A Comparative Study Of Australian Indigenous And Non Indigenous Education Essay Example for Free

A Comparative Study Of Australian Indigenous And Non Indigenous Education Essay Australia has a prominent discontinuity between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities. (Coag. gov. au. 2014) There is a pressing need for an Australian Indigenous Education Reform. This need for reform is especially necessary in remote and northern, socially disadvantaged Australian communities where attendance rates are low, along with low academic outcomes by Australian national standards. This reform needs to ensure consideration of Indigenous cultural needs and wants. The aim of this paper is to discuss the disparity between Australian Indigenous and Non-Indigenous persons’ Education and make recommendations based on the effectiveness of current reforms in place to minimise the inequality between the two demographics. The paper will look at attendance statistics of school aged children in primary school and high school, completion statistics of highest school qualifications completed, highest non-school qualification obtained and employment statistics for full time and part time Indigenous and non- Indigenous workers The most recent government implemented strategy will be briefly evaluated. Along with this, recommendations will be made. These suggestions can hopefully be modified and implemented in countries that have an inconsistency their in nationwide education statistics. Placing high importance on the improvement of Australia’s Indigenous and Non-Indigenous education disparities will create a ripple effect and improve Indigenous health and employment opportunities. Children who attend school on a daily basis will be exposed to health and wellbeing syllabus, putting their knowledge into practice within their community. Indigenous Primary school children with regular attendance will have an easier transition into secondary school, with the improved likeliness of achieving a higher non-school qualification thus positively affecting the distribution of workers in society. For the purpose of this paper, the following tables bellow will be referred to and the information within will be used to support and stimulate discussion. INDIGENOUS SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RECORDINGS 3 TO 5 YEARS OF AGE AGE MAJOR CITY REMOTE AREA VERY REMOTE AREA 3 31% 12% 14% 4 63% 59% 55% 5 87% 77% 70% Table 1 Source: Population Characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, Australia, 2006 (cat. no. 4713. 0). This table shows the percentage of three to five year old Indigenous children attending an educational institution such as a preschool or primary school in a major city, remote or very remote area. As expected, the attendance decreases as remoteness increases. There isn’t much disparity with the four and five year old age group’s attendance, however less than half three year old Indigenous children in a major city attend an educational facility in a major city and then this figure almost halves again when looking at children in very remote areas. INDIGENOUS SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RECORDINGS 15 TO 17 YEARS OF AGE AGE MAJOR CITY REMOTE AREA VERY REMOTE AREA 15 77% 67% 53% 16 60% 49% 34% 17 44% 29% 16% Table 2 Source: Population Characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, Australia, 2006 (cat. no. 4713. 0) The results in this table are noticeably alarming. In remote and very remote areas, 50% or under of Indigenous teenagers from the ages of fifteen, sixteen and seventeen years are attending school. If only 16% of seventeen year old Indigenous students are attending high school, then there is a very low chance of young Indigenous persons graduating from the final year of high school. In major cities, not even half of Indigenous seventeen year olds are attending high school. It’s highly unlikely that with an attendance rate is only 44% from seventeen year olds in major cities, that many of those students will continue on to complete a non-school qualification. HIGHTEST LEVEL OF SCHOOL COMPLETED BY INDIGENOUS SATUS AND AGE AGE GROUP 18-24 25-34 35-54 55 and over total Indigenous Highest Level (%) Year 12 or equivalent 32 28 15 8 19 Year 11 or equivalent 14 13 9 2 11 Year 10 or equivalent 25 26 34 16 28 Non-Indigenous Highest Level (%) Year 12 or equivalent 71 68 76 27 45. Year 11 or equivalent 10 9 12 7 10 Year 10 or equivalent 13 16 29 26 24 Table 3 Source: Population Characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006 (cat. no. 4713) The information gathered in the above table shows that the highest school level qualification of Indigenous people is Year 10 or the equivalent and for Non-Indigenous people its Year 12 or equivalent. As assumed, for Indigenous persons, the amount of Year 12 completions declines with age. Indicating that perhaps, programs put in place to support Indigenous education has been effective. However, overall, only 19% of Indigenous persons have completed Year 12. Further studies showed that 14% of Indigenous people had completed Year 8 or the equivalent as their highest school qualification. This was exactly double the amount of Non-Indigenous persons who had completed Year 8 or the equivalent and only 5% lower than the amount of Indigenous persons who completed Year 12 or the equivalent. The disparity between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous young people (age 18 to 24 years) who have completed Year 12 of equivalent is a huge 40%. These statistics of the highest school qualification received reflects on the results of highest non-school qualifications. . Indigenous (%) Non-Indigenous (%) Males Females Males Females Higher than a Bachelor degree 1. 0 1. 4 5. 9 5. 9 Bachelor degree 2. 9 5. 0 14. 3 16. 8 Advance Diploma or Diploma 3. 1 5. 3 7. 8 10. 3 Certificate III and IV level 15. 8 8. 3 25. 8 8. 5 Certificate I and II level 1. 4 2. 5 0. 7 1. 6 Certificate not further defined 1. 2 2. 0 1. 4 2. 7 Not stated or inadequately stated 17. 6 13. 9 6. 2 7. 3 No non-school qualifications 57. 1 61. 7 37. 9 46. 8 PERSONS AGED 26-64 YEARS WITH A NON-SCHOOL QUALIFICATION BY INDIGENOUS STATUS AND GENDER. Table 4 Source: 2006 Census of Population and Housing, Australia, 2006 This table displays the non-school qualifications achieved by Indigenous and Non-Indigenous males and females. Following on from the highest school qualification results, it was not surprising to find that more Non-Indigenous Australians had received certificates III and IV, diplomas, advanced diplomas and Bachelor degrees or higher. It was disconcerting to note that more than 50% of Indigenous males and females had no non-school qualification. The majority of both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians had completed a certificate III or IV. Further research showed that Indigenous persons living in major cities, when compared to those in regional or remote areas, were more than two and a half times more likely to complete a non-school qualification (39% and 15% respectively). However, strangely for Non-Indigenous persons with a non-school qualification in remote communities, there was not a disparity as larger between those that lived in major cities (58% for major cities and 48. 6% for remote areas. LABOUR FORCE STATUS BY INDIGENOUS STATUS Indigenous Total (%) Full Time Employment 27. 7 Part Time Employment 16. 6 Non-Indigenous Full Time Employment 50. 0 Part Time Employment 19. 1 Table 5 Source: 2006 Census of Population and Housing, Australia, 2006 The above is a small overview of the overall percent of full time and part time employment for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. ABSENTEEISM Days Absent Total Days School Terms Missed Years of School Missed 1 day per week 451 9 2 years, 1 term 1. 5 days per week 676. 5 13. 5 3 years, 1. 5 terms 2 days per week 902 18 4 years, 2 terms 3 days per week 1353 27 6 years, 3 terms 5 weeks per term 1127. 5 22 5 years, 2 terms Average 5 days per term 220 5. 5 1 year, 1. 5 terms Average 10 days per term 440 11 2 years, 3 terms ABSENTEEISM OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME Table 6 Source: Cycles For Success DETE, SA, 2002 p. 44. The above table calculates the impact of absenteeism over a long period of time, highlighting the severity of prolonged absenteeism. Even a child who only has 5 days off a term, every term can be affected; they will miss a total of 1 year and 1. 5 terms, that’s a lot of curriculum covered in that time. An abridged version of Reasons for prolonged absenteeism from School attendance and retention Of Indigenous Australian students. †¢ Parental-condoned absenteeism, parents failing to accept their legal responsibilities †¢ Poor parental/carer attitudes towards schools †¢ Insufficiently valuing education †¢ Inadequate welfare support practices, especially in the early years of schooling †¢ Inconsistent approach to absenteeism between and within schools †¢ Unsuitable curriculum for some pupils †¢ Too few out-of-school/alternative curriculum places †¢ Bullying, peer pressure, ‘cool’ to skip school †¢ Lack of career aspirations and low self esteem †¢ Inconsistent policies and practices of local schools, education welfare services and schools’ policy documents on attendance †¢ Inconsistent referral policies between schools. †¢ Local unemployment, poverty, poor community facilities †¢ Differences between boys’ and girls’ aspirations and achievements (Purdie Buckley, 2010) MOST RECENTLY ANNOUNCED GOVERNMENT STRATERGY In December, 2013 Indigenous Affairs Minister Scullion released an announcement of a new two- year strategy to improve Indigenous school attendance. â€Å"A child attending school 70 per cent of the time is not receiving a proper education. A recent COAG report on education showed there had been no improvement in attendance of Indigenous students over the past five years and in some areas it is going backwards. It is horrific to think that in the Northern Territory, only 13 per cent of kids are attending school 80 per cent of the time. This has to change. † Minister Scullion said the two-year strategy, which is in addition to strategies discussed by COAG last week, would improve school attendance by engaging local people in each community to get kids to school. $28. 4 million will be provided over two years to: ? Employ Attendance Supervisors to manage and develop up to five School Attendance Officers in each community ? Appoint School Attendance Officers through the Remote Jobs and Communities Programme (RJCP) to work with families to get kids to school. Five officers will be engaged for each 100 enrolled children (scaled to suit local situations) ? Provide support for children to attend school with funds from the Indigenous Communities Strategic Investment and Community Development Funds for uniforms, vehicles and office space† Schlievs, M. (2011). Evaluation of Two Year Strategy RECOMMENDATIONS Introduce vocational training within schools Vocational training should be encouraged at a school level. It not only provides a post school pathway into a non-school qualification, but it provides incentive for everyday attendance and a valid reason to participate in school. Students who don’t intend on completing year 12 can obtain a non-school qualification before they leave high school, providing them with a means to enter a non- school qualification post-high school if they so wish. It will also allow students to go straight into employment post school. Schools can be set up to accommodate VET (Vocational Education and Training) and VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning). These structured programs run in schools allow high school aged children to engage in ‘hands-on’ learning in the classroom with small assessment tasks leading to a certificate. Many Australian Indigenous communities are low socioeconomic areas; if their high schools operate these programs within the school they are providing a financially viable way for students to review a non-school qualification. Adapt curriculum to incorporate Indigenous cultural needs and wants Many Indigenous students have poor attendance because the school curriculum does not appeal to them, their family or their communities’ culture. To have students actively engaged in school, both attendance and their education, the school syllabus needs to reflect the environment the children live in. Simple adoptions can make a large difference to a child’s education. For example, ensuring the level appropriate reading lists has Indigenous story books. There are a large range of Australian Indigenous children’s picture books and novels for older children that are written by Indigenous authors and based in Indigenous communities. If a child is reading a book with a setting they’ve never encountered before, it will become difficult to engage the child in activities and it will become easier for the child to become disinterested in their education and as a result their attendance will decrease. Art and storytelling are prominent features of Australian Indigenous culture, so is spending time exploring the natural environment and learning valuable lessons from community Elders in regards to understanding the natural resources in the area, such as edible plants. Unfortunately, these skills the children acquire in their home life aren’t reflected in school curriculum, making the children and their families feel not only that their culture isn’t valued, but attending school isn’t relevant to them and their community lifestyle. Encouraging more parent participation in children’s schooling It is easier for a child to attend school if the parent or guardian encourages, supports and helps further their education in the home. When parents are stringent on their child’s attendance, it assists the school in having the child attend each day. For a parent to be involved in the child’s formal learning, they must be a involved with the school community. Schools and educators acknowledge that learning first comes from the home, and in the case of Indigenous culture, it comes from the wider community. It would be very fitting for the school in Indigenous communities to run community days and activities in which the children and their families can participate, making it easier for families to accept the school as part of the community. Financial assistance outside of school educational assistance Indigenous students can miss large portions of school during the time of Sorry Business. When Aboriginal people mourn the loss of a family member they practice Aboriginal death ceremonies, or Sorry Business. The family will leave the community for an extended period of time, and if they choose to return to the community, they will move houses. This can cause a large amount of absence for a school child, or if they move to a new community, they may never enrol back into school again. It’s difficult for a child to catch up on such a prolonged absence. If, as part of the national plan for lack of Indigenous student absences, a funded educator could assist children a community centre, such as a religious place, health centre of community recreation centre to catch up on missed school work, it would be most beneficial. This program could also be used to provide extra assistance to children who are falling behind in their school work, before they decide it’s too difficult and never return to school. Initiatives such as this are respectful to the culture, but also combat the issue of students not returning to school after prolonged absence. CONCLUSION It is important to first discover what is causing the problem, before deciding on a strategy to solve a problem. Indigenous communities need to find out from their youth what would encourage them to attend and be engaged at school. Education is a foundation for any community, whether it is developed or developing. In the case of Australian Indigenous communities, school ages education doesn’t only assist a person achieve a qualification, it is important for social development, encouraging health and wellbeing in a community and will enhance future employment opportunities. There is a pressing need for an Australian Indigenous Education Reform. This need for reform is especially necessary in remote and northern, socially disadvantaged Australian communities where attendance rates are low, along with low academic outcomes by Australian national standards. This reform needs to ensure consideration of Indigenous cultural needs and wants. Any recommendations that have been made, can be adapted to assist with similar situations in various countries with remote education being behind the national benchmark in major cities. REFERENCES Abs. gov. au. (2014). Indigenous statistics for schools. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. abs. gov. au/websitedbs/cashome. nsf/4a256353001af3ed4b2562bb00121564/95ed8 14872649b0dca25758b000314ef! OpenDocument [Accessed: 12 February]. Abs. gov. au. (2014). Indigenous statistics for schools. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.abs. gov. au/websitedbs/cashome. nsf/89a5f3d8684682b6ca256de4002c809b/5cd416 49a06a3033ca25758a0080249e! OpenDocument [Accessed: 20 February 2014]. Coag. gov. au. (2014). Closing the gap in indigenous disadvantage | council of australian governments (coag). [online] Retrieved from: https://www. coag. gov. au/closing_the_gap_in_indigenous_disadvantage [Accessed: 20 February 2014]. Daretolead. edu. au. (2014). Attendance: research and approaches. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. daretolead. edu. au/RES_IS_ATT [12 February 2014]. Ferrari, J.. (2012). Reforms failing to close indigenous schools-gap. The Australian. Humanrights. gov. au. (2014). Statistical overview. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. humanrights. gov. au/publications/statistical-overview-aboriginal-and-torres-strait- islander-peoples-australia-social [Accessed: 12 February 2014]. Indigenous. gov. au. (2013). Minister scullion: government unveils plan to get remote indigenous children back to school | indigenous. gov. au. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. indigenous. gov. au/minister-scullion-government-unveils-plan-to-get-remote- indigenous-children-back-to-school/ [Accessed: 12 February 2014]. Kearns, K. (2010). The business of childcare. Frenchs Forest, N. S. W. : Pearson Australia. Kearns, K. Austin, B. (2007). Birth to big school. Frenchs Forest, N. S. W. : Pearson Education Australia. Mychild. gov. au. (2014). Programs for indigenous families | mychild. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. mychild. gov. au/pages/FamiliesProgIndigenousFam. aspx [Accessed: 3 January 2014]. Purdie, N. Buckley, S. (2010). School attendance and retention of indigenous australian students. issues paper no. ERIC. Schlievs, M. (2011). Aboriginal children in remote areas missing school for weeks. The Australian, September.

Operations Strategy with focus on Growth

Operations Strategy with focus on Growth Briefly describe your understanding of the concept of Operations Strategy, its importance and its min constructs. Huge number of companies asserted that operations strategy is one of the best approaches to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Waller [5] asserted that the strategic which should relate to operations performance object is important of its operations and supply chain. Hill [4] also suggested that strategy include the perspective of both direction and implementation. Operation strategy is a long term plan which is designed to achieve its desired objectives [5]. Chase et al. [3] claimed that operations strategy is to plan a wide and complete guidelines or approaches which is the best support for companies long term goal. Chase et al. [3] also mention four levels of perspective in operations strategy including learning and growth, internal, customer and financial perspective. Slack et al. [2] addressed that operations strategy is the pattern of decisions and actions that shapes the long term vision, objective and capabilities of the operation and its contribution to overall strategy. Slack et al. [6] also point out that operations strategy should concerns four perspectives as following: (1) Top down Operation strategy is a top down reflection of what the business wants to do. (2) Bottom up Operation strategy is a bottom up activity where operations improvements cumulatively build strategy. (3) Market requirements Operations strategy involves translating market requirement into operations decisions. (4) Capabilities of operations resources Operation strategy involves exploiting the capabilities of operations resources in chosen markets. According to above, it can be concluded that operations strategy which is the way in which operations resources are developed over the long term to create sustainable competitive advantage for the business concerns investments and developments to support the order winners and qualifiers (such as on time delivery, quality conformance and price) for which it has both individual and cooperative responsibility. 2. What do you consider to be the main operations performance objectives in the context of Yo!Sushi? How these objectives reflect the structure and expectations of the companys market? How do you assess the relative importance of these objectives? Answer: An operations strategy should define operations performance objectives which will adds value for customers and contributes to competitiveness by being able to satisfy the requirements of its customers. Slack et al. [2] suggested that there are five aspects of operations performance, all of which to a greater or lesser extent will affect customer satisfaction and business competitiveness. (1) Quality: doing things right. (2) Speed: doing things fast. (3) Dependability: doing things on time. (4) Flexibility: changing what you do or how you do it. (5) Cost: doing things cheaply. Chase et al. [3] also claimed that the major competitive dimensions that form the competitive position of a company include the following: (1) Cost: make it cheap. (2) Product quality and Reliability: make it good. (3) Delivery speed: make it fast. (4) Delivery reliability: deliver it when promised. (5) Coping with changes in demand: change its volume. (6) Flexibility and new product introduction speed: change it. (7) Other product specific criteria: support it. According to above, the main operations performance objectives in the context of Yo!Sushi are quality( food and service), speed, flexibility and cost. (1) Quality Quality is very important index or part in the restaurant industry. According to the article, firstly, the quality of food must manage and control vey carefully including food standards and hygiene. Secondly, the quality of service also is a vital fact which not only relates to the person to person interaction, but also to the general cleanliness of the restaurant. In addition, in order to improve service quality, Yo!Sushi use questionnaires to make some communication and feedback from their customers. It not only let them understand their drawbacks but also found a way to make the customer a repeat visitor in the future. (2) Speed With regard to speed, food stock management is a very important part which is related to it. On one hand, if the food has sold off the belt, the same item of food will to be filled in shortly. On the other hand, if the food has not been sold off the belt in two hours, it must be discarded. To achieve the performance objective of speed not only ensure fresh of food, but also improve the restaurants service quality. (3) Flexibility Customers who want to see a variety of dishes displayed need some different and special menus to make them returning. Variety dishes include seasonal menus and meal promotions which can encourage customers expecting. (4) Cost How to make a reasonable rang of price for their food is also a critical object in Yo!Sushi. According to the article, the author mentioned that there are three different level customer groups including symbols of success, urban intelligence and welfare borderline have been eaten in the restaurant. Because of this, how to set price of meals are a vital issue in their business. There are four structure and expectations of companys market. First of all, to achieve the object of quality can create a chance of customers returning. Secondly, to achieve the object of speed not only ensure fresh of food, but also improve the restaurants service quality. Thirdly, to achieve the object of flexibility could encourage customers motivation to taste special and also make them returning. Lastly, to achieve the object of cost could create much business in many different level customers. It can be concluded from above, different operations will have different views of what each of the performance objectives actually means. In other words, the relative importance of four performance objectives above which can provide competitive advantages depends on how the business competes in its market. 3. What do you see to be the most important challenge for the company and its director? Answer: According to the article, the most important challenge for the company is how to motivate the virgin category customers and how to create the best chances of this customer returning. Virgin customers who mean the people who have not been to the restaurant before will not know how the conveyer belt system works and how to order different Japanese dishes. We can also see from the article that the most important challenge for the companys director is how to get right performance measures of the restaurants. In the article, Robin asserted that given the right set of metrics not only encourage managers performance but also servers performance outperform their current roles. There are also two main reasons why the companys director should to get right performance measures. Firstly, it will bring free up cash to invest in new opening. This reason is refer to CEOs objective which is to have over 100 restaurants open at 2011.Secondly, it will keep companys loyal band of lovers coming back for more. This reason is a vital strategy which make company sustainable operations. It can be concluded from above that if the company can motivate the virgin category customers and make them returning, it will bring much benefits for the company; if the companys director could to get right performance measures of the restaurants, it not only bring free up cash to invest in new opening but also keep companys loyal band of lovers coming back for more in the future. 4. How the identified performance objectives would impact the companys resources and processes (quality, capacity and planning)? And what your suggestions would be to the CEO in selecting measures of performance to improve the restaurants position? Compare your answer with what may be the current approach and solutions of the companys management. Answer: According to the figure1 above, Slack et al. [1] claimed that the market requirement and the operations resource perspectives on operations strategy represent two sides of a strategic equation that all operations managers have to reconcile. According to the figure2 above, Slack et al. [2] also asserted that building operations capabilities means understanding the existing resources and processes within the operation. Different product groups require different performance objective which might related to their position. In case of Yo!Sushi, quality and flexibility are the most important performance objective which should be measured more carefully. First of all, food quality and service quality are a vital index related to customers satisfaction which not only improve restaurants position but also create brand loyalty of their customers. In addition, the flexibility of food is also approach to attract customers successful. In order to identify my suggestion of performance measure, I will compare with another food restaurant called Burger king which is also set some performance objective to make their business excellent. (1) Quality Burger king not only proud the quality of its food but also focus more on their service quality [1]. Compare with Yo!Sushi, quality of food and service are an important points of its business. (2) Speed of service This is a main different between Burger king and Yo!Sushi. Burger king is type of fast food which is important in its speed of service, especially take away. Whereas, more customers of Yo!Sushi choose eat in which more focus on enjoy the process of meal than speed. (3) Flexibility Flexibility is another vital index in restaurant industry. Both Burger king and Yo!Sushi are attach importance to it. Variety meals can attract customers more success than unchanged meals. (4) Cost Burger king is not very cheapest in the fast food market [1]. As a result, how to make a reasonable rang of price which can bring more wide rang customer groups for their business is also a critical object in Burger king and Yo!Sushi. Whilst, using raw materials more effectively and avoid excessive wastage are also a method to decrease its operation cost. 5. How do you describe Yo!Sushis position in the market and the state of their operations and performance, and how do you relate it with the operations strategy the company has adopted and implemented? Answer: An operations strategy should identify the broad decisions that will help the operation achieve its objectives [2]. In general, Yo!Sushis position in the market and the state of their operations and performance are good. First of all, Yo!Sushi very care about their quality of food and service because they know it is a critical fact in restaurant industry and service industry. Secondly, in order to make variety dishes, Yo!Sushi create seasonal menus and meal promotions to encourage their customers returning. Thirdly, Yo!Sushi control their food stock management very well which related to services quality. Fourthly, in order to run their business well and improve their brand visibility, Yo!Sushi choose open restaurants in marketplace. Location selection of Yo!Sushi is also a very vital decision in their operation strategy. Fifthly, Yo!Sushi franchise the concept to overseas partners which makes Yo!Sushi from small company to multinational company. Sixthly, Yo!Sushi use questionnaire to measure restaurants performance and communicate with their customers. It not only acquires some advice from their customers, but also let them make a reasonable measure of performance. Lastly, Yo!Sushi create a new dining experience which include informal, edge and self-paced quick service eatery. In summary, it is clear that the operations strategy of Yo!Sushi is very successful. It not only reflects the businesss market requirements, but also achieve companys performance objective.

Care Theory for Adults With Learning Disabilities

Care Theory for Adults With Learning Disabilities Critically discuss care theory in relation to social work with adults with learning disabilities. Social work has undergone a radical transformation in the last two decades. Today ideas about the multi-layered nature of disabilities and the complexity of needs are commonplace in the public discourse on welfare and social work. People with learning disabilities and their carers and families have formulated their urgent demands upon society while academics and practitioners have supported this re-shaping of the social care agenda and the government has attempted to integrate the various challenges and interests in new and significant policy documentation such as Valuing People (2001). This essay will deal with three interrelated issues that are of particular importance to people with learning disabilities and their quality of life. It will (1) explore the relationship between care theory and the issues of ethical practice when dealing with adults with learning disabilities. It will look at the rules of engagement that have found their way into the various codes of practice for soci al work practitioners and the ethical problems that they may give rise to. And (3) it will consider the link between anti-discriminatory practice and the rights that service clients have and how these rights may influence the way in which practitioners may discharge their responsibilities throughout the social service sector. Within the confines of this essay, (1-3) will be examined through the following lens. Given the existing code of practice and policy stipulations, what could self-determination mean for people with learning disabilities? And how do ethical difficulties find their expression in particular practices of social work for adults with learning disabilities, such as person-centred planning and direct payments. There have been several attempts to regulate and standardise work practice for employees and employers of social work practitioners in the UK. These attempts have deep historical roots, such as the Hippocratic oath (Loewenberg 1992: 36). Yet the more recent attempt by the Scottish Councils to draw up a conclusive list of responsibilities and duties of social workers and their employers has been triggered by the desire to introduce reliability and transparency into a field of social care which has hitherto featured a plethora of often conflicting norms and standards. The code of practice sets out (for the first time) the expectations, obligations and duties under which social workers and their employers ought to operate. It is supposed to be the initial step in a broader process of standardisation of the social services (Codes 2001: 13). It echoes the definitions of the nature, aims and guiding principles of social work given in the Code of Practice by the British Association of Socia l Workers (BASW 1986 and Codes 2001). The various values that inform social work are human dignity and worth, social justice, service to humanity and integrity and competence of practitioners (BASW and CoP) In particular, the Code emphasises the right of individuals to control their lives and the obligation of social workers to promote the right to self-fulfilment by clients (Codes 2001: 15 and BASW 1986: 2). This agglomeration of values and norms that ought to inform social care practice however raises some serious questions when it comes to their application in the social work with people with learning disabilities. First of all, it is generally acknowledged by analysts of the service as well as by practitioners that the particular interpretation of the notion of self-determination is a culturally contingent idea. Loewenberg as well as Watson acknowledge that the ethical principles and rules of social work are derived from societal norms (Loewenberg 1992: 38; Watson 1985: 22). However, modern society encompasses a multitude of often conflicting social norms and it is this plurality of notions of a good life and standards of social agency which creates problems. The code explicitly urges social service professionals to take account of their client’s understanding of self-determination and individual independence. Yet, within a culturally diverse population, different notions of what is acceptable and desirable with respect to the independence of people with learning disabilities prevail. To promote independence of an adult or child with learning disabilities in a community that traditional ly places a fundamental emphasis on continuous care within the family can pose a particular dilemma to social workers. More generally, however, governmental policy and the codes of practice can produce significant problems for social care workers. The government has made inclusion one of the main policy priorities with regard to people with learning difficulties. Mainstreaming employment for individuals with learning disabilities is a pillar of this new approach. However, the competitiveness of the first labour market has traditionally represented a considerable barrier to finding viable employment for people with learning disabilities or emotional behaviour problems. Social care workers are tasked to identify problems that impact on the quality of life and decrease the chances of self-fulfilment for their clients. But often they are neither trained nor have access to resources in order to identify and put in place support programmes that ensure that adults with learning difficulties can find employment in the first labour market. The compartmentalisation of services continues to produce additional b arriers that prevent social care workers from discharging their duties with regard to their clients. Let us consider an example. Let us suppose that a social worker has the responsibility to support some individuals with learning disabilities which live in group homes (Beckett 2005: 138). One of the residents approaches him and tells him that she has got into a muddle with her benefits with the result that she has run out of money and is very distressed about this. The social care worker calms her down and places some phone calls to the local benefits office and sorts it out for his client. In a way, the social worker ‘has respected [the client’s] wishes and done exactly what she asked of him. Has he therefore supported her right to determine her own life?’ (Beckett 2005: 138) His commitment to support her desire to self-determine her life here clearly conflicted with her desire to draw on needed support. The real crux of the problem however lies elsewhere. The client has been unable to get sufficient support from the benefits office and therefore felt unable to sort out the issue on her own. In fact, the lack of adequate support on the side of the benefits office, possibly the absence of a trained worker in the office who has the skills and training to deal with people with learning disabilities has made it impossible for her to deal with it independently. Additionally, the social worker may have chosen to limit his support by assisting her in dealing with the benefits office rather than sorting it out himself. In this way, policy and practice may substantially collide when it comes to practical issues for individuals with learning disabilities. The codes of practice fail to give any meaningful guidance in these cases. This criticism is not new. Academic observers have repeatedly noted that the codes of practice are too abstract and cease to have any meaning unless sufficient resources are made available to enable service professionals to act in a positive way towards service clients (Watson 1985: 31). More worryingly, Watson writes: ‘the abstraction of the code of practice renders principles not simply incapable of application, but capable of application in a number of ways – only some of which are consistent with the conception of professional social work.’ (Watson 1985: 31) Again, this gives rise to some serious problems with regard to care for people with learning disabilities. Let us consider another example. The conception of self-determination as enshrined in the Codes of Practice draws on culturally contingent notions of autonomy. On the other hand they also pay respect to the need to recognise other culture’s diverse social commitments. The code however fails to recognise that these two principles conflict. For some families and carers who belong to ethnic minorities, service support may be seen as contradicting cultural norms and standards and the family may be the preferred vehicle for support. Societal inclusion and integration in the wider community may therefore be barred as an option. Social workers are in a dilemma here. It is their obligation to promote the self-determination of their clients, this however may contravene the cultural and religious norms prevalent in some families. This demonstrates that the Codes of Practice are bas ed on an understanding of social life that is predominantly Western in character. Different stipulations of the Code are therefore inconsistent with each other. As Beckett writes, the notion of individual autonomy may be differently stressed in the various cultures (Beckett 2005: 132), Often the rights of individuals with learning disabilities may run counter to the interests of the rights of particular groups or communities (Beckett 2005: 132). The second way of framing the idea of social care and its conflict with particular practices is utilitarian in nature. Social workers and their management may be led by calculations of expediency in determining the right way of dealing with problems of people with learning disabilities. Resource allocation and budget constraints are the primary factors in these considerations. This approach is however often detrimental to the interests of adults with learning disabilities. Their interests are defined through the limitations and budgetary restrictions that are placed on the service. The individual with learning disability is not placed at the centre of planning and support packages. One particular practice has tried to square the constraints placed on the service with the ethical demands under which social workers operate. Direct payments have been actively promoted by central government and are often seen as a way to empower clients with learning disabilities. They are considered as an appropriate means to re-focus the delivery of social services on the needs of the individual with learning disabilities as well as represent a viable answer to the resource allocation problem. Clients are granted a particular budget and exercise total control over its spending. Adults with learning disabilities become buyers in a market of social and care services, or so the theory goes. At a first glance this will alleviate several acute problems. It enhances the (chances for) independence of clients and motivates them to make their own choices about important life decisions. It increases their participation in the decision making process and improves quality of life. It also ef fects a significant shift away from total care packages which are expensive to the tax payer and facilitates the involvement of clients in more task-centred care packages which are less expensive (Mansell 2005: 20). It therefore adequately and neatly addresses resource constraints while mirroring the move to individualised care and support plans (Mansell 2005: 20). This way it mirrors the stipulation of the Code of Practice which places the duty on social workers to maximise participation of clients in the decision making process (BASW 1986: 5; Codes 2001: 16). However, it works with a very lop-sided notion of independence. While participation in the labour market may still be prevented to clients with learning disabilities, acting as a buyer in an economic relationship is seen as a form of empowerment. The conception of social agency is severely restricted to co-operative schemes that are economic in character. The enhancement of social involvement may benefit little from this. This demonstrates that ethical issues in social work are often critically influenced by practices that are understood to reflect universal cultural attitudes but, more appropriately, may only resonate with erroneous and impoverished notions of social agency. Bibliography Beckett, Chris and Andrew Maynard (2005), Values and Ethics in Social Work. An Introduction. London e.a.: Sage British Association of Social Workers [1986], A Code of Ethics for Social Work, Birmingham: BASW Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employees (2001), Scottish Social Services Council, Dundee 2005 Loewenberg, Frank M. and Ralph Dolgoff (1992), Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice, Itasca: F.E. Peacock Mansell, Jim and Julie Beadle-Brown (2005), Person Centred Planning and Person-Centred Action. A Critical Perspective, in Person Centred Planning and Care Management with People with Learning Disabilities, London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley, pp.19-33 Watson, David (1985), What’s the point of A Code of Ethics for Social Work? In A Code of Ethics for Social Work. The Second Step, edited by David Watson, London e.a.: Routledge and Kegan Paul, pp.20-39 Valuing People (2001). A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the twenty-first century, London: The Stationary Office

Women in Sports Essay -- Expository Essays Athletics Gender Inequality

Women in Sports Challenges appear to be part of the human experience. In the course of history, very little has come easily. The progress that women have made in sport in the United States over the course of the last 100 years seems remarkable for the amount achieved in so little time. In relation to the other advances made in this century, including men's sport, that achievement dims. While women have made great advances, they haven't, in comparison, come that far. It would appear, from the outside, that men's sport will forever have all of the advantages, all of the rewards, all of the prestige, while women's sport is left to perpetual inequality. Yet, not only are there sports that are considered "non-traditional" for both sexes, the obvious majority of these sports are "traditionally" recognized as women's sports. While there may be a very small number of teams of male synchronized swimmers or synchronized ice-skaters, there are virtually no integrated teams. Of the number of sports considered non-traditional for women, among them football and wrestling, women have gradually opened the door into these sports. In most states, girls even have the right to participate on boys' sports teams if there is no girls' team or even a girls' team which plays by the same rules because of the historical limitations on women's sports. However, in most states boys are not granted the same rights because there has been no such "historical limitation" on their participation in sports, according to the Women's Sports Foundation. While this may seem to defy the motivating spirit behind laws like Title IX, many view it as an "acceptable" situation. Boys who do participate in sports such as synchronized swimming, cheerleading and even ... ...ly equal arena is furthered. The more the current conception of what is permissible for either gender as well as what is possible is challenged, the closer we come to a re-examination of how unequal the history of sport has been for both sexes and the actions that need to be taken in order to prevent such inequalities from existing in the future. The more individuals take on challenges like this the more they force society to closely examine the way they think about what makes people and their activities different in the first place. These re-examinations and re-evaluations all lead to one eventual goal: the elimination of a true inequality between men and women in terms of their positions in society and in sport. The fewer inequalities that are allowed to exist, the closer society comes to a point at which it can be described as being truly tolerant and accepting.

Planet Comparison- Uranus and Neptune :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Planet Comparison Report Uranus:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uranus was discovered in 1781 by Sir William Herschel. He at first wanted to name the planet Sidus Georgium which is latin for George’s star after the king of England. Another astronomer Johann Bode advised Herschel against it and suggested instead that he use a name from Greco-Roman mythology like all other planets. So Uranus was given its name which is the father of Saturn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uranus is one of the Jovian planets and like the others it has a short rotation period. Uranus’s day is 17.2 hours. Its revolution around the sun however is slightly more than 84 years. It is the seventh planet from the sun at a distance of 1.78 billion miles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uranus is about 4 times the diameter of earth at 46,700km. Its mass is 15 times that of earth at 8.68*10 kg. The axial tilt of this planet is one of the most unusual things about it. It is tilted 98 degrees which classifies it as being in retrograde rotation. Uranus is also unique because it has the most inclined magnetic field. The surface magnetic field is 74 percent that of the earth. The surface gravity on Uranus is 8.87 m/s ².   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The atmosphere of Uranus is thick with a lot of hydrogen, helium, and methane. It has a very low density, the mean density is 1271 kg/m ³. Uranus lacks any really significant internal heat source and it mean surface temperature is 58 ° K.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To date Uranus has been found to have 21 satellites four of which have yet to be named and 11 rings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  News Articles: From: Regulatory Intelligence Data. Title: Release 99-47 Huge Spring Storms Rouse Uranus From Winter Hibernation Date: 03/29/99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NASA’s Hubble Space telescope showed that for the first time seasonal changes on Uranus. From: ScienceNOW Title: New moon for Uranus Date: 05/19/99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A new moon was discovered for Uranus that had previously been overlooked for 13 years. As of 1999 this discovery brought the total of Uranus’s satellites to 18. Neptune:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neptune was discovered through a discrepancy in Uranus’s orbit. Uranus’s orbit was not moving how astronomers predicted it would. They could not find an elliptical orbit that fit Uranus’s trajectory. They therefore assumed that there had to be another planet that’s gravitational pull was effecting Uranus. Johann Galle was the first to find Neptune in 1846, even though many before him had mathematically predicted where this new planet would be. The planet was named Neptune and two astronomers who had predicted mathematically where it would be are credited with finding it not Galle. Planet Comparison- Uranus and Neptune :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Planet Comparison Report Uranus:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uranus was discovered in 1781 by Sir William Herschel. He at first wanted to name the planet Sidus Georgium which is latin for George’s star after the king of England. Another astronomer Johann Bode advised Herschel against it and suggested instead that he use a name from Greco-Roman mythology like all other planets. So Uranus was given its name which is the father of Saturn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uranus is one of the Jovian planets and like the others it has a short rotation period. Uranus’s day is 17.2 hours. Its revolution around the sun however is slightly more than 84 years. It is the seventh planet from the sun at a distance of 1.78 billion miles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uranus is about 4 times the diameter of earth at 46,700km. Its mass is 15 times that of earth at 8.68*10 kg. The axial tilt of this planet is one of the most unusual things about it. It is tilted 98 degrees which classifies it as being in retrograde rotation. Uranus is also unique because it has the most inclined magnetic field. The surface magnetic field is 74 percent that of the earth. The surface gravity on Uranus is 8.87 m/s ².   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The atmosphere of Uranus is thick with a lot of hydrogen, helium, and methane. It has a very low density, the mean density is 1271 kg/m ³. Uranus lacks any really significant internal heat source and it mean surface temperature is 58 ° K.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To date Uranus has been found to have 21 satellites four of which have yet to be named and 11 rings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  News Articles: From: Regulatory Intelligence Data. Title: Release 99-47 Huge Spring Storms Rouse Uranus From Winter Hibernation Date: 03/29/99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NASA’s Hubble Space telescope showed that for the first time seasonal changes on Uranus. From: ScienceNOW Title: New moon for Uranus Date: 05/19/99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A new moon was discovered for Uranus that had previously been overlooked for 13 years. As of 1999 this discovery brought the total of Uranus’s satellites to 18. Neptune:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neptune was discovered through a discrepancy in Uranus’s orbit. Uranus’s orbit was not moving how astronomers predicted it would. They could not find an elliptical orbit that fit Uranus’s trajectory. They therefore assumed that there had to be another planet that’s gravitational pull was effecting Uranus. Johann Galle was the first to find Neptune in 1846, even though many before him had mathematically predicted where this new planet would be. The planet was named Neptune and two astronomers who had predicted mathematically where it would be are credited with finding it not Galle.

Is Money a Motivator?

There are countless articles circulating today instructing managers on how to motivate their employees. Some theories state that all workers are motivated primarily by the need for money; so if you want to get the most out of your workforce, you pay them more. So, is money a motivator? Motivation is the encouragement to do something. (1) There are short term motivators and there are long term motivators. There are also different levels and sides to motivation. In this article I would like to focus on three theories in particular which discuss motivational needs for an individual and how as a manager you can address them in the work place: The first is Maslow’s need hierarchy which led to McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y and the last theory is Herzberg’s Motivation – Hygiene Theory. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs consists of five levels of needs to be satisfied. This model suggests that as people satisfy needs on one level, they progress to the next level of needs as motivation for their behavior. It is only the unsatisfied needs which can influence behavior, not the satisfied needs. 1) Under Maslow’s Hierarchy money would be recognized within the safety category (or a base need for behavior). When you have money you feel secure, because you have a resource you need to survive. According to Maslow once that need is fulfilled you move to the next level for motivation. (1) In this case money itself is no longer a motivator because that need has been satisfied. As a manager, you can use this knowledge to continue to motivate your employees. If they are already satisfied with money, in that it is no longer a primary need, you should move up the pyramid. Work to build the employee’s confidence, respect them, and give the individual projects that drive him/her to satisfy the higher level needs. Douglas McGregor took the work Maslow did with the hierarchy of needs and grouped it into two theories on how people view human behavior at work and organizational life. McGregor called this Theory X and Theory Y; Theory X is focused on the â€Å"lower order† needs and Theory Y focuses on the â€Å"higher order† needs identified by Maslow. (4) McGregor suggests that management could use either theory to motivate employees but that the better results would stem from meeting the Theory Y needs. Let us take a closer look at two theories and how money fits into the picture. Theory X states that management’s role is to coerce and control employees: †¢ People have inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever possible. †¢ People must be controlled, directed or threatened in order to achieve. †¢ People prefer to be directed, do not want responsibility and have little ambition. †¢ People seek security above all else. (2) Theory Y states that management’s role is to develop the potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards common goals. Work is natural, like play and rest †¢ People will exercise self direction if they are committed †¢ People learn to accept and seek responsibility †¢ People have potential(2) In Maslow’s hierarchy we identified that money falls under safety, or the need for security. McGregor’s theories show security under the X Theory, that above all security is what peo ple seek. If as a manager you run your organization under Theory X, you would agree that money is a motivator for your employees. You would agree, that in order to get the most out of your workforce you should pay them more. If you manage under Theory Y, money may be a part of your business but is not what drives your employees to achieve. The last theory I would like to look at is Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory. This theory focuses on the factors causing job satisfaction and the factors causing job dissatisfaction, and that they are different. Herzberg called the satisfiers motivators and dissatisfiers hygiene factors. Hygiene factors are in a sense maintenance factors that are necessary to avoid dissatisfaction but do not themselves provide satisfaction. 3) These factors should not be treated as opposites of each other. The opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction, but rather, no satisfaction. Similarly, the opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisfaction. (4) Motivation factors lead to positive mental health and challenge people to grow, but at the same time do not lead to dissatisfaction. Above is a list of the top 6 motivation factors or factors leading to satisfaction in the w ork place. Look at how the possibility for advancement can challenge you to grow. Before you were a manager you had an opportunity to advance in your career, to become a manager. This information motivated you to work hard and continually grow as an employee; it brought satisfaction to your job. As a manager you want to bring these factors into your workplace in order to bring the most out of your employees. Hygiene factors can lead to job dissatisfaction. When hygiene factors are either not present or not sufficient you feel dissatisfied. (3) However, they in turn do not lead to satisfaction when they are present. For instance an employees work conditions. If you have favorable work conditions it does not motivate you to work harder, it does not bring satisfaction into your job but you are comfortable so there is no dissatisfaction with your position. Look at how money works, if you get a raise for the job you are doing it does not motivate you to work harder. At the same time if you did not get the raise you wanted or needed you become dissatisfied with your position or management. Money or an employee’s salary is a hygiene factor. It is a biological need because you need money for food, water and shelter. Money becomes a drive for all people because of this truth. It will give a short run of motivation because we need it to survive, but only the intrinsic or motivation factors can determine job satisfaction or no satisfaction. If this theory holds true as a manager you need to provide the hygiene factors to avoid employee dissatisfaction, but also must provide the intrinsic factors to the job itself in order to satisfy your employees. Overall, this theory recognizes that true motivation comes from within a person and not from external factors. The external factors will just dissatisfy and discourage your employees if they unfavorable. Is money a motivator? All three theories studied show that money is a biological need; it is something every person needs to sustain modern life. It is at the base of Maslow’s pyramid, it is in McGregor’s Theory X which focuses around Maslow’s base of the pyramid and it is a hygiene factor in Herzberg’s theory. All of these theories show that money is a short term motivator. If you do not have money, which causes you to go hungry, you will be motivated to take any job to fill that basic need. Once that need is met it no longer motivates you to grow in your career, it doesn’t drive you to go above and beyond the bar set for your current position. As a long term motivator money loses its power over time and can not be considered one. Because once the basic needs of an individual are met they move to other factors to motivate themselves: respect, relationships, advancement, satisfaction. I agree with all three of our theorists that money is a necessity and if it is not present people may become dissatisfied with their jobs, but at the same time it will not motivate the individual to take the next steps in their current career. You can not just pay them more in order to get the most out of them. You need to bring other factors to the workplace in order to motivate your employees to give you their all. About the Author: I am a under graduate from Ferris State University, with my degree in Biology Education. I am attending Elmhurst College in pursuit of my Masters in order take my education to the next level, expand my knowledge of business fundamentals, practices and innovations and to build lasting relationships with my peers and professors. I currently work for Menlo Worldwide, a Global Third Party Logistics Provider. I one day hope to be a respected leader within the organization I work for.

Methods in Identifying Business Process Essay

Abstract This paper will discuss which information gathering methods can be used in analyzing requirements, identify which business process mapping methods should be used in analysis activities, discuss which business process mapping tools should be used in documenting analysis, indicate how the analyst would know if these methods and tools were effective in understanding the requirements, and explain how prototyping tools could be used to confirm these requirements. Assessment of Enterprise Level Business Systems Information gathering used in analyzing the requirements of a business are essential to ensure that the customer is getting the best possible product for their needs. It is important for the consulting team to know different methods of information gathering to obtain the best possible information they can as this will help to ensure a higher success rate for the overall implementation of the product. In today’s world, it is very easy for a customer to comparison shop the different products available to them. Browsing online and clicking a mouse is all it takes to move from one company to the next. The process starts when a customer starts narrowing down what they are looking for and begins to choose a few systems to have personally demonstrated to the company. Best practices would state that the consultant in charge of providing the demonstration of the software would do some homework on the company to find out what they do, start speaking with some of the stake holders to see what they expect from a new system (HR may not have the same requirements as IT, who may not have the same requirements as management or production). Meeting with a number of stakeholders within the different departments of a business will help the consultant narrow down the needs of the organization. This gives the consultant an edge and can help the consultant provide a customized demonstration of the software for the company. Digging deeper, the consultant should also have a team of experts on his or her side as well, someone that may be a subject matter expert, and a technical expert  will help as well. This is to ensure that input is taken from users and from IT and can be used to ensure the best possible user interface for those using the system and what resources are already in place vs. what is needed on the technical side. Every avenue available to the consultant should be examined to ensure the best system fit for the business. The business process mapping methods that should be used in analysis activities should be determined by what the business is doing. There are four main steps of process mapping that are needed. They are: * Process identification or attaining a comprehensive and well-rounded understanding of all the steps of a process. * Information gathering, or identifying objectives, risks and key controls in a process. * Interviewing and mapping or gaining the perspective of individuals in the process and designing actual maps to be used in the process. * Analysis or utilizing the tools and approaches used to make the process run in the most efficient and effective way possible. (Jacka, J. Mike) First, the process or processes used by the business must be identified so the consultant may gain a full understanding of what is to be expected in the new system. Without process identification, the project would be at a standstill. Gathering information around the processes helps identify what the objectives of a process might be, what risks might be involved within a process and what is needed to control the process from beginning to end. For example, if a company that makes fiberglass bathtubs were to put a process in place for the gel coating or painting procedure of a tub project, the process might show that the mold is to be positioned in the paint booth, dust and debris is to be removed from the mold using a wipe down cloth and air hose, the paint has to be a certain thickness, so one of the risks involved would be paint that is too thick or thin in spots. Finally we have the controls that maintain the process from beginning to end which may be manual or robotic. Other things could also come into play such as paint levels, catalyst and dry time, so it is important to obtain all information surrounding the process as possible. Interviewing individuals who currently run a process is important to ensuring that nothing is left out of the process. If it is possible, the consultant should interview a few different  people that perform the same function to obtain an objective look at the overall process and cover different ways of doing the same thing. From these interviews the process map could be created. Finally, we would analyze the process map and ensure that each step of the process is accounted for and is conducted in the efficient and effective way. The consultant may ask additional questions at this point to see if something within the current process is wasteful, and what may be done to improve on the process. Documenting the process of the analysis should be done meticulously as well. This can be done in a report fashion or in a flow chart fashion. Both have their merits, however, a flow chart can make a very complicated process seem very simple by breaking it down into steps and utilizing different shapes for these steps. A flowchart is a primary type of business process mapping the shapes or symbols used such as arrows, circles, diamonds, boxes, ovals or rectangles will mean something different for each step. Though a flowchart simplifies a process, it can detail the inputs, activities, decision points, and outputs of any process. An analyst could know that this type of documentation and mapping has shown its worth by the understanding and acceptance of those he has interviewed to understand the process in the first place. If the analyst allows the users to review the flowcharts and they understand each step of the process, then the documentation has done what was intended. Additionally, the users may be able to point out additional ways to make a process better at that time if they had not done so before. Prototyping tools allow the analyst to create a mockup of what the documented process may look like and how it may actually work in simulated real time. The prototype can show users what a version of the finished product may look like and how it will function. This is yet another failsafe built into the overall assessment process and may give the analyst another area to make process improvements based on the input of users, management and project stakeholders. The assessment of an enterprise level business system is lengthy and can be complicated if the right people are not included in the process. However, if the analyst follows time proven techniques to identify what is needed, gather information, document and map out the processes and use the analysis of the mapped out processes to create a good prototype, the analyst should be better able to create what is needed for the business. References Jacka, J. Mike & Paulette J. Keller (2011), Business Process Mapping: Improving Customer Satisfaction, Second Edition(6-10)