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The Vasa Case Study Essay

Question 5
Was this truly a disaster? What lessons can be learned from this case and similar disasters, particularly regarding the importance of such “human factors” as courage, truthfulness, and open communication?
The Vasa was built as a symbol of Sweden’s naval supremacy. Unequalled in size, ornamentation and firepower, the Vasa was intended to project might and to intimidate the nation’s enemies. Of course, the reality of Sweden’s many conquests in the Baltic region was not lost on its enemies. Further, the Vasa was a source of immense national pride. The first of its kind in any navy and by any country, it seemed a triumph of engineering and the nation’s technological prowess. Beyond the projection of unmatched force and national pride, however, the Vasa had more practical value.
As the navy’s flagship vessel, it would be employed in the interest of national defense, to transport military personnel and supplies as it waged war, and to apply force in collecting revenues. Moreover, the speed of its construction was occasioned by the loss of ships during combat. This led to demands by the king to have the Vasa and other ships completed far ahead of schedule. The fine prototype seen by a gushing public on the day of its inaugural voyage masked serious design and engineering flaws. It sailed a mere 1400 yards before it capsized and sunk to the bottom of the sea, in full view of a crowd of spectators. The toll on the national treasure was in excess of 5% of the nation’s Gross National Product (GNP), and even more importantly, it cost the lives of at least fifty persons. This was truly a disaster of monumental proportions.
The failure and tragic end of the Vasa project is instructive with respect to certain human factors as described below:
Courage:
It is absolutely critical that all members involved in the planning, designing and implementation of a project be fearless in acknowledging all actual problems and risks. Team members must have the courage to communicate all problems to the project manager who must, in turn, communicate with the stakeholders. The fear of failure, consequences of various forms (and in the Vasa project, the threat of punishment from the king) may inhibit the tendency to “speak out”, modify a project, or abandon it altogether, however, it must be done, especially when the consequences are significant with respect to wasted resources, and as the case study shows, when lives are at stake. Shipmaster Hybertson acknowledged his inability to conform to the King’s specifications, but ultimately acquiesced when, under pressure, he decided “to do whatever is necessary to satisfy the king’s demands.” At the outset of a project, it is necessary to create an environment where fear and intimidation are removed.
Truthfulness:
The need for truthfulness cannot be over-emphasized. In order to succeed in a project, team members and the project manager must be truthful in all actions and communications. Information at all stages of the project’s progress must always be accurate even if it less than desirable, and especially when there are significant risks to the public (Heldman, 2013). Truthfulness also relates to how problems are minimized as in the case of the Vasa project when Admiral Flemming discounted the obvious design and engineering flaws during the testing stage with his response that “the shipbuilder has built ships before.”
Open communication:
Effective communication is the lifeblood of a project. There has to be clear channels of communication between the team members, the project manager, and the stakeholders. The absence of information-sharing by the master shipbuilder, occasional breakdowns in information flow among the project manager, Admiral Flemming, and the shipbuilder and the king, were critical factors resulting in the failure of the project. The lesson to be learnt here is how absolutely essential a communications plan is to the success of a project (Larson and Gray, 2011).
References
Heldman, K. (2011). PMP Project Management Professional exam study guide, (7th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2011). Project management: The managerial process, (5th
ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Networking models Review Essay

3.1: Networking models Review: The two networking models are TCP/IP which had 5 different layers and the OSI model which has 7 layers. They mainly incorporate the same layers and the only difference is that the TCP/IP layer combines layers 5, 6 and 7 all into layer
5. Both models are along the same line of information and both explain how a network moves data. 3.2: OSI reference model: The OSI model includes two more layers that the TCP/IP layer already had but is constructed in only layer 5. 7: ApplicationWeb browser,
6: PresentationWhat is being displayed on your page
5: SessionControl structure between sessions
4: Transport(TCP) Transfers data between points
3: Network(IP address/URL) Routing, responsible for addressing, sending and translation of logical and physical addresses 2: Data linkSends frames back and forth with necessary sync and error control (MAC/PPP)
1: Physical(Copper, wires ect) Defines the mechanical procedures that are required to establish and maintain physical links.
3.3 The TCP/IP model
TCP/IP reference model; includes all information as OSI but only has 5 layers and not 7, Layer 5 includes layers 5, 6 and 7 combines. 5: ApplicationCombines layers 5, 6 and 7: provides network services such as email, file transfers, exchanges of data, support connections between sessions and inner host communications
4: Transport(TCP) transfers data between end points
3: Network(IP/URL) The routing process, packet switching and exchanging (looking for your URL) 2: Data LinkSends frames to and from with flow control, error control and sync; also addresses topology and medias. 1: Physical(Copper, wires ect) Defines mechanical procedures that are required to establish and maintain physical links
3.4 data link connections
Computer A is trying to send information to Computer B, the IP address must see the advertisement from Computer B for the router to know where to send the information. The router then strips the Ethernet and sends the information over a leased line to router B, Router B then sends connects to another ether and PPP to further send to Computer B.

Understanding BIOS/POST Essay

The next few pages will consist of two tasks that involve solving problems with the BIOS (basic input/output system) and how to secure the computer for viruses. Task one asks about a series of beeps provided by two different BIOS; the AMI and the Phoenix. Through the beeps we must figure out what error the BIOS are giving us. Task two is all about the fire walls and ways to protect your computer and the different firewalls that protect the entire computer or just that specific piece. The POST or power on self-test is performed by the BIOS on start up. Keywords: BIOS, POST
Understanding BIOS/POST
The most crucial component on a motherboard is the BIOS. The BIOS is what makes a computer a functioning and operational piece of equipment instead of a bunch of molded plastic. It preforms basic start-up functions along with running the POST to make sure the key components of the computer are performing properly. When it comes to the firewall on the computer, it protects the operating system from foreign elements that could harm it. In task one, we analyzed of the beeps to find the problem on the BIOS. According to www.bioscentral.com, 6 short beeps on the AMI BIOS, translate to gate A20 failure. The keyboard controller IC has failed, which is not allowing Gate A20 to switch the processor to protected mode. In order to fix the problem replace the keyboard controller. When it comes to the Phoenix BIOS; the error code message translates “first 64KB logic failure. Description is the first RAM control logic has failed. Task two as determined by http://home.mcafee.com/advicecenter/ “For the sake of simplicity, think of hardware firewalls as specialized network boxes that contain customized hardware and software.
When properly configured, hardware firewalls provide a protective barrier that hides an organization’s internal PCs from the outside world. They can also shield one company department (say, finance) from another (say, human resources). In many cases, hardware firewalls are great solutions for organizations that want a single security umbrella that protects multiple systems. For this very reason, most FORTUNE 500 networks have hardware firewalls in place. So what’s the downside? Since they are specialized devices, hardware firewalls tend to be expensive, complicated, difficult to upgrade, and tricky to configure. In other words, they are best reserved for IT managers who are specially trained to install, configure, and monitor such devices. Low-end hardware firewalls, now found in network switches and routers for the home, also have their limitations. If you take a personal laptop on the road, for instance, your system is no longer protected by the home-based firewall.”
In contrast to their hardware cousins, software firewalls are more ideal for individual users or small businesses that have dial-up or broadband Internet connections. Instead of using a custom (and often expensive) piece of hardware, a software firewall installs on an individual’s PC, notebook, or workgroup server. Even if an organization has hardware firewalls in place, it’s wise for individuals to use software firewalls on their own systems. The main reason: software firewalls are especially convenient for mobile workers who need digital security when working outside of the corporate network. That’s because the entire security solution is, in essence, a single application running on one’s computer. Another major benefit, software firewalls are easily upgraded. Users simply download patches, fixes, updates, and enhancements from the firewall provider’s web site, or the provider sends these improvements via the Internet.” http://home.mcafee.com/advicecenter/?id=ad_ost_hvsf&ctst=1
References
http://home.mcafee.com/advicecenter/?id=ad_ost_hvsf&ctst=1. www.bioscentral.com

Social Media Communication – Risk and Benefit Essay

You’re dammed if you do, and you’re dammed if you don’t. Communication in the 21st Century has given corporations a global audience, using the ever growing, and easily accessible interaction of social media. Like many other corporate leaders, Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn accepted his trusted Chief Marketing Officer’s suggestion to use “Twitter” as a form of communication, which could be used to broadcast information to both his employees and customers.
Like any form of communication there are basic and fundamental requirements that should be adhered to regarding the publication of a message, whether written as a letter, e-mail, or “tweet”. Once a stamp is placed on an envelope and dropped in a mail box, or the “send” button is pressed for an e-mail or tweet – the message then travels on to its intended audience for their review and interpretation. In the case of Best Buy’s use of Twitter, the company was pleased with their ability to reach close to 180,000 thousand employees, and customers alike.
The idea of a major corporation reaching so many employees and customers collectively and quickly with the click of a button brings together a community of interest. Communicating via a hand written letter and placing it in the mailbox, allows for the writer to pay special attention to the message. The writer has the ability to draft a message, and carefully edit the letter before sending off the message. The writer has control of the communication before it reaches the intended audience.
However, this type of communication in today’s business environment is not practical with regards to the time it takes to reach all stakeholders. There are additional problems with using this style of communication for instance, the mail may never reach the target, perhaps getting lost in the mail, or stolen. With electronic e-mail the writer has the same level of control regarding the ability to carefully construct the message as well as use of the editing process.
While the use of electronic e-mail and social media are expeditious and broad in delivery, there are also risks associated. With e-mail there are distribution lists to maintain, and the threat of spamming problems among others. The important and most common problem of emails is the use of proper etiquette. “One embarrassing email is usually all it takes for you to triple check your outgoing messages for years” (Stibel, 2011). By now everyone has heard of the growth of electronic “hacking”.
This is where an individual or group of people, are deliberately disrupting, or intruding on the privacy of a personal electronic web-based system for personal gain (theft), or for pure malicious activity. For the purpose of this essay, the discussion is based on electronic communication systems. Best Buy leader, CEO Brian Dunn’s twitter account was hacked, and his twitter account produced an offensive message that was communicated to all his followers.
This required an immediate response and damage control activities by the Best Buy executive team. “With each new technology, there are always a great many mistakes made, at least until we get the hang of it” (Stibel, 2011).
Careful measures should be taken in protecting and monitoring for cyber threats to a company’s electronic communications system. It’s not to say that Best Buy does not have protections in place for these systems, but also considerations should made regarding the ever increasing threat of harmful malicious electronic predators. This raises the question as to whether or not the benefit outweighs the risks associated with continuous electronic tweeting.
Aside from corporations using twitter as a form of communication, there are other forms of social media that can provide the same speed and range for communications. It may be hard for some to understand how business was conducted without social media, and that perception is growing. Social Media allows for unprecedented access for individuals to express themselves as they desire.
This ability to express himself via twitter caused the downfall of former representative Anthony Weiner of Queens, New York. “Weiner initially claimed he’d been hacked; then issued a bizarre nondenial denial about whose genitals were in the infamous picture he accidentally sent to his 50,000 Twitter followers; then held an even more bizarre press conference that was hijacked by the late conservative activist Andrew Breitbart.
And only then, thoroughly humiliated and disgraced, did he resign” (Green, 2013). Any information that someone posts to a social media source can be viewed literally by anyone. Leaders and managers should provide advice to employees regarding the use of social media, to protect the integrity of the company. While there are debates as to whether policy or rules should be used to govern social media’s use by employees, common sense advisement should help employees understand the risks taken when using social media, while being a visible representative of an organization.
“It’s in all of our interests to ensure that a good chunk of online conversation remains outside the editorial purview of managers who are policing content for its brand and message alignment” (Samuel, 2012). Social media allows corporations to instantly advertise their business to a global market place. As in every form of communication careful attention to the message that is being communicated and to what audience is extremely important.
Particularly with social media, the audience can be larger than anticipated, so the risk can be greater. Like in the case of Best Buy, where the CEO’s twitter account was hacked, instantly the offensive message became a serious crisis for the company’s reputation. References
Green, J. (2013, April). racy twitter pics aren’t anthony weiner’s only problem. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-11/racy-pics-arent-anthony-weiners-only-problem Robbins, S. P., Decenzo, D. A., & Coulter, M. (2013). Fundamentals of Management Essential Concepts and Applications (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Samuel, A. (2012, October). the high price of social media risk management.
Retrieved from http://www.blogs.hbr.org/samuel/2012/10/the-high-price-of-social-media.html Stibel, J. (2011, August). the simple way to avoid social media failures. Retrieved from http://www.blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/the_simple_way_to_avoid_social.html

The special educational needs Essay

According to Warnock (1978), special educational needs can be ‘fluctuating… and contextually defined”. Explain what is meant by this statement and evaluate the extent to which the SEN Code of Practice (2001) reflects this understanding of special educational needs.
“Special Educational Needs (SEN) is a legally defined term that refers to the school based learning needs of pupils that arise from a wide range of difficulties – including cognitive, physical, sensory, communication or behavioural difficulties as well as those who are perceived to be specially gifted in one way or another” (A. Smith and N. Thomas, 2005, pp220 -237)
This essay will discuss in detail why Mary Warnock views special educational needs as “fluctuating and contextually defined” as well as why the Warnock report (1978) had such an impact on the way children with special educational needs were educated. This essay will also outline in detail how the SEN Code of Practice reflects the understanding of special educational needs in regards to policies and practice in an educational environment as well as how the code has been altered since its original release. As well as the changes made to the original document, this essay will look into why the changes were made and the impact they’ve had. It will also identify the medical model and social model in relation to SEN in detail and how they are important when it comes to how society views people with a disability. Each view will be explained in detail as well as positive and negative things about each model.
The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice (2001) is a piece of legislation issued by the Department of Education to any government funded organisation. It gives guidance to schools and local authorities to help identify, asses and provide help for children with special educational needs. A child with special educational needs can be defined as someone who has “a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age”. (http://www.birthtofive.org.uk, no date). A child with special educational needs can potentially need extra support when it comes to their education, and the SEN Code of Practice was created in order to help organisations when it comes to policies and procedures. It explains the processes all organisations should follow in order to meet the needs of the children. Prior to the SEN code of practice, under the 1944 Education Act, children with special educational needs were categorised by their disability defined in medical terms.
A lot of children were seen as “uneducable” and “maladjusted” and where automatically placed into “special” school. The SEN Code of Practice was introduced to give children with special educational needs a fair chance in learning. It also provides advice on carrying out assessments on children with SEN and how a child with SEN can make the transition to college or work. The revised Code emphasises the importance of involving the parents in the decision making of their child’s education. The Warnock Report (1978) is a report which was devised by a former head teacher, Mary Warnock under instruction from the then Minister of Education Margret Thatcher. She was asked to produced a report which would “review educational provision in England, Scotland and Wales for children and young people handicapped by disabilities of body and mind (Evans, 1995:146)” (A. Hodkinson and P.Vickerman, 2009, pp.55-72).
The report showed that 20% of all children have some kind of need at some point in their life. This was later supported by Knight (1999) who found that a “typical class” will have two very able students, five who can complete tasks well, fifteen average students, six who will struggle, one with specific learning difficulties and one with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). (Serdar. H, 2011). The report made 225 recommendations on the policy and organisation that governed the education of children with special educational needs. The report came up with four major conclusions which included a new concept of SEN should be introduced, educational needs should be judged on professional assessments, parents should have more say in their child’s education and a new terminology should be put into place.
The report recommended that instead of “categorising children by deficit they should have their SEN identified and where possible these needs should be met in mainstream schools.” (A. Hodkinson and P.Vickerman, 2009, pp.55-72). This report now lays the foundations for the introduction of statements of special educational needs. The statementing process can be viewed as one of the most significant changes in legislation. The Warnock report introduced the term special educational need to help identify any child needing extra support throughout their education. It also put into place a new terminology which would help identify specific areas of a child’s special educational needs. Whether it be located within their language, speech, visual or hearing difficulties as well as many others and how sever the problem was.
When it comes to the policies on children with special educational needs there are certain procedures that need to be followed. These can all be found in the SEN Code of Practice, which as previously mentioned has been altered since it original release. According to the SEN Code of Practice (2012) (https://www.education.gov.uk/publications, 2012) areas covered include principles and polices, working in partnership with parents, pupil participation, identification and assessment, statements of special educational needs, annual review and many more. It is vital to be aware of these procedures when it comes to the education of a child with special educational needs as the code has been designed to help make effective decisions. However, it does not tell you what to do for every individual case which is what Warnock meant by her statement of “fluctuating and contextually defined”.
According to Warnock (1978), special educational needs can be fluctuating and contextually defined. The 1978 report put integration of disabled children on the national agenda. The report said that integration was right for some but not for all. (The term integration means allowing children with SEN to attend main stream schools with the offer of extra help when needed). This basically means that no two children are the same. Children can be grouped into certain categories in regards to their disability yet they will all be at different levels of learning. So by saying it is “fluctuating” means that every child’s needs will vary, yet by being “contextually defined” means that rules and regulations in regards on how to educate the child still have to be followed, (this being in regards to whether the child in question is able for mainstream school or not.) You can have a group of 10 children for example, all the same age who all have Asperger Syndrome and therefore have all been labelled as children with special educational needs.
However, 7 of them may be more capability and therefore can go to a mainstream school. So regardless of the grouping and labelling of children, it is important to understand each individual child’s needs. It was not until 1971 where integration started to occur and since the release of the Warnock report in 1978 it has become more and more apparent in today’s society. Warnock criticised the fact that children with SEN where automatically put into special schools by judgement of a professional with no input from the child’s parent. She found that this was not only damaging but also unnecessary. Even though legislation and legal acts have been put into place to help children with SEN, depending on the child’s disability can depend on the sort of support the child will receive. Warnock thought it to be important that children with SEN had the option to go to a mainstream school and that the appropriate help could be given. The report, for the first time, proved the importance of a parent’s opinion on the education of their child and not just a professional’s opinion.
Previous to this, many parents were finding that their decisions were being over ruled by local education authorities. The act also stated that children with special educational needs needed to be assed and where possible, integrated into mainstream schools as Warnock is a firm believer in integration. The report states, “It is also built upon the recommendations of the Warnock Report and the 1976 Education Act and so reinforced the principle that children should only be integrated into ordinary schools if their needs could be reasonably met; that this should be efficient in terms of resources; and that it should not be to the detriment of other children” (Wearmouth, 2001 p16). Nevertheless, Warnock also believes that not all children with SEN are able for mainstream schools and therefore would benefit more from going to a school which is specifically for children with special educational needs.
The original SEN Code of Practice which was put into place in 1994 had to be re drafted as it was not seen as suitable any more once the Warnock report was released. The Warnock report itself had a major impact on the original SEN Code of Practice as many of its finding were made into legal legislation. “The term SEN was specifically defined and afforded legal status and with this the employment of the categories of handicap” (Gibson and Blandford, 2005 p16). There were a variety of changes made to the report which are;
“A stronger right for children with SEN to be educated at a mainstream school New duties on LEAs to arrange for parents of children with SEN to be provided with services offering advice and information and a means of resolving disputes A new duty on schools and relevant nursery education providers to tell parents when they are making special educational provision for their child A new right for schools and relevant nursery education providers to request a statutory assessment of a child
It contains separate chapters on provision in the early years, primary and secondary phases and new chapters on:
Working in partnership with parents
Pupil participation
Working in partnership with other agencies
The Code recommends that, to help match special educational provision to children’s needs, schools and LEAs should adopt a graduated approach through School Action and School Action Plus and Early Years Action and Early Years Action Plus in early education settings.” (https://www.education.gov.uk/publications, no date).
By making these changes to the report it is clear that certain aspects of it weren’t working. According to parliament (2005) around 18% of children in England were categorised as having some sort of special educational needs. Based on a large amount of evidence, it’s been proven that the SEN system was failing. The Governments policy on inclusion has come under major criticism by Warnock and in 2005 she criticised it for its “confused and changing definition which is reported to be causing the closure of special schools and “forcing” some children into mainstream schools when it is not in their best interest to be there, resulting in distress for both pupil and parent.” (http://www.publications.parliament.uk, 2005). The various Acts and Legislation that have followed since the issue of the Warnock report demonstrate the progress in attitude that has taken place in trying to include all children in a common educational framework.
The current debate on disability is mainly branded by two models of disability. Each model provides a framework for understanding the way in which people with impairments experience disabilities. The two models are the Social Model and the Medical Model, two very different approaches. The Medical Model (also known as individual model because it promotes the notion that it is the individual who must adapt to society) goes hand in hand with the idea of segregation as it sees people with disability as a group in its own. It sees disabled people as being defined by their illness or medical condition. They are seen to be the ones who need to change and adapt to circumstances and it is not society who need to change their views. The medical model will define a person by their illness and promotes the view of a disabled person as dependant. It promotes the view that all disabled people need help and therefore are systematically excluded from society. It tends to believe that managing ones illness or disability completely revolves around identifying the disability from an in-depth clinical perspective as control tends to totally reside with professionals.
The medical model also feels that society should invest resources into health care to enable a disabled person to live more independently and freely like a “normal” person would do. It does however allow people with SEN to have access to the best quality care and treatment. Once assessed, the child can be placed in accordance to his or her disabilities which will make their life easier as they will have all the available resources to hand. The medical model has however been criticised by some disability rights groups as it can be seen as a civil right issue as it can affect the way in which disabled people view themselves yet it is still predominant in many people’s attitudes towards disabled people. The Medical model tends to label people reducing them to feel part of a group, a group of people whose problems all stem from the fact they do not have “normal” bodies. The medical view is however still present today, very much so in the form of IQ tests and assessments. It all comes down to the idea of grouping people on accordance to their ability. This then results in people being labelled into certain groups due to their intelligence, the same way children with SEN will be labelled into groups and segregated into special units.
The Social Model on the other hand, is a model that has been devised by people with disability in response to the medical model. The social model has been developed with the aim of removing barriers so that disabled people or people with a medical condition have the same opportunities as everyone else in society. They believe that their disability is caused by the barriers put into place by society and that exist within the way society is organised therefore problems are defined in relation to needs and not that of the individual. The social model view is that of society discriminating against people with impairments which leads to them feeling excluded. “People with impairments are disabled by the fact that they are excluded from participation within the mainstream of society as a result of physical, organisational and attitudinal barriers” (http://www.ukdpc.net, no date). These barriers stop them from gaining equal rights to things such as employment, public transport, education and even housing.
The social model however does not give up and tries to find their way around said barriers. The good thing about the social model is it does not emphasise what is “different” about children with special educational needs but highlights what is the same with them allowing integration to be a much easier process. The social model believes very much in inclusion and recent developments are indeed promoting it by stating that schools must be able to provide an education to children with a wide range of SEN therefore rapidly reducing the rate of segregation. By law, children with SEN are now not allowed to be refused by any mainstream school. In terms of children with special educational needs, segregation means putting children with SEN into specialist schools which can result in the child leading a very separate life to “normal” people.
Today, the Warnock report is still seen as the most influential piece of legislation in regards to the education of children with special educational needs. Once released, it had a major affect on the special educational needs code of practice which eventually led to the code being re-drafted in 2001. Through her extensive research and by expressing her own opinion, Mary Warnock has changed how the schools are run in relation to children with SEN. Parents have more rights on the educational decisions of their children and slowly, segregation is being extinguished. And through integration, children with SEN are able to have a normal education in a mainstream school environment which in the long run, helps them to fit into society much more easily. However, through structures like the medical model still having significant value to assessing a child with SEN, segregation is still apparent throughout today’s society.
This is not however necessarily a bad thing. Some children need to be in a specialist school, and it is important that the parents of the said child get a say in the matter which is now possible thanks to the Warnock report. All in all, Mary Warnock is right in saying special educational needs can be fluctuating and contextually defined. All educational setting need to be aware of the rules and regulations when it comes to teaching a child with SEN but it does not mean all children with SEN have the same needs. Yet thanks to the Warnock report, parents are now given more of a choice as to whether they want their child to attend a mainstream school or not. In regards to the SEN Code of Practice, it is apparent that the rules, regulations and legislation that have been put into place are effective when it comes to the education of a child with SEN. Even though, the act has had alterations throughout its time, it seems to now be very successful in aiding SEN children. There is nevertheless, always room for improvement.
Reference List
http://www.answers.com/topic/warnock-report-1978 (no date) (Accessed: 18 June 2012)
A.Hodkinson and P.Vickerman. (2009) Key Issues in Special Educational Needs and Inclusion. London: SAGE
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmeduski/478/478i.pdf (2005) (Accessed: 18 June 2012)
A. Smith and N. Thomas (2005) Physical Education: Essential Issues. London: SAGE
http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/understanding-and-awareness/models-of-disability.php (no date) (Accessed: 19 June 2012)
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DfES%200581%20200MIG2228.pdf (no date) (Accessed: 19 June 2012)
Serdar. H (2011) ‘Week 3: History of SEN’ Available at UEL Plus (Accessed: 19 June 2012)
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DfES%200581%202001 (2012) (Accessed: 19 June 2012)
http://www.birthtofive.org.uk/inclusion/sencodeofpractice.aspx (no date) (Accessed: 19 June 2012)

Software Engineering Essay

Like most of the things, quality attracts the person it signifies the performance and appearance of the product. It matters a lot of the standards in a business for the outcome of the products. Just like this, Software has also good quality requirements and better ways to ensure its outcome. The following are the measurement methods and acceptance criteria for assessing the characteristics of the software:
1. Software Engineering Culture and Ethics – Ethics can play a significant role in software quality, the culture, and the attitudes of software engineers.
2. Value and Costs of Quality – The notion of “quality” is not as simple as it may seem. The customer will have some maximum cost in mind, in return for which it is expected that the basic purpose of the software will be fulfilled.
3. Models and Quality Characteristics – [Boe78; McC77] ISO/IEC has definedthree related models of software product quality (internal quality, external quality, and quality in use) (ISO9126-01) and a set of related parts (ISO14598-98).
Software Quality Management Processes defines processes, process owners, and requirements for those processes, measurements of the process and its outputs, and feedback channels. It involves: (1) Defining the required product in terms of its quality characteristics. (2) Planning the processes to achieve the required product.
Through this we can assure Software Quality, this means ensuring that the problem is clearly and adequately stated and that the solution’s requirements are properly defined and expressed. And then we can verify and validate for assessing the intermediate products. For purposes of brevity, reviews and audits are treated as a single topic in this Guide. Five types of reviews or audits are presented in the IEEE1028-97 standard:
1. Management reviews
2. Technical reviews
3. Inspections
4. Walk-throughs
5. Audits
Of course the management also has to review the software, the purpose it is to monitor progress, determine the status of plans and schedules, confirm requirements and their system allocation, or evaluate the effectiveness of management approaches used to achieve fitness for purpose. After this is the technical review to evaluate a software product to determine its suitability for its intended use. During the technical review the management should also inspect to detect and identify software product anomalies. The audit is to provide an independent evaluation of the conformance of software and processes to applicable regulations, standards, guidelines, plans, and procedures. The definition of Software Engineering is broad, so it needs to discuss its disciplines which it shares common boundary. These are two Related Disciplines:
1. An informative definition (when feasible)
2. A list of knowledge areas
Related Disciplines Areas:
1. Computer Engineering – computer engineering embodies the science and technology of design, construction, implementation and maintenance of software and hardware components of modern computing systems and computer-controlled equipment.
2. Computer Science – identifies the following list of knowledge areas (identified as areas in the report) for computer science.
3. Management
4. Mathematics
5. Project Management – is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
6. Quality Management – is defined in ISO 9000-2000 as “coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to quality.”
7. Software Ergonomics – the field of ergonomics is defined by ISO Technical Committee 159 on Ergonomics as follows: “Ergonomics or (human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of the interactions among human and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.
8. Systems Engineering – is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems.

The History Boys Essay

What elements of Bennetts own educational experiences has he used in “the History Boys”? Bennett says that he was made fun of at school for coming to school in a suit on the day of his exams. He says he did this because he thought the exam was an occasion and he must rise to it. This show us how he felt towards his exams and probably shows how some of the boys in his book would have felt like when taking their exams. This shows how important he thinks exams are and this theme will probably reflect in the book. Bennett then goes to talk about taking his finals at oxford, this is where the boys in the book are aiming for and he has already been there and knows what it’s like to pass so he will probably talk about the emotions that he felt when he passed. Bennett talks about his Head teacher and describes him as a “snob” and as we already know that the Head teacher in the book is a snob. Bennett being from a working class family and the boys in the books being from a working class family then he will probably share his experience of feeling like a second class citizen compared to the boys from Eton or the other private schools down south.
Bennett says that the “History Boys” has nothing to do with his “contemporaries” but this is hard to believe as the subject of the book is so close to his life. He could be telling the truth or trying to hide the embarrassment of whatever happens in the book. Bennett goes to chapel and says in the play that Scripps also goes to chapel this could be show the subtle differences between the boys in the play. He also talks about his teacher getting upset with his class which he also uses in the book. Bennett being a homosexual is also reflected in one of the boys in the book so Bennett’s sexuality is also in the book so it’s like the boys in the book all make up Bennett rather than just one. Bennett felt like he wasted his time at university although I doubt we will see the characters in the book reach university because the book is about the seventh term but some of the boys may end up feeling like this at the end of their school careers. Bennett feels like a fraud for just retaining information onto a page, he may reflect this feeling onto one of the boys in the book. Bennett states that reading a book about the working class going to university often tires them out and it reflects poorly in their efforts at university and he portrays these feelings into Posner.

Work experience at Rainbow Nursery Essay

During my first few weeks at my placement at St Anns, I worked with year 1 pupils and nursery pupils. My role at the nursery was to help the children with their school work and supervise them during lessons and breaks, as well as tidying the classroom. My time at St Anns improved my effectiveness as a career in three ways. It taught me how to behave around children. When I first started working at St Anns, I was still incredibly shy and was not sure how to interact with the children but through observing the permanent staff there. I learnt that you should always try to be happy around them, you cannot bring any personal issues to work with you if you are working around children as they are very intuitive and will quickly pick up on the fact that you are unhappy it will affect them and make them upset.
I took part in PE classes with the year one’s with at St Anns. The teacher gave the children instructions as how to move around the gym. For example, the teacher told them to walk or run slowly around the gym like an animal or try and make different shapes with their bodies. Whilst the children were taking part so did I and the teacher to make the activity enjoyable and to encourage the children. Unexpectedly the children became over excited and started to mess around, I had to help calm them down which was a little difficult as I was just a student in the class. This helped me learn how to be authoritative and command respect by telling them how to quieten down and tell them why they should calm down. Also I have learnt from this that you must always tell children why you are telling them off, as they will start to learn to look at things from a different viewpoint.
I learnt that you have to be firm and persistent with children if they are to take you seriously and learn to behave. Otherwise they will keep behaving badly and will not have any respect for authority. However my work experience at St Anns brought me to contact with various different types of pupils as every pupil is not the same, for example an autistic pupil. This taught me how to interact with them the correct way.
While at Rainbow Nursery, I worked with children aged 2-6 for a block week work placement. The experience complemented my time at St Anns, although I was exposed to different experiences such as helping the children with French lessons. During the lessons I taught and helped the children say and pronounce the words that were being taught.
At St Anns, the children do not learn languages until they leave the nursery and transfer to the junior part of the school. In this respect, although I preferred working at St Anns, Rainbow prevents their children having difficulty at learning languages in the future as I have heard that it is best to start languages at an early age.
Furthermore, whilst working at Rainbow, I encouraged the pupils as they practised and preformed ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ play. I helped them remember there little lines and commanded them to be quiet and focus when they started to lose interest. I also helped staff at Rainbow make the costumes of the characters for the play by helping them cut out the materials and sew them. This was a successful activity as the staff were thankful for my help and by working as a team we got the task done quickly and efficiently. This activity also helped me develop my social skills which helped me improve my self-esteem and confidence levels.
Working at both nurseries has also taught me how to care for children more efficiently. For example, I now talk and play with children at play time, comfort them when they are upset.
Conclusion:
When I first started my work experience at Rainbow Nursery in the first year of my course I was very nervous as I have not really worked with young children before and I was not sure if I would be any good at teaching and helping them. I think this was because I was not sure if the children would like me as I was a new adult in their class, however, I got used to the environment and as the children got used to me, working with them helped me to come out of my shell and be more socially active. During my days there I would read them stories and play with them in the playground.
Although, I enjoyed working in Rainbow Nursery, I benefited more from working at St Anns Primary School. The staff at Rainbow were not as friendly and pleasant as the staff at St Anns and also the school environment at St Anns is much better and comfortable. The children are all very well behaved at St Anns unlike Rainbow. They also have a very strict ‘no bullying’ system which at Rainbow the staff did not seem to enforce properly.

Human Resources Information System Essay

The new Human Resources Information System (HRIS) architecture will be congruent with the existing Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. Technical support will be directed and implemented from the San Jose office. Our proposal recommends a three phase approach to implementation. In the First Phase (1P), HRIS baseline requirements and increased Human Resource utility will be launched at the Riordan Corporate office in singular virtual network. Phase Two (P2) implements the HRIS baseline requirements throughout the United States. Phase Three (P3) implements the HRIS throughout the enterprise worldwide. It is essential that P1 also incorporate a central database to for analytics and reporting. With the new HRIS all personnel information will be standardized and organized for easy retrieval.
Enhanced Human Resource functions such as climate surveys, payroll, complaints and employee evaluations will be centrally stored at a central server location. Access may be granted to employees at varied levels with management able to view only employees assigned to them, department heads able to access their departments HR information and senior executives and policy makers able to access all relevant HR information as identified by Riordan Human Resource and Executive management. Additionally, all Riordan employees, regardless of the OS system utilized (Microsoft or iOS) will be able to utilize the Microsoft Office software, the basis for our HRIS.
Information Systems are only as good as the software they utilize. We have chosen software that is compatible with Microsoft Office software, most notably Microsoft’s HR iNTouch software and Apple’s HRWeb and iHR. These programs are user friendly, easily taught to new users, and easily deployed with Riordan’s current HR systems and have all of the HR functionality and tools necessary for a growing company like Riordan. (CipherPoint, 2012)
Riordan Director of Human Resources, Yvonne McMillan has requested that a beta-test be done at each level of the HRIS implementation to ensure that HR workflow does not stop at any level within the HR system. The personnel identified in Figure 1 will be acting as the virtual functional manager of each section. These personnel will be acting independently of the actual managers, testing the system throughout the process, identifying any problem areas, noting functionality and documenting areas of improvement.
Figure
HRIS architecture will include Database Management Systems (DBMS), web-based services, an HR intranet for faster and more secure HR internal management, Object Oriented Programming (OOP) and a fully automated back up of data to ensure zero data loss. The HR intranet will require no additional installation of hardware but will utilize a secure “tunnel” accessed through a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which will secure the data and will minimize access to those within Riordan’s HR network. At this time the Riordan HR Department uses their Information System to track very basic employee information. The bulky and outdated software currently used by Riordan is memory heavy and bulky. The move to updated software can be done after regular work hours. Training on the new software should be done prior the to release of the new HR software. All employees in HR will need training to include, Managers, Recruiters, Employee Relation Specialist, Human Resource Personnel, and Payroll Specialists. All future upgrades and changes should be based on the employee feedback with greater weight being given to employees who use the new system more (something that is easily tracked with the new HR reporting software.
The proposed graphical user interface (GUI) was a standard setup, which can be easily manipulated and customized by the individual user. Department managers have the option of identifying applications in the software the all employees must have, ensuring that the HR baseline functionality is not hindered by customization. “The reputational damage done to a company that has been victimized by a breach can be significant, as we’ve seen that customers who have been victimized by a breach are more likely to blame the organization that was breached than the thieves that perform the crime,” said Mike Morelli, Director of BreachShield (Data Security, 2012). With a new Information System comes new Information Security issues, and this IS upgrade is no different. The cost of keeping pace with complex IT issues and the ever-expanding need for data security can drive even simple costs of upgrade to uncomfortable levels. It is recommended that Riordan outsource part of their Information Security (IS) needs to a qualified company.
Most companies in the United States manage their IS needs in-house, which requires specialists and a constant monitoring of emerging threats. We recommend several resident Information Security specialists to facilitate collaboration to an outsourced company specializing in Information Security. This will reduce cost and will not remove IS expertise from Riordan. Data Base Integrity must be included in the Information Security planning process. Security controls must include the DBMS (Data Base Management System), Identify security controls (Critical Assets) for Riordan HR system: Data Encryption, Transition Control, Backup and Recovery Protection. In summary, the Three Phase or 3P approach to implementation will make the process simple, testable, and easy for Riordan’s Human Resources department. The expanding needs of the growing Riordan employee pool and the complex HR tangle common to a multi-national structure can be easily handled by the 3P approach. Security of information, employee training, employee feedback and management oversight all play significant roles in our plan for the new and improved Riordan Information System.
References
CipherPoint software, inc.; CipherPoint announces data security solutions suite for healthcare organizations. (2013). Information Technology Business, , 73. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1428354374?accountid=458
Data security; affinion security center augments data breach solution. (2012). Information Technology Newsweekly, , 91. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/926634711?accountid=458
Kuyumcu, N. (2005). Hamilton hospital upgrades HR system. Canadian Healthcare Manager, 12(8), 37. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/205830894?accountid=458

A long way gone Essay

Violence has a major impact on teenagers and children in today’s society. In the novel A Long Way Gone; memoir by a boy soldier Ishmael Beah, displays how teenagers are exposed… Through the medias they are showed that the movie Rambo, which influences them to be violent and fight. Another way to seek violence is in real life when the boy soldiers are sent to fight the rebels. The violence that the young boys are exposed to caused them to think and act violently towards others,
Firstly the boy soldiers in this novel are influenced by the movie Rambo , it encourages them to work harder and more violent. After the young boy soldiers watch Rambo for the first time they were motivated to be just like him and while in battle. “We all wanted to be like Rambo ; we couldn’t want to implement his techniques” (beah 121). This movies showed the boys how to fight , they wanted to use the same techniques to fight against the rebel villages. Some of the boy soldiers have been so influenced by this that they already implemented goals that will allow them to act like Rambo; “sometime I am going to take on a whole village by myself, just like Rambo” Alhaji told me smiling at the new goal he had set for himself” (122). This young boy has been trained to fight and destroy, watching Rambo has influenced him so much that he wants to take a whole village on by himself. Watching violent movies influences the boy soldiers how ever this is not how they gain courage and experience.
Secondly the boy soldiers are able to gain courage and experience by being sent to fight against the rebels. The boy soldiers are brought to fight after being trained, they are told; “if you see anyone without a head tie of this colour or a helmet like mine, shoot them”(115). The boys didn’t know that they are actually going to battle however they do know what they have to do when they are in the field. When they are in the battle, the boys watch their friends get killed, this empowers them to fight back and kill; “I raised my gun and pulled the trigger , and I killed a man… I shot everything that moved”(119). After watching his friends get killed Ishmael starts to fight back, he is saddened by what has happened to his friends and wants to have revenge on the people that caused their death . when the boys
are in combat they gain the courage to fight back and kill people. The violence they are exposed to influenced them to act violently them selves.
The boy soldiers are exposed to violence in their society which causes them to both think and act violently. The boy soldiers in the novel A Long Way Gone; memoirs of a boy soldier, are exposed to violent images in the media and in real life, which causes them to become addicted to violence. The boy soldiers in this novel are exposed to violence through movies and real life action. In conclusion violence can have a major impact on all teenagers and children no matter where they come from or how they are raised in their country.