donate to the organisation Teachers: external to the organisation, the teachers managing students receiving lessons Students: external to the organisation, those being taught via skype Activities of Stakeholders Volunteers Make skype calls Check lesson plans View internal calendar Admin Create, read, update, delete content Monitor lessons Update lesson plans Create calendar events Donors: Donate funds Receive donation invoice Context Physical locations the system will be used: Volunteers houses, volunteers schools, currently main administrator client main location is the King David School in Armadale Technology Internet Service Provider Skype Computers/Laptops Website/Browser Based: html, xml, css CakePHP, CodeAnywhere, jQuery Database design, mySQL, phpMyAdmin Vimeo Non-Functional Requirements Security: a secure portal login will ensure security for all stakeholders Reliability: ensuring that software hardware will perform the required tasks Usability: the modified website interface and the internal database system designed to be user friendly and straightforward Extensibility: the client has stated that the organisation will one day be handed over therefore the system will be built in a way that future growth can occur Documentation: user manuals to ensure that the system can be maintained once the Industry experience project has commenced Business Benefits The following business benefits have be derived from the proposed system vision, system capabilities and all meetings held with Click Connect. For the purpose of this report all benefits and have been categorized by who the primary benefiter would be, the action that would be taken and of course the outcome this benefit would have. Volunteers Action: Skype lesson calls made via secure portal Primary benefit: Enables calls to be made regardless of geographic location Outcome: Increasing the number of volunteers as the calls can be made securely from around the globe Action: Internal Calendar Primary benefit: Keep volunteers up to date with semester information and important dates Outcome: Ensure all volunteers are aware of up to date information thus increasing efficiency Donors Action: Donations made online via PayPal Primary benefit: donors can easily donate funds to the organisation online Outcome: Potential increase in amount of donations the organisation will receive as a not for profit organisation these donations are crucial Admin Action: Creating a secure password protected portal Primary benefit: Ensuring that only authorised users (volunteers or approved users) can access sensitive information regarding lesson plans, times and students Outcome: Security for volunteers and students is one of the main priorities for Click Connect. This secure portal will ensure all data and information is safe Action: Monitoring Skype calls Primary benefit: Ensuring security Outcome: the admin (client) will be able access information about when skype calls were made to students Organisation Action: Editing the content and design of the current website Primary benefit: An aesthetically enticing website hypothetically will encourage visitors to the website to be drawn and in and more likely to donate and/or volunteer to the organisation Outcome: Increase in volunteers and donations Action: Improving on current video carousel (vimeo) Primary benefit: Showcasing images of students and teachers learning will put a face to the organisation and encourage those visiting the website to donate and/or volunteer to the organisation Outcome: Increase in volunteers and donations Major Sub-systems (Functional Decomposition Diagram) Figure 1. Functional Decomposition Diagram of Click and Connects System.Remove 1.3 This diagram encompasses different pieces of functionality that the complete system should provide. Each function or subsystem is broken down further into smaller processes. Functional Decomposition Diagram Description The following is a description of each major function or subsystem from Figure 1. 1. Manage Volunteers 1.1 Volunteer Registration Only members of the organisation such as volunteers are allowed to access certain resources. First, potential volunteers are required to input personal information and take a quick survey. Documents and certificates showing proof of working with children are required to become a volunteer. Volunteers are also given a skype account belonging to Click and Connect. 1.2 Login and Authentication Important step in safeguarding the website from attackers. Only volunteers and personnel with administrative rights have a login and username. All other information on the website is public, hence no security restrictions are needed on other pages of the website. Genuine users will be able to access Click and Connects volunteer page or admin page. This is very much dependent on their access rights which is assigned upon account creation. 1.3 Update Teaching Material This an admin function where teaching material can be uploaded and managed. This is a necessary function to ensure that the children are taught a variety of topics and not the same topics by different volunteers. 2. Manage skype sessions Unfortunately, no real solution has been adopted as of yet. (Many holes in understanding of this subsystem) 2.1 Organise Session Times Schools must let the organisation know what days and times during the week they are providing this program for the children. Similarly, volunteers are required to set days and times they are available to participate in skype sessions. 2.2 Volunteer Session Assignment What happens is that the school asks for a certain number of volunteers. (E.g. 5 teams in a classroom means that they will need 5 volunteers for the next hour). Volunteers who are available at the time will be invited to join the skype sessions by clicking on a link or button. 2.3 Update Session Logs Certain information is kept about each skype session between volunteers and the children. This is for security concerns and allows easy tracking of accounts to follow up on flagged behaviour. 3. Manage Donations Visitors are able to make donations by accessing the donation page on the website. PayPals online service will be integrated into Click and Connects website to handle donations. PayPal is a widely accepted brand that takes most credit cards including Visa, MasterCard and American Express. It is also free and does not take any commission. 3.1 Receive Donations The donor is required to submit personal information and payment details in order for donation to be successful. 3.2 Send Emails (Receipt or other) Sending of receipts is going to be an automated process. A receipt will be sent to a donor immediately after their donation has been processed. 4. Manage Website Content Solely an admin function where they can change the content of the website such as images and text. 4.1 Upload Material The admin can make changes to specific elements of the homepage and other pages of the website. An easy to use interface allows uploading of images and texts. It is also possible to specific elements that needs to be changed. Some of these elements include: Images in the Carousel Resource Page History Page Event creation and updates fall under this category as they are just specific places where new content is applied. This will change the homepage under Upcoming Events. 4.2 Update Website Content Once the material has been uploaded, they will be applied where appropriate. The admin has the option to prevent certain content to be changed and can also remove content. (E.g. Admin adds a new video to the website, however, this video does not replace or appear on the front page unless specified.) Constraints Volunteers have a limited number of sessions that they can take each week and month. This constraint is in place so that other volunteers may also get an opportunity to participate especially since the accounts are shared. Volunteers can only have a single account. (1 username and an associated password) Volunteers are assigned 1 skype account. Admin is only able to change the content and not the layout of the website. Not every aspect or page is changeable. See Appendix for development artefacts    Conceptual Data Model Description Our client, Click Connect (CC) manages its database system by storing the information in a number of entities such as: Staff/Admin managing tutors schedule session and receive donation from donors Donor there are mainly two type of donors. Donation can be cash or material such as book Tutor is connected to school and course Country storing the country names. At the moment, CCs tutors are in Australia and there are prospective tutors from New York and Canada Tutor_School is the bridge to connect between tutor and school entities School consist of tutor, class/session and students names Class/Session displays all the available sessions for the school Student stores the required details about the students Course lists different levels of course and its related tutor To display more details, please see Entity Relationship Diagram below Proposed System Architecture Overview The client wish to have a flash screen as a starting point. It displays rich of features as much as possible to attract all visitors with ease of use and navigation. The above image is the initial system architecture overview of our client. Also, it is the only paper base information which we received from CC. this becomes an appendix to the erd The one in the presentation become an appendix Build Plan In each cycle, we will work on a single function or sub-system from Figure 1. Priority: Volunteer Management Function Skype Session Management Function Donations Management Website Content Management See Project Organisation on the next page for more details. System Development Approach The proposed system development for Click and Connect will be created using an Agile development approach. Agile development methodology provides opportunities to assess the direction of a project throughout the development lifecycle. This is achieved through regular cadences of work, known as sprints or iterations, at the end of which teams must present a potentially shippable product increment. By focusing on the repetition of abbreviated work cycles as well as the functional product they yield, agile methodology is described as iterative and incremental. In waterfall, development teams only have one chance to get each aspect of a project right. In an agile paradigm, every aspect of development requirements, design, etc. is continually revisited throughout the lifecycle. Every time we finish a cycle, we stop and test with our client and then get feedback so we can make changes if needed. Otherwise the project wont go towards the right direction. Our project is to develop sub-syst ems based on the website they have at the moment. Functions are prioritised like: 1.Volunteer Management Function 2.Skype Session Management Function 3.Donations Management 4.Website Content Management Team Structure Team Name: Slash Programming Team Number: 8 Team Members: Anthony Nguyen (Project manager) Lauren Madson (Client Liaison) Sinon Sil Hanyu Li As a team, we will all contribute to the project and attend meetings as long as we are able to. Everybodys ideas will be considered and discussed so that we can make a better decision. Each member will have a specific role in the build plan and will all help to work on each cycle. Overall Project Plan Gantt Chart This gantt chart is created from Microsoft Project software. The tasks in this gantt chart are from the initial project plan. We may make changes to the project according to the further information given by our client. Currently we just finished the system overview report. And we will start to build the functions that our client requires. Although we only have 4 main functions to implement, but the subsystems in each function could take some time to build. We will try finish all function before build 5 then we can do system testing and fix small problem we may face. Risk Management Plan Risk Name: Risk Description: Context (What is it? Likelihood of occurring and impact. Low/Medium/High) Risk Management: (prevent, reduce, transfer, contingency, accept) What actions are needed implement the strategy? Risk Name: Poor Time Management Skills (Team Risk) May conflict with incorrect time estimates scheduling Risk Description: Tasks may be allocated poorly. There is a high chance of this happening as many members of Slash Programming work several times a week as well as studying other units. This affects the ability to complete tasks on time and may result of failing to complete development deadlines. Risk Management: (Transfer) Risk Name: Existing Architecture May Conflict with New Design Risk Description: Click and Connects website is being worked on by another Risk Management: Risk Name: Risk Description: Risk Management: Hanyu Risk Name: Budget problem(budget risk) Risk Description: during the development of the system, we may have to expenses, but this organization is non-profit, so it is hard for them to get budget from outside. Risk Management: Apply for help from government Risk Name: Third person involvement (team risk) Risk Description: We heard there is a volunteer called Luke is also working on the website, we may have conflicts in the future. Risk Management: keep each other informed and discuss the possible solutions Laurens section Risk Name: Third party components and plugins (technical risk)Risk Description: Risk Management: Risk Name: Incorrect time estimates scheduling (schedule risks) Risk Description: Risk Management: Project Title: Click and Connect Website Start Date: 30/03/2017 Completion Date: 11/10/2017 Project Duration: 6 months and 12 days. Signature..Date././. Client Signature..Date././. Project Leader Signature..Date././. Client Liaison Signature..Date././. Project Builder Signature..Date././. Project Builder Date Team Member Version 19/03/17 1.00 20/03/17 1.01 20/03/17 1.02 21/03/17 1.03 21/03/17 1.04 22/03/17 1.05 24/03/17 2.00 24/03/17 2.01 24/03/17 2.02 25/03/17 2.03 25/03/17 2.04 25/03/17 2.05 26/03/17 2.06 26/03/17 2.07 27/03/17 2.08 28/03/17 3.00 Client Interaction Meeting minutes Client interaction notes Client weekly updates Development Artefacts User stories The following stories were used to build use case diagrams in the next section. Use Case Diagrams Use case diagrams were used to help build an understanding of functional requirements in Figure 1. Donation Subsystem Skype Session Management Subsystem Volunteer Management Subsystem Website Management Subsystem

Adultery and Society Essay

Much has already been said about Couples – John Updike’s controversial 1968 novel about the lives and indiscretions of well-off couples living in the suburban town of Tarbox, Boston. At first glance, the novel may seem like a run of the mill erotic novel – tawdry and titillating, but nothing more. This was, in fact, the common perception that greeted the novel on its debut in 1968, hence its notoriety as a â€Å"controversial† novel. Much of its hype, however, is not lost, considering the amount of sex – illicit and otherwise – that graces the pages of the novel, as well as the forthright manner with which Updike boldly discusses these activities. Scandal and notoriety prevented a proper and contextual understanding of Updike’s novel, leaving it languishing in literary purgatory. In time, however, with the changes in society and modern views on sex, Updike’s Couples has, to some degree, been resurrected and reevaluated with a different perspective and point of view. Though still shocking in its extensive discussion of adultery and lecherous behavior in general, the novel has finally emerged from under its tag as a bawdy piece of B-rated literature to become one of Updike’s signature novels. No longer viewed as eroticized sensationalism, the novel is now seen as a representation of Updike’s most striking leitmotif: suburban adultery. If not erotica for eroticism’s sake, what then is the central thought in Updike’s Couples? Such is the question that this paper now intends to answer. This paper posits that John Updike’s Couples reflects the collapse of traditional values in the face of modernity particularly in the early 1960s. With the parameters of sexuality shattered by the advent of birth control, wealthy men and women living the â€Å"perfect† life are actually morally in disarray. Society, despite its beautiful and urbane facade, is in reality rotting away and slowly experiencing a moral decay. The beauty of suburbia and its polished citizens stand in sharp contrast to the breakdown of social norms and propriety. Such is the theme of John Updike’s Couples. To prove so, it is necessary to first look into the writer himself, John Updike. Much of his writings reflect his personal opinions, of course, and understanding the writer will most certainly provide a better contextual understanding of the novel. Moreover, it is necessary that a discussion of the era (early 1960s, under the Kennedy administration) be conducted in order to fully relay the circumstances that give way to the morally reprehensible â€Å"system† established by the titular couples. Lastly, this paper shall look into the juxtaposition of aesthetics (the beauty of both the people and the suburban town they inhabit) and the rotten structure of banality they willingly cling to. These are the significant aspects of John Updike’s Couples that shall be discussed. First of all, who was John Updike? Little is known about Updike’s childhood, except that he was born to a middle class Pennsylvania family in 1932. John Updike’s interest in writing began with his mother’s instructions, herself a prolific writer. His mother’s influence proved intense and enduring, giving him the strength and courage to continue with writing. Despite the lack of sufficient funds for his education, Updike’s talents received recognition and earned him a full scholarship at Harvard University, where he joined the Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduation, he joined the New Yorker, which published his first story, Friends from Philadelphia, in 1954. The story would soon be followed by several more of his writings, all published through the New Yorker. By the end of the 1950s, Updike was reaping the fruits of a successful literary career (Pritchard 2000, p. 2). It was not, however, his writing technique that caught the fancy of critics. Though fluid and never boring, it is not his efficient style that gained support for John Updike. Unfortunately, his choice of subject matter overshadowed his style of writing, essentially giving way to the â€Å"controversial† tag. Couples is just one example of his unique point of view and manner of describing even the most intimate of details (Amidon 2005, p. 51). The mention and overt discussion of sex remained quite touchy, if not entirely taboo, even as society during the 1960s had significantly modernized. The effect of his controversial topics, however, had led to a period wherein his writings were shunned, to a certain degree, and remained misclassified as bawdy erotica. â€Å"Suburban adultery†, a topic most associated with John Updike, is born of his own experiences in grappling with the temptations of sex and desire. The writing of the novel Couples came at a time when he was completely confused in his personal life, particularly with regards to his marriage. Updike was in the middle of a passionate love affair and was, in fact, contemplating filing for a divorce. In the end, he decided not to push through with the plan for divorce (Pritchard 2000, p. 119). The topic, therefore, is described vividly in every scene of the novel, reflecting Updike’s own struggle with his inner demons and the destruction of the institution of marriage before his very eyes. The crumbling of his own marriage proved to be the very basis of Couples. To Updike, a certain degree of the story of a failed marriage is â€Å"sad magic† (Pritchard 2000, p. 124). Extramarital relations for Updike are not erotic, despite the manner with which he describes the sexual activities of his characters in the novel. Rather than titillating, the goal of Updike’s prose is to portray the emptiness that these affairs and illicit relationships cause. There is no desire to eroticize or sexualize the characters; the idea is to present the weaknesses of their personalities and the ramifications of unbridled desire. It is not specifically aiming for preaching either, focusing only on the emotional hollowness that gives birth to the seed of lust and temptations in the first place. As Updike himself explains, his idea of sex in his literary achievements is far from intentionally erotic. Rather, the idea is to create a portrait wherein sex is a tool; it is a means by which Updike indicts the weaknesses of society’s moral fiber. As he said of sex in his writings in an interview with CNN, â€Å"I’ve seen it said of my work that it’s ‘anti-aphrodisiac,’ that it doesn’t – that my descriptions of sex doesn’t turn you on. But they’re not really meant to do that. I mean, sex described in detail is not a turn-on† (Austin 1998). Updike is far from a prude, true, yet his writings are not erotic for eroticism’s sake. The goal is to present moral weaknesses, not join banality. Unlike the earlier accusation of critics, the story of Couples is far from erotic, despite its routine use of sexual scenes and explicit activities. The story revolves around the lives of several couples living in an upscale community in Tarbox – a fictional suburb located in Boston. These young couples live wealthy lifestyles and have enough time on their hands to fool around. Piet Hanema, for example, is a serial adulterer. He has trysts with Foxy, as well as with several more of the novel’s women. His decadence is merely one of the morally bankrupt scenes in the story. It is not just Piet, though, who experiences a life of immorality and lack of a moral center. The couples engage in â€Å"wife-swapping† activities, such as in the case of the Applebys and the Little-smiths. None of the members of the community are entirely above the erotic rondalla, sending everyone in the community into a moral tailspin. In the end, however, it is Piet and his mistress Foxy who are cast out from the lot. Piet, since the beginning of the novel, is insistent on gaining freedom from his marriage. Though initially not bent towards the destruction of his own marriage, in the end, Piet divorces his wife Angela and his thrown out of the apartment with his mistress. As Greiner (1984) points out, â€Å"lovers are drawn as much to what destroys marriage as to what supports it† (p. 146). They are far from completely beyond the trappings of love, hence its effect as a double-edged sword. While it is love that bound two souls together under the sacrament of marriage in the first place, it is also â€Å"love† or whatever passes for it that successfully questions the sacrament and stands as a threat to its stability. Despite accepting the sacrament of marriage and his chained life, Piet needs and wants room, seeking sex and love from elsewhere despite his wife’s presence. There is a need to hone his skills as an illicit lover, and the adrenaline rush of such relationships do exist. And yet despite their illicit activities and immoral actions, Updike refuses to view his characters as villains. They are far from perfect, given their morally unstable relationships, and they are all tottering over the edge of hell with their hypocritical Presybterian lives. None of them truly lives up to the Christian ideals, and they can be described as having their own religion – the religion of sex and lust. Despite these errors and flaws, however, the characters are not evil per se. They are, rather, personifications of Updike’s understanding of suburbia and the moral decay that goes on behind the facade of wealth and propriety. They are weak, not evil, and are merely caught in the struggle to keep up with the liberal times even with the significant changes in society during this period (Greiner 1984, p. 148). Unfortunately, the highlighting of adulterous Tarbox soon became news across every home in the United States. Rather than view the sublime veins incorporated in Updike’s novel, it was soon branded sensationalized and controversial. Protests emerged, decrying Updike’s use of explicit words and graphic portrayal of sex. Perhaps most important of these criticisms, however, may be Anatole Broyard’s criticism of Piet Hanema, noting that there could be no sympathy for a â€Å"fornicator† (Greiner 1984, p. 149). In this the critics see the point of Updike’s novel, yet completely miss it as well To classify Updike’s novel as no more than a potboiler is to ignore its finer and less prominent points. To many, the adulterous activities and their graphic descriptions are the core of the novel. Looking past beyond such however, is the only way to find the true meaning of Updike’s Couples. In the world of Tarbox, sex is just another ordinary day. Despite their preoccupation with it, sex is not the core of the community. It is, of course, an ironic glue that brings various couples together and inevitably unhinges them when the time comes. The characters are simply wandering from one relationship to another, in search not of true love, but of companionship and momentary beauty. Rather than portray the couples as treacherous villains determined to subvert the values of the day, Updike presents them as brats unwilling to succumb to the demands of married life. The central concept of their lives is â€Å"fun†, and with the end of each day, beyond the trappings of the suburban community, husband and wife find themselves alone with the bills, the children, the leftover food and the dishes to wash. To a certain degree, such a relationship is less exciting and not quite as desirable as spending time with the equally bored neighbors (Grenier, 1984, p. 151). The couples, therefore, are far from total villains and much easier to understand as adults with the minds of young children, unwilling accept responsibility yet entirely willing to pursue the cult of fun. To say that they are the product of a determinedly lost generation is to heap unnecessary blame on the characters. It is not that they preeminently wished for the structure of such a morally reprehensible situation. The issues in the novel are, in fact, the product of the times. The characters are merely swept up in the current, following the changing values and transitional problems that occur when modernity clashes with traditional values. There are changes in society, with growing wealth and scientific advances, and it is simply not possible to ignore the changes; the characters succumb to the call of the â€Å"wild† despite their surface urbanity. As mentioned earlier, it is not an innate â€Å"evilness† that Updike wishes to uncover in his Couples. The underlying core is less sinister than what critics and censors of his day had easily assumed. In truth, the story of Updike’s novel is no more a potboiler than a thriller. It is simply a portrayal of Updike’s own nostalgic view of the changes in society, including the slow deconstruction of a small town similar to the one he grew up in. Throughout the novel, the tone is largely wistful, reminiscent of a different past. There is something in the manner with which Updike contrasts the beautiful town and the rotting away of its core; a resounding sigh seems to escape Updike’s lips with every word. Much of the story’s very core is essentially reliant on the time frame of the novel. Updike pegs it on the early 1960s, under the Kennedy administration. As he himself pointed out, there is no way that the plot could’ve existed in a different era. He noted that the action â€Å"could have taken place only under Kennedy; the social currents it traces are as specific to those years as flowers in a meadow are to their moment of summer† (Neary 1992, p. 144). There is something specific in the era that Updike particularly takes note of: the introduction of the bill and the liberation of women from the yokes of pregnancy. Without fear of pregnancy hanging over their heads, sex outside of marriage becomes a much more realistic possibility. It is what Updike calls the â€Å"post-pill paradise† (Sheed 1968), a world wherein the problem of unwanted pregnancy no longer exists. Updike describes his characters as wealthier than their predecessors, having been born into an era of relative prosperity. There is no limit to their desire for fulfillment, regardless of the price. They are driven by the id, raised in a culture of â€Å"me† and supported by the changing society. It is not just Tarbox which is changing. It is far from a microcosm entirely separate from the rest of society. Updike does not portray the suburb as a cancer entirely separate and different from the rest of the country. Rather, the suburb of Tarbox is a representative of many. The characters, themselves generic, are easily interchangeable and quite possibly recognizable in any town across the United States. In this world of change, not omly the couples of Tarbox are transformed. They are part of a larger social transformation, and Updike’s focus on their interactions and illicit affairs present his understanding of society (not just suburbia) in general. The couples, though seemingly too deviant and unbelievable to be considered general stereotypes, are in fact Updike’s definition of the moral breakdown of society. It is not an indictment of suburban life (despite the use of the term â€Å"suburban adultery†). The location of his subjects is more of a realistic portrayal than an unfair indictment. His judgment is not one of localization. Rather, Updike is presenting the class most affected by the changes in the Kennedy administration, primarily due to their wealth and social status. It is also in this level that the reality of class versus crass becomes most realize. Behind the beautiful homes and educated facades, there is darkness. The players randomly select their next partner, playing a grand, elaborate and ritualistic game of musical chairs with their neighbors. Play, again, is a significant theme in Updike’s novel, being the central concept that drives the couples to pursue sexual adventures again and again. The significance of the time period should not be ignored. Updike describes his characters as the products of national tribulations. Following the Great Depression and World War II, these young couples find themselves thrust into a new America, one that struggles to keep up the facade of decency while slowly eroded away by modernity and the vulgarity of the new world order. These characters are far from intentionally indecent, however. Their initial goal was to be enveloped in beauty, separate from the staleness of the rest of the nation and the vulgarity that threatens to creep up the morality ladder (Sheed 1968). In the end, however, they find themselves in a vulgarity of their own making, hidden under the sheen of decency and beauty that the suburbs signify. Quoting Updike, â€Å"the ultimate influence of a government whose taxes and commissions and appetite for armaments set limits everywhere, introduced into a nation whose leadership allowed a toothless moralism [sic] to dissemble a certain practiced cunning, into a culture where adolescent passions and homosexual philosophies were not quite yet triumphant, a climate still furtively hedonist† (Neary 1992, p. 146). The passage describes Updike’s view of the world in which the couples were molded. For all their failures and flaws, these characters were but the products of a bigger problem. Society itself, led by the government, was far from the pristine, moral structure it once was. The Applebys, the Little-smiths, the Guerins, the Constantines, the Hanemas etc. are merely the by-products of a flawed era. The destruction of society, therefore, does not begin and end with suburban adultery. It is merely a microcosm of a larger decay – one that goes beyond the wife-swapping activities of the inhabitants of Tarbox, Boston. In part, Updike’s focus is on the period and the circumstances that give rise to the opportunities for suburban adultery. One significant detail that Updike notes is the introduction of birth control. Whereas the novels of the 1950s focused on the â€Å"everyone is pregnant† motif, in Updike’s novel it is more of an â€Å"everyone is guilty† narrative (Greiner 1984, p. 145). Previously, pregnancy outside of marriage was the biggest obstacle for illicit lovers. Physical consummation, after all, could always leave an undeniable proof in the woman’s womb. With the introduction of the pill, however, a new â€Å"paradise† is opened to the people, with the characters of Updike’s Couples taking full advantage of the situation. These new methods of birth control had, to some effect, liberated the characters from the burdens of pregnancy. Now as long as his mistresses would remain on the pill, Piet would have no problems keeping his affairs in order. No longer would the characters of Updike’s novel fear the repercussions of sex outside of marriage, hence the ease with which they gradually fall into the abyss of sexual debauchery and adultery. And yet it seems as if this is just the tip of Updike’s metaphorical discussion. More than an indictment of the potentially â€Å"evil† consequences of birth control (such as the encouragement of promiscuity, perhaps), Updike’s inclusion of the pill is less of a reproach and more of a symbolism. It is not the pill per se that drives the characters into the arms of others. It is the slow break-down of society, particularly religion. The pill is merely a tool by which society slowly presents its disintegration. In itself, it cannot be identified as the cause of social decay. Rather, it is a sign of the changing times – a symbol of the struggle of the old traditional values to keep up with the changes in the modern world. In Updike’s own point of view, the concept of the novel is not really adultery. It is a discussion of the disintegration of society through the disintegration of church. Marriage, after all, is a sacrament. The destruction of marriage, therefore, does not signify the end of a union alone. It is a metaphor for the slow destruction of the church and its foundations. Sex is the new religion (Greiner 1984, p. 149). With the church crumbling and religion not as reliable as it once was, the characters of Updike’s Couples seek comfort and solace from another source. Marriage is not enough to provide the human warmth the characters require. They are not villains, just people trapped by circumstances and incapable of escaping from the needs of the flesh. It is a religion in itself, this search for fun. Quoting from the jacket blurb of Couples, Sheed (1968) notes how one character is supposed to be a priest and the other a scapegoat. In some ways, the idea of a spiritual leader leading the empty towards greater hypocrisy and shallowness is apt for the story. Fred Thorne is identified as the priest, the leader who organizes parties and games for the bored couples. His party on the night of Kennedy’s assassination is telling; the couples swear to be solemn yet soon revert to their partying ways. In a sense, this invokes a feeling of emptiness, of floating through space. These characters have nothing else but their physical selves to cling to. The government’s leader is assassinated, God strikes his own church with lightning and society is giving way underground to new bores. In essence, they are free of religious and political encumbrances, only to realize that without these structures there is almost nothing to hold on to at all. In the end, there is nothing but the warmth that sex provides – be it illicit or otherwise – giving a physical reality to the world. Without this physical connection, they are lost. The couples move around, shuffle in their beautiful clothing and beautiful homes. Beyond the facade however, are emptiness and a world of gradual moral decay. Works Cited Amidon, Stephen. â€Å"Unzipped: John Updike’s Prose is as Supple as Ever in This Chronicle of a Lifetime’s Erotic Exploits. † New Statesman, 134. 4724(2005): 51 Austin, Jonathan. â€Å"His Characters Allow Updike to be ‘Free’. † CNN. Com, 16 November 1998. Available 27 April 2008, from http://edition. cnn. com/books/news/9811/16/updike/index. html Greiner, Donald. John Updike’s Novels. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1984 Neary, John. Something and Nothingness: The Fiction of John Updike and John Fowles. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992 Pritchard, William. Updike: America’s Man of Letters. South Royalton, VT: Steerforth Press, 2000 Sheed, Wilfrid. â€Å"Couples. † The New York Times, 7 April 1968. Available 27 April 2008, from http://www. nytimes. com/1968/04/07/books/updike-couples. html? pagewanted=1 Updike, John. Couples. NY: Ballantine Books, 1999

Doublespeak: Nineteen Eighty-four and George Orwell Essay

The definition of language is expressing our wants or needs to other people. Whether we realize it or not, language is a very important part of our everyday lives. Through our body language, eyes, tone or volume of our voice, words, or appearance, we can communicate things that we want (or sometimes not want) to other people. Unfortunately, language can sometimes be confusing and open to misinterpretation. One instance of this is doublespeak, a vague type of speaking that deliberately shields the meaning of the word, or making the word nicer without ruining its true meaning. Wherever doublespeak is used, ignorance and chaos is sure to follow. Doublespeak is often used by people in power such as senators, presidents, CEOs, and prime ministers. Typically, the speaker may use more complex words which the general public might not know the meaning of. It pretends to communicate, when in reality it leaves the intended audience with little to no idea of what was said and the public becomes ignorant. The term was inspired by George Orwell’s dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Nineteen Eighty-Four takes place in a totalitarian world where the public has become limited to the thoughts of serving The Party, and only The Party. It has become so restricted to the point where a new language has been created in order to stifle the thoughts of its people. This language, Newspeak, is a diminutive version of the English language generated to prevent its oblivious nation with coming up with such foreign concepts as freedom, love, and resistance. The district of Airstrip One is plagued by never ending war, constant surveillance by a being called â€Å"Big Brother,† which is never clear if he actually existed or just a symbol to represent The Party. The Party also used excessive amounts of doublespeak. For example, at one point, the protagonist Winston remembers the chocolate ration to be forty-three grams a week, only to hear the woman on the newsreel inform him that chocolate rations had gone up to twenty-three grams. While this novel is a bit more extreme, there are many similarities to the world that George Orwell created, and our own, the most notable being the excessive amount of doublespeak. William Lutz uses multiple examples of doublespeak used in real life in his essay The World of Doublespeak. He describes an incident in 1978 where an airplane had crashed in Pensacola, Florida, airport where twenty-one people got injured and three people died. The plane was also destroyed in the incident. Because the plane’s insured value was better than the book value, National Airlines received a tax insurance benefit of 1.7 million dollars on the accident. Later in their annual report, they claimed that the 1.7 million dollars was due to an ‘involuntary conversion of a seven-twenty-seven,’ which explained the money effectively without even mentioning the deaths of the three people or the crash in general (Lutz, 179). He also mentions that â€Å"the U.S. navy didn’t pay $2,043 apiece for steel nuts; it paid all that money for ‘hexiform rotatable surface compression units† and that â€Å"the U.S. Air Force paid $214 apiece for Emergency Exit Lights, or flashlights.† Both examples use complex words. While the authors of each example might be trying to compose each statement with the greatest intentions, they both come off stale. In his essay Politics, Propaganda, And Doublespeak, George Orwell states â€Å"people who write in this manner usually have a general emotional meaning- they dislike one thing and want to express solidarity with another- but they are not interested in the detail of what they are saying. A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?† (Orwell, 170) If the authors of the examples had asked themselves such, what they were trying to say might have been a bit clearer to the average member of the public. Sadly, the authors probably did not have these intentions in mind, for this type of doublespeak is purposely meant to mislead. This is the same type of doublespeak that keeps people ignorant, like in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Some aspects of the novel are already upon us. Doublespeak can intentionally and successfully deceive the general public with its vague tendencies. If it continues to be used in excess, we can very possibly end up with a world very similar to Nineteen Eighty-Four- full of chaos and ignorance. Doublespeak is a misuse of language and abuse of communication by those who are in control, and it must be eliminated.

Grow Your Blog With A WordPress Editorial Calendar Plugin

Grow Your Blog With A WordPress Editorial Calendar Plugin Do you have a WordPress blog? Is your blog growing? If the answer is no, there may be a simple reason why †¦and it is as simple as installing a WordPress  editorial calendar plugin. I am sure that youve heard of an editorial calendar, but you may be missing the key to using it as a tool for growing your blog.  Bloggers are discovering this secret to blog growth, and for you, it may only be a click away. Many bloggers have found the secret to blog growth. Have you? #editorialcalendar What Is An Editorial Calendar? Before we get too far, let me review what an editorial calendar is. Skip this part if youve heard it before. An editorial calendar is basically a place where you can see all of your content in a single place. A good editorial calendar will give you a birds-eye-view of your entire content publishing plan, and allows you to visualize your marketing strategy at a glance. It is generally visible as a monthly or weekly calendar. A few of its key benefits include: Providing a canvas for blog post ideas and key topics. A management platform for editorial tasks and team members. A visual publishing schedule that helps you maintain consistency. Drag-and-drop simplicity for adjusting your schedule. A visualized view of your content plan. A platform for promoting your post across many channels. Its easy to see why the prospect of an editorial calendar is pretty alluring for any blogger who is looking to get their content more organized. In the coming year, businesses are set to spend more time and money on content marketing than ever before, and it is easy to see why.  Many companies that blog generate 67% more leads than companies that dont1. Companies that blog generate 67% more leads than companies that dont. #editorialcalendarNot only can an editorial calendar help you grow your blog, it can also help you grow your bottom line. Why You Need An Editorial Calendar For Your WordPress Blog Neil Patel, blogger over at Quick Sprout, has listed the editorial calendar as one of the top 10 growth strategies for small business bloggers, and he has good reason to do so. In recent surveys, at least 61% of consumers say they feel better about, and are more likely to buy from, a company that delivers custom content 1. Content marketing is a smart investment for any business, and that means that we need to protect our investment as much as we can.

Electronic Medical Records

Electronic Medical Records The cost of healthcare is a serious concern for many governments. The health burden seems to be on the rise despite advances in medical technologies. There are newer disease strains, increased virulence of some diseases, issues like drug resistance, and increased people mobility increasing the rate of spread of diseases.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Electronic Medical Records specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is not to say that healthcare has not improved. Rather, it is the recognition that while there is improvement in healthcare standards, the cost is also on the increase. Cost management measure in healthcare includes expanding access to medical insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid. The long-term efficacy of public healthcare systems depends on increasing efficiency to keep the cost of healthcare affordable. IT is proving useful as a means of increasing efficiencies in most industries. IT is already in u se in health facilities. In conventional health facilities, IT finds use in areas such as billing, procurement, pharmaceutical services, and patient registration. However, most conventional IT systems in Health institutions are not integrated. Even where integration exists, usually its aim is to streamline the business process. As such, there was a move to spread the benefits of IT in the management of health information retrieved from patients. This brought about the concept of Electronic Medical Records (EMR). The role of EMR is to make patient information available across the medical value chain to increase the efficiency of medical care. The term Electronic Health Record (EHR) sometimes replaces EMR in literature. Therefore, this paper uses them interchangeably. While EMR refers to the whole system comprising the hardware, software and the medical information in it, the information relating to a specific patient comprises the Personal Health Information (PHI) component of the sy stem. The law protects PHI to deter breaches of patient privacy by parties with access to the information. Structure of the Paper The goal of this paper is to explore the contemporary issues surrounding the implementation of an EMR system. Specifically, the paper examines the stakeholders in the EMR system and their impact on the system. Secondly, the paper looks at the benefits associated with the use of an EMR system.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, the paper examines some of the challenges and controversies EMR systems present. There is a brief look at the legal framework covering the use of EMR systems in America under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009. This discussion gives way to a look at the future of EMR. Stakeholders in the EMR System It takes the effort and cooperation of a number of stakeholders to ensure the proper operation of the EMR system. As an IT-based platform, EMR relies on the expertise of IT professionals to operate. This category of stakeholders includes software designers, software vendors, IT administrators, and Hardware suppliers. Their role is to avail and manage the IT infrastructure on which the system operates. There are several classes of stakeholder under each category. For instance, there are commercial software developers and open source developers. The second category of stakeholders is those in the medical fraternity. They include the medical institutions using the EMR system. They also include the medical professionals who feed information into the system, or access the available information in order to provide care for the patients in the system. In addition, there are support professionals such as laboratory technicians, pharmacists, radiographers and others who pr ovide specialized services in the medical institutions. This category of stakeholder represents the primary users of EMR systems and it is responsible for entering data into the EMR system. Patients form a very important category of stakeholders. They are the primary beneficiaries of the systems. They are also the source of information stored in the EMR systems. Apart from the benefits, patients stand to suffer from risks associated with the operations of the EMR such as wrong records leading to erroneous diagnosis, or breach of their privacy based on wrongful use of the information help in the EMR systems. Patients stand to suffer the most, or benefit the most from EMR systems. Their main concern is the privacy of the information they provide. This is the basis of the HIPAA and HITECH laws.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Electronic Medical Records specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other stakeholders include regulat ors such as health agencies, and researchers who use aggregated information from the EMR to improve the services offered. Researchers who take an interest in EMR systems come from the IT industry and those involved in epidemiology and public health. The federal government also forms part of this group of stakeholders considering it creates the rules that all other players live by. Insurance companies also are important stakeholders in the EMR industry because the operation of the industry affects their businesses. These stakeholders have legitimate claims to access data stored in the EMR systems. Justification of EMR Systems The justification for using EMR revolves around the efficiency of these systems and potential uses of electronic records as compared to paper records. Paper records still feature prominently in medical institutions as the means for gathering patient data. The transition to EMR is still underway, with a legal deadline set at 2015. Paper records are very easy and convenient to handle during data entry. However, information storage and retrieval of paper-based systems is very expensive and inefficient. Paper records create serious logistical challenges that compromise the quality of healthcare. The difficulties of information sharing between institutions make paper records almost useless when it comes to determining a patient’s medical history. EMR on the other hand makes storage and retrieval easy, and reduces duplication of effort. From the level of providing national healthcare, EMR promises to help cut the overall cost associated with health records. By using IT based systems, the need for warehouses to hold patient records disappears. Instead, medical institutions can use general IT silos, constructed for the storage and retrieval of digital information. The health facility does not need to build its own data warehouse because of the availability of space in commercial data warehouses at competitive rates. In addition to these, th e availability of information about a patient from multiple points eliminates the need for duplicate tests because each medical caregiver can refer to test results and treatment history indicated in the PHR of a patient. These records are available with the EMR infrastructure. EMR also assists in increasing the efficiency of the entire healthcare value chain. Within the health facilities, the trend is to integrate the EMR system in use with the business systems such as medical supply order processing systems, and billing systems to increase the efficiency of the medical value chain.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondly, financiers such as insurance companies, can access better information regarding healthcare. This makes it possible for them to offer competitive premium rates based on the data. This is simply another benefit to the medical care value chain. All the stakeholders experience certain advantages derived from the benefits of EMR. Benefits of EMR Apart from the fundamental justification of EMR, there is a need to explore the specific benefits of the EMR systems in more detail. This section discusses the benefits of the EMR to various stakeholders. Patients Patients are the primary beneficiaries of EMR. Most of the advantages stemming from the use of EMR lead to better care for patients. The first advantage that patients get from EMR is that they have more control over their medical information. By using PHR access portals, a patient can add supplementary information to their health record thereby making a permanent entry to the EMR. This control assures the patient that a physic ian taking care of him or her has access to all the important information. EMR systems trace the source of information in it. This enables physicians and other medical professionals to separate information provided by medical professionals, from that given by the patient. The second benefit patients derive from EMR is that they are at a lower risk of wrong diagnosis. This means that a patient can get accurate treatment of ailments simply because the caregiver has access to the patient’s full medical history. Better care means that the patient can recover faster and resume a productive life quicker. The costs of care also diminish because a patient does not have to spend their health cover on repeat tests after moving from one jurisdiction to another. All healthcare providers with access to the EMR have the same record to work from regarding a specific patient. There is no need to create duplicate files about the same patient. EMR also provides physicians and other healthcare providers with several benefits. First, post-entry data management tasks reduce dramatically for the medical professionals. There is no need to spend time classifying paper records and sending them to warehouses. In addition, the process of retrieving information does not involve lengthy searches in a warehouse. Electronic systems make it very easy to access the records of a specific patient. A healthcare professional can view all the tests undertaken and results posted from the comfort of a consultation room, and without waiting for them to come from a warehouse. They can also determine the best course of medical action to take very fast because there is no need to generate a new medical history. Secondly, healthcare providers also enjoy the benefit of reduced risk of making the wrong diagnosis because of the availability of the medical history of any patient they are treating. It also eases referrals to specialists who can then determine treatment and other medical interventions n ecessary for a given patient based on the physicians entry on the EMR. The specialist can view the full history of a patient’s condition without necessarily consulting with all the medical caregivers who have previously attended to the patient. The overall work rate of a physician working with EMR increases because of the ease with which patient records are available. To healthcare institutions, EMR also posts several benefits. The entire institution stands the chance of increasing its overall efficiency by using EMR. In a healthcare facility, paperwork constitutes a critical component of service provision. A healthcare institution can eliminate a layer of overheads related to managing paper records simply by installing an EMR system. This cuts costs and increases the workflow rate in the entire medical institution. For smaller practices, using EMR can increase patient confidence because of the integration with the overall healthcare system. A patient can enjoy personalized s ervice with the assurance that their medical records will be accessible at any other health facility they will visit in the future. Secondly, fewer medical errors by caregivers mean fewer cases of legal action or loss of practice license. This advantage reduces further the overheads a health facility incurs related to legal suits arising from negligence or medical errors caused by poor information. This also creates the added benefit of increasing patient confidence in the institution. Another benefit health a facility derives from an EMR is that it can do away with warehouses used to store medical records in paper format. These warehouses can be quite large because of the amount of paperwork medical records tend to generate. There is a legal requirement to store paper records for at least seven years after their creation. The warehouses also need staff to maintain them. By eliminating paper records, health facilities no longer need to pay salaries of the staff involved in managing paper records. Regulators derive several benefits from EMR. For the purposes of this paper, regulators refer to state and federal authorities active in the health sector. One area where regulators find benefits from the EMR is in the matter of epidemiology. Through the data provided from the EMR, agencies involved in the protection of public health can detect the spread of diseases and other health conditions. This enables them to develop responses that inform the quality of healthcare in their jurisdiction. Similarly, the federal government is in a position to make better healthcare choices based on the data collected through the EMR. Reduction in healthcare costs makes it possible for the federal government to improve the quality and range of services offered to the public based on the benefits derived from EMR systems. In total, EMR leads to a reduced health burden because of efficient care and lower cost of care. This advantage increases the overall productivity of the workforce , and frees resources for use in other areas of the economy. Researchers are very critical in healthcare delivery. Within healthcare, there are several categories of researchers tackling various components of healthcare research. Researchers involved in healthcare issues do not only include medical researchers. There are other categories such as IT researchers and workflow research specialists. The most significant benefit researchers derive from EMR is that it makes available high quality data. Researchers with access to EMR can use very clear data in standard formats to pursue their research needs. Unlike in the past when they had to collect data from various repositories, EMR is one large data pool where researchers can collect data quickly and in highly usable formats. The integrity of the data is also very high. Researchers also enjoy the ease and speed of access to the data. They no longer need to deal with multiple authorities in order to access data. Since it is possible to aggregate electronic data, manipulating it is also very easy, which increases the range and quality of information researchers derive from EMR. It was almost impossible to remove identifying details in paper records to make it easy to use in research. However, with EMR, it is possible to get the information relating to medical histories and treatment regimes without including the personally identifiable patient information. This also reduces the anxiety patients previously felt when researchers perused their data. The final categories of stakeholders who benefit from EMR are other providers of healthcare support services such as insurance agencies and software vendors. Insurance companies are very important partners in healthcare financing. These companies use the data from EMR to calculate premiums. EMR reduces the cost of healthcare by reducing duplicate costs such as repeated medical tests when previous records are not available. In addition, EMR eliminates the time and effort pr eviously used to collect, store and retrieve medical records. This translates to reduced cost of medical insurance and increased quality of the services offered. Other stakeholders who provide support for healthcare also glean many benefits from EMR. For instance, software vendors and hardware providers in the health sector are in business because of the need to install and maintain EMR systems in health facilities. Secondly, better records make it possible for pharmaceutical companies to determine the efficacy of drugs they provide. This is important when carrying out research regarding drug resistance, and when examining potential side effects of recently introduced drugs. These records provide all round benefits for anyone who needs information to provide better services in the healthcare setting. Controversy Surrounding EMR While there are glowing benefits of using an EMR, a number of practical problems accompany the use of EMR. Physicians suffer the brunt of these problems beca use they are the primary data entry professionals in the EMR systems. The first category of problems they encounter relate to usability. Secondly, there are concerns about the overall effectiveness of EMR systems in cost savings for medical institutions. Thirdly, data security is of great concern to patients and finally, there are a number of hardware and software challenges dogging the use of EMR systems. Usability EMR systems have several documented usability problems. These problems come from the fact that there is no general standard when it comes to EMR design. Different software development firms adopt different system design standards for their systems. This results in a situation where there are numerous interfaces for EMR software developed by different companies. The difference in interface layout design is reducing the efficiency of physicians. Physicians have to learn to use different EMR systems in the different facilities where they work. For instance, a physician base d in one medical facility uses the EMR system in that facility to enter patient data. However, when that physician goes to another medical facility either as a consultant or as a supporting physician, chances are that the second facility uses a different EMR system. This makes it necessary for this physician to learn how to use several EMR systems in order to be effective in each health facility that they visit. It is normal for physicians to use several EMR systems depending on the number of healthcare facilities that they work in. This situation is reducing the quality of user experience with EMR systems from the physician’s point of view. In addition to reducing the quality of their experience, it obviously takes a lot of learning to become proficient in the use of several distinct EMR systems. Learning to use different EMR systems is making it very difficult for physicians to operate the systems as efficiently as expected. The systems tend to be complicated with different layout design, menu arrangement, naming protocols, and different data entry procedures. Another well-documented problem is system access. Physicians are suffering from â€Å"password fatigue†. In each facility a physician visits, he needs a password to access the EMR system there. In addition, each time a physician moves from the consultation room to the examination room, he must log out from the previous location and login in the new location. As if this is not enough, many facilities require physicians to change their passwords on a regular basis. Worse still, the passwords settings of some EMR systems require a combination of letters in both upper and lower case, and numbers. This makes access very difficult for physicians. Cost Savings In theory, IT increases operational efficiency, which should result in decreased overheads. Many sectors report gains in efficiency due to the adoption of IT based systems. In fact, even health facilities have seen savings and gains in eff iciency because of the adoption of IT in the procurement of medical supplies and billing. However, IT also comes with costs, which may wipe out any gain in efficiency. There is a lively debate relating to the potential of EMR to cut down healthcare costs. In large facilities, it seems that IT brings in large gains because of the historical operational inefficiencies associated with large medical facilities. Large institutions benefit from the economies of scale, which IT harnesses. However, for smaller practices, the use of EMR systems creates an additional layer of overheads. The cost of installation and maintenance of EMR for small practices can wipe out the benefits it promises. In fact, some researchers have shown that adoption of EMR by small practices can result in increased overheads . It does not always bring about a reduction in operating costs. While EMR systems bring about cost savings that accrued from management of paper records such as warehousing costs, the EMR system s also come with an additional layer of costs. There are hardware and software costs, and the cost associated with maintaining IT staff in the organization. Therefore, it is not always true for every organization that introduces EMR will see savings in their overall costs. On another front, IT systems work at their optimum once there is widespread adoption and use of the systems. The barriers physicians face while using EMR systems is reducing the overall benefits of the systems. For instance, the time it takes to enter data into the EMR is longer than the time it takes for a physician to create a paper record. The experience of a patient getting attention from a physician who is not fluent in the use of EMR systems may be worse than their experience when using the physician uses paper. Security Concerns With the expansion of interconnection of IT based communication platforms in the last two decades, information security has taken center stage as the most significant threat to IT. Individuals and corporations alike need constant assurance that their information will be safe in the long term. With EMR systems, a very large network of people can access the information stored in the system. Any physician with access to the EMR can access data relating to any patient. In addition, there are IT specialists, regulators, and insurance service providers with access to these systems. The numbers of potential people who can access the health records of an individual makes patients feel unsafe to have their PHR stored in EMR systems. That said, there is another layer of threat from cyber criminals. The motive of cyber criminals may by terrorism, criminal intent, or mischief. Whatever the case, patients are wary of the potential outcome of unauthorized access to their health records. Privacy is also a matter of concern for many patients. Different people have different views on privacy, with some regarding privacy as something very important. Other people may not attach a lot of weight to the privacy of the information they provide as long as no one uses it to harm them. EMR complicates the arrangements that previously existed, which assured patients of confidentiality of their personal information under client-doctor privilege. EMR allows anyone with access to the system to access this information. To increase information security, database management technology is advancing. Information silos are taking on data encryption to deter unauthorized access. Such a measure works well for unauthorized users, but it does not prevent leaks from those with authorization to access the EMR. Other data protection measures include the use of passwords, and tracking the users who access data in the EMR. Tracking users do not work in situations where unauthorized persons use the accounts of authorized persons to access patient information in the EMR. Password based systems lack authentication capabilities. Therefore, it is possible to gain access to a physicianâ €™s account in the EMR after obtaining the physician’s password through phising. This demonstrates that there are still serious concerns relating to privacy and information security plaguing the use of EMR systems. Software and Hardware Issues EMR software comes in various forms. The most common form of EMR software is commercial software where the medical facility buys EMR software from a vendor under a license allowing for institution-wide use. Commercial software comes with technical support and at times, the software development company provides training for staff and other EMR users to improve uptake. EMR software is useful only if the users are competent in its operations. Depending on their needs, medical institutions can choose from several commercial EMR software options. Each institution chooses the software that it feels meets its needs in the best way. Apart from commercial software, open source software is also available for facilities that cannot afford comm ercial software, or are not ready or willing to pay for commercial software. Open source software depends on volunteer software developers who keep improving the quality of the software. Usually, a central committee moderates the development of the software and releases improvements over time. Open source software can be a great place to start from because of the lower upfront obligations. That said, open source software frequently lacks dedicated support. The most common type of support available for open source software is through user forums. Through these online forums, users share experiences and potential fixes to glitches in the software. The third type of EMR software is available under the arrangement called Software as a Service (SaaS). This version refers to a system where the software development company retains all rights to the software and does not sell the software as a product to users. Rather they give users a license to use the software for a period. The software remains in the provider’s server and the users access the software on demand. The advantage of SaaS is that the developers can keep adding to the functionality of the service without the need to send copies of updates to the users. This makes SaaS a very reliable way of providing services. Difficulties associated with the use of SaaS include data management and transition to new platforms. Data storage is easier for the institution because the software development company invests in storage hence client health facilities do not need their own data silos. It also protects the medical institutions from local threats such as the crushing of servers, destruction of data silos, and local sabotage. The software development companies can afford to implement higher-level security protocols for the data in their silos. However, the issue of access is still very thorny. Storing patient data in a third-party information warehouse exposes the data to information security threats. It is a lso very difficult to move data to a new data warehouse if the storage facility is not under the control of the health institution. Other software related issues affecting the operation of EMR is data entry capabilities. The latest technologies supporting data query are still insufficient for Natural Language Processing (NLP). NLP refers to the capacity of software to aggregate data related to the same subject but expressed in different phrases. The most developed technologies in this regard utilize keyword search algorithms. Keyword based systems cannot decode contextual meanings when aggregating data. Different physicians use different expressions to refer to the similar conditions. In addition, the medical vocabulary used for similar medical conditions tend to be diverse. The main limitation that this brings about is that it makes data aggregation very difficult. It limits the usability of the data collected in the EMR. One of the ways of overcoming this challenge is by using ele ctronic data collection forms with standardized vocabulary. This option is useful for medical services such as laboratory tests, and for diagnosis. However, the conclusions from these processes cannot fit on a form-based system. A minor issue with huge consequence that also fits in this category of problems is the use of different spellings to refer to the same conditions. The spelling problems arise because of the differences in regional spelling standards, or simply wrong spelling of medical terms based on subjective mistakes. This also complicates the usefulness of EMR systems. Legal Framework for EMR The two main laws surrounding the use of an EMR is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009. These laws define the legally accepted use of medical information and address the rights and liabilities of various stakeholders. In particular, these laws look at the parties involved in conveying health Information and seek to deter the misuse of health information. HIPAA sought to establish limits surrounding the transmission of â€Å"individually identifiable health information†. HIPAA served to reduce the risk of unauthorized information sharing by determining parties with a legal right to access medical records and the penalties for disclosing medical information. Parties with access to personalized medical information include healthcare providers, healthcare funders, and regulatory agencies. Information meant for wider audiences such as researchers, by law, cannot include individually identifiable information. The law requires the removal of all information such as names of patients and the identity of their employers before transmission. Some reviewers of the implementation of these laws felt that medical practitioners were more cautious about sharing information than these laws required . The explanation for this phenomenon is that there is an increase in the number of cases against medical practitioners. The professionals in the field feel that it is better to be stricter than required instead of dealing with a case in court. The Future of EMR It is difficult to imagine a future without EMR systems. While EMR is responsible for a new set of issues, its benefits, and potential, make EMR a necessary part of the future of medical services. The implementation of EMR led to the realization of other potential benefits that a medical facility could derive from it. These benefits outline the future of EMR. The first element is that there will be increasing pressure from healthcare institutions to have EMR systems that improve a physician’s workflow. This is indeed the first advantage that EMR promised in addition to availing the information needed to treat a patient on-demand. A physician’s workflow is a very important business element in the provision of health services. Reducing the work processes a physician undertakes to deliver healthcare, or improving the turnaround, makes physicians more efficient. In terms of resource commitment, a physician who concentrates on the highest value work makes more money for the healthcare facility than the one who handles other mundane tasks that reduce the effective high value time the physician spends waiting for the completion of processes. Future EMR will strive towards improving physician workflow. The essential element of the workflow is the need to have faster, yet safer means of accessing data from different points in the healthcare value chain. There are movements towards e-medicine where a physician is able to treat a patient using virtual contact. In the conceptualization of these systems, an experienced surgeon can supervise a surgery remotely, while specialists can render views on MRI scans and other tests from remote locations. The ability to do this without incurring travel costs will improve physician workflow leading to incr eased profitability for healthcare institutions. Secondly, EMR systems will tend towards greater integration with other electronic systems to improve efficiency. This will take place at various levels. One of the major problems bedeviling EMR is information security. The use of complex passwords is cumbersome especially if there is need to log in at different locations within the same facility. The simplicity of a password based security system explains its current widespread use, not just in EMR, but also across the entire IT industry. The problem with passwords is that there are no means of authenticating a login if a user gives a correct password, even if they are not the ones authorized to use that password. Already, there are many options available for better authentication based on biometrics. The options here include fingerprint scanning, iris scanning, facial recognition, speech pattern recognition, and hand dimension recognition (CITE). These technologies require an additio nal investment in IT infrastructure. In addition, they can only provide security if they are available at all possible access points. It is possible to implement such systems within a closed facility, but it would be very difficult to support remote login. However, with improving technologies, the standardization of security systems will make it possible for EMR systems to implement these security measures. For instance, most of the latest laptops come with a camera as a standard feature. This hardware can form the basis of a face recognition based security option for EHR. There will be an increase in the standardization of EMR systems based on consumer needs. As software developers understand user needs better, they will be a convergence of systems to make it easier for physicians to interact with different EMR systems. In part, this will reduce the current problems physicians face when they move from one facility another with different EMR systems. It is also likely that there wil l be an increasing degree of compatibility between EMR systems to reduce the problems associated with the use of different EMR systems. In the last few years, mobile web is proving to be a serious competitor to traditional computer-based access to the internet. With the advent of smart phones, EMR systems will find their way to mobile devices . Physicians will have the option of accessing EMR systems using applications on their mobile devices. EMR for mobile devices will require different software platforms from those used for computer based access. Its benefits will include round-the-clock access. Physicians will be able to attend to emergencies faster because they will not need to have access to a computer to attend to a patient remotely. Their phones will be sufficient for this role. One of the benefits some healthcare facilities are enjoying from EMR is integration with billing systems and even drug supply. This kind of integration will increase. In the near future, EMR will hav e full integration with e-commerce systems such that after treatment, a patient will be able to pay for services automatically. EMR systems will also include communication integration options reminding a patient of their annual checkups and upcoming appointments either by email or via short messaging to their phones. Patients with electronic health devices such as pace setters, electric wheelchairs, hearing aids, blood sugar monitors among others, will have real time data relating to their health status fed into the EMR automatically. Such devices, in conjunction with mobile communication devices can collect and relay data directly to the EMR. Such systems can then alert a patient to see a physician, and in cases of managed care, the caregivers would have alerts sent to them to check on their patients. These technological possibilities point to multiple futures in the use of EMR. Some of these ideas are already past the research stage, and are simply awaiting commercialization. They will improve the functionality of EMR and will improve the quality of healthcare. Akhtar, Saeed. 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