Finance And Families Essay Example for Free

Finance And Families Essay The population heterogeneity theory forecasts that, stress resistance is closely attached to mortality. Accordingly, persons in a population who pass away prematurely in life will likely be individuals who are less resistant to environmental stresses. Those persons with a high longetivity are those individuals who are very resistant, and these persons as a grouping might have an extremely gradually increasing rate of mortality, yielding an estimated mortality level while the less- resistant clusters pass away. (Viano, E, 1992) Two different perspectives on the causes of marital violence: (Viano, E, 1992, p. 158) i.Feminist perspective: This perspective argues that, violence in the family is created by a patriarchal society in which the power of the male dominates. Historically, marital violence is viewed as been condoned by values as well as norms in the society. Consequently, one of the concrete subjects that the battered woman’s faction is confronted with is defying the tendency of the psychological health profession to renounce a feminist analysis.   ii.Sociological perspective: This perspective argues that, physical violence is not a manifestation of individual pathology. However; it is an essential feature of human association. Physical violence is viewed as almost normal and widespread, in other words, statistically common and ethnically accepted, feature of family life. Therefore, environmental interferences and social system are thought suitable. What is â€Å"double jeopardy† risk regarding women being victims of marital violence? â€Å"Double jeopardy† refers to individuals who are more at danger than the general populace since they are fatalities of other types of oppression: The following groups of females are at risk: (Viano, E, 1992) Ø   Disabled women and girls:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Disabled girls are four times more probable (than the nationwide standard) to be sexually maltreated.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Approximately 53% of women who have been disabled since birth have been maltreated, raped or physically attacked.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Approximately 83% of disabled women will be sexually or physically attacked. Ø   Aboriginals /First states:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An approximated 57% of indigenous females have been sexually maltreated.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The rate of sexual abuse in children in a number of aboriginal societies is as elevated as 75 to 80 % for young women below the age of 8 years. Ø   Fresh Canadians:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dread of the police as well as fear of being exiled frequently keep expatriates and migrant females from reporting family mistreatment. (a)What is child abuse? Child abuse is the emotional/mental or physical ill-treatment of children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes child mistreatment as every act or sequence of taking action or omission or commission by a care giver, parent or other close relative that results in injury, potential injury, or treat of injury to a child. The majority of child abuse takes place in a child’s residence, with a lesser amount taking place in the schools, associations or groups of people the child intermingles with. There are four main types of child abuse: sexual abuse, emotional/mental abuse as well as physical abuse. (Franchi, C, 1987, p. 1) (b)The prevalence of child abuse in the United States: According to the 1997 American National Committee to prevent child abuse, neglect represented approximately 54% of established incidences of child abuse, corporal abuse 22%, sexual exploitation 8%, and additional forms of mistreatment 12%. A report on the well-being of the child by UNICEF affirmed that, the United States ranked lowest amongst developed countries with reverence to the welfare of children. This investigation also established that child abuse and child neglect are far more widespread in families with a single parent than in family units with both parents. (Franchi, C, 1987, p. 1) A study recently carried out by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention established that, approximately 1 in 50 babies in the United States are fatalities of nonfatal maltreatment or neglect. In the U.S, neglect is described as the failure to meet up the fundamental wants of the children comprising food, clothes, shelter as well as access to health care. Researchers established more than 91 000 incidences of neglect within a span of one year (beginning October 2005-September, 2006) with their information emanating from a list of cases authenticated by protective services organizations. (Franchi, C, 1987, p. 1) 5. The concepts and principles f Social Learning Theory:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The social learning theory is the theory that people are taught novel behavior through punishment or explicit reinforcement, or through observational studying of their environment’s social actors. If individuals observe optimistic, desired results in the observed conduct, they are more probable to emulate, adopt or model the conduct themselves. (Akers, R, 2009) Social learning theory is obtained from Gabriel Tarde (1843-1904)’s work which suggested that social learning takes place through four major stages of limitation: (Akers, R, 2009) à ¼Ã‚   Comprehending of concepts à ¼Ã‚   Imitation of seniors. à ¼Ã‚   Close contact. à ¼Ã‚   Role model conduct. REFERENCE LIST Akers, R. (2009) Social Learning and Social Structure: A General Theory of Crime and Deviance. Transaction Publishers.ISBN:1412809991, 9781412809993. Franchi, C. (1987) Child abuse and its consequences: observational approaches. CUP Archive. ISBN: 0521316146, 9780521316149. Viano, E. (1992) Intimate violence: interdisciplinary perspectives. Taylor Francis. ISBN: 560322446, 9781560322443.

George IV: The Prince Regent (1811-1820).

George IV: The Prince Regent (1811-1820). When George IV died, on 26th June, 1830, The Times (founded in 1775) published a scathing obituary saying, as Hibbert (1975) quotes: ‘There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow-creatures than this deceased king. This was not an idiosyncratic view, for both as Prince Regent and later as King, George had been roundly criticised. Although he encouraged the idea that he was ‘the first gentleman of Europe and was doubtless a ‘patron of the Arts- notwithstanding the somewhat mercurial and superficial nature of this ‘patronage, in some cases his faults far outweighed his virtues and from his own family to the general populace he was the object of scorn and derision throughout his life. This is widely reflected in the Art and Literature of the era, where George sat as uneasily as Humpty Dumpty atop a mountain of creativity: not so much its head but its target. Prince George Augustus Frederick reigned as Regent from 1811 until the death of his father, George III, in 1820, when he ascended the throne. George III had bouts of perceived ‘madness (now generally thought to have been due to porphyria, which ironically his son inherited) and more than once his ability to rule was called into question by the parliaments of the time. When it was finally realised that he was unable to function sufficiently even to open Parliament, the nine year Regency began. A time of huge political change, encompassing riots, revolution and the abolition of slavery, and against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, the years of the ‘Regency have come to be associated with an artistic renaissance in which architects such as Nash, encouraged by the Prince, would redesign London; artists like Reynolds and Gainsborough would significantly develop portraiture and the powerfully influential ‘Romantic Movement in Literature, which encompassed the work of poets as diverse as Blake, Byron and Wordsworth, began. Crucially, it was also the time when the novel became widely recognised as an important genre, with the writing of such perennially popular novelists as Sir Walter Scott and Jane Austen. Indeed, it is interesting to consider how Austen, not usually regarded as a ‘controversial writer, reflected the contemporary view of the Prince Regent. Austens novel, Emma, was first published in 1815, and ‘given a lavish supply of three Royal Highnesses in its dedication (Tomalin, 1998). However, Austen was not in favour of this effusive wording, since she disliked the Prince Regent intensely, principally because of his treatment of his wife. In a letter to Martha Lloyd, dated February 16th, 1813, (cited in Le Faye, 1997) she wrote: Poor woman, I shall support her as long as I can, because she is a Woman, because I hate her Husband but I can hardly forgive her for calling herself ‘attached affectionate to a Man whom she must detest the intimacy said to subsist between her Lady Oxford is bad I do not know what to do about it; but if I must give up the Princess, I am resolved at least always to think that she would have been respectable, if the Prince had beh aved only tolerably by her at first. Given that this was Austens profoundly held, if ‘private, opinion of ‘His Royal Highness it can only have been a source of great distress to her to accept the ‘invitation, otherwise ‘command, of the Prince, as an admirer of her work, to offer any dedication at all. Austen really had no choice but to agree, as was explained by his intermediary and librarian, John Murray. Her acquiescence is indicative of the Regents power; his failure to acknowledge the work personally, when published and sent to him as a gift, evidence of his rather superficial, vain nature, especially since he offered the suggestion that she write an ‘historical romance based on his family! Yet, more importantly, perhaps, this telling vignette reveals much of the general opinion of the public, if we take Austen as representative of such. Clearly, the Princess is not thought guiltless, yet she is held less culpable than the Prince: ‘she would have been respectable, writes Austen, surely an indictment against Regency Society in general. Certainly, she had parodied the excesses of the Regency mores in Mansfield Park (1814), where the Crawfords have been literally corrupted at the home of their uncle, ‘the Admiral. Austen simultaneously criticises the practices of Regency Society and the Prince Regent, since he is ‘the First Gentleman and director of this. Being privy to her naval officer brothers stories, she is able to show just how indelicate ‘polite society has become, when Mary Crawford makes use of a rather risquà © double-entendre when dining with the Bertrams. Her reference to having seen more of ‘admirals and rears and vices is shocki ng to both the meekly pious heroine, Fanny Price, and Fannys cousin, the future clergyman, Edmund Bertram. Austen also shows the difference between city and rural life when Edmund criticises Marys abrupt dismissal of the influence of the clergy by saying that, ‘We do not look in great cities for our best morality. The Court, at the centre of ‘City life, with the Prince Regent at its head is thus neatly and obliquely criticised. The fact that the Prince was an ‘admirer of Austens work, notwithstanding, displays her subtlety and his obtuseness. It also shows how wrong it is to think of Austen as uninterested in the ‘important events of her time. She is more than aware of the social evils of the Regency period and in no small measure lays the blame for this at the feet of the ‘immoral Regent himself. Criticism of the Prince is of necessity frequently subliminal, though he was often criticised openly, especially in the contemporary caricatures of such as George Cruikshank and James Gillray. These anti-establishment artists contrast strongly with the ‘official view evidenced in the commissioned portraits of the Prince Regent, and later the King, in the work of portraitists like Sir Thomas Lawrence. Peter Ackroyd, in his London: The Biography (2000) records George being referred to at his coronation as being ‘obliged to present himself, as chief actor in a pantomime. Since the coronation cost a small fortune, the Regents ‘play-acting may be seen as akin to Marie-Antoinettes and almost as dangerous. After all, this was uncomfortably close, chronologically, to the French Revolution, of 1789 and the earlier ‘defection of the Americas, in 1776. Indeed, there was a genuine fear of revolution in England at this time, especially after the assassination of the Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, in 1812, who the Prince had, surprisingly given his previous difficulties with him, confirmed in office. Events such as the Luddite Riots (the backdrop to Charlotte Brontà «s novel of 1849, Shirley) proclaim the unrest which the disparity between the rich and the poor, nowhere more clearly displayed than in the extravagances of the Prince of Wales, was beginning to provoke. The introduction of the Corn Laws, in 1815, made wheat too expensive for the ordinary people whilst increasing the wealth of the nobility via their land and they were simultaneously increasing their workers rents whilst decreasing their wages. As a result, riots erupted throughout the country and led to the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester where eleven people were killed and 400 wounded; an ostentatious heir to the throne was clearly the last thing that was wanted. The early Romantics, stressing emotion over reason, reflected this social unrest and the initial impetus for the writing of such as Blake, Wordsworth, Byron and Shelley was politically radical. Later, when the work of Wordsworth became so imbued in the â⠂¬ËœEstablishment that he was, after Robert Southey, created Poet Laureate, he was severely criticised by his contemporaries and earlier, in the ‘Dedication to his unfinished epic poem, Don Juan (1819-1824) Byron, whose political leanings were towards social reform (he even wrote ‘Song for the Luddites, in 1816) lampooned Robert Southey and, by extension, the Regent, referred to in the poem as ‘Fum the Fourth, our royal bird: Bob Southey! Youre a poet Poet-laureate,   Ã‚  And representative of all the race, Althought is true that you turnd out a Tory at   Last, yours has lately been a common case; And now, my Epic Renegade! what are ye at?   With all the Lakers, in and out of place?   A nest of tuneful persons, to my eye   Like four and twenty Blackbirds in a pye. Southey had mourned Robespierre as ‘the benefactor of mankind on his death (Storey, 1997) but had, like Wordsworth (and even the Regent himself, once a ‘supporter of the French Revolution) modified his views. Byron here castigates his erstwhile fellow reformer and puns on the word ‘pye to link it with the previous Laureate, Henry James Pye, in order to emphasise the satirizing of the principal role of the Poet Laureate i.e. to ‘flatter the ruler, in this case the Prince Regent. Moreover, in the nursery rhyme, the king and queen are diverted by money and pleasure, ‘the counting-house and the ‘bread and honey, a clear link to the excesses of the Regency court. It is worth noting that Byrons ‘Dedication was never published with the Cantos of Don Juan in his lifetime and that the original nursery rhyme is thought to satirise an earlier Kings greed, immorality and excesses, Henry VIII, whom Byron would use to attack the Regent in his poem, ‘ Windsor Poetics. Byron is also scornfully derisive about ‘the Lakers, obviously the ‘Lake Poets, such as Southey and Wordsworth, who Byron saw as having, in modern-day parlance, ‘sold-out to the Tories, having been ‘Renegades in their youth. Byron thus reflects the need for change and the corrupting nature of the Regency court which diverted men from reform by the temptations of the gorgeous trappings of wealth with which the Regent surrounded himself (such as the indulgent ‘Xanadu of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, largely the work of John Nash). Byron was not altogether wrong to criticise his former ‘allies, for it is certainly true that Wordsworth, in line with the roots of the Romantic ideal crystallized by the ‘spirit of the French Revolution (i.e. to discard an outdated way of life and of thinking when it was illegal then even to speak or write of this) changed his ‘radical views ‘radically. In ‘The Prelude (begun in 1805) Wordsworth e xclaimed, ‘bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, echoing the feeling that this was the herald of a new spirit to be embraced: Yet in the regal sceptre, and the pomp Of orders and degrees, I nothing found Then, or had ever, even in crudest youth, That dazzled me, but rather what I mourned And ill could brook, beholding that the best Ruled not, and feeling that they ought to rule. The idea clearly expressed is that ‘the pomp/ Of orders and degrees is empty, vainglorious and unfair. The poet sees the injustices of the world and that ‘the best/Ruled not; nothing could be more critical of the Regency excesses of early Nineteenth Century England. It was, as Byron, Shelley et al believed, a ‘U-turn of epic proportions for Wordsworth, in later life, to ‘re-assess his work and take an Establishment view, and the mockery of Southey in ‘Epic Renegade is thus largely justified, though Byron was not wholly free of hypocrisy himself, of course, nor was Southey alone in his ‘defection to an altered interpretation of the term ‘Romantic, placing the emphasis far more on the harmony with nature which is nowadays usually associated with the movement. Quite the opposite was true of the early Romantic, William Blake. Never ‘in tune with any ‘movement per se, Blake retained a bold, idiosyncratic, reforming and largely anarchistic line throughout his life. In his poem ‘London, from Songs of Experience (1794) Blake openly criticises every level of authority, even the throne: I wander thro each charterd street, Near where the charterd Thames does flow, And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe. In every cry of every Man, In every Infants cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forgd manacles I hear. How the Chimney-sweepers cry Every blackning Church appalls; And the hapless Soldiers sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls. But most thro midnight streets I hear How the youthful Harlots curse Blasts the new born Infants tear, And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse. T. S. Eliots famous remark that Blakes poetry has ‘an honesty against which the whole world conspires because it is unpleasant is clearly evidenced here. His view of London is characterised by being taken from the level of the ordinary man and woman. Like Dickens, later, he opted to be the ‘voice of the ‘common man not the ‘mouthpiece of the Establishment; his ‘sensibility causes him to react to the ‘blood on the ‘Palace walls and though a ‘great London visionary (Ackroyd, 2000, p.15) not blind to its faults. Blakes black ‘streets are ‘charterd, hence, governed, under rule, and therefore intended to be protected. The fact that they are not criticises the entire society from the throne down, encompassing the ‘blackning church which seems oblivious to the social evils embodied in ‘the Chimney-sweepers cry and ‘the youthful Harlots curse. The ‘double-standard of this corruptly led society is loathed by t he poet and he does not shrink from proclaiming his abhorrence. Moreover, in the ‘mind-forgd manacles he sees the hand of the monarch (especially since he first wrote ‘German forged links). The poet exemplifies the reforming zeal which informed early-Romanticism. Blake was a consummate uncompromising artist, whose written work was always accompanied by a painstakingly created engraving on bronze, colour washed, then printed. However, his art was as different from his contemporaries as his writing. The Regency saw the development of detailed Landscapes expressing profound emotional depth. This was very much encouraged by the Prince Regent, who developed his own collection and urged the government to do likewise, inspiring the later foundation of ‘The National Gallery. Samuel Palmers simplicity of style combines with the visionary religious feeling derived from Blake; John Constables peacefully, idyllic rural landscapes, innovatively created in the open air, evoked an England already felt to be slipping away and to be the more so with the coming of the Industrial Revolution. Indeed, much Victorian Literature, written in the mid-nineteenth century, is set in the time of the Regency. For example, Emily Brontà «s Wuthering Heights, published in 1847, begins in 1801, with ‘flashbacks in the dual narrative to the late eighteenth century and Lockwood, the ‘intruder from London, and portrayed as a snobbish ‘dandy, represents the Regency idea that ‘the City was ‘the centre of the Universe. (Interestingly, the Brontà « sisters almost certainly took their models for the ‘wild, untamed heroes of their novels from the writing of this era, too, being ‘Byronic in nature; they were also influenced by their admiration of the Duke of Wellington, a critic of the Prince Regent.) This was quite widespread in the mid nineteenth century, to be found in the works of George Eliot and Thomas Hardy amongst others. Turners wild and deliberately indistinct ‘seascapes influenced later authors as well as artists and the Regents sensitivity to the importance of Art is evidenced in his patronage of it throughout his life. Like Kenneth Grahames ‘Toad, he often became obsessed with fads only to drop them without further thought but it is a testimony to its importance to him that this was not the case with Art, to which he remained devoted in his support and appreciation despite the many deprecating caricatures which satirised his life and reign, calling him, in later life, ‘the Prince of Whales (Le Faye, p. 44) due to his corpulent build; Keats even referred to him as ‘fat George'(Gittings, 1970). Indeed, to some extent, he lampooned himself more successfully, albeit unwittingly, by commissioning ridiculously flattering ‘official portraits by such as Sir Thomas Lawrence (1816). ‘Prinny, as he was known by his inner circle, was equally interested in architecture, commissioning John Nash to renovate Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, as well as to reshape London. In the course of this, the eponymous Regents Park was developed, initially for private use only, from the former Royal Hunting Grounds (Ackroyd, 2000); this, however, was unlikely to endear him to the starving populace of whom he seemed largely oblivious. Even his brother, William IV, later remarked that the Prince Regent had, ‘damned expensive tastes in ‘knicknackery (Brown Cunliffe, 1982, p. 148) but given his uneasy relationship with his family, it was inevitable that any aspect of his life that could be criticised, would be, especially since acknowledgement of Georges defects could only add to the popularity of his successors; the moral and sober replacing the immoral and facile. (This would culminate in the extravagantly ‘wholesome and respectable, Queen Victoria, who is recorded as having disliked being near ‘Uncle King, as she called George IV, saying it was: ‘too disgusting because his face was covered with greasepaint.) Nowhere was this more evident than in the Princes private life, which both as Regent and King, was always ‘very vulnerable; so much so that most of his correspondence was destroyed on his death (Aspinall, 1963). His ‘first love, Mary Robinson, an actress whose stage name was ‘Perdita, received passionate love letters from him in his youth signed ‘Florizel (probably a reference to Shakespeares A Winters Tale where characters so named fall in love: Florizel is a prince, Perdita a royal brought up by a shepherd). Cannily, given the Princes relative penury in later life, she extracted a financial ‘bond from him to be redeemed on his coming of age; surprisingly, the Regent honoured this but then, he was usually generous to his mistresses rather than his wives. Maria Fitzherbert, a twice-widowed Roman Catholic and the love of his life was much less successful financially. Indeed, the Prince frequently borrowed from her and hid from his creditors at her house. Her religion forbade their marriage, but George married her in secret, in 1785, without the consent of the King, thus rendering the union illegal. Nevertheless, he remained close to her to the end of his life and after his death, Wellington, not an admirer of the Prince but keen to preserve the dignity of the monarchy, made it his personal task as executor to burn his correspondence with Mrs. Fitzherbert. This was an exercise in retroactive ‘damage-limitation, because much of the criticism of George had surrounded his ‘marriages and liaisons. His indiscretions made it even easier for the popular press to lampoon him and continue to hold him in very low-esteem, although much of what he achieved was conveniently overlooked or regarded as ‘frivolous. The Times wrote of h im that he preferred ‘a girl and a bottle to politics and a sermon but overlooked the fact that he had this, at least, in common, with most of his contemporaries. George had been compelled by the King, for financial reasons, to marry his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, in 1795. Caroline, it appears, was popular with everyone but the Prince despite her indiscretions, for which many, like Jane Austen, blamed George (when the Prince first saw Caroline, he supposedly called frantically for brandy). They were separated immediately after the birth of their daughter and George banned her from his elaborate coronation. Caroline, not easily deterred, attempted to force her way in but was repelled by the boxers George had hired as pages (Brown Cunliffe, p.234). Nevertheless, she remained very popular with the general public. George was apparently incapable of achieving similar ‘popularity; indeed, he appears to remain largely indifferent to it, even though his coach was physically attacked in 1817. Instead of reacting positively to the unrest, he chose instead to ‘set styles, taking up Regency ‘dandies like ‘Beau Brummell and using them as his ‘model then dropping them in response to trivial quarrels. (Brummell famously retaliated by responding to a royal snub with the question: ‘Whos your fat friend? but paid for it.) George abandoned the use of wig powder when it was taxed, is largely credited with having spread (on Brummells advice) the adoption of the dark simplicity in male attire which replaced the more elaborate and colourful silks and satins of earlier times and he inspired the wearing of ‘tartan. However, in a time of revolution, war and social upheaval, with his people starving, it is, perhaps, easy to see how ‘accomplished tastes could not be acc epted as any kind of serious substitute for strong, moral leadership. Therefore, although much of the criticism of the Regents appearance was itself superficial, behind it lay a deep disquiet about the future monarch which was in no way dispelled when it became a reality. Byron wrote, in ‘Windsor Poetics, of seeing the Regent standing between the coffins of Henry VIII and Charles I, in the royal vault at Windsor (Byron, Poetical Works, p. 73): Famed for contemptuous breach of sacred ties, By headless Charles see heartless Henry lies; Between them stands another sceptred thing It moves, it reigns in all but name, a king: Charles to his people, Henry to his wife, In him the double tyrant starts to life: Justice and death have mixd their dust in vain, Each royal vampire wakes to life again, Ah, what can tombs avail! since these disgorge The blood and dust of both to mould a George. Byron traces an unhappy lineage to its present ‘sceptred thing: a combination of the arrogance of Charles I, ruling, he thought, by ‘Divine Right, and the corrupt, immoral and headstrong, Henry VIII, who tore the country apart for his own vain fulfilment. These ‘royal vampires, feeding in the style of contemporary Gothic horror from the ‘blood of their people, find a hideous reincarnation in the Regent, ‘the double tyrant, George. Byron does not paint a pretty picture but seems, overall, to reflect a common belief. As The Times printed on his death: What eye has wept for him? What heart has heaved one throb of unmercenary sorrow? If he ever had a friend a devoted friend in any rank of life we protest that the name of him or her never reached us. The birth of the future King George IV, initially announced as that of a girl to his disappointed parents, culminated in a more widespread disappointment. Wellington, Georges polar opposite in most things, called him ‘the worst man I ever fell in with in my whole life but later referred to him more appropriately, perhaps, as a ‘medley of a man. Certainly, both as Regent and King, George presided over a period whose influence is still much in evidence but little of this was due to its ruler. A study into the Indifferent Employee: A study into the Indifferent Employee: To Address the Issues of Indifference in the Workforce and to Consider the Motivational Remedies. Rationale for study Indifference can be described as a lack of interest in doing something, the perception of a task being unimportant or work being carried out with a reduced emphasis; sometimes no emphasis on quality and effort. An indifferent individual could be described as apathetic, with the suppression of emotion. Many companies and human resource departments simply do not acknowledge indifference as the widespread problem it truly is. It is difficult to see what a person or organisation is not doing; it is hard to monitor or observe and therefore the better the knowledge and understanding we have the more effectively we can combat the issue. There is little existing research in the area of indifference amongst the workforce, yet it has been highlighted as a contemporary HR phenomena. EVIDENCE Indifference is a term that is used in many different contexts, Indifferent attitudes and behaviour amongst pockets in the workforce ultimately cost organisations time, money and resources. Indifference cov ers a wide range of subjects such as psychology and sociology as well as business and management. It can no longer be ignored. The research aims to give us a better understanding of efficient and cost effective solutions that ensure successful short and long term motivational harmony for the indifferent elements consisting in the workforce. I will investigate and critically analyse the techniques of motivation and how effective they are in tackling todays generation of indifferent attitudes, this will assist me on making recommendations to quash the effect and impact of indifference. Implications Indifferent individuals reverse productivity and reduce efficiency, inevitably influencing others attitudes. I want to highlight the issue of indifference and suggest the appropriate combatant techniques required to effectively tackle and efficiently resolve the problem. Motivation as a subject has been widely debated over the years and the development of theories have allowed us to gain valuable insights and adopt best practises. Yet it is still important to debate the contemporary thoughts and beliefs on the subject as we enter a new age of indifference we need to think about contemporary motivational solutions, I will be considering the relevance of existing theories. Adopting the right motivational drivers and incorporating effective company culture is ever more helpful for successful business. Indifference and motivation have implications for a number of key functions and areas within all organisations; human resources, culture and performance to name but a few. There simply isnt enough contemporary theory considering the scale and implications of the widely disregarded indifferent employee. Although the subject is relatively new, there is literature in relating fields, motivational tactics may provide us the answer; motivation as a subject has had a great deal of literature over the years. However with ever increasing globalisation and interconnectivity; divisions of labour attitudes, more mixed views and a more wide variety of people we need a more coherent and current idea of contemporary issues like indifference; motivation theory needs to evolve with the 21st century. Motivation and Engagement Through examining the different motivational theories I can gain a better understanding of how motivation has helped engagement and improve employee commitment. Ultimately I will be seeking to how appropriate these techniques are to todays managers with reference to tackling indifference in the workplace. Classic management theory such as Taylor (1911) based the early ideology of motivation. I will talk about the different needs based theories such as Maslows hierarchy, including extensions of the theory. Theories focused on extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, having a wider knowledge base of motivation will aid our understanding and provide better direction and through informed tactics to enable managers to adopt the best practise for the indifferent employee. This will help resolve the issues highlighted. Motivation is the driving force for productivity and efficiency within the workforce. Henri Fayol, an early pioneer of management theory, suggests there are four key elements of management; planning, organising, directing and control. Motivation would be categorised under directing, very similar definitions; directing is leading workers to accomplish the organisations goals and making them perform effectively. Theorizing the phenomenon of indifference will help managers eliminate the problem through motivational implementation they will create more competitive human resource base Cui, 2004 emphasises this point, explaining the; need to groom people to become a source of competitive advantage. The existing research directly regarding motivation contrasts with that of indifference; there is a great amount of literature and a variety of views, however the theory is dated and the methods by which some research was tested is ever increasing coming under scrutiny. The study of motivation w ill aid managers in distinguishing the indifferent employee and enable a higher level of understanding and considerations to effective resolutions for an engaged, committed and motivated workforce. Research Questions To examine the implications, gain a more coherent understanding and properly acknowledge the special needs for the indifferent attitudes amongst employees. To investigate the broader aspects in surrounding theory relating to indifference; to better our knowledge of the phenomena. To support the discussion of indifference and new age motivation resolutions, acknowledging the contemporary problem and considering the application of contemporary motivational theory. Discover the techniques adopted to enhance performance and satisfaction of the workforce and find out which motivational factors will influence the indifferent employee best. Literature review The literature review concerning this investigation leads us to various writings of opinions. Some of these opinions express continuity with one another, but other opinions convey more diverse views. The subject itself is multifaceted and carries a great deal of subjectivity through the questions what exactly is an indifferent employee, how can an organisation identify indifference within the workforce, and what are the best solutions to the problem? Indifference needs to be addressed, as Cuming highlights; what is good for the individual is good for the organisation as well (1993, p. 6). So eliminating indifference will benefit an organisation as a whole, its in the organisations intereset that its work force is engaged if not devoted. Indifference and its Repercussions on the Organisation Radwan, 2009 explains Indifference is the state of feeling where you just dont care about taking an action, the problem with indifference is that sometimes you are aware that doing that thing or taking that action will get you much benefit but still you do nothing, indifference is not like lack of motivation because you may lack motivation if you are not aware of the importance of the activity, however if you are aware but still take no action then you are indifferent. What causes the people to surrender and become indifferent is profound and pro-longed dissatisfaction (Geezla, 1998, 136). It is vital for employees to be engaged in their job and have a positive attitude towards their work and their contribution. I will be seeking to understand why and how indifference comes about in the workplace and from my findings conclude with an effective resolution for the problem. Eslami (2010) states people with (indifference) do not care about the future, because as far as they are concerned, there is no difference between present, future and past. This highlights the problems organisations face with elements of an indifferent workforce; how can an organisation implement tactics and strategic vision with employees that are not engaged in their work and sub sequentially do not conform to organisational culture? Indifferent employees deteriorate in behaviour; this has a negative effect on other colleagues and can slow productivity. The scope of indifference in an organization describes the behaviour of someone who carries out the organizations activities without using their talent or creativity. Indifference threatens to destroy encouragement of the employees; reducing their effort and acceptance of responsibilities (Tabaeian, 2001). Whereas Murphy, 2002 highlights indifference as having a more significant effect on organisational culture, he carried out a stu dy that revealed a perceived discrepancy between the official espousal of the values by the company and their actual enactment  The ambivalence of this group towards such values is reflected in the indifference of staff, for whom the values have little salience as drivers of company policy or practice. He then goes on to state the embedding of company values is represented as part of a larger descriptive framework of salience. It is also argued that political considerations, including powerful, unofficial cultural and sub cultural norms, will override the impact of officially espoused, but unembedded, values. Further highlighting the need for a better understanding and contemporary acknowledgement through his statement; Organizations that look to land a fast fix or play politics, rarely bridge isolated silos of discipline, culture, gender or beliefs. To fully understand the idea of an indifferent individual, I will be touching commitment and focusing on engagement. Literature relating to this field will help provide a better understanding of the motivational remedies.Commitment is a kind of devotion including feelings such as trust and reliability that organisations wish to gain from their employees. Whilst not a lot has been directly written on indifference, there is much literature on commitment. The employee should be a productive member of an organisation, rather than enter an employment relationship on the basis of submission and obligation. Submission and obligation can lead to feelings of indifference. Price states that employees should be committed to the organisations mission and values. Price explains that employees will show dedication and enthusiasm only if they want to, and not out of compliance. Prices model is based on an anti-authoritarian viewpoint, so his view is interesting when compared to managerial methods o f motivating indifferent employees. Price attributes the importance of commitment to an individual level. P15 Indifferent employees do not expect much from their organization, except a pay check and in some cases, benefits. Highly indifferent employees see their life as existing separate from work. Those employees who are low in indifference are generally believed to have orientations contrary to the highly indifferent workers. Behaviour plays a key role in understanding this problem. A reason why there has been so little research on this topic is because even if organisations acknowledge indifference they cannot tell what percentage of their workforce are indifferent; people are aware of its existence but they dont feel it occurs at a wide enough level to be taken seriously and have the perception of appropriate procedures in place to counter act the effects. (Grzybowska 2005) A recent study found that 68% of customers who leave do so because of a company employees indifference. How To Get Your Employees To Treat Customers Better Lisa Earle McLeod,  04.26.10, 01:21 PM EDT Indifference not only slows the company operations and efficiency down but can also lead to consumers having a negative experience with the organisation. Writing in an article regarding organisational brainpower, Weber (2010) explains that an organisation opting for a quick fix strategy for resolving issues regarding organisational discipline, culture and beliefs will not work, He stresses the importance of involvement from higher level management; It takes involvement from an institutes top leadership, a willingness to invest time, and talent within teams that come from many sectors of society. He suggests a balanced variety of workers will help engage individuals and improve performance. Indifference needs to be tackle head on, more interaction between low level workers and their superiors is important in reducing the problem, creating a culture that acts as a disincentive to indifference is important but actually noticing and monitoring the problem of indifference and understanding the wider implications and affects is the only way to implement a successful combatant strategy to effectively eradicate the problem whilst ensuring. Motivation Application and Engagement Effectiveness There has been an enormous amount of literature produced regarding motivation over the last century. Motivation theory was first introduced to the world of business by early pioneers such as Taylor. Latham, 2007, explains Taylors research found money was the primary incentive for motivating the workforce. The classical management theory suggests managers should adopt a militant style, authoritarian technique. I do not believe this attitude should be embraced by todays mangers for tackling indifference, although money may be a primary incentive for an indifferent employee, management need to intrinsically motivate, getting the individuals more engaged; this strategy was proven inefficient and not as productive as alternative methods. The importance of motivational factors and the needs of the employee lead to better management resolution, managers cannot go back to this perspective it will not work on a long term basis Prior to Maslow, researchers generally focused on separate motivational factors separately. Maslow (1954) developed the hierarchy of needs, this introduced a fundamental change to the way employee productivity and motivation was perceived and built the foundations for further motivational theory. The hierarchy of needs is a triangular dimension with five elements; Physiological needs, safety/security needs, need for belongingness, self esteem and finally self actualization. Maslow claims all employees will move along the hierarchy. In order to progress you need to fulfil the requirements a particular element to move up the hierarchy. The indifferent employee in many cases is a former team member and was at some stage a substantial contributor, this theory is not applicable with the indifferent employee due to them being at different levels of the hierarchy when the attitude sets in. Existence-relatedness-growth theory similar to Maslows hierarchy suggests motivation is a result of pe ople attempting to satisfy basic needs, unlike Maslows 5 needs Alderfer (1969) suggests there are three needs; existence, relatedness and growth. This theory is more appropriate for tackling indifference. Existence needs would cover the lower aspects of the hierarchy; physiological and safety needs. Related needs would come under esteem and belongingness and growth needs would tend to be towards the top of the hierarchy at the self actualization level. One conflicting view in this theory is that the needs are not progressive in the way that there is no hierarchy; managers having a more productive role in engagement and employee progression will reduce the potential for indifferent attitudes to establish themselves within employees; resolving the issues before they become a problem. Alderfer suggests people may work on satisfying all needs at once rather than satisfying one need to move on to the next. Process theories of motivation focus on relations between performance and satisfaction; Equity theory was introduced through Adams, J, S. (1965). According to Jones R, G. George, J, M. (2003) the equity theory is defined as a theory of motivation that focuses on peoples perceptions of the fairness of their work outcomes relative to their work outputs. The theory is based on a ratio of input and output. The theory argues that inputs such as training and skills will result in outcomes such as pay and fringe benefits. Similar to performance related pay, equity theory suggests the ratio will create absolute fairness. Having the opportunity to earn on a level playing field will satisfy employees and motivate them to better their performance. Equity theory supports the view performance will increase as a result of increased job satisfaction. With successful application of Alderfer; the equity theory will be more effective or justified. Financial reward is not the best incentive for fully engagement of the indifferent employee; intrinsic motivation is more desired and more beneficial for the organisation as a whole. In contrast to this Vroom developed expectancy theory. His views based on that of Lewin (1935) and Rotter (1955) suggest people expect a certain level of effort or performance to achieve desired objectives and goals. Increasing job satisfaction will come as a result of increasing job performance. Vroom (1964) defines two key elements to the theory: expectancy; a momentary belief concerning the likelihood that a particular act will be followed by a particular outcome. Valence; affective orientations toward particular outcomes valence either comes negative or positive, for example a person who prefers attaining an outcome rather than not-attaining the outcome has positive valence. Expectancy theory suggests motivation depends on how strong the expectancy is and how valiant the person finds the task. This is aligned to that of the indifferent employee; one that has lost their way. This indicates job design is crucial for effective performance. Forde Whiddett, (2002) explain the concept of Instrumentality, also developed through expectancy theory, unlike expectancy; instrumentality suggests one outcome will lead to another important outcome. Porter and Lawyer (1968) researched expectancy theory and their findings supported that of Vroom. One criticism they did have was the theory did not take into account ability and job clarity, expectancy theory focused on extrinsic motivation rather than intrinsic. The indifferent employee needs a shift in philosophy to a more intrinsically motivated state of mind in order to resolve the issue indefinitely. McClelland Atkinson (1965) introduced achievement motivational needs theory, the theory is based on behaviour in achievement orientated activities, there are three specific motivational conditions; willingness to participate, ability or perception to achieve the goal; expectancy and there must be an incentive to carry out the task. Achievement theory categorises everyone into different personalities and needs. McClelland found three different types of need; the need for achievement, need for power and the need for affiliation. All have specific traits and tendencies which are explained in detail. This could be a solution, a balance between fairness and progression will help engage indifferent attitudes. Task motivation theory, or better known as goal setting theory was developed through Locke (1968) his study found three important points, Precise goals which can be measured are a much better tool of motivation rather than just giving general goals. More difficult goals lead to a gre ater level of performance compared with easy goals, Peoples decisions are influenced by their behavioural intention. Indifferent attitudes will be hard to stimulate progressive goals setting may have a negative impact for indifferent individuals yet is an appropriate motivator for the common worker aligned to the organisations culture and has a reasonable level of commitment. Latter theories of motivation include Herzberg (1987) who describes motivation as a function of growth from getting intrinsic rewards out of interesting and challenging work. Herzbergs two factor theory is separated between causes of job dissatisfaction named hygiene factors and positive elements of the job leading to satisfaction, named motivators. In his research he points out the opposite of job dissatisfaction will not lead to job satisfaction rather no job satisfaction. The same is true with the other side of the theory regarding motivators. He highlights extrinsic motivation as hygiene factors which will inevitably lead to no job satisfaction or job dissatisfaction. He also suggests the motivational factors i.e. motivators will lead to motivated or unmotivated workforce. Forde, Whiddett. (2002) explain If job satisfaction leads to greater productivity, it makes sense that any improvements in motivators should lead to an improvement in performance. Satisfaction for the job is c rucial, early motivational remedies can help solve the problem. A paternalistic managerial stance will improve communication and the manager can re-bridge the commitment and increase the performance enabling an all round more vigorously engaged individual. More recent theories and expansions on motivation include the development of emotional intelligence, Goleman (1995) deriving from early ideas on social intelligence from Thorndike (1937). Butler and Waldroop acknowledge the importance of four dimensions of relational work: intelligence, interpersonal facilitation, relational creativity and team leadership. This more common theory should be adopted in order to abolish the indifference before it arises. It can provide the employee with more responsibility and a new calling so to speak although risky in the hand sof the indifferent it may have an outstanding affect on engagement and motivation, management intuition and general people skills and assessment should provide an inkling into what needs the indifferent employee is requiring and what can possibly help drive them and reinstate a good level of commitment. Conclusions and Recommendations for further research Classical Management theory and Maslows Hierarchy of Needs are not best appropriate if wanting to motivate the indifferent employee. Alderfers three needs of existence, relatedness and growth are more applicable, indifference could occur from a lack of these needs, building and growing predominately worse over time as a result of managers failing to acknowledge potential capacity for improvement and an individuals workplace progress or even evolution. For effective engagement and sufficient commitment addressing these needs will help the employees stay focused and committed to the job at hand and ensure successful and proud representation. Equity Theory can in some cases help stimulate the employee and reengages them back into good work ethic. Performance related pay structures for example will motivate employees in the short term, with a less impact on that of the indifferent however financial reward is not top priority for routing out the cause and permanently eradicating indiffere nt attitudes within employees. Intrinsic motivation theory provides the best answer; Herzberg 1987 for example, the motivators on this two factor theory can be adopted and utilised in attempting to reverse the effect of indifference. In order to resolve the issue it is necessary to reverse the growing entrenchment of negative work ethic as soon as possible. A number of motivational drivers should be adopted finding the one that works for the employee swiftly is advocated. Managers need to be effective in reforming the philosophy, ethics and morality of its indifferent employees; it is of the upmost importance; Murphy, 2002 states. leaders need charisma to generate the awareness and sentiment. Indifference in employees based in customer faced roles will have a profound negative impact on the customers perception of the organisation. Helpful and useful customer interaction is ever more desired if not required in todays business world. It improves the organisations competitiveness, retains custom and advocates the reputation of the business. Ensuring customers are more than satisfied with their experience is a top priority; the point of interaction with representatives of the organisation plays an important part in credibility. Evidence Without managerial acknowledgement and a suitable, proactive, response; departments will not be as fully efficient and will suffer from poor representation. This low morale should be addressed through changing managerial tactics and applying different motivational engagement tools. There needs to be a change; one of which implements more desire and passion for indifferent members. Motivation drives the workforce; influencing capacity and capability, it is also crucial for implementing the companys mission and image throughout all levels of organisational structure. Motivation enables employees to better embrace the organisations culture. The indifference issue is very real; individuals will persist and their attitudes will free fall. Failing to resolve the matters effectively will result in a wider and more severe impact over time. Changing the mindset of the individual employee in order to fully engage them will reverse any entrenched attitudes. Through the correct motivational and managerial manner they can become exceptional employees once again. Returning the sound work ethic and standard will result in a noticeable and improved individual contribution; a benefit all human resource managers like to see. Managers should have the opportunity for a more decentralised, motivational policy in order to tackle indifferent attitudes. More managerial discretion for methods that will bridge the needs of the indifferent with that of the goals of the organisation should be promoted. There needs to be a change in perspective away from the mainstream motivation, that of one predominate policy applying to all employees is not the path for the solving the indifference problem. When tackling indifference we need to change the motivational approach for different cases; the manager should be able to pick up on key indicators and measures; productivity for example. (Bratton and Golds, 1999) quest model also highlights main functions of HR and provides other aspects and indicators such as absenteeism. Indifferent employees need to perceive management as sufficiently addressing their needs and wants whilst balancing the organisational or departmental goals, desires and expectations, in a fair way. This i s not best done through an appraisal structure but more similar to that of an informal meeting. Individuals are unique and indifference is best tackled when treating cases individually; assertiveness for individual needs will result in a better management practise and are more likely to settle the issue amongst the individual indefinitely. Further research Relatively long term case studies into finding, observing and documenting individual cases will provide a clearer understanding. Implementing different techniques spoken about can truly test the theories; accumulating a wealth of indifferent strategies for individual types perhaps. I recommend these further research ideas; Comparing Indifference in a number of public and private sector organisations will enable a better insight; revealing the issue to see if it is more prone to certain structures, management styles or sectors. A case study observing different effects of a range of motivational tactics using set trial periods for each. Doing this on indifferent employees would be enlightening; By researching further and obtaining these findings this could enable us to categorise different levels or types and potentially identify key catalysts for indifference amongst the workforce. Ethical considerations may have to be taken into account; if observation is carried out without employee knowledge and consent, it will cause concern. Some will argue this is necessary so the outcome is not manipulated; in order to sustain more accurate findings. There are also many variables to take into account, company culture for example, but identifying indifferent employees needs to be acknowledged. if managers are well equipped with the knowhow and can differentiate between a lack of progress or temporary spells of poor performance with an actual indifferent employee then they can see what works best and gain a wider knowledge base for the themselves and the field of interest. Through using productivity measures and observing progress the issue can be studied effectively. Implementing other comparative and assessable variables will enable a more solid base on which findings can be assessed more reputably; ultimately attaining more conclusive and accredited research will drive the issue into the mainstream.

The Scope Of Online Library Management Information Technology Essay

The Scope Of Online Library Management Information Technology Essay Due to the many problems facing with the current system by the college, I made a completely new library management system that can produce automated online system for managing the activities of the library system. It is totally secured system that can be accessed only by the verified user putting the user name and password procedure. To mitigate the issues of conventional and manual method of reservation and distribution of books to readers from library, the online Library Management System has been created. The Library Management System is a web-based online system for assisting both the students/teachers and librarian/staff in borrowing and supervising the books. The system would provide fundamental set of features for adding and/or updating members, adding and/or updating books, getting the list of books, finding out the list of books currently checked out, reserving and borrowing books. Its development includes the formation and maintenance of back-end database with MySQL and front-end application development aspects with PHP. Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Project Scope The scope of Online Library Management System includes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Create distinct product users based on their roles and permissions. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Authenticate users at their login. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Provide the list of books the users can borrow. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Facility to reserve books that are available. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A status page for all users to view books reserved by them. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Facility to cancel the reservation for a book made earlier. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A status page for all users to view books borrowed by them, their individual due dates and their individual penalties if any. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ An interface to view and edit the own profile. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Provide method for adjusting account settings such as passwords. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mechanism to reset the password in case user forgets it. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Providing interface to add or delete books to staffs. 1.2 Problem definition of existing system London College of Engineering and Management has been using the manual library system for handling different activities of the library in the college. We can simply say that the system has been running totally in a paper based. The college does not have any online system to enable students to access the library resources. Main Features Of The Existing System: This LMS (Library Management System) can hold limited number of information and data regarding books, students, and dates when students borrow the books. As mentioned earlier this system is a manual system which manages all this information in the paper based book known as register. Issue Procedure: While issuing the book to the students and/or teachers, first of all one of the college staffs working as a librarian asked the students to show the library card that has already been made by the college for each and every students. If the student does not have library card, then they never issue the book to that particular one. The librarian takes the library card and hold it until the students return the book. In the register, all the information related to the students as well as the book such as accession number, students name and contact details, book title, book author, issue date, return date etc. It is impossible to reserve the book from home. Book Return Procedure: There is a certain procedure that has to be followed by the students and librarian while returning the book. Within the due date, the student is required to return the book. Otherwise, the student has to pay certain amounts as a fine. The book borrowed by the student is being handed over to the librarian and now it is the duty of the librarian to issue the library card to the respective student by declaring that the student is no longer holding that book with him/her. Addition Of New Book: The student can fill a small request form named Request Form For New Book in order to get a desired book which is not available in the college. If more than 8 students are demanding for the same book then only the college meeting is held to discuss how to obtain the book in the library. To keep record of the new book, the library staff needs to fill a form named Add New Book in which there are number of headings to be filled up such as Name of Book, Date of Delivery, Book Title, Author Name, Published Date, Published Year, Edition, Book Category, etc. They need to keep a catalogue and a notice is stick on the library notice board noticing that a particular book is available in the library. Fine System: The librarian is working on keeping the record of penalty paid by the student on not giving back the book on time. Librarian finds out the issue date and return date of the book and if the student fails to return that book within the return date of the book, then he/she has to pay  £1/day as a fine. The fine may get high in the case when the book has been lost or damage by the student. Deletion Procedure: The book record is deleted from the library register book when the book has been lost or totally damaged by the user. Problems With The Current System: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Hard to maintain backup because of large and duplication of data. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Data analysis and access to database is tiresome. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Difficult to obtain book status rapidly. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Updating the details of student/book is a longer process. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Students have to visit the college with an appointment to initialize the process of reservation and/or borrowing. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It is very difficult work to sort the book manually. Data inconsistency may arise in the case of several entries of the same book and in addition whenever a new book is added in the library system. Adding a new book, updating the details of the book and students, and sorting them in a systemic way is somehow impossible. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Due to tear and loss of issue cards, it is required to make a new library card as soon as possible. Again it is time consuming task to find out the information about that particular book. 1.3 Proposed System As a solution, the project titled Library Management System (LMS) is a web-based online system for supervising and managing the transactions in a library. The project Library Management System (LMS) is built up in PHP and backed up with MySQL, which mainly concentrates on basic operations in a library including but not limited to adding/updating members, adding/deleting books, reserving/borrowing books and renewing and returning books all processed online. The proposed system has following advantages. Easy to handle and feasible Fast retrieve to database A smaller amount of error Easy access to all information Look and Feel Environment Rapid transaction Cost reduction All the manual complications in controlling the Library have been rectified by implementing this computerization system. The system has been developed to control the behavior, jobs and requirements of each individual category of users. The users are categorized as students, teachers and staffs. Students and teachers are active members of book users whereas the staffs control the distribution and maintenance of library books. Key Words Involved In the Proposed System: The following entities are involved in the proposed system: Staff Teacher Student Instruction Account Summery Account Summery View/Edit Profile View/Edit Profile View/Edit Profile Change Password Change Password Change Password Book Catalogue Book Catalogue Book Catalogue Add Books Reserved Book Reserved Book Issue Books Borrowed Book Borrowed Book Receive Books Add User Lookup Profiles By viewing the keywords involved in the proposed system, we can easily estimate what is all about the system is. Chapter 2: Literature review Different development methodologies can be adopted to develop the system. The following common methodologies are: 2.1 Waterfall Model The waterfall model was initiated as a first sequential design process in which progress is downward. It is also called as a traditional model. There is no upward flow. That is why it is named as waterfall. It is a linear software development lifecycle model. Requirements/ Analysis Design Implementation Coding Testing Fig. 2.1 Waterfall Model The waterfall model has been prepared on numerous phases particularly to improve the system. By following this technique, the system will be divided into several phases thus reducing out the whole process. For instance you are in the Phase I, it would not go to the next phase i.e. Phase II until the Phase I has done completely. In the same process, you will go to the next phase like as waterfall. Once you go to the next phase, you cannot turn back. Advantages The Waterfall model is simple and easy to use. Easy to manage because of the inflexibility of the model each phase has a review process. All the phases are developed and completed sequentially i.e. one by one. It works fine for minor systems having well-understood requirements. Strong documentation is obtainable because a lot of paper work is done in waterfall model. Disadvantages Modifying scope at some point in the life cycle can destroy the system. There are high amount of risk and insecurity. A lot of time is wasted. When to use the waterfall model: Requirements are extremely well known, clearly understood and fixed. The organization has knowledge of alike projects. Tools and techniques are understood. There are no vague needs. The project is short. 2.2 Spiral Model Spiral model is one of the best model for software development which merge both prototyping and designing in different stages of the development process. It is like designing the first prototype of the concept, its requirements and plan at the end of the first stage. Likewise we create another prototype which consists of drafting the requirements, validating and testing it in another stage. Similarly whole development process runs similarly throughout the entire process of software development which is called spiral model of software development. This model also used the features of the both prototyping and waterfall model which makes it very efficient and effective software development model. This also the main reason that software engineer uses this model to develop very complex and sophisticated software. It is basically used in military, future combat, scientific research and so on. Fig. 2.2 Spiral Model Individual consequent spirals develops on the baseline spiral. During the planning phase, all the requirements needed are collected. Risk and solution are identified in the risk analysis phase where a process is undertaken. Finally, a prototype is produced. The next phase is the evaluation phase where the clients are given the project to evaluate the outcomes before it goes on to the next spiral. Advantages It minimizes risk because of high level of risk analysis in the different stages of the development process. It is highly recommended to those projects which are very complex and sophisticated. Unlike other model, this model is quiet flexible which means that if we want add some functionality at a later date then we can do so. Disadvantages It requires very highly skilled manpower to analyze and identify the risk. This model is expensive than other models because of the expertise it requires to develop and analyze the system. Main success of the project is highly depends upon the analysis stage which means beginning of the stage. This model is not effective and efficient for the small projects. 2.3 Prototype Model Prototyping model is such types of model which is used to develop sample of the product including all the requirements in the early stage of software development. This model basically follows the simple concept of test and trail for the precise development of the product. First, we design the concept, built its prototype and then we test that prototype. If there is any problem in that prototype then we go back to our design, makes some changes; after that again we design another prototype and then we test it. In this way whole process runs throughout the period until or unless we get the final product. This is how prototyping model works. It is mostly used in development of webpage based systems. It is especially used to develop e-commerce sites, shopping sites, catalogue page and product order page etc. Fig. 2.3 Prototype Model Advantages Early development of prototype gives an idea of how the final product looks like. Early development of prototype allows us to find problems in our system in early stage so it reduces time to develop final product. It is one of the costs effective software development process. It also allows active participation between its user and producer of the product. Disadvantages It is vulnerable if there are lots of end users as well as it might take long time to develop the product. It might not combine overall needs of the organization as a whole. It is not suitable for development of large products. Structure and design of the system could go other way than that of the original design. When to use Prototype model: Prototype model should be used when the desired system needs to have a lot of interaction with the end users. Typically, online systems, web interfaces have a very high amount of interaction with end users, are best suited for Prototype model. It might take a while for a system to be built that allows ease of use and needs minimal training for the end user. Prototyping ensures that the end users constantly work with the system and provide a feedback which is incorporated in the prototype to result in a useable system. They are excellent for designing good human computer interface systems. 2.4 Rapid Application Development Model (RAD) As its name implies, Rapid Application Development is one of the fastest ways of developing software. It uses minimal planning for its prototype which makes it easier to develop software much faster. Instead of wasting time for planning and design, they simply merge planning with construction phase. It means that planning and construction goes together which ultimately makes it more flexible to changes of the requirement in the middle of the construction. We can call it as an incremental process model that insistences a small development phase. This approach is mostly used in such types of environment which needs fast response. Similarly, when the system is needed than early set development time then this approach is suitable to provide a fast response. It is specially used to developed systems for share markets, IT (Information technology) companies and so on. Fig. 2.4 Rapid Application Development Model (RAD) Advantages It reduces the time while developing the software. Different components can be reused. It provides higher customer satisfaction due to active involvement during software development. It supports the feedback of the customer. It helps to improve integration issue as well. Disadvantages It depends upon the highly qualified team and developers to identify the requirements. It is costly method due to cost of modeling and automated generation coding. It requires highly-skilled manpower. RAD can only develop those system which can be modularized. When to use Prototype Model: It should be used if the requirements are well identified. It should be used if there is enough high-skilled manpower and the high amount of cost that needed for the entire project. It should be used that can be modularized in a short period of time. It should be used if there is availability of the user involved during the entire life cycle of the system development. 2.5 Agile Methodology Agile is one of the rapid ways of developing software. It is also one of the main types of incremental model where different results of different phases were merged together and send for through testing. After that, these results are use for application development. Because of incremental model, small software produces with quick phases. It is cooperative as well because the developers and clients are working frequently together with good communication. It is straightforward due to its well documentation, simple, and easy to learn. It is also well adaptive in nature. At any time, changes can be made easily without difficulty. There are different organization that are using this approach as for example, General Electronics (GE), British Airways, NYSE Euronext and several other agencies. Fig. 2.5 Agile Methodology Type of Agile Methodology: Extreme Programming Scrum Crystal family of methodologies Feature Driven Development Rational Unified Process Dynamic Systems Development Method Adaptive Software Development Open Source Software Development Other Agile Methods Agile Modeling Pragmatic Programming Advantages It is a rapid way of development of software so client satisfaction is high. Client satisfaction is emphasize that means interaction with client is high so less chance of product failure. There is a good communication between developers and clients. It is very flexible that even late changes in requirements are adopted without any problems. Disadvantages If organization representative is not sure about the specific requirement for the organization then whole software development process will be on jeopardy. When developing a large product for large organization it will be very difficult to achieve and measure the requirements needed for the development of application. It gives less emphasis to design and process of the requirements. It requires very highly experienced manpower which will often make this process quite expensive. When to use Agile Methodology: It should be used if the system needs some certain changes in the middle of time. These changes are possible with a minimum amount of cost. It should be used if you want to make a good communications between the clients and developers so that client gets fully satisfaction with no error. It should be used if the system needs a good design and technical excellence. Out of the above methodologies, I have chosen Rational Unified Process (RUP). In my project, I have implemented Rational Unified Process as a methodology where Joint Application Development is possible and inception, elaboration, construction, and transition phases are overlapped so that feedback from the client can be effectively implemented in my system. 2.6 Tools and Technologies Used HTML5 HTML is hyper text mark-up language which is the core part of the internet. HTML 5 is a fifth revised version of the HTML. This mark-up language is very important for the structuring the framework and presenting the design in the World Wide Web. This HTML 5 is revised version which is W3C candidate recommendation. It means that it is in most optimum stage than any other old version released. The key difference in the HTML 5 is that it is more users friendly as well as supports all the latest multimedia. The main aim of this language is to create a easy communication through language between the computer and its users. CSS3 Cascading style sheet is such types of language which is used for the presentation of the documents written in mark-up language. This style sheet is basically used in web based systems and its main function is to bring the life in those systems by using creativity of the developers. CSS3 is just another version of the CSS which holds some extra styling functions than its old version. It allows you for more alternatives for HTML tags and also explains how it can be shown in the WebPages. The modular construction also allows CSS3 to be more flexible for the developers and end users as well. PHP It is an abbreviation of Perl Hypertext Pre-processor. It has been widely used as the web based system development and web page development. It is an open source scripting language used to create dynamic web content which can be link with database and ultimately makes it more interactive. In PHP based web pages when a page is clicked or requested by end user it execute PHP script and automatically link that page with database which makes it more dynamic than other scripting language. Why PHP not ASP in this project ? 1. On Server: ASP operates only in windows ( can also run on Linux but not supported by many host and not so compatible), while PHP runs on both Linux and windows server. 2. On Database: ASP support s all databases but its best run with Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL but does not run well with MYSQL; one may get problems on paging . PHP runs best and easily support with MySQL and Microsoft SQL. 3. In Programming: With PHP, one can also easily work on server related programming like DNS, metadata, etc. but in ASP, it is very hard to perform on server side manipulation and one needs special permission to do that from admin. Typically, the same functionality can be accomplished in less code with PHP than with ASP. This is because the HTTP GET and POST variables are created automatically by PHP as global variables, thus eliminating the step of extracting them from the ASP Request object. 4. In Finance: Many add-ons for PHP are free (if hosted on Linux). but with ASP one needs to pay for almost everything like mail component, ftp component, image upload component etc. Therefore, PHP is more powerful tool for a dynamic web pages. MySQL It is one of most famous open source relational database management system which is based on Structured Query Language. It can support multiple accesses in its database, which makes it one of the most famous database management systems for development of web based systems. MySQL is used in different kinds of application including data warehousing, e-commerce, web databases, logging and distribution application and so on. AJAX It is an abbreviation of Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. The main purpose of AJAX is to manage different tools together for example HTML, JavaScript, CSS and so on. By managing like this it will help web application to be more users friendly and dynamic. JavaScript JavaScript is a client side decoded scripting language developed by Netscape to build interactive sites. It is basically used to do different tasks like trigger a linked to a page to generate popup windows, trigger a graphic images and text and so on. It is also used in validation of the form and authentication of information provided in the web pages by the end users. jQuery It is an open source JavaScript Library that fulfill the gap between different tools used for the development of web. It helps to abridges outcome management HTML file negotiating, animating and Ajax interfaces for a web development. It is another way of writing JavaScript. Apache HTTP Server It is simply a public-domain open source which is developed by loosely-knit group of programmers in 1995. The main function of this server is to support different commercial applications and web services standards. It also supports a variety of features and most of them are complied together to support core functionality. These can range from server-side programming language support to authentication schemes. HTTP HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol used by World Wide Web. It is a main foundation of communication of World Wide Web. Hypertext is multi-linear sets of objects, building a network by hyper links between nodes, which also called text of word and HTTP is that protocol which is used to transfer that hypertext. Microsoft Visio Microsoft Visio is an application used for drawing layouts, blueprints, flowcharts, schematic diagrams etc. For this project, I used this application for ER diagram, diagrams for methodologies, and tables. With the help of this application, I have completed my diagrams and tables without taking longer time.

Big Fun in BookWorld: Jasper Fforde’s The Well of Lost Plots :: Essays Papers

Big Fun in BookWorld: Jasper Fforde’s The Well of Lost Plots The Well of Lost Plots is a highly entertaining romp through the strange, yet mostly familiar world from the imagination (and extensive reading list) of Jasper Fforde. This is the third book in a series that continues to grow. In the first two books, The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book, our heroine Thursday Next is a literary detective for the Special Operations Network (or SpecOps) of the British Police Force. She verifies the authenticity of rare books and manuscripts, investigates thefts and other criminal behavior, and looks into anything out of the ordinary related to the literary world. Thursday Next’s world is our world – with a few twists. Due to the invention of time travel, and subsequent disruptions of the time line, things have turned out a little different in Thursday’s mid-1980’s England. For instance, when the series begins England is still fighting the Crimean War. This world is a strange mixture of high-tech and no-tech. The airplane was never invented, nor apparently needed. But mega-corporations such as the sinister and omnipresent Goliath Corporation engage in genetic experiments that, among other things, reintroduce from extinction both the Dodo bird and Neanderthal man. In The Eyre Affair Thursday discovers that she has an unexpected talent – she can read herself into books. She discovers BookWorld, the world behind the world of fiction, where characters from literature have lives beyond the pages of their books. In Lost in a Good Book Thursday becomes an agent for Jurisfiction, the agency that keeps order in BookWorld. She is recruited by Miss Havisham (yes, from Dickens’ Great Expectations) and, in addition to retrieving a former enemy from Poe’s The Raven, she manages to save all life on earth from turning into a gooey pink sludge. In The Well of Lost Plots, the third book of the series, Thursday is living in BookWorld hiding out from the Goliath Corporation and hoping to find some peace and quiet. What she finds instead is bureaucracy, politics, intrigue, and a messy underworld; all of which fuel the creative process of fiction writing. When Jurisfiction agents start dying in freak accidents, Thursday begins an investigation that leads her to uncover corruption at the highest levels in BookWorld. This series is the embodiment of metafiction, which The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition (http://www.dictionary.com) defines as â€Å"fiction that deals, often playfully and self-referentially, with the writing of fiction or its conventions.

The Pro Life Fetal Rights Movement :: Government Laws Fetus Papers

The Pro Life Fetal Rights Movement Problems with format Pro-life rhetoric is reshaping history to make room for a new class of citizens. The members of this new identity group are called "fetuses," and their legal protection is crucial to the heritage of and future of America. Lauren Berlant, in her essay, "America, 'Fat,' the Fetus"; describes the pro-life motivation to present fetuses as a class of citizens, and thereby add "a new group of "persons" to "the people"" (Berlant, 98). To do so, pro-lifers exploit the current convergence of public and private spheres. In the intimate public sphere, citizens are defined not by a common civic duty, but instead, by a shared morality. In this crisis of citizenship, with no one quite sure of where s/he stands in relation to the norm, and everyone forced into an identity politics, the fetus represents the ideal citizen - utterly vulnerable and in need of government protection. Pro-life arguments describing fetuses as the ultimately silenced, victimized minority capitalize on the shifting meanings of citizenship to find a place for the fetus within it. By mixing the language of minority politics (asserting distinct identities of classes of people who are victimized by society) and Reaganite ideology (affirming the politicization of the private sphere overseen by the government (Berlant, 3), the pro-lifers constructed the fetus as an image of perfect vulnerability: "the unprotected person, the citizen without a country or a future, the fetus unjustly imprisoned in its mother's hostile gulag" (Berlant, 97). The fetus's vulnerability and minority status speaks to the plight of the newly distinguished class of normative citizens (usually white, straight, middle-class men). "The culture of national fetality also newly touches the previously privileged  ¨C because unmarked  ¨C unexceptional citizen ¡Ã‚ ­ His new exposure to mass-mediated identity politics makes him experience himself as suddenly embodied and therefore vulnerable. An entire culture can come to identify with, and as, a fetus" (Berlant, 86). Feeling suddenly embodied and vulnerable, only recently exposed to identity politics, the formerly unmarked, nondescript citizens can now, too, relate to the minority-identity that the fetus has come to represent. At the same that the fetus is achieving minority status, the pro-life ideology is also placing its fate into the tale of our nation, making protection of the fetus crucial to the country's future. "Since we "are" what we have always "done," we violate our true selves if we act in ways that are different" (Condit, 44).

Ethnic Diversity Essay

Answer each question in 50 to 150 words. Provide citations for all the sources you use. 1. What is diversity? Why is diversity valued? Diversity is the combination of different races of people, religions, and culture. Diversity is important to constantly grow and learn new ideas that will help our society become a better environment to live in. Diversity is value because it allows us to learn different things that may help up us in life, that our own culture does teach, or provide. 2. What is ethnocentrism? In what ways can ethnocentrism be detrimental to a society? Ethnocentrism is a term that is used to describe the tendency that someone will believe his or her own customs and traditions are better than anyone else’s. It is determined that no culture is perfect, and closing society from the great custom of other cultures does not allow one a chance to solve all problems, and learn what others know that we are custom to disbelieve in. 3. Define emigration and immigration. Emigration is a person leaving a country, and Immigration is a person entering a country. E in Emigration can mean exit, and I in immigration can mean in. Many get these to word mixed up, mainly in ones English or History class as a student. For example the United States are prompt with immigrants with an I, and Mexico are accounted for emigrants with an E. 4. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? Some ways groups of people are identified are by race or creed, gender, religion, raised by one or both parents, or raised outside of their original family. In addition, American cultural group people by age, until you reach 18, one is considered an adolescent, and when one reaches 21, they are considered an adult. 5. Why do people label and group other people? People label and group other people as a barrier to not be taken by surprise. If a certain Copyright  © 2012 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Diversity Worksheet ETH/125 Version 8 2 person done something wrong, and we see more people like that person doing the same, we now label that entire race of people to be the same. The labeling part works as a defense mechanism to not allow someone that we think is bad or good, take advantage of us or we lock out someone we think can be a good friend. 6. Define culture. Is culture limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds? Explain. Culture is the customs of a group of people, by race, religion, beliefs, and tradition. Culture is not limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds. Because there are many different races that have the same religious culture and traditions. For example Indians, Blacks, Iranians, and I am sure there are others that believe in the Islamic religion, and have the same beliefs and follow the same religion traditions. Copyright  © 2012 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Multi-generational plan

It is widely known that the clash between the baby boomers and the generation Xers goes way back especially in the work place. As a result certain jobs could get compromised because of these clashing attitudes. It was well known though that both these generations could actually present ideas that could help the business running. The main problem about these two generations is the fact that they seldom go along with each other. But who are the baby boomers and the generation Xers? The baby boomers were widely known to be the people born between 1946 to 1964 while the generation Xers were people born between 1965 to 1980. Baby boomers were known to have plenty of opinions when it comes to political issues and they usually believe in longer time for work while the generation Xers witnessed or lived the technological boom of the world and are more skeptic than any other generations (â€Å"Workplace generation gap: Understand differences among colleagues,†). The long term goal then is on how these two generations could come together for the benefit of the company or business. The main key to make these generations come together is to eliminate the tension between the two by helping each other understand the usual personality or outlook that each generation has. There could be a program that would lead to the understanding of the two generations. Although, those organizing these programs should be on alert on what they ought to do especially when this kind of program could easily lead to prejudice. A good suggestion of this program is to put the two generations in each others shoes. A group dynamic could be done and these activities/projects should reflect a certain aspect where both generations could be useful. Then the next step here is to render respect for each of the generations. The respect should come out genuine. If respect were done for the sake of respect then these people might not have really understood the plight of each generation. References: Workplace generation gap: Understand differences among colleagues. (July 6, 2005).  Ã‚   Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/WL/00045.html