Conference Management System Essay Example for Free

Conference Management System Essay In Java EE 6, JAX-WS provides the functionality for â€Å"big† web services, which are described in Chapter 19, Building Web Services with JAX-WS. Big web services use XML messages that follow the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) standard, an XML language defining a message architecture and message formats. Such systems often contain a machine-readable description of the operations offered by the service, written in the Web Services Description Language (WSDL), an XML language for defining interfaces syntactically. The SOAP message format and the WSDL interface definition language have gained widespread adoption. Many development tools, such as NetBeans IDE, can reduce the complexity of developing web service applications. A SOAP-based design must include the following elements. †¢ A formal contract must be established to describe the interface that the web service offers. WSDL can be used to describe the details of the contract, which may include messages, operations, bindings, and the location of the web service. You may also process SOAP messages in a JAX-WS service without publishing a WSDL. †¢ The architecture must address complex nonfunctional requirements. Many web service specifications address such requirements and establish a common vocabulary for them. Examples include transactions, security, addressing, trust, coordination, and so on. †¢ The architecture needs to handle asynchronous processing and invocation. In such cases, the infrastructure provided by standards, such as Web Services Reliable Messaging (WSRM), and APIs, such as JAX-WS, with their client-side asynchronous invocation support, can be leveraged out of the box. RESTful Web Services In Java EE 6, JAX-RS provides the functionality for Representational State Transfer (RESTful) web services. REST is well suited for basic, ad hoc integration scenarios. RESTful web services, often better integrated with HTTP than SOAP-based services are, do not require XML messages or WSDL service–API definitions. Project Jersey is the production-ready reference implementation for the JAX-RS specification. Jersey implements support for the annotations defined in the JAX-RS specification, making it easy for developers to build RESTful web services with Java and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Because RESTful web services use existing well-known W3C and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards (HTTP, XML, URI, MIME) and have a lightweight infrastructure that allows services to be built with minimal tooling, developing RESTful web services is inexpensive and thus has a very low barrier for adoption. You can use a development tool such as NetBeans IDE to further reduce the complexity of developing RESTful web services. A RESTful design may be appropriate when the following conditions are met. †¢ The web services are completely stateless. A good test is to consider whether the interaction can survive a restart of the server. †¢ A caching infrastructure can be leveraged for performance. If the data that the web service returns is not dynamically generated and can be cached, the caching infrastructure that web servers and other intermediaries inherently provide can be leveraged to improve performance. However, the developer must take care because such caches are limited to the HTTP GET method for most servers. †¢ The service producer and service consumer have a mutual understanding of the context and content being passed along. Because there is no formal way to describe the web services interface, both parties must agree out of band on the schemas that describe the data being exchanged and on ways to process it meaningfully. In the real world, most commercial applications that expose services as RESTful implementations also distribute so-called value-added too lkits that describe the interfaces to developers in popular programming languages. †¢ Bandwidth is particularly important and needs to be limited. REST is particularly useful for limited-profile devices, such as PDAs and mobile phones, for which the overhead of headers and additional layers of SOAP elements on the XML payload must be restricted. †¢ Web service delivery or aggregation into existing web sites can be enabled easily with a RESTful style. Developers can use such technologies as JAX-RS and Asynchronous JavaScript with XML (AJAX) and such toolkits as Direct Web Remoting (DWR) to consume the services in their web applications. Rather than starting from scratch, services can be exposed with XML and consumed by HTML pages without significantly refactoring the existing web site architecture. Existing developers will be more productive because they are adding to something they are already familiar with rather than having to start from scratch with new technology. RESTful web services are discussed in Chapter 20, Building RESTful Web Services with JAX-RS. This chapter contains information about generating the skeleton of a RESTful web service using both NetBeans IDE and the Maven project management tool. Deciding Which Type of Web Service to Use Basically, you would want to use RESTful web services for integration over the web and use big web services in enterprise application integration scenarios that have advanced quality of service (QoS) requirements. †¢ JAX-WS: addresses advanced QoS requirements commonly occurring in enterprise computing. When compared to JAX-RS, JAX-WS makes it easier to support the WS-* set of protocols, which provide standards for security and reliability, among other things, and interoperate with other WS-* conforming clients and servers. †¢ JAX-RS: makes it easier to write web applications that apply some or all of the constraints of the REST style to induce desirable properties in the application, such as loose coupling (evolving the server is easier without breaking existing clients), scalability (start small and grow), and architectural simplicity (use off-the-shelf components, such as proxies or HTTP routers). You would choose to use JAX-RS for your web application because it is easier for many types of clients to consume RESTful web services while enabling the server side to evolve and scale. Clients can choose to consume some or all aspects of the service and mash it up with other web-based services. Types of Web services You can host simple Web services without the needing complex setup. In addition, experienced Web service developers can host more complex services by handling the deployment details themselves. Types of Web services include simple and complex: Simple Web services For simple Web services, only simple data types (string, int, and other types) are sent or received as arguments and values that are returned from methods. You must specify the Java class that provides the implementation for the Web service. InfoSphereâ„ ¢ MDM Server for PIM handles generating any WSDL, and creating any WSDD (Web Services Deployment Descriptor) for the deployment of the service. Complex Web services For more complex Web services, you provide WSDD to configure the ability to send and receive more than simple types. You author and provide the WSDD in the WSDD field in the Web Service Console, or through the WebService::setWsddDocPath() script operation. IBM ® InfoSphere Master Data Management Server for Product Information Management uses the WSDD to deploy the defined service instead of using default WSDD for IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management Server for Product Information Management. You must have a good understanding of Web services to author your WSDD. You must also know the Java2WSDL, and WSDL2Java tools in case you break your deployment with the complex Web service.+ Big web services Big web services are based on SOAP standard and often contain a WSDL to describe the interface that the web service offers. The details of the contract may include messages, operations, bindings, and the location of the web service. Big web services includes architecture to address complex non-functional requirements like transactions, security, addressing, trust, coordination, and also handles asynchronous processing and invocation. The SOAP message format and the WSDL interface definition language have gained widespread adoption in traditional enterprises. SOAP based Web Services is a great solution when you need, †¢ Asynchronous processing †¢ Reliability †¢ Stateful operations – If the application needs contextual information and conversational state management then SOAP 1.2 has the additional specification in the WS* structure to support those things (Security, Transactions, Coordination, etc). RESTful Web Services RESTful web services are based on the way how our web works. Our very own world wide web (www) – the largest distributed application – is based on an architectural style called REST – Representational State Transfer. REST is neither a standard nor a protocol. It is just an architectural style like say for example client-server architecture (client-server is neither a standard nor a protocol). Web services following this architectural style are said to be RESTful Web services. So what is this REST? According to Roy Fielding who coined this term, â€Å"Representational State Transfer is intended to evoke an image of how a well-designed Web application behaves: Presented with a network of web pages (a virtual state-machine), the user progresses through an application by selecting links (state transitions), resulting in the next page (representing the next state of the application) being transferred to the user and rendered for their use.† In the web, everythi ng is identified by resources. When we type a URL in the browser we are actually requesting a resource present on the server. A representation of the resource (normally a page) is returned to the user which depicts the state of the application. On clicking any other link, the application transfers state with the new representation of the resource. Hence the name Representational State Transfer. REST-style architecture follows this concept and consists of clients and servers. Clients initiate requests to servers; servers process requests and return appropriate responses. Requests and responses are built around the transfer of representations of resources which are identified by URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). RESTful web services are based on HTTP protocol and its methods mainly PUT, GET, POST, and DELETE. These web services are better integrated with HTTP than SOAP-based services are, and as such do not require XML SOAP messages or WSDL service definitions. Because RESTful web services use existing well-known standards (HTTP, XML, URI, MIME) and have a lightweight infrastructure that allows services to be built with minimal tooling, developing RESTful web services is inexpensive and thus has a very low barrier for adoption. RESTful Web Service HTTP methods A RESTful web services is a collection of resources. For example, consider an office has deployed a web services to get a list of employees and to get individual employee data for use with other departments. The web service makes available a URL to a ‘list of employees’ resource. For example, a client would use this URL to get the employee list: http://www.example.com/myoffice/employees On sending a request to that particular URL, the client would receive the following document. |1| | |2|234 | |3|235 | |4|236 | |5|237 | |6| | The above document contains the links to get detailed info about each employee. This is a key feature of REST. The client transfers from one state to the next by examining and choosing from among the alternative URLs in the response document. To get individual employee information, the web service makes available a URL to each employee resource. For example, to get employee information whose id is 237, the client may send a request to the following URL: http://www.example.com/myoffice/employee/237 And the response document containing the employee information may be as follows: |1 | | |2 |237 | |3 |xyz | |4 |abc | |5 |123 ABC St | |6 |3344.56 | |7 | | [pic] We have seen the use of HTTP GET method to get the information. In the same way, we can use the other HTTP methods like POST, PUT and DELETE. The logical meaning of these HTTP methods for the URL http://www.example.com/myoffice/employees is as follows, †¢ When a HTTP POST request is sent to the above URL with an employee data, the data will be added to the employee list. †¢ When a HTTP PUT request is sent to the above URL with a list of employees then the original list will be modified with this employee list. †¢ When a HTTP DELETE request is sent to the above URL then the entire list of employees will be deleted. Similarly for the URL http://www.example.com/myoffice/employee/237 the actions may be interpreted as follows, †¢ When a HTTP POST request is sent to the above URL, treat the addressed member as a collection in its own right and create a new entry in it. o For example consider a situation where the employee works in a particular department and the URL http://www.example.com/myoffice/dept/A1205 represents the list of employees working in department A1205. So a POST request to this URL with employee data will add an employee data to that particular department. †¢ When a HTTP PUT request is sent to the above URL then modify that particular employee with the new request data or create if employee does not exist. †¢ When a HTTP DELETE request is sent to the above URL then delete that particular employee. In this REST form of communication, the service producer and service consumer should have a mutual understanding of the context and content (XML) being passed along. Because there is no WSDL to describe the web services interface, both parties must agree on the schemas that describe the data being exchanged and on ways to process it meaningfully. A RESTful design may be appropriate when, †¢ The web services are completely stateless. †¢ The data that the web service returns is not dynamically generated and can be cached. o The caching infrastructure that web servers provide can be leveraged to improve performance. However, the developer must take care because such caches are limited to HTTP GET method for most servers. †¢ The service producer and service consumer have a mutual understanding of the context and content being passed along. †¢ Bandwidth is particularly important and needs to be limited. o REST is particularly useful for limited-profile devices, such as PDAs and mobile phones, for which the overhead of headers and additional layers of SOAP elements on the XML payload must be restricted. †¢ Web service delivery or aggregation into existing web sites is to be enabled.

Challenges of Being an Advocate and Neutral Facilitator Essay Example for Free

Challenges of Being an Advocate and Neutral Facilitator Essay Dual Relationship Challenges A mediator is an impartial third party who meets with two or more people to encourage and facilitate communication in order to reach an agreement or conclusion over a conflict that exists between the two parties. The mediator is not the decision maker. The two parties and not the mediator will make the final decision. It is the legal and ethical job of the mediator to keep all communication confidential unless otherwise specified (The Association of Attorney-Mediators, 2001). The mediator should never choice anyone side or force one party to agree with the other. Because mediators are neutral, their personal beliefs and values can be a challenge. There are legal, moral, and ethical issues that mediators have to tackle when they deal with the parties conflicts. The mediator has to assure that each party is comfortable and know that their issues and thoughts are heard. It is important the mediator remain bias. Personal Perception Mediators and advocates are the vital to the human services field. Their clients depend on the mediator to inform them of their rights. They do not know the laws and the procedures that protect them. That is why mediators and advocates there to assist them. Personal Philosophy and Approach The services that are provided at the Planned Parenthood Agencies, I feel are important. Most soon to be, parents are teen who have no idea on how to tell their parents or guardians that they are expecting. The mediator at Planned Parenthood (the counselor) will be the one that will assist them on informing their parents or guardians and be the neutral party that will help them to determine the next step. Whether it be abortion, adoption or to keep the baby. The mediator is has no personal interest in the family but they do have to accept the decision of the family no matter what their personal beliefs are. Planned Parenthood is trusted health care providers, informed educators, passionate advocates, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital sex education and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide (Parenthood) . They are mediators must remain neutral if they really want to help the families through their difficult ordeal because it takes a person who can help the two parties come to a civilized decision about their issues. Conclusion It is important that human service professionals who are mediators and advocates remain neutral when assisting parties with their issues.

NHS: History of, and Modern Day

NHS: History of, and Modern Day Introduction Early approaches to health in the UK generally saw it as the responsibility of the individual to seek and pay for health services. However, we can see the emergence of government involvement as early as the late 1700s as Britain was emerging as an industrialised nation. This new age of wealth brought about medical advances but symptomatic of the laissez-faire (leave alone) attitudes of the time, nothing much was done about public health until the Cholera outbreak of 1831 which made government intervention essential. It took the deaths of over 100,000 people in four cholera epidemics between 1831 and 1866 to get the British government to take action to improve public health in the cities. Social reformers began to survey the living conditions of the poor and 1842 Edwin Chadwick published his Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population of Great Britain which concluded that the life expectancy of people living in the cities was about half of that living in the countryside. This was due to various forms of epidemic and endemic as a result of mainly overcrowding and the lack of drainage, ventilation and proper cleansing. Change was slow as the report offended many influential groups including water companies, corporations and public figures and the government disassociated itself from the report. Initial public health acts failed, however, after the second outbreak of Cholera in 1848 the first Public Health Act was passed which allowed Councils to set up a local board of Health if 10% of the rate payers agreed. Further public health acts were passed in 1872 and 1875, the latter completely changing public health as it forced councils to take action which included providing clean drinking water and proper sanitation. This was when we saw a concerted effort by the government to intervene in public health. Early hospitals were part voluntary, where the standards varied, and there were Local Authority Hospitals, which were developed from the workhouses. There were also Teaching hospitals, which were the best, but these charged fees. Most of the population paid for care they needed, although some were covered by national insurance. The services did not include dental care, ophthalmic services or hearing aids, specialised treatments and did not cover non insured family members. In 1942 the British economist William Beveridge produced his Report on Social Insurance and Allied Service, later known as the Beveridge report. It listed five basic problems in public health: idleness, ignorance, disease, squalor and want and proposed a scheme to look after people from ‘the cradle to the grave. Later in 1948 we saw the beginning of full government responsibility in the form of the National Health Service Act when the people of Britain were provided with free diagnosis and treatment of illness, as well as dental and ophthalmic services. Formation of the modern NHS In 1980 the DHSS published the Black report which concluded that although overall health had improved since the introduction of the welfare state, there were widespread health inequalities. It also found that the main cause of these inequalities was poverty and it stated that the death rate for men in social class V was twice that for men in social class I and that gap between the two was increasing. This report led to an assessment by the World Health Organization of health inequalities in 13 countries. The situation did not improve and in 1992 the government published the Health of a Nation, which listed numerous targets to improve public health. Approaches under the Conservative and New Labour governments saw an attempt to shift responsibility away from the state back towards the individual. Margaret Thatcher was unsure how to tackle the NHS in the 1980s, as it was so popular with the public, but eventually decided to follow her principles that she had followed on other policies, that of internal competition. The NHS was in real crisis at the time and it was felt by many that it had created aculture of dependency. The government wanted to transfer the emphasis from ‘dependence to ‘independence, by ending the benefit culture. The government believed that the NHS should be for the poorest and they actively encouraged the public to make their own provision with regards to their own health and insurance, either through company or private cover. These right wing think tank policies continue with the new Labour government in 1997 and this set about to fragment the NHS with autonomous foundation trusts. Tony Blair did not want to dissolve Conservative reforms and was attracted to use incentives to kick start the modernisation of the HNS. He was determined to boost spending to the EU average and opposed to traditional socialist values, he believed that reform needed to be in partnership with the private or voluntary sector. Waiting times were not falling and he wanted the patient to have a choice of which hospital or which doctor to treat them under patient controlled care. He states ‘I need to know how to increase the role of the private sector in health (Seldon: p44). Against much hostility within the Labour Party on 19 November 2003, the bill was passed for the formation of self funding Foundation Hospitals. These hospitals are independent legal entities which can opt out of government guidelines. Critics argue that the top hospitals are attracting investment and more money, therefore creating a two tier system. Structure of the NHS in England http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:QzBfNynbBC8w8M:http://www.hygicare.co.uk/images/hygi/clients/nhs_logos200x200.gif The NHS is divided into two separate sections. The first is primary care which is initially the first point of contact for most patients. The services are delivered by a large range of independent health care professionals such as GPs, dentists, pharmacists optometrists and podiatrists. Secondary care can be either elective care or emergency care. Elective care is generally specialist medical care or surgery, typically following a referral from a primary health care professional such as a GP. There are also tertiary care services which offer specialist care, such as hospitals for sick children. The Department of Health is responsible for running the NHS, public health and social care in England. This organisation provides organised direction, secures resources as well as setting national minimum service standards. The NHS Executive is part of the Department of Health with offices in Leeds and London and eight regions across the country. It supports Ministers and provides leadership and a range of management functions to the NHS, while the regional offices make sure national policy is developed in their own areas. In October 2002, 28 Strategic Health Authorities were created to manage the NHS at local level and act as a link back to the Department of Health. The role of the SHA is to support the local health service in improving performance, integrating national priorities into local health plans as well as resolving any conflicts between local NHS organisations. SHAs also monitor the performance of Primary Care Trusts and ensure that they meet their specific targets. The number of SHA was reduced in 2006 to 10 in order to provide a better service. There are 147 Primary Care Trusts in England, each charged with planning, securing and improving primary and community health services in their local area. They work strongly with patients, the public, GP practices to deliver these healthcare services. PCTs are allocated 75% of the NHS budget to fund services and are accountable to their local SHA. Primary Care Groups are there to improve the health of the population and they bring together GPs, community nurses, managers, social services, local communities, Health Authorities in partnership to improve services and the health of their community. NHS Trusts employ the majority of the workforce in the health service. Most of their income is generated from Primary Care Trusts and are mainly self governing, but accountable to SHA. They have to deliver results and if they dont their agreements can be withdrawn. The main types of trust are as follows. 1. Acute Trusts There are 168 acute trusts and they manage hospitals to make sure there is quality health care. They employ the vast majority of the NHS workforce. 2. Care Trusts These Trusts are organisations that work in both health and social care. They are set up between local authorities to enable close integration and benefit the local community. They usually concentrate on specialist mental health and older peoples services 3. Mental Health Trusts There are 60 Mental Health Trusts in England which provide specialist mental health services in hospitals and the local community. 4. Ambulance Trusts There are 12 Ambulance Trusts in England providing patients with emergency access to health care. 5. Childrens Trusts These are run by the local government and offer an integrated service for children. 6. Foundation Trusts There are currently 122 Foundation Trusts which are non-profit making organisation owned by members of the local community. These Trusts remain within the NHS and its performance inspection system. One significant change was in 2003 when The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) was set up. This is an independent body which collects information from the public so that they can be involved in health care. It represents public views on healthcare matters and provides advice and support to patients wanting to make a complaint about NHS Services. Private Health Care In an affluent society like Britain with an individualist culture, there has been increasing private health care in the UK since the 1980s when the conservative government introduced ‘market orientation in which there was compulsory tendering for ancillary services such as catering and laundry. By 1985 private contractors undertook 40% of all ancillary services. Private health care has been actively encouraged by the government to ease the burden of the NHS and although there has been substantial expansion, it only accounted for 18% of the total spending on health care in 2005. Around three quarters of those using private health care pay for it by health insurance, usually by their employers. The amount of people with private insurance has increase from 2.1 million in 1971 to 7 million by 2003. Some sorts of treatments like cosmetic surgery are only available through private medicine and there is also a tendency for people to make one off visits for minor operations to avoid lo ng waiting times with the NHS. Patients generally get better treatment for private health care and competition between companies improves the all round service. One of the major downsides is that more affluent areas attract better hospitals and services and it the lower social groups that require more health care. People that do not have the expertise about health sometimes may be persuaded under private health care to undergo operation they do not necessarily need. The private sector is made up of different types of company, the largest ones being PLCs, companies like BUPA which carry out approximately 850,000 operations each year. Another sector is smaller private limited companies and organisations such as Podiatrists and Physiotherapists. Voluntary, alternative and complementary medicine There has been a growing popularity of alternative therapies to challenge medical pre-eminence and is estimated that a fifth of the population has used some form of alternative medicine. These include professionally organised therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic, complementary therapies such as aromatherapy and hypnotherapy and alternative disciplines such as kinesiology and radionics. Voluntary services are those which are considered not profit making and are registered charities i.e Age Concern and Mencap. They do not cover all localities and only a few are involved in the direct provision of health care. Relationship between the different types of health care Private health care often fails to care for those who need it the most, the poor and the elderly and private health care systems which are in competition with each other tend to be less efficient than the NHS. In 2002 the new labour government continued to use the private sector in conjunction with the NHS services to expand capacity, increase access and promote diversity in the provision and choice of health services (Department of Health, 2002). The NHS has pay beds which are rented out to the private sector, although these often cost more to service than the money they raise. While most patients seek conventional medicine and receive treatment from the NHS, some alternative medicine has been recognised by the medical profession. These services have been incorporated into medical practices and treatments such as osteopathy and acupuncture are now available to NHS patients. Voluntary groups contribute to care in the community and can make improvements to peoples lives, yet the ‘mixed economy of health care and the boundaries of responsibility are not always clear. Conclusion Originally the HNS was set up to be free at the point of entry and it has stayed largely unchanged for over 30 years. Since the 1980s ‘internal market, changes have taken place and new labours reforms set up Foundation Hospitals and actively encouraged the private sector. In the future there will be undoubtedly further expansion of primary and preventative health care and more commercial involvement and expansion of the private sector. References: Childs, D. (2006) Britain since 1945, 5th Edn, Routledge: Oxford. Giddens, A. (2006) Sociology, 5th Edn, Polity Press: Cambridge. History and Policy, (2009), [Online], Available at: http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-paper-14.html (Accessed 19 Nov 2009). Marrie Barrie, A., and Yuill, C. (2008) Understanding the Sociology of Health, an introduction, 2nd Edn, Sage: London Nettleton, S. (2008) The Sociology of Health and Illness, 2nd Edn, Polity Press: Cambridge. NHS (2009) [Online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/aboutnhs/Pages/Authoritiesandtrusts.aspx (Accessed 22 Nov 2009). Science Museum. (2009), [Online], Available at: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/themes/publichealth.aspx. (Accessed 17 Nov 2009). Seldon, A. (2007) Blair Unbound, Simon and Schuster: London. Skyminds. (2009), [Online], Available at: http://www.skyminds.net/politics/inequalities-in-great-britain-in-the-19th-and-20th-centuries/the-thatcher-years-the-individual-and-society/ (Accessed 17 Nov 2009). Taylor, T., and Field, F. (2003) Sociology of Health and Health Care, 4th Edn, Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.

Information Controls by Newspapers :: Papers

Information Controls by Newspapers All newspapers have different ways of passing on the news to their readers. This often depends on the audience the newspaper is targeting. The four newspapers that I will be writing about all target various readers. I will be looking at which pieces of information newspapers would use when reporting about the invasion of the Central European state of Bernia by Cara. 'The Planet' is a tabloid newspaper that backs the government. It is happy with the way things are and has a large circulation of readers, most of which are working-class people. 'The Reporter' is also a tabloid newspaper, which supports the Labour Party and also the trade union movement. This newspaper targets similar readers to that of 'The Planet' but has a smaller circulation. 'The Enquirer' is critical towards the two main parties and is known for it's in-depth political and international reporting. This newspaper is a broadsheet whose readers are mainly middle-class. The final newspaper, 'The Daily Recorder' is a strongly patriotic pro-government broadsheet. It believes in family values and in a British Identity. As newspaper A, 'The Planet', supports the government it would be very careful about the information it dispensed. It would not want people to know that there had been 150 civilian deaths because they had been caused in retaliation against the arrival of British troops. The reason it would not want people to know this is 'The Planet' backed the move by the government to send troops to Bernia. Printing this could stop other troops from wanting to go to Bernia. To help emphasis the fact that the troops were really needed they would talk about how Bernian refugees were fleeing to escape rumours of ethnic cleansing. 'The Planet' would also avoid printing the fact that there were 150 UK casualties as this like the civilian deaths would lower the moral troops. This newspaper would probably show the photograph of the man who had been killed in hand-to-hand fighting in Bernia just to show how out of control the civil war was becoming.

Rape in Romanesque Art Essay -- Art

The Rape of Ganymede capital in San Madeleine in Và ©zelay is a depiction of the story of the rape or abduction of Ganymede. On its front face the capital features an eagle holding the young shepherd boy, Ganymede, in its mouth. Ganymede is being held upside down helplessly with a look of terror on his face. On the left are two adults holding their heads and staring helplessly at the eagle taking the boy. On the right side is a demon looking out at the viewer sticking its tongue out in happiness, as if to taunt us. In the eagle’s talons is a dog, which looks like a hyena, baring its teeth. The capital depicts a story from Aeniad, where Jupiter becomes infatuated with the handsome shepherd boy, Ganymede, and according to his version of the story, sends an eagle down to abduct the boy. Ganymede then serves as Jupiter’s cupbearer, and this evokes jealousy from Juno, thus incurring her wrath which is supposedly one of the factors that begins the Trojan War. Virgil’s version of the story is similar, but includes the visual element of the barking dog and the guardians on the side, unable to aid the boy. Both story versions come from Antiquity. As I began analyzing this capital, it took me a while to get a grasp on what was going on. There is a lot of content crammed into a small space on this capital. All the figures are oversized and in extremely close proximity to one another. I noticed the caricature-like portrayal of the figures. This seems to be the case in all the capitals at Và ©zelay. I was particularly interested in the facial expressions. The face of Ganymede is filled with dear and confusion as he hangs upside down. The dog looks frightening and angry, but it is unclear to me if he is sided with Jupiter’s eagle or if he is... ... Meaning on a Capital Representing the Fall of Man.† Tradito 55 (2000): 105-123. Forsyth, Ilene H. â€Å"The Ganymede Capital at Và ©zelay.† Gesta 15, No. 1/2. Essays in Honor of Sumner McKnight Crosby. (1976): 241-246. Kolve, V. A. â€Å"Ganymede/Son of Getron: Medieval Monasticism and the Drama of Same-Sex Desire.† Speculum 73, No. 4 (1998): 1014-1067. Mills, Robert. â€Å"Gender, Sodomy, Friendship, and the Medieval Anchorhold.† Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures 36, No. 1 (2010): 1-27. Quinn, Patricia A. Better Than the Sons of Kings: Boys and Monks in the Early Middle Ages. (New York, 1988) Van Buren, Anne H. Review of Ganymed: Studien zur Typologie, Ikonographie und Ikonologie by Gerda Kempter. Speculum 57, No. 3 (1982): 624-625. Wolfthal, Diane. â€Å" ‘A Hue and a Cry’: Medieval Rape Imagery and Its Transformation.† The Art Bulletin 75, No. 1 (1993): 39-64.

Kaufmans Organizational Elements Model Essay -- Kaufman Models Essays

Kaufman's Organizational Elements Model Introduction Every organization, whether it is an educational setting or a business setting, has the same basic principle. Each shapes and molds different ideas and ingredients to produce a good or service to deliver to external clients in the community or society. The success of the organization depends on the client satisfaction and the usefulness of what was delivered (Quality Management Plus, 30). Roger Kaufman’s Organizational Elements Model distinguishes between the different elements that make up an organization’s work. Each organizational element relates to one another. They have a building block effect where each element depends on the one before it in order to exist. The "organizational efforts (inputs and processes) contribute to organizational results (products and outputs) and these contribute to societal consequences and payoffs (outcomes)" (Strategic Planning in Education, 23). What is the Organizational Elements Model? Roger Kaufman’s Organizational Elements Model (OEM) consists of five parts: inputs, processes, products, outputs, and outcomes. Every organization, whether it be an educational or business setting, is made up of these five elements. The OEM is a framework for organizations to relate organizational efforts, organizational results, and societal payoffs or consequences (Cost-Consequence Analysis, 90). The OEM may also be divided into two different levels. The first level shows "What Is" and the second level shows "What Should Be". Input Process Product Output Outcome What Is What Should Be SOURCE: Adopted from Kaufman 1992, 1995; Hinchcliff 1995 The OEM can help organizations identify what i... ... p22-26, Nov-Dec 1997. Kaufman, Roger and Watkins, Ryan. "Cost-Consequence Analysis." Human Resource Development Quarterly, v7 n1 p87-100, Spr 1996. Kaufman, Roger and Keller, John M. "Levels of Evaluation: Beyond Kirkpatrick." Human Resources Development Quarterly, v5 n4 p371-380, Win 1994. Kaufman, Roger. Strategic Planning Plus: An Organizational Guide. Sage Publications, Inc.: Newbury Park, California, 1992. Kaufman, Roger, and Mayer, Hanna, and Rojas, Alicia M. Needs Assessment: A User’s Guide. Educational Technology Publication: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1993. Kaufman, Roger and Zahn, Douglas. Quality Management Plus: The Continuous Improvement of Education. Corwin Press, Inc.: Newbury Park, California, 1993. Kaufman, Roger and Stone, Bruce. Planning for Organizational Success: A Practical Guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: New York, 1983.

Change management Essay

Change management is an approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations to a desired future state. In this assignment I will be covering Rollin and Christine Glaser’s (1992) five elements to improve team effectiveness, IT management competencies, reasons for mergers and acquisitions in reference to South African businesses and roles leaders should play during the change process. In the aim to provide one with a better understanding of and insight of change management. Question 1 Rollin and Christine Glaser (1992) the five elements that contribute to the level of a team’s effectiveness over time. These are: †¢ Team mission, planning and goal setting; †¢ Team roles; †¢ Team operating processes; †¢ Team interpersonal relationships; and †¢ Inter team relations. Team mission planning and goal setting The most effective teams have a strong sense of their purpose, organize their work around that purpose, and plan and set goals in line with that purpose. Teams and individuals within teams must have a clear understanding of their objectives. Clarity of objectives together with a common understanding and agreement of these objectives are fundamental. Locke and Latham have identified that the very act of goal setting was a prime motivator for a team; the more your team sets clear goals the more likely it is to succeed. When implementing clear goal setting in a team it will increase the effectiveness ratio. Clear goals are even more substantial when teams are involved in change, partially because unless they know where they are going  they are unlikely to get there, and partly because a strong sense of purpose can mitigate some of the more harmful effects of change. Team roles The team should comprehend their own and other team members roles, and how these link to achieving the team objective. This becomes even more important with teams based remotely and some that are part-time working. The best way for a team to achieve its goals is for the team to be structured logically around those goals. Individual team members need to have clear roles and accountabilities. They need to have a clear understanding not only of what their individual role is, but also what the roles and accountabilities of other team members are. Clear roles have two useful functions. It contributes to a clear sense of purpose and it provides a supportive framework for task accomplishment. Team operating processes A team needs to have certain enabling processes in place for people to carry out their work together. These processes can be seen as ground rules for a team to adhere to. Certain things need to be placed that will allow the task to be achieved in a way that is as efficient and as effective as possible. Processes deals with the issues and decisions and how the team will respond to them in an efficient and effective way without disrupting the work process within the team. During the change process when team change typically puts pressures and priorities it can isolate people away from the team, the team operating processes can act like a lubricant, enabling a smooth healthy team to continually function. Areas that a team need actively label by discussing and agreeing include: †¢ Frequency, timing and agenda of meetings; †¢ Problem-solving and decision-making methodologies; †¢ Ground rules; †¢ Procedures for dealing with conflict when it occurs; †¢ Reward mechanisms for individuals contributing to team goals; †¢ Type and style of review process. Team interpersonal relationships To encourage team members to communicate with one another, share information, communicate openly, respect differences, which will increase relationships and understandings within the team. This all helps to build trust and a better working atmosphere. To achieve clear understanding of goals and roles, the team needs to work together to agree and clarify them. Operating processes must also be discussed and agreed. To achieve this level of communication, the interpersonal relationships within the team need to be in a relatively healthy state. Allowing for open communication that is assertive and task focused, as well as creating opportunities for giving and receiving feedback aimed at creating development. High levels of trust within a team are the foundation for coping with conflict. Inter-team relations Regular communication flows between teams are essential as they help to keep up with changing situations and ensure the right thing is being delivered. Teams cannot work in isolation with expecting in achieving their organizational objectives. The nature of organizations today are complex, sophisticated and with increasing loose and permeable boundaries. Teams need to connect more. It is also because the environment is changing faster and is more complex, so keeping in touch with information outside of your own team is a basic survival strategy. Question 2 IT MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES †¢ Business deployment: A systematical procedure of implementing an activity, processes, programs, or systems to all concerning areas of an organization to achieve a particular outcome. Communicate the value offered by emerging IT organisations. This needs to be coupled with the use of IT teams, with good knowledge of IT, to improve IT solutions. Examination of the potential business value of new, emerging IT Utilization of multidisciplinary teams throughout the organization Effective working relationships among line managers and IT staff Technology transfer, where appropriate, of successful IT applications Platforms and services Adequacy of IT-related knowledge of line managers throughout the organization Visualizing the value of IT investments throughout the organization Appropriateness of IT policies Appropriateness of IT sourcing decisions Effectiveness of IT measurement systems †¢ External networks: The network outside a team’s internal network environment which can’t be controlled by the team or the organization. These needs are to create close partnerships with external companies to create more organisational awareness. Existence of electronic links with the organization’s customers Existence of electronic links with the organization’s suppliers Collaborative alliances with external partners (vendors, systems integrators, Competitors) to develop IT-based products and processes. †¢ Line technology leadership: Line technology leadership is a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task within the IT management environment. It is having the ability in organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal. Users such as line managers and senior managers need to participate actively in leading IT  initiatives. Line managers’ ownership of IT projects within their domains of business responsibility Ability of employees throughout the organization to serve as Project Leaders. †¢ Process adaptiveness: The ability to change and adapt suitably and accordingly to suit the IT climate and are able to conform to the new conditions by means of modification. It is also about the companies track record in restructuring its processes, and the existence of an environment where employees can find and explore the functionality of IT systems. Ability of employees throughout the organization to learn about and subsequently explore the functionality of installed IT tools and Applications restructuring of business processes, where appropriate, throughout the organization Visualizing organizational activities throughout the organization. †¢ IT planning IT planning is the process of thinking about and organizing the activities required to achieve a desired goal within an information technology environment. It involves the creation and maintenance of a Strategic plan. The thought process is essential to the creation and refinement of an IT plan in relation to strategic planning, or integration of it with other plans. It combines with developments with the preparation of scenarios of how to react to them. Integration of business strategic planning and IT strategic planning Clarity of vision regarding how IT contributes to business value Effectiveness of IT planning throughout the organization Effectiveness of project management practices. †¢ IT infrastructure IT infrastructure is a combined set of hardware, software, networks, facilities, etc. In order to develop, test, deliver, monitor, control or support IT services. It controls the restructuring, design and architecture of data and networks etc. It is also about the appropriateness and flexibility of the underlying infrastructure which allows innovative IT practices to be emerged. restructuring of IT work processes, where appropriate Appropriateness of data architecture Appropriateness of network architecture Knowledge of and adequacy of the organization’s IT skill base Consistency of object (data, process, rules) definitions Effectiveness of software development practices. Question 3 Growth A lot of commercial mergers and acquisitions are about growing and expansion. Growth normally involves acquiring new customers. Merging or acquiring another company enables a faster way of growth, which detours around the unnecessary, long, tedious and uncertainty process of internally generated growth. It brings with it the risks and challenges of understanding the intended benefits of this activity. The appeal of immediate revenue growth must be weighed up against the negatives of asking management to run an even larger company. Massmart a South African firm has merged with American giants Wal-Mart in hopes to create more and new customers. It can also be about getting access to facilities, brands, trademarks, technology or even employees. This strategy was used to implement growth and expansion in this particular industry. Synergy It’s the cooperation of two or more organizations to produce a combined effect greater than when they were separate . If two organizations are  thought to have synergy, this indicates the potential ability of the two to be more successful when merged than they were apart. This usually translates into: Operating synergies are those synergies that allow firms to increase their operating income from existing assets ,increase growth or both. †¢ Growth in revenues through a newly created or strengthened product or service (hard to achieve) †¢ Cost reductions in core operating processes through economies of scale (easier to achieve) †¢ Financial synergies such as lowering the cost of capital (cost of borrowing, flotation costs) †¢ More competent, clearer governance (as in the merger of two hospitals). However, there may be other gains. Some acquisitions can be motivated by the belief that the acquiring company has better management skills, and can therefore man age the acquired company’s assets and employees more successfully in the long term and more profitably. Mergers and acquisitions can also be about strengthening quite specific areas, such as boosting research capability, or strengthening the distribution network. Diversification Diversification is about growing business outside the company’s traditional industry. This type of merger or acquisition was very popular during the third wave in the 1960s (see box). Although General Electric (GE) has flourished by following a strategy that embraced both diversification and divestiture, many companies following this course have been far less successful. Diversification may result from a company’s need to develop a portfolio through nervousness about the earning potential of its current markets, or through a desire to enter a more profitable line of business. The latter is a tough target, and economic theory suggests that a diversification strategy to gain entry into more profitable areas of business will not be successful in the long run (see Gaughan, 2002 for more explanation of this). A classic recent example of this going wrong is Marconi, which tried to diversify by buying US telecoms businesses. Unfortunately, this was just before the whole teleco ms market crashed, and Marconi suffered badly from this strategy. Integration to achieve economic gains or better services Another increasingly common motive for merger and acquisition activity is to achieve horizontal integration. A company may decide to merge with or acquire a competitor to gain market share and increase its marketing strength. Public sector organizations may merge purely to achieve cost savings (often a guiltily held motivation) or to enhance partnership working in the service of customers. Vertical integration is also an attraction. A company may decide to merge with or acquire a customer or a supplier to achieve at least one of the following: †¢ A dependable source of supply; †¢ The ability to demand specialized supply; †¢ Lower costs of supply; †¢ Improved competitive position. An example of this in South Africa is when Glaxo-Smith Kline (GSK) one of the largest pharmaceutical company worldwide decided to merge with Aspen Pharmaceuticals (Largest Pharmaceutical Company in South Africa) in order to get a better hold of its market position in Africa and by obtaining tenders and contracts by the government to supply local communities within South Africa generic medication and also anti-retrovirals. Defensive measures Some mergers are defensive and are a response to other mergers that threaten the commercial position of a company. Pressure to do a deal, any deal  There is often tremendous pressure on the CEO to reinvest cash and grow reported earnings (Selden and Colvin, 2003). He or she may be being advised to make the deal quickly before a competitor does, so much so that the CEO’s definition of success becomes completion of the deal rather than the longer-term programme of achieving intended benefits. This is dangerous because those merging or acquiring when in this frame of mind can easily overestimate potential revenue increases or costs savings. In short, they can get carried away. Feldmann and Spratt (1999) warn of the seductive nature of merger and acquisition activity. ‘Executives everywhere, but most particularly those in the world’s largest corporations and institutions, have a knack for falling prey to their own hype and promotion.  Implementation is simply a detail and shareholder value is just around the corner. This is quite simply delusional thinking.’ Question 4 There are various views about the role a leader should play in the change process †¢ The machine metaphor implies that the leader sits at the top of the organization, setting goals and driving them through to completion. †¢ The political system metaphor implies that the leader needs to become the figurehead of a powerful coalition which attracts followers by communicating a compelling and attractive vision, and through negotiation and bargaining. †¢ The organism metaphor says the leader’s primary role is that of coach, counsellor and consultant. †¢ The flux and transformation metaphor says the leader is a facilitator of emergent change. Different types of leaders have different types of role. Local line leaders These are the front-line managers who design the products and services and make the core processes work. Without the commitment of these people, no significant change will happen. These people are usually very focused on their own teams and customers. They rely on network leaders to link them with other parts of the organization, and on executive leaders to create the right infrastructure for good ideas to emerge and take root. Executive leaders These are management board members. Senge does not believe that all change starts here. Rather, he states that these leaders are responsible for three key things: designing the right innovation environment and the right infrastructure for assessment and reward, teaching and mentoring local line leaders, and serving as role models to demonstrate their commitment to values and purpose. Network leaders Senge makes the point that the really significant organizational challenges occur at the interfaces between project groups, functions and teams. Network leaders are people who work at these interfaces. They are guides, advisors, active helpers and accessors (helping groups of people to get resource from elsewhere), working in partnership with line leaders. They often have the insight to help local line leaders to move forward and make changes happen across the organization. The interconnections are hard to achieve in reality. We have observed the following obstacles to achieving smooth interconnection between the different roles: †¢ Executive leaders are busy, hard-to-get-hold-of people who can become quite disconnected from their local line leaders. †¢ Executive leaders and local line leaders rarely meet face to face and communicate by e-mail, if at all. †¢ Network leaders, such as internal consultants or process facilitators, are often diverted from their leadership roles by requests either to perform expert tasks or to implement HR-led initiatives. †¢ Network leaders may be busy and effective, but are usually undervalued as leaders of change. They often have to battle to get recognized as important players in the organization. Senge’s model recognizes the need for all three types of leader, and the need for connectivity between different parts of the organization if change is desired. Conclusion: It’s more appropriate in anticipating objections than to spend your time putting out fires,(prevention is better than cure) and understanding how to overcome resistance to change is a essential part of any change management plan. Expecting resistance to change and planning for it from the start of your change management course of action will allow you to effectively and effectively manage objections. Not dealing with change proactively is one of the larger downfalls. In the end all sources of resistance to change need to be acknowledged and employee’s emotions validated in order to move forward with the change. Index Page Glossary of terms Introduction Question 1- Rollin and Christine Glaser (1992) five elements to improve team effectiveness Question 2- Discussing five categories of IT management competences Question 3- Reasons for mergers and acquisitions in reference to South Africa Question 4- Roles leaders play in the change process Conclusion Bibliography and References Glossary of terms Restructuring: This type of corporate action is usually made when there are significant problems in a company, which are causing some form of financial harm and putting the overall business in jeopardy. The hope is that through restructuring, a company can eliminate financial harm and improve the business Acquisition: An act of purchase of one company by another. Merger: The combining of two or more companies, generally by offering the stockholders of one company securities in the acquiring company. Change: The act or instance of making or becoming different. Resistance: The refusal to accept or comply with something, the attempt to prevent something by action or argument. Cognitive: The mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment. References and bibliographies Cameron ,E, Green ,M. â€Å"Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change†. Kogan Page Publishers, (2012) Kotter, J. (July 12, 2011). â€Å"Change Management vs. Change Leadership -What’s the Difference?† Filicetti, John (August 20, 2007). â€Å"Project Management Dictionary†. Conner, Daryl (August 15, 2012). â€Å"The Real Story of the Burning Platform†. Anderson, D. & Anderson, L.A. (2001). Beyond Change Management: Advanced Strategies for Today’s Transformational Leaders.