The Humphead Wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus :: essays research papers

The Humphead Wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus The Humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, is the largest member of the family Labridae and widely distributed across the reefs of the Indo-Pacific. It is found from the Red Sea and African coast, across the Indian Ocean and much of the Pacific, north to southern Japan and the coast of southern China, and south to New Caledonia. In English it is mostly commonly referred to as the Humphead, Maori or Napoleon wrasse. Fishery management The species has a high economic value and is a special favorite of both the live reef food fish trade and with recreational divers.The Humphead wrasse is vulnerable to fishing due to its long life and late sexual maturation (which occurs at approximately 50 cm total length and 5 years of age). This means that its life history is one that involves slow replacement (and hence slow recovery from fishing) rates. Because of its high value as food, it is heavily sought by fishers and traders. As part of the live food fish market, its value is likely to increase with rarity, so fishers will continue to fish this species even as its numbers decline. Humphead wrasse fisheries are mostly unmanaged and, even if managed 'on paper', there is usually little management or monitoring of Humphead wrasse in local fisheries. Monitoring is needed, both of local capture and of exports. Without proper management and monitoring, it is impossible to know whether current capture rates are sustainable or to e stablish safe quotas capture. On the other hand, its value to diving tourism will remain high if it is protected and remains alive in the wild. Live Reef Food Fish Trade While there is some capture for local use, particularly in the western and central Pacific, the Humphead wrasse is primarily taken for export as part of the valuable live reef food fish trade which is centred in SE Asia. All fish in this trade are wild-caught since commercial level hatchery propagation of this species is not yet possible. The major importing countries are China (especially Hong Kong), Taiwan and Singapore. Fish are exported especially from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and from some western Pacific Islands. Hong Kong is the biggest consumer/transshipment centre for the live seafood market, including for the Humphead wrasse. Hong Kong re-exports significant but undocumented volumes of Humphead wrasse into mainland, particularly southern, China, according to traders and to market surveys.

Haiti Earthquake Essay

January 12, 2010 became the moment of tragedy for the population of Haiti: an earthquake of terrible force stroke the small island, killing and injuring thousands of people. The earthquake turned into a devastating power, destroying everything in the epicenter and miles beyond. It was the most powerful earthquake in Haiti in more than 100 years. Now, several months after the tragic event, Haitian authorities still work to restore the economic and social stability in the region. Earthquakes are difficult to predict – the Haiti earthquake did not have any warning signs or foreshocks. It was equally unexpected and powerful. The aftershocks that followed confirmed the complexity of the natural processes that usually occur during earthquakes. The terrible earthquake that stroke Haiti on January 12th, 2010 affected around three million people, with between 100,000 and 200,000 dead (Physics Today, 2010). Measured 7. 0 according to the earthquake magnitude, the Haiti quake became the most powerful and the most devastating in the region over the last 100 years (Physics Today, 2010). 7.  0 earthquakes are believed to be large, but not huge, and the Haiti earthquake was not the strongest and the most tragic in the human history. For the regions with high seismic activity, 7. 0-8. 0-magnitude earthquakes are a norm of life which, despite its power and negative consequences, is impossible to escape. In case of the Haiti earthquake, three essential factors contributed to the human and material losses: first, the epicenter was in 10 miles from the capital city, Port-au-Prince (Physics Today, 2010). Second, the earthquake was shallow by itself; in other words, it was only 10-15 kilometers below the land’s surface (Physics Today, 2010). Third, given the state of the Haitian economy and the level of poverty in the region, most of the local buildings were not designed to withstand the pressure of an earthquake and simply collapsed (Physics Today, 2010). The three mentioned factors turned the Haiti earthquake for the worst-case scenario for its people (Physics Today, 2010). A belief persists that the current state of technology facilitates the prediction of earthquakes. Today, thousands of people are confident that seismologists could have predicted the course of events in Haiti. Yet, the reality is quite different. Notwithstanding the recent technological advancements, predicting earthquakes (especially, in the long run) is still far from possible. No, that does not mean that seismologists do not monitor tectonic activity. Monitoring zones like Haiti â€Å"around the world to get a general sense of where the next such pops may happen is not that difficult, mostly because tectonic activity is hard to conceal completely† (Kluger, 2010). Scientists have information and technologies necessary to make predictions about where on the landscape earthquakes are the likeliest to occur, but forecasting in the long term is problematic and rarely objective (Kluger, 2010). During the 18th Caribbean Geological Conference in March 2008, five scientists presented their paper, stating that the tectonic zone on the southeastern side of the island was a serious seismic hazard (Griggs, 2010). The scientists had been increasingly concerned about the fault zone which, eventually, became the source of the major problems and the epicenter of the earthquake. Professionals justify the lack of attention toward the report by the fact that such strikes and zones can remain dormant for hundreds of years (Griggs, 2010). Given the difficulties which seismologists usually experience in the process of predicting earthquakes, the reliability of their reports is often questionable. The findings presented on the 2008 Conference followed the 2004 study in the Journal of Geophysical Research, which reported an increased earthquake risk in the Septentrional fault zone near Haiti, not far from the Dominican Republic (Griggs, 2010). However, because Haiti is fairly regarded as one of the most active seismic zones in the world, even the heightened seismic activity does not necessarily imply that the region is facing an earthquake threat: the nearest strike can occur years and decades later. The Haiti earthquake was unique in the sense that it was not preceded by any evacuations or warning signs. The earth in Haiti did not give any sign of a foreshock and did not send either a water or an electrical signal (Kluger, 2010). Even the P wave equipment, which seismologists use to detect vibrations, did not display any changes in the tectonic activity in the region (Kluger, 2010). People did not have a chance to foresee the events that would follow the first shake. The earthquake stroke at 21:53 UTC, January 12, 2010, in South Haiti, not far from the capital Port-au-Prince (RMS, 2010). The quake was felt across the Haiti region, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Southern Bahamas, up to the northeast and southeast coasts of Cuba (RMS, 2010). The two cities closest to the epicenter, Port-au-Prince and Jacmel, experienced up to 7. 0 intensity shaking on the MMI scale (RMS, 2010). The strikes of such intensity usually cause moderate damage to property (RMS, 2010). The earthquake was not followed by a tsunami, and no tsunami warning was issued (RMS, 2010). Seismologists tend to differentiate between the three different types of earthquakes. The dip-slip-fault means than one clashing plate slides under the other (Kluger, 2010). The reverse dip-slip fault implies that tectonic plates pull apart (Kluger, 2010). The strike-slip is associated with a sideways grinding of the plates (Kluger, 2010). The Haiti earthquake was of the strike-slip type, meaning that the two tectonic plates on the both sides of the fault moved in opposite directions – the Caribbean Plate went east, while the Gonvave Platelet moved to the west (Physics Today, 2010). The more interesting and important, however, what people are likely to experience during an earthquake of the magnitude similar to that in Haiti. A missionary from Haiti said: â€Å"It felt like a train was coming down the road. It (the house) wasn’t shaking, it was rocking. I went outside and the vehicle in the driveway was rocking, glass breaking all around the house† (Leach, 2010). Another witness described the beginning of the earthquake as the rumbling of the ground underneath his feet: he saw a 400sq m house collapsing on the ground, with people trying to pull an elderly woman out of the rubble (Leach, 2010). Everything was shaking, people were screaming, while houses kept collapsing (Leach, 2010). Like any other earthquake, the one that stroke Haiti threw people into the whirl of shaking, trembling, and noise. Within minutes after the strike, witnesses could see a huge cloud of dust and smoke rising from the Haiti capital (Leach, 2010). The moment of the first shock was only the beginning in a series of aftershocks that followed. By Friday, 22 January, seismologists noted 54 aftershocks between Mw 4. 0 and 7. 0 (RMS, 2010). The two largest aftershocks rated Mw 5. 9 (RMS, 2010). The first aftershock occurred minutes after the main quake and was located 20 miles southwest of the mainshock (RMS, 2010). The second stroke the island eight days after the mainshock, on January 20, 2010 (RMS, 2010). Seismologists report that both aftershocks could not reach intensity higher than V which, according to the MMI scale, would cause very light damage to buildings (RMS, 2010). However, buildings in Haiti had not been designed to withstand the pressure of an earthquake; moreover, by the time the aftershock occurred, they had already been weakened – as a result, the second aftershock could readily turn into another serious attack on the Haitian property. The aftershock that hit Haiti on January 20, 2010 frightened the Haitians, already traumatized by the devastating earthquake that had happened several days before (Murphy, 2010). Those who survived experienced the growing fear and concern about their lives and the property that had not collapsed during the mainshock. Yet, the aftershocks caused little or no additional damage (Murphy, 2010). It should be noted, that although 6. 1 and 7. 0 magnitude look almost similar, the difference between the two is much greater. Unlike temperature scales, in which units of increase are constant, the method used to measure earthquake magnitudes is logarithmic. What this generally means is that the amount of shaking [†¦] caused by a 5. 0 earthquake is 10 times less than that caused by a 6. 0 earthquake and 100 times less of that caused by a 7. 0 earthquake. † (Murphy, 2010) Earthquakes of the magnitude between 6. 0 and 7. 0 are not uncommon in the Haitian region, and the aftershocks that followed the devastating earthquake on the 12th January were not significant. The effects of the aftershocks were more emotional than physical which, given the seriousness and the consequences of the event, were natural and justified. Today, when Haiti struggles to eliminate the consequences of the quake and to restore the economic stability in the region, seismologists and scholars in geology science keep arguing about whether the Haiti earthquake could have been predicted. Whether seismologists could have predicted the Haiti earthquake is no longer important, and it is equally difficult to estimate the value and importance of the 2008 scientific report. Nevertheless, the Haiti earthquake teaches seismologists numerous lessons and once again emphasizes the need to develop sound technologies and systems, which would predict earthquakes and warn local populations about them. Conclusion The Haiti Earthquake hit the island on January 12, 2010. With the magnitude not higher than 7. 0, the quake turned out to be the worst-case scenario for Haiti, killing and injuring thousands of local residents. The quakes of such magnitude are believed to cause average damage to people and property, but Haiti historically lacked resources necessary to build houses, which would withstand an earthquake. As a result, buildings collapsed, killing thousands and injuring even more. No warning signs or evacuations preceded the earthquake; it was equally immediate and unexpected. People felt the land shaking and rumbling beneath their feet, with a cloud of smoke and dust rising above the capital. A series of aftershocks that followed did not cause much additional damage but became the source of serious emotional effects. The Haiti earthquake was another good lesson to seismologists, and once again emphasized the need to develop sound technologies which would predict earthquakes and warn populations about it.

A Brief Summary of the Second Great Awakening

The Second Great Awakening (1790–1840) was a time of evangelical fervor and revival in the newly formed nation of America. The British colonies were settled by many individuals who were looking for a place to worship their Christian religion free from persecution. As such, America arose as a religious nation as observed by Alexis de Tocqueville and others. Part and parcel with these strong beliefs came a fear of secularism. Key Takeaways: The Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening took place in the new United States between 1790 and 1840.It pushed the idea of individual salvation and free will over predestination.It greatly increased the number of Christians both in New England and on the frontier.  Revivals and public conversions became social events that continue to this day.  The African Methodist Church was founded in Philadelphia.Mormonism was founded and led to the faiths settlement in Salt Lake City, Utah. This fear of secularism had arisen  during the Enlightenment, which resulted in the First Great Awakening (1720–1745). The ideas of social equality that came about with the advent of the new nation trickled down to religion, and the movement to be known as the Second Great Awakening began about 1790. Specifically, Methodists and Baptists began an effort to democratize religion. Unlike  the Episcopalian religion, ministers in these sects were typically uneducated. Unlike the Calvinists, they believed and preached in salvation for all. What Was the Great Revival? At the beginning of the Second Great Awakening, preachers brought their message to the people with great fanfare and excitement in the form of a traveling revival. The earliest of the tent revivals focused on the Appalachian frontier, but they quickly moved into the area of the original colonies. These revivals were social events where faith was renewed. The Baptists and Methodists often worked together in these revivals. Both religions believed in free will with personal redemption. The Baptists were highly decentralized with no hierarchical structure in place and preachers lived and worked among their congregation.  The Methodists, on the  other hand, had more of an internal structure in place. Individual preachers like the Methodist bishop Francis Asbury (1745–1816) and the Backwoods Preacher Peter Cartwright (1785–1872) would travel the frontier on horseback converting people to the Methodist faith. They were quite successful and by the 1840s the Methodists were the largest Protestant group in America. Revival meetings were not restricted to the frontier or to white people. In many areas, particularly the south, blacks held separate revivals at the same time with the two groups joining together on the last day. Black Harry Hosier (1750–1906), the first African-American Methodist preacher and a fabled orator despite being illiterate, was a crossover success in both black and white revivals.  His efforts and those of the ordained minister Richard Allen (1760–1831) led to the founding of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in 1794. The revival meetings were not small affairs. Thousands would meet in camp meetings, and many times the event turned quite chaotic with impromptu singing or shouting, individuals speaking in tongues, and dancing in the aisles. What Is a Burned-Over District? The height of the Second Great Awakening came in the 1830s. There was a  great increase in churches across the nation, particularly across New England. So much excitement and intensity accompanied evangelical revivals that in upper New York and Canada, areas were titled Burned-Over Districts—where spiritual fervor was so high it seemed to set the places on fire. The most significant revivalist in this area was the Presbyterian minister Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875) who was ordained in 1823. One key change he made was in promoting mass conversions during revival meetings. No longer were individuals converting alone. Instead, they were joined by neighbors, converting en masse.  In 1839, Finney preached in Rochester and made an estimated 100,000 converts. When Did Mormonism Arise? One significant byproduct of the revival furor in the Burned-Over Districts was the founding of Mormonism. Joseph Smith (1805–1844) lived in upstate New York when he received visions in 1820. A few years later, he reported the discovery of the Book of Mormon, which he said was a lost section of the Bible. He soon founded his own church and began converting people to his faith. Soon persecuted for their beliefs, the group left New York moving first to Ohio, then Missouri, and finally Nauvoo, Illinois, where they lived for five years. At that time, an anti-Mormon lynch mob found and killed Joseph and his brother  Hyrum Smith (1800–1844). Brigham Young (1801–1877) arose as Smiths successor and led the Mormons away to Utah, where they settled in Salt Lake City. Sources and Further Reading Bilhartz, Terry D. Urban Religion and the Second Great Awakening: Church and Society in Early National Baltimore. Cranbery NJ: Associated University Presses, 1986.  Hankins, Barry. The Second Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists. Westport CT: Greenwood Press, 2004.Perciaccante, Marianne. Calling Down Fire: Charles Grandison Finney and Revivalism in Jefferson County, New York, 1800–1840. Albany NY: State University of New York Press, 2003.  Pritchard, Linda K. The Burned-over District Reconsidered: A Portent of Evolving Religious Pluralism in the United States. Social Science History 8.3 (1984): 243–65.Shiels, Richard D. The Second Great Awakening in Connecticut: Critique of the Traditional Interpretation. Church History 49.4 (1980): 401–15.

Models and Different Types of Models in Ob - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1130 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/09/14 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Nonverbal communication Nonverbal communication (NVC) is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. i. e. , language is not the only source of communication, there are other means also. NVC can be communicated through gestures and touch (Haptic communication), by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact. NVC can be communicated through object communication such as clothing, hairstyles or even architecture, symbols and infographics. Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Dance is also regarded as a nonverbal communication. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the use of emoticons. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Models and Different Types of Models in Ob" essay for you Create order However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, the physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators during interaction. [1] History The first scientific study of nonverbal communication was Charles Darwins book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872). He argued that all mammals show emotion reliably in their faces. Studies now range across a number of fields, including , linguistics, semiotics and social psychology. Arbitrariness While much nonverbal communication is based on arbitrary symbols, which differ from culture to culture, a large proportion is also to some extent iconic and may be universally understood. Paul Ekmans influential 1960s studies of facial expression determined that expressions of anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and surprise are universal. Proxemics: physical space in communication Proxemics: physical space in communication Proxemics is the study of how people use and perceive the physical space around them. The space between the sender and the receiver of a message influences the way the message is interpreted. The perception and use of space varies significantly across cultures[3] and different settings within cultures. Space in nonverbal communication may be divided into four main categories: intimate, social, personal, and public space. The term territoriality is still used in the study of proxemics to explain human behavior regarding personal space. [4] Hargie Dickson (2004, p. 69) identify 4 such territories: 1. Primary territory: this refers to an area that is associated with someone who has exclusive use of it. For example, a house that others cannot enter without the owner’s permission. 2. Secondary territory: unlike the previous type, there is no â€Å"right† to occupancy, but people may still feel some degree of ownership of a particular space. For example, someone may sit in the same seat on train every day and feel aggrieved if someone else sits there. 3. Public territory: this refers to an area that is available to all, but only for a set period, such as a parking space or a seat in a library. Although people have only a limited claim over that space, they often exceed that claim. For example, it was found that people take longer to leave a parking space when someone is waiting to take that space. . Interaction territory: this is space created by others when they are interacting. For example, when a group is talking to each other on a footpath, others will walk around the group rather than disturb it. Chronemics: time in communication Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal communication. The way we perceive time, structure our time and reac t to time is a powerful communication tool, and helps set the stage for communication. Time perceptions include punctuality and willingness to wait, the speed of speech and how long people are willing to listen. The timing and frequency of an action as well as the tempo and rhythm of communications within an interaction contributes to the interpretation of nonverbal messages. Gudykunst Ting-Toomey (1988) identified 2 dominant time patterns: Haptics: touching in communication A high five is an example of communicative touch. Haptics is the study of touching as nonverbal communication. Touches that can be defined as communication include handshakes, holding hands, kissing (cheek, lips, hand), back slapping, high fives, a pat on the shoulder, and brushing an arm. Touching of oneself may include licking, picking, holding, and scratching. [7] These behaviors are referred to as adapter or tells and may send messages that reveal the intentions or feelings of a communicator. The meaning conveyed from touch is highly dependent upon the context of the situation, the relationship between communicators, and the manner of touch. [8] Humans communicate interpersonal closeness through a series of non-verbal actions known as immediacy behaviors. Examples of immediacy behaviors are: smiling, touching,open body positions, and eye contact. Cultures that display these immediacy behaviors are known to be high contact culturesFunctions of nonverbal communication Argyle (1970) [11] put forward the hypothesis that whereas spoken language is normally used for communicating information about events external to the speakers, non-verbal codes are used to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. It is considered more polite or nicer to communicate attitudes towards others non-verbally rather than verbally, for instance in order to avoid embarrassing situations [12]. Argyle (1988) concluded there are five primary functions of nonverbal bodily behavior in human communication:[13] * Express emotions * Express interpersonal attitudes * To accompany speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers and listeners * Self-presentation of one’s personality * Rituals (greetings) Concealing deception Nonverbal communication makes it easier to lie without being revealed. This is the conclusion of a study where people watched made-up interviews of persons accused of having stolen a wallet. The interviewees lied in about 50  % of the cases. People had access to either written transcripts of the interviews, or audio tape recordings, or video recordings. The more clues that were available to those watching, the larger was the trend that interviewees who actually lied were judged to be truthful. That is, people that are clever at lying can use voice tone and face expression to give the impression that they are truthful [14] Difficulties with nonverbal communication People vary in their ability to send and receive nonverbal communication. Thus, on average, to a moderate degree, women are better at nonverbal communication than are men [36][37][38][39]. Measurements of the ability to communicate nonverbally and the capacity to feel empathy have shown that the two abilities are independent of each other [40]. For people who have relatively large difficulties with nonverbal communication, this can pose significant challenges, especially in interpersonal relationships. There exist resources that are tailored specifically to these people, which attempt to assist those in understanding information which comes more easily to others. A specific group of persons that face these challenges are those with autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger syndrome. Footnotes 1. ^ a b Knapp Hall, 2002, p. 7 2. ^ Grammer, Karl, Renninger, Leeann Fischer, Bettina (2004): Disco clothing, female sexual motivation, and relationship status: is she dressed to impress? Journal of sexual research 41 (1): 66-74. 3. ^ Segerstrale Molnar, 1997, p. 235 .

Many people especially teenagers are affected from...

Many people especially teenagers are affected from HIV/AIDS. HIV is a worldwide epidemic, which can be given from unprotected sex to sharing needles. HIV is a virus that can kill people by gradually killing their own immune systems. Therefore, the virus can take over all around the victims body. If someone is worried if they have HIV, it is important to go through diagnosis, treatments and prevention to HIV. Knowing how dangerous an epidemic like this is very important especially for someone who is thinking of having intercourse with their partner. It can be in many people who seem as if they are not sick. HIV can be spread through unprotected sex (oral, vaginal or anal), blood transfusion infected by this virus, or even a baby born†¦show more content†¦These tests detect the antibodies for each patient to these HIV viruses inside the blood. These are two tests. Both tests have to be positive to confirm the HIV infection to be totally true. To get better results, patien ts can take the complete blood count (CBC) and/or the white blood cell differential. Both tests can show all the abnormalities inside the blood of the body. Yet, if the results fully confirm that it is positive, it is important to get treatments as soon as possible. Nowadays, there are still no treatments to cure AIDS. However, there is a therapy called ART that can reduce the amount of viruses inside the body/ attacking the immune system. ART stands for antiretroviral virus. This is also known as HAART, which stands for highly active antiretroviral virus. This treatment will prevent the viruses from producing more of it, which will help the immune system gain strength and recover from the HIV infection. Though, this can give complications to the patient or any side effects. These side effects include: weakness, headache, nausea, having general sick feeling, having a collection of fat on the back, and diarrhea. Also, patients need to have a healthy type of diet to avoid any ris ks such as getting a heart attack. This is perhaps made by the high levels of cholesterol and sugar in the blood. For those not infected with any such HIV/AIDS, it is important to have abstinence. It is important to not get anyShow MoreRelatedThesis on Hiv5798 Words   |  24 PagesTHE LEVEL OF AWARENESS AND PRACTICE IN THE PREVENTION OF HIV/AIDS AMONG MALE ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS IN SELECTED AREAS IN CAVITE An Undergraduate Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the College of Nursing University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Molino, Bacoor Cavite In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing CHARMAINE ROSE P. CABIGUNDA DIVINE GRACE M. HIFARVA ARIEL F. DELA PENA SHIELD LYN B. MALANO FRANCIS T. 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The Need And Importance Of Learner Management Systems Education Essay Free Essays

string(168) " bend will depend upon their general IT or package accomplishments and besides for how long they have been utilizing the system and how frequently they use the system\." Introduction I have worked in the Work based Learning proviso and hence understands the demand and importance of learner direction systems†¦ without which the whole system will be in muss. There is a batch of conformity demand as the programmes we provide are chiefly funded through the SFA ( Skills Funding Agency ) or ESF ( European Social support ) and inspected by the Ofsted. It is non possible for a individual individual to retrieve or organize all these things hence there is a demand for a LMS which will remind you to make the assorted things, generate appropriate studies, co-ordinate between the scholar, employer, coach, presenting organic structure and the support organic structure. We will write a custom essay sample on The Need And Importance Of Learner Management Systems Education Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Work Based Learning has been defined nationally as ‘Learning for, at or through work ‘ Learning for work loosely encompasses ‘anything which can be labeled ‘vocational ‘ as delivered in school, college, sandwich classs, in BTEC Nationals in hairdressing/beauty and manner, mechanical technology, humanistic disciplines and ocular, or even wellness, kid and societal attention. Learning at work every bit related to developing and development delivered in-company such as Business direction accomplishments, client service, wellness and safety ; and Learning through work that includes the application of job-related acquisition ( perchance acquired elsewhere ) and the accomplishments and cognition acquired in the procedure of making the occupation such as athleticss manager, attention work, mechanics. Work Based Learning is one of the most popular flagship of the current and old authoritiess. The degrees of hapless attainment of accomplishments in the instruction sector had become a serious affair of grave concern. More and more kids were go forthing school without any accomplishments, needed cognition or direct vocational experience. They were mostly unemployable due to hapless literacy, numeracy, scientific and ICT accomplishments and represent a immense societal liability, which was manifested by their engagement in anti societal offenses, or hapless negative behavior forms, taking to detonations of their admittances into unafraid disciplinary penal establishments. The deficiency of accomplishments of the Youth in United Kingdom is besides a major concern to industry and employers. Rather than prosecute in ne’er stoping blasted addition, the new Government has launched enterprises that appear to go on with known policies of promoting work based larning chiefly Apprenticeship schemes to be equipped with the critical accomplishments needed to be gainfully employed . This survey relates merely to the funded work based learning proviso, all of which are in range for review by Ofsted ( Office for Standards in Education ) and audit by the support organic structures like SFA ( Skills Funding Agency ) , ESF ( European Social Funding ) etc. The procedures involved in the Work based proviso are much complex than the normal preparation colleges, besides as they are funded proviso they need to keep grounds that the money given by the support organic structures have been spent right as by the eligibility counsel and the undertaking counsel. Work Based Learning proviso involves three chief participants – the supplier, the employer and the scholar. As the complexnesss kept increasing the suppliers felt it really hard to pull off efficaciously the whole procedure this gave rise to the demand of a scholar direction system ( besides known as direction information system ) to administrate and pull off the whole procedure efficaciously and besides to cut down staffing cost and mistakes. Today there are tonss of package which are used by the WBL suppliers in UK, the chief being PICS by pellcomp package and Maytas by Tribal. Learner direction system does the occupation of the director†¦ it is non merely for pull offing the scholars but besides for helping the supplier for record maintaining, coverage and for communicating between the employer, supplier and the scholar. Learner Management system has ever been confused with the e-learning but really LMS is a portion of E-learning. By ‘e-learning ‘ we mean: ‘The bringing and disposal of larning chances and support via computing machine, networked and web-based engineering to assist single public presentation and development ‘ ( Pollard and Hillage, 2001 ) . There are assorted engineerings which contribute to e-learning for WBL suppliers viz. : Learner Management System – for pull offing scholar, employers, learning staff and for assorted conformity demands Learning Content direction system – It involves development, direction and publication of the content that will typically be delivered via a Learning Environment Learning Environment – Learning Environment is a environment where scholars and learning staff can interacts. VLE is a type of web-based acquisition environment which brings together in an incorporate environment, a scope of resources that enable scholars and staff to interact online, and includes content bringing and trailing. Learner Assessment System or E-portfolios – for on-line testing or measuring scholars A batch of research has been done on E-learning and VLE and besides Becta has been making research on the e-maturity of WBL suppliers, Becta research has greatly influenced this research and besides relevant information has been used from the Becta research as a secondary information which has formed the portion of determination of this research. RESEARCH AIM The purpose of the proposed research is to look into the user satisfaction of the Learner Management System used by the funded Work Based Learning Suppliers in Greater London. Research OBJECTIVES Its specific aims are to: Identify tendencies for WBL suppliers in their use of Learning Management systems look into the impact of Learning Management systems on the overall quality of proviso place for what different intent is the LMS being used by the suppliers look into the degree of staff accomplishments in the usage of LMS place whether clip spend by the user utilizing LMS has impact on the user satisfaction place how cost effectual the LMS system is and what impact it has on user satisfaction RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS The user satisfaction of the Learning Management systems amongst funded Work Based Learning suppliers depends on the undermentioned variables – Users skill Cost effectivity Functions the LMS supports User Skill will include how competent the users are in utilizing the Learning Management system which in bend will depend upon their general IT or package accomplishments and besides for how long they have been utilizing the system and how frequently they use the system. You read "The Need And Importance Of Learner Management Systems Education Essay" in category "Essay examples" Cost Effectiveness will include the existent cost of the LMS, clip saved by the users utilizing the LMS, the decrease in the labor cost and the mistake decrease Functions the LMS support will include how helpful the LMS is in back uping through the assorted procedures of WBL, how good incorporate it is with other sytems A user will be more satisfied with the LMS if he/she is more skilled A user will be more satisfied with the LMS if it is cost-efficient A user will be more satisfied with the LMS if it support more maps Research Background: A turning tendency of instruction and preparation in UK is Work based Learning where employees, particularly immature 1s, are provided assorted signifiers of chances to develop and better their numeracy, literacy, ICT, client service and other related proficient and vocational accomplishments, cognition and practical industrial cognize how. It is widely acknowledged that to assist concerns to win in this clip of economic challenge, it is critical that employers invest in accomplishments. Training additions productiveness in the short termA – and employers who do n’t develop are two times more likely to neglect than those who do. Research shows that three in four concern people ( 76 % ) believe that their organisation would non win without investing in preparation, hence Work Based Learning is a really of import signifier of acquisition. Apprenticeships and Train to Derive are two most of import funded work based larning programmes.. Apprenticeship is a system of developing a new coevals of practicians of a accomplishment. Apprentices ( or in early modern use â€Å" learners † ) or proteges construct their callings from apprenticeships. Most of their preparation is done while working for an employer who helps the learners learn their trade, in exchange for their go oning labor for an in agreement period after they become skilled. Theoretical instruction may besides be involved, informally via the workplace and/or by go toing vocational schools while still being paid by the employer Apprenticeships have a long tradition in the United Kingdom, dating back to around the twelfth century and flourishing by the fourteenth century. The parents or defenders of a child would hold with a Guild ‘s Master craftsman the conditions for an apprenticeship which would adhere the child for 5-9 old ages ( e.g. from age 14 to 21 ) . They would pay a premium to the craftsman and the contract would be recorded in an indentation. In 1563, the Statute of Artificers and Apprentices was passed to modulate and protect the apprenticeship system, prohibiting anyone from practising a trade or trade without first functioning a 7-year period as an learner to a maestro. From 1601, ‘parish ‘ apprenticeships under the Elizabethan Poor Law came to be used as a manner of supplying for hapless, illicit and orphaned kids of both sexes alongside the regular system of skilled apprenticeships, which tended to supply for male childs from somewhat more flush backgrounds. These parish apprenticeships, which could be created with the acquiescence of two Justices of the Peace, supplied learners for businesss of lower position such as farm labouring, brick devising and humble family service. In the early old ages of the Industrial Revolution entrepreneurs began to defy the limitations of the apprenticeship system, and a legal opinion established that the Statute of Apprentices did non use to trades that were non in being when it was passed in 1563, therefore excepting many new eighteenth century industries. In 1814 compulsory apprenticeship by indentation was abolished. The consequence of this was the low end product of skilled forces in technological industries, which in bend relegated UK into the lower ranks of advanced societies. Since so Apprenticeship has ever been really popular and besides has been the most favoured by the assorted authoritiess. As employees, learners earn a pay and work aboard experient staff to derive job-specific accomplishments. Off the occupation, normally on a day-release footing, learners receive preparation to work towards nationally recognised makings. Anyone life in England, over 16 and non in full-time instruction can use. Apprenticeships can take between one and four old ages to finish depending on the degree of Apprenticeship, the learners ‘ ability and the industry sector. Train to Gain is the authorities ‘s flagship supplying accomplishments based developing to employees. Train to Gain is portion of the Governments Solutions for Business, a broad portfolio of extremely targeted, publically funded concern support merchandises and services, designed to helpA eligible English concerns grow and win. As the national accomplishments service Train to Derive: purposes to run into the demands of employers of all sizes and from all sectors to better the accomplishments of their employees as a path to bettering their concern public presentation purposes to promote all concerns and persons to value and gain the benefits that larning and accomplishments can convey is a valuable resource for employers, unlocking employees ‘ possible and increasing company productiveness A wide scope of preparation is covered – from basic degree accomplishments to Level 2, Level 3 and other higher-level accomplishments such as Leadership and Management. As of today Train to Derive is to stop by July 2011 and new support programme will replace it but it will merely fund degree 2 makings and most suppliers are expected to exchange to apprenticeships programmes. Coalition Government Policy: In acknowledgment of the turning importance of work based acquisition, the new Coalition Government in United Kingdom has lent its support to this industrial tendency: The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, commissioned Professor Alison Wolf of King ‘s College London to transport out an independent reappraisal of vocational instruction. She was asked to see how vocational instruction for 14- to 19-year-olds can be improvedA in order toA promote successful patterned advance into the labour market and into higher degree instruction and preparation paths. She was besides asked to supply practical recommendations to assist inform future policy way, taking into history current fiscal restraints. The reappraisal has been informed by over 400 pieces of grounds from the populace, a figure of visits to colleges, academies and developing suppliers, and interviews and treatment Sessionss with cardinal spouses in the sector, and cardinal recommendations in the reportA include the followers: incentivising immature people to take the most valuable vocational makings pre-16, whileA taking inducements to take big Numberss of vocational makings to the hurt of nucleus faculty member survey presenting rules to steer survey programmes for immature people on vocational paths post-16 to guarantee they are deriving accomplishments which will take to progression into a assortment of occupations or further acquisition, in peculiar, to guarantee that those who have non secured a good base on balls in English and mathematics in GCSE continue to analyze those topics measuring the bringing construction and content of apprenticeships to guarantee they present the right accomplishments for the workplace doing certain the regulative frameworkA moves quicklyA off from recognizing single makings to modulating presenting administrations taking the demand that all makings offered to 14- to 19-year-olds tantrum within the Qualifications and Credit Framework, which has had a damaging consequence on their rightness and has left spreads in the market enabling FE lectors and professionals to learn in schools, guaranting immature people are being taught by those best suitable Before the Learner Management Systems or package the coverage and tracking all of scholars, classs and coachs was done through the usage of a individual maestro spreadsheet. To enable studies to be compiled, transcripts of this maestro spreadsheet would be taken and edited, which proved to be cumbersome, non really effectual and really clip consuming. Besides these chief spreadsheets were merely available at the chief office which meant that any coach or scholars who would necessitate some information needs to come to the office or when transcripts of this spreadsheet were taken off site, which on occasion happened, nevertheless this so lead to issues with versions of the maestro as updates may hold been done to this dispersed sheet off site whist other members of staff may hold made alterations to the on site transcript. Leading to issues with truth of the overall maestro spreadsheet, this was one of the trouble faced by most suppliers before the Learner Management Systems like PICS and Maytas came in the image. PICS is the most popular Learner Management system used by the Work Based Learning Suppliers in England. The chief characteristics of PICS are – Research Methodology: The system of roll uping informations for research undertakings is known as research methodological analysis The research will be undertaken in two phases: a literature reappraisal on the usage of e-learning in work-based learning proviso, covering authorities strategic and research publications, research by the LSC, Becta, JSIC and other bureaus, academic diaries, industry-related web sites and publications, specific undertaking studies and ratings. desk research including interviews and questionnaires with directors and practicians – which involves admin staff, coachs, assessors and Internal Verifier. Exploratory surveies will be conducted to derive acquaintance with the topical countries and generate thoughts through the reappraisal of available literature from beginnings such as Becta research, LSC ( now Skill Funding Agency ) , JISC and others. Pilot interview – restructure the inquiries as necessary Pilot usage of questionnaire – restructure the inquiries as necessary Contact inside informations of assorted s Letters/Emails bespeaking purpose, purposes and aims of the survey would be sent out to different administrations presenting Work Based Learning proviso in Greater London. Online questionnaire or paper based questionnaires will be sent out to the directors of these administrations. Online Questionnaires or paper based questionnaires will be sent out to the bringing staff of the administrations presenting Train to Derive proviso. Interviews will be conducted with cardinal staff of the administrations bringing work based learning proviso Analysis of secondary informations such as becta research and published one-year studies and academic diaries. Consideration of the informations and forms found in all of the administrations will be used in concurrence with academic theory to seek to explicate the findings and reply the research aims posed in subdivision Mistake: Reference beginning non found. Validity and Reliability In the design of the research attack I have considered the followers: Internal cogency – Increased through usage of multiple beginnings of grounds, structured interviews and questionnaires ( both closed and unfastened inquiries ) . The design of inquiries and study will be based on apprehension of the theory from the literature and pilot testing of the interview and questionnaire will be used to do certain inquiries are understood as intended. External cogency – Multiple instances considered to analyze whether findings can be generalised over a figure of administrations. There is no demand to do a statistical analysis of the consequences for generalization here as the attack chosen examines patterns and their effectivity. The purpose is to explicate the findings and explore generalisability through a comparing of findings with theory. Reliability – Structured interviews with inquiries derived from literature in order to analyze instances in same manner. Surveies to endorse up the interviews and obtain positions from a wider group. Questionnaires all administered at the same clip and in controlled mode, account to guarantee participants all understand research in same manner. Research Ethical motives Please see Appendix A to this proposal, the Business School Ethics Review Form. This covers the chief points to be addressed here, but in drumhead: The interviewees and study participants will be given a clear written description of the intent, range and intended results of the research. The type of information required for the research will be clearly stated as will the policy for namelessness and confidentiality. The research will be carried out in a manner that will guarantee confidentiality of the participant administrations and the single participants in the studies. The administrations which participate in the research will non be named in the thesis, nor will the interviewees and the questionnaires will be anon. . The interview inquiries and questionnaire will be designed to analyze merely the patterns of KM, no confidential merchandise or client information will be required. Even so, I have highlighted this country for possible ethical struggle in subdivision 5 of the Ethics Review Form. This is because confidential information may be discussed in the interviews and besides commented upon in the questionnaires, this information will non be included in a manner which will transgress confidentiality in the thesis. The semi-structured interviews will get down with an organizational questionnaire to derive company information such as figure of employees, figure of research staff, one-year turnover, market sector, merchandises ( type, figure of different merchandises, merchandise volume and value ) . The balance will cover a series of unfastened ended inquiries to discourse the KM patterns in order to derive an apprehension of the attack taken, the construction and effectivity, how and why certain schemes work whilst others are less effectual. Each participant will be asked to reply indistinguishable inquiries, but the order of the inquiries will non needfully be fixed as this may take away from the flow of the interview. The study is intended to supplement informations from interviews and sample more widely the patterns and single perceptual experiences in the administration. The purpose is to derive an apprehension of how the cognition schemes work and besides the sentiments and apprehension of the employees. The questionnaire will hold structured inquiries with fit responses in order to map the KM features of the administration[ 1 ]. There will besides be unfastened inquiries for participants to do remarks on the assorted facets of KM in their administration My attack to the design of the interview and study is as follows: Preliminary model built on the reappraisal of theory from academic literature prior to design of questionnaires and structured interviews Pilot interview – restructure the inquiries as necessary Pilot usage of questionnaire – restructure the inquiries as necessary Interviews – notes taken during entering cardinal words and phrases and making full record instantly after interview Survey – questionnaires explained and handed out/ collected during session Chapter 4: Findings In this subdivision the responses obtained from the questionnaire administered to the users are summarized and are presented to help treatment in subdivision 5. 4.1 Management Staff Survey A sum of 21 questionnaires were obtained for the direction staff study but out of which 3 of them were non wholly filled and had batch of compulsory inquiries unfilled hence they were non included in the analysis. The demographic of the direction staff of Work Based Learning proviso who took portion are presented below – hypertext transfer protocol: //www.education.gov.uk/16to19/qualificationsandlearning/a0074953/review-of-vocational-education-the-wolf-report How to cite The Need And Importance Of Learner Management Systems Education Essay, Essay examples

J.C. Penney Gift Certificate Concerns Essay Example For Students

J.C. Penney Gift Certificate Concerns Essay J.C. Penney Gift Certificate ConcernsJ.C. Penney Company, Inc. has recently introduced a new point of sale (POS) system developed by NCR Corporation into their stores. In the first six months of operation, it has become apparent that there are unanticipated problems with the accounting and control functions pertaining to gift certificates. The new POS system does not provide for adequate tracking or control of the certificates on the sales floor, store level sales audit has inadequate procedures or data capture capabilities in place to track sales accurately and assign responsibility for missing certificates, and corporate accounting has no control over the gift certificate accounting on the store level and are constantly struggling to reconcile gift certificate information. Problems on the Sales FloorAt the POS terminals on the sales floor, gift certificates are being stored underneath the cash register in a drawer with no security or control. The security and control of gift certificates has been overlooked during the drafting of the procedures for the new POS system. As a result, the security and control on gift certificates on the sales floor that had been in place with the old system has simply stopped. Employees are purely on the â€Å"honor† system. When sales associates ring up a gift certificate sale they have to key 1) the appropriate twelve-digit SKU from a list of 3 choices, and 2) a dollar value for the gift certificate shown on the face. For example, SKU #1 represented the $25 gift certificate, SKU#2 represented the $50 gift certificate, and SKU #3 represented the $100 gift certificate. After the sales transaction is complete, the sales associate must manually record the dollar value of the gift certificate on their cash audit report. During times of high volume, sometimes this final step is overlooked. Typically, the cashiers are just keying SKU #1 for any gift certificate sale and keying in the appropriate dollar value from the face of the gift certificate. The SKU’s are not electronically tied to a dollar value. This is a limitation of the previous POS system that was not addressed during the testing stage of the new system. Therefore, the error rate is very high and discrepancies in gift certificate sales are common. At the close of the shift, an electronic cashier report is generated on the register that just shows a total dollar amount tied to a SKU. This electronic cashier report is returned to the cash room along with the receipts and the hand-written cash audit report. Problems in Store Level Sales AuditWhen the cash audit report comes back to the office with the bag of receipts and the electronic cashier report, calculations are performed on the manual cash audit report to identify the amount of gift certificates sold. This is compared to the electronic cashier report. If there are discrepancies, sales audit clerks are required to use the electronic cashier report as the â€Å"correct† report for auditing purposes. The dollar amount of the gift certificates sold is recorded on a monthly gift certificate log and a new running monthly balance is calculated. Any new gift certificates received from the corporate office are recorded on another log and the acknowledgement of receipt (from inside the book) is signed by a member of management and returned to corporate accounting. At the end of the month, records of gift certificate receipts (disbursements from corporate), records of gift certificate sales, and other accounting records are forwarded to corporate accounting for verification after an attempt on the store level for reconciliation. Problems in Corporate AccountingStore managers are responsible for calling and authorizing a book of gift certificates to be dispersed for their store. When this occurs, the gift certificates are retrieved from the vault, the book number is logged, and the dollar value of the book is tentatively charged to the store. When the acknowledgement of receipt from the store is received, it is compared against the store’s records, the charge for the gift certificates is confirmed, and then the acknowledgement is filed away. Once a month, corporate accounting receive sales audit information from the stores and attempts to reconcile, but typically have no better luck than the store level audit clerks. .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 , .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .postImageUrl , .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 , .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711:hover , .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711:visited , .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711:active { border:0!important; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711:active , .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711 .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2ad8daf666c266f06b2184b32955d711:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: PCs are Better than Macs for Home Users EssayAnalysis of ProblemIt is very evident that there needs to be a drastic change in the J.C. Penney gift certificate tracking procedure from corporate accounting all the way down to the sales floor. Lax security and control, poor procedures, and inadequate testing of the hardware and software involved has created a very unstable situation with potentially large ramifications. Without quick remedy, potential financial losses could be staggering. In looking at this project, it is important to prioritize the underlying problems that are creating the unstable environment. The areas that need to be addressed are point of sale, sales aud it, and corporate accounting respectively. First, and perhaps the most important, is to look at your sales floor and gain control of your gift certificates. These items are the same as cash and should be treated as such. Gain immediate control of your POS to track sales and establish accountability. Modify your POS, Sales Audit, and Corporate Accounting Procedures to implement tightly coordinated controls over the sale, sales audit, and accounting functions. Second, the inadequacies in the hardware and software need to be addressed. Can minor changes in the configuration of the hardware or minor changes in your software code eliminate potential methods of shrinkage? If not, can there be changes made to the gift certificate design to help eliminate shrinkage? Maybe it would take a combination of both. A definite audit trail of every transaction is a necessity. Give yourself the ability to audit each register transaction by transaction. Once control is achieved on the sales floor, the majority of problems in the back office sales audit area will take care of themselves. It is imperative, however, that a tight control on cash, as well as, gift certificates be maintained. When looking at possible hardware and/or software modifications on the sales floor, be sure to keep in mind that the back office sales audit area might benefit from having the ability to look at information in real time. After attacking the back office sales audit area and getting them lined out procedurally, things should also begin to shape up in the corporate accounting area. If the procedures pertaining to gift certificates on all three levels have been coordinated, cooperation between the different levels will be easier to foster. The gift certificate area of corporate accounting should only be in the business of procuring and dispersing gift certificates to retail stores, verifying sales audit information pertaining to the certificates, and reporting to upper management and other areas, information concerning gift certificate sales and redemption. After reasonable control over the immediate financial instability has been achieved, focus on each individual level that has been identified in the order of importance in more detail. Initially, the focus should have been on creating some security and control, clear lines of communication, consistent procedures and definite audit trails. Now the focal point should be on minute parts of each area of distress and priorities should be established to handle those items. Possible AlternativesIn the point of sale area, the general idea is â€Å"the simpler it is, the harder it is to make a mistake†. The entire POS process should be reviewed in its entirety to identify any areas that can be streamlined. After all, the shorter the line is, the happier the customer is. Can any changes be made in hardware or software configurations that would speed up the process? In this case, a change in software code coupled with a change in the design of the gift certificates to incorporate bar codes that tied a SKU number and a dollar value would certainly seem to make a huge difference on the error rate and make sales audit on the store level and the corporate level much easier. The number of keystrokes required per transaction on the sales floor could also be reduced with this change. The use of real-time POS information would also be beneficial to store management as well as management on the corporate level. .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 , .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .postImageUrl , .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 , .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7:hover , .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7:visited , .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7:active { border:0!important; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7:active , .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7 .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8e1f45f368afa128821f0f8f5c1765b7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Plastic surgery EssayFor the store level sales audit clerks, the sales audit process should be reviewed to see if software code changes (already suggested for POS) could be modified even further to automate the sales audit procedure where gift certificate information would simply be verified on the store level and passed on electronically to the corporate office eliminating the manual accounting. Receiving new gift certificates on the store level would be a simple matter of scanning the new book verifying receipt. No more manual logs. On the corporate accounting level, there would be very little paper generated during the sales audit process. Procurement of gift certificates could be enhanced reducing the on-hand inventory of gift certificates because management would be able to establish trends in gift certificate sales and order accordingly. Security and control would be significantly enhanced, and, theoretically, every gift certificate in circulation could be tracked individually allowing the company to know, at any moment in time, their gift certificate liability. The important thing to remember when you tackle a problem, regardless of the type, size, company, etc., is to involve the people directly affected by the problem in its resolution. Give them â€Å"ownership† of the problem and they will give you all the answers you need to make the most rational and logical decision. Business Essays