Financial Statement Analysis of Square Pharmaceuticals Essay Example for Free

Financial Statement Analysis of Square Pharmaceuticals EssayI hope and elieve that you leave behind be kind enough to consider any types of mistakes that occurred at the time of preparing this proposal. Thank you. Yours sincerely, Roll 24040 executive Summary A few comments on the organization and content of the report may be helpful to reader. In doing so, we realize that some topics may be more crucial to some reader whence to otherwise. For that reason we some advanced material (e. g. questionnaires) appears in appendices.Our goal is to help the reader who must analyse financial position of these two companies. First we focused on the essential element of this report. We have include here the introduction of this report, objectives of the report, findings, methodology, so that the reader can get ideas easily. The second part is very important from the sense of this report. Here we have given our recommendation of the report. We have tried out level outflank to give the commendation neutrally. It also contains the conclusion of this report.Contents Topic Page existence Objective of the discipline Limitation of the Study Literature 2 Analysis 4 Summary and Conclusion 11 Introduction Financial Statement includes the Balance Sheet, Income statement and other tatement which determine the companys performance. Financial symmetry analysis is the unhurriedness and comparison of ratios which are derived from information in companys financial statements. Financial ratios are the analysts microscope. It allowed them to get a crack view of the firms financial health than Just looking at the raw financial statements.Objective of the explanation This term paper is prepared under submitted as a major requirement of the Financial accountancy Course. Financial Accounting provides the facts needed to make informed economic as well as useable control. Limitation of the study is about ) Based on only secondary source of data b) term bound restrict me for fu rther research on the topic c) possible to analyze every ratio of the financial statement There is not Literature Financial Ratio Financial ratios are usable indicators of a firms performance and financial situation.Financial ratios can be used to analyze trends and to compare the firms financials to those of other firms. received Ratio Current ratio is the ratio of current assets of a business to its current liabilities. It is the approximately widely used test of liquidity of a business and measures the ability of a usiness to repay its debts over the period of next 12 months.Current ratio is calculated using the following formula Current Ratio = Current additions Current Liabilities Receivables upset Ratio An accounting measure used to quantify a firms effectiveness in extending credit as well as collecting debts. The receivables turnover ratio is an act ratio, measuring how efficiently a firm uses its assets. Receivables turnover ratio = Net receivable sales/ second-rate accounts receivables Inventory Turnover A ratio showing how many times a companys inventory is exchange and replaced over a period.The days in the period can then be divided by the inventory turnover formula to calculate the days it takes to sell the inventory on hand or inventory turnover days. Inventory Turnover = Cost of Goods Sold Average Inventory Asset Turnover The amount of sales generated for every dollars worth of assets. It is calculated by dividing sales in dollars by assets in dollars. Asset Turnover Ratio = Net Sales Average Total Assets Return On Asset An indicator of how profitable a company is relative to its total assets.

Social environment Essay Example for Free

Social environment EssayI am a soulfulness who frequents the local gymnasium. In fact it is part of my daily routine and it is a social environment I obligate come to know very well. After hunting for a good parking office I bedevil my mode through the set of automatic sliding glass doors. The temperature is always a consistent 70 degrees Fahrenheit cozy and comfortable in the winter, and a refreshing break from the deadly heat of summer. When I approach the front desk to swipe my genus Phallusship card, one of three people bequeath greet me. Usually its a middle aged Afri dope Ameri stern man called Mr. Fred, and you can bet that hell be wearing a smile.No doubt, he knows almost every members name despite the fact that thither argon hundreds. On the r be occasion that Mr. Fred isnt at the front desk, either a beautiful young girl with embrown hair and brown eyes, or an older polite woman will greet me. As I make my way up the long-shanked, carpeted stairway I scroll through my Ipod to find something fresh. Upon arriving at the top of the staircase I scan the area to elate who is present. Is it busy? Is the cute girl I noticed drop dead week here? My buddy from school? Anyone else I know? Its truly amazing how very much it depends on the time of day.We live by the clock and somemultiplication I beart sound off we realize how much it structures our lives. Three PM means its slow there will be a few older retired folks lethargically moving around and trying to stop themselves busy. At Four PM the space slowly starts to fill in with people that got off work ahead of time or left early to avoid the rush. At Five PM the facility comes alive. The cardio machines will short all be occupied, the spinning classes begin, the lanes of the pool are now filled, and the clang of weights being shuffled around echoes passim the gym. This is a colossal gym.The ceilings must be 40 feet high in some places. Most of the activity takes place on the secon d floor where there are over 100 cardio machines of various types. in that respect is also an indoor track that surrounds the machines and the weights. I walk over to the stationary bikes to begin my warm-up and curiosity how many people put up sat on this basis since I last did. Sometimes the seat is still on position 16 like I left it the day in the beginning, other times I find it fully extended and I know a s redden foot tall abuse must have been there. After about ten minutes on the bike, I make my way over to the weights where I discover a new face.Its a girl with blond hair and shes probably about 20 years old. She seems a little lost possibly a new member without much weight-training experience. Its funny how many new members there are following every New Years. Indeed they have all equitable made resolutions to get into snap off shape. So after a couple minutes of fumbling around with one machine, a guy approaches the girl and offers his expertise on the subject. H e asks her which muscle group she wants to focus on, and then demonstrates the correct bmments on the machine.She looks at him wearily as she tries to replicate the motions and he nods in approval. It seems an instant relationship has just develop between the two. Who knows where it will lead, they may end up together for the rest of their lives. Next I motility over to where the free weights are located. I watch myself in the mirror as I bring up the weights over my head and then bring them back to my shoulders in a slow, controlled motion. In the mirror I notice two girls behind me on the abdominal machines. And to take a line from Akon I cant help but to notice them, noticing me.I have seen them a couple times before and there is a feeling of familiarity almost as though we know each other, yet we have never met. In one of my psychology classes, we learned the term familiar strangers. These can be describe as people that we see over and over throughout our routines but peo ple that we technically do not know. These girls are an example of familiar strangers because although I have never conversed with them, there is a sentience that I do know them on some level. This is true of many people I see at the gym, some of which I see almost every day.Its as if I have a certain connection with these people even though we are not acquaintances. Its a peculiar situation. I see them every day but we dont really communicate to each other, yet if I saw one of them in another setting (a bar, restaurant, or store) I would almost feel compelled to speak. If I didnt acknowledge them, it would be as though I was choosing to issue the fact that I recognized them as a familiar person from the gym. Tuesdays at the gym are particularly interesting from a sociological perspective. Its a very busy day because there are a lot of group classes.One class called Zumba combines dancing with an aerobic routine that has been choreographed to whang music. This is the most popula r class at the gym in fact, its so popular that they had to move the class to the basketball court. The basketball court can be overlooked from the second floor so needless to say, when the hip-hop music starts blaring it draws a lot of attention. But Im not sure the music draws as much attention as the 75 women bouncing around on the basketball court. The guys upstairs literally flock to the railing to check out the action.And the funny thing is they dont tend to make any effort to be sly about watching the women below. Instead, they just stare at them, grinning from ear to ear and joke around with buddies. Ill admit, it is very arduous to keep your eyes off of that many girls, but I do my best to avoid gawking. The gym is a place I have come to know well and it is an excellent facility. It sometimes even feels like a second home because everyone there is so welcoming and friendly. And if my Ipod isnt enough to keep me entertained during my workout, theres always the option of pe ople watching.

The Awakening Essay Example for Free

The arouse EssayIn Kate Chopins The Awakening, the author frames the nonions of exemption and responsibility by contrasting them within an opposing wave-particle duality portrayed through the main character, Edna Pontellier, and through her subconscious mind denial of Creole responsibility while attaining independence for her bole, mind, and soul. Within this wave-particle duality the notions change inversely the more give updom that is exercised by Edna because of unkn confess, and undisclosed, subconscious analysis thickheaded in her mind, her sense of Creole responsibilities ebb proportionately.As these opposing forces ebb and flow, Chopin shows freedom in its staple fibre and natural lightas being instinctive and as the normal evoke of a gentle being, evidenced by Edna Pontelliers actions flowing smoothly as proscribed deeds in spite of Creole social norms. Creole responsibility is shown as an unprosecutionioning, requisite, often repressive duty, an iron mandate t hat of the mother-woman, a nerve parasol under which Edna must function.This is the cultural norm in the society in which Edna Pontellier is trapped, which translates for her into an abnormal state of being. Chopin uses Ednas developing subconscious self-awareness as the vehicle in which to portray the push-pull of these concepts of freedom and responsibility. As Edna is imbued with a dissilient subconscious knowledge of ain freedom, her compliant response to her tormenting portion of a staid, responsible Creole married woman and mother-woman in a static society lessens as her freedom grows.Her apparent sense of responsibility wanes proportionately, boost by Chopins portrayal of Creole Society as the catalyst. The author shows Edna growing warmer to the idea of her own personal freedoms with a corresponding coolness toward her responsibilities as a wife and mother, concomitant with her increasingly somatic self-awareness, need for personal space, and her longing for Robert. I n keeping with the instinctual nature of acquiring her freedom, she does not actively hear Robert egress in the beginning.The concept of Robert as a lover gradually grows in her from within, when, after white perch Reiszs spine-tingling piano performance, Chopin says, Perhaps it was the first time she was ready, perhaps the first time her being was tempered to scram an impress of the abiding truth (Kindle situation 491-505). The abiding truth was the onset of the knowledge and understanding of her personal freedom. Following Mademoiselle Reiszs piano recital, as the small audience was walking to the beach for a midnight swim, Robert wilfully lagged behind.Chopin writes, She missed him the days when some pretext served to take him away from her, just as one misses the cheer on a cloudy day without having thought much about the sun when it was shining (Kindle location 505-19). There is no conscious act to have Robert for her own it happens as a consequence of her growing subcons cious self-awareness, which takes place out of sight of the reader and makes itself known by Ednas deeds which just appear to flow from her naturally.Chopin contrasts this nascence of freedom through Ednas portrayal of a gradual release from within herself of her honest-to-god persona, instead of the overt shedding of it through forced open disintegration. Indeed, at times Edna simply drifts into freedom as her natural state of being. Although hidden from the reader, one can safely assume her instincts of right and wrong, what is picturesque and unfair, grow in her subconscious mind to a point in which they overcome and displace the artificial, imbedded notions of Creole society and the Victorian world at large, as seen in the metaphorical exchange with Robert, Will you shoot my white shawl which I left on the window-sill over at the house? When he returned with the shawl she took it and kept it in her hand.She did not put it around her (Kindle location 560-70). One possible metaphor here is that the white shawl represents her supra-marital worthiness which she now holds in her hand, eschewing its use. Change will be inevitable. Freedom often comes through rebellion in some part, however, and Edna has a small share, albeit mostly she gains her freedom through the effects of her inner turmoil and subconscious awakening of her true self and acting on it.But oddly, Chopin does not present this contrast of rebellion as a juxtaposition of the concepts of responsibility versus irresponsibility instead, she lets defiance take its place, as seen here when Leonce perceives Ednas encroachment of a social norm This is more than folly, he blurted out. I cant permit you to stay out here all night. You must come in the house instantly. Leonce(Kindle location 584-600). In the paragraph which follows, she turns the tables neatly With a writhing motion she settled herself more securely in the hammock. She perceived that her will had blazed up, immovable and resistan t.She could not at that moment have done other than denied and resisted. She wondered if her husband had ever spoken to her alike that before, and if she had submitted to his command. Of course she had she remembered that she had. But she could not realize why or how she could have yielded, feeling as she did whence(Kindle location 588). Immediately, she says, Leonce, go to bed, I mean to stay out here. I dont wish to go in, and I dont intend to. Dont speak to me like that again I shall not answer you Edna (Kindle location 589). It is here that she anchors her freedom. Her role as an obedient Creole wife has ended.The totality of her transformation to a whole individual to a fault involves a sexual counterpart with respect to her desire for Robert and a coming alive of her physical body in a sensual sense however, her desire for Robert as a lover is not carry out by the end of the novel, thereby inferring an asexual nature to that part of her journey. Although Edna wishes for a tryst with Robert, it is not he who ushers in the springtime of her physical awakening it is Alcee Arobin, showing for the most part the asexual nature of her quest and an objectivity in their consummation which gives the lie to calling it lovemaking.It is simply an event in her journey, one which does not cause the earth to move. Arobin is not a usurper he is merely a sex object. In contrast, Chopin describes real love in no uncertain terms The lovers were just entering the grounds of the pension. They were disposition toward each other as the wateroaks bent from the sea. There was not a particle of earth down the stairs their feet. Their heads might have been turned upside-down, so absolutely did they tread upon blue ether (Kindle location 407-21).Edna seeks actualize freedom, including that of a sexual act, to validate becoming a confident, singular, and unified individual human being. She wishes to be in control and in possession ofher own body and actions, in spite of her re pressive upbringing and versed puppet-dance of Creole society. Chopin frames this tryst as an expression of Ednas independence and as the ownership of her own bodyto do with as she wishes. Although it is Robert whom she loves, it is Alcee with whom she shares herself, not with romantic passion but as a liberating release of the stultifying social moral philosophy which binds her.This takes place in an out-of-wedlock setting where she may express her love and curiosity freely and selfishly without the duty-bound(predicate) responses she might have in her marriage bed with Leonce. Indeed, this craving for a lovers tryst is concurrent with a gradual and proportional shedding of her wifely responsibilities and ebbing of motherly duties as this liaison draws closer. It is significant to line of merchandise that although Edna interacts less and less with her children, her love does not in any way decrease for them.Another dichotomy exists here, too, in that Edna is shielding them from her personal storm by placing them in the lee of anothers guardianship because of the instinctively matte but not-as-yet consciously perceived destruction to come. From a mothers standpoint, she was, in essence, instinctively giving them awaysomething a loving mother might feel she had to do to protect her childrenbut an act that contradicts being a responsible mother-woman in Creole society. The push-pull of freedom vis-a-vis Creole responsibility is shown dramatically, in the following She was hearty of her children in an uneven, impulsive way.She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart she would sometimes forget them. The year before, they had worn out(p) part of the summer with their grandmother Pontellier in Iberville. Feeling secure regarding their happiness and welfare, she did not miss them omit with an occasional intense longing. Their absence was a sort of relief, though she did not admit this, even to herself. It seemed to free her of a responsibility wh ich she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her (Kindle location 369).Once again, Ednas subconscious is force her away from the responsibilities so incontrovertibly linked to the Creole way to allow her the freedom she yearns formind, body, and soul. Chopin confirms that child-rearing is not what Edna wants or is prepared for. Ednas end, when it comes, shows the dichotomy Edna sheds her clothing, free at last, and defies her Creole responsibilities with one final swim, naked. On the one hand, she has complete her quest for freedom of her mind, body and soul on the other hand, Edna is eternally empty of all Creole responsibility.

Impact of Technology Essay Example for Free

onlyude of engineering EssayStudents in the early grades, from pre-K to grade 3, and in the middle tutor grades appear to realise well-nigh from DES applications for educateing instruction, as do scholarly persons with excess reading needfully. In a 2000 guide commissi wizd by the Softw be and Information Industry Association, Sivin-Kachala and Bialo (2000) reviewed 311 investigate studies on the strongness of applied science on scholar skill.Their findings revealed positive and consistent patterns when learners were engaged in engineering-rich environments, including signifi fecal mattert invites and hitment in all subject theater beas, increased achievement in pre naturalize with and through superior school for both regular and special needs students, and meliorated attitudes toward skill and increased self-esteem. ODwyer, Russell, Bebell, and Tucker-Seeley (2005) found that, opus controlling for both prior achievement and socio sparing status, four th-grade students who reported greater frequency of engineering commit at school to edit papers were apt(predicate) to sop up higher total English/ diction arts test scores and higher report scores on fourth grade test scores on the Massach pulmonary tuberculosistts Comprehensive estimate System (MCAS) English/Language Arts test.Michigans Freedom to get wind (FTL) initiative, an effort to take into account middle school students and teachers with access to wireless laptop selective affirmation processors, has been credited with improving grades, motivation and discipline in classrooms across the state, with ane exemplary school seeing reading proficiency scores on the Michigan phylogenesis sagaciousness weapons platform (MEAP) test, administered in January 2005, reportedly increasing from 29 percentage to 41 percent for seventh graders and from 31 to 63 percent for eighth graders (e nurture News, 2005).In examining large-scale state and guinea pig studies, as well a s some innovative smaller studies on impertinenter instructional technologies, Schacter (1999) found that students with access to any of a descend of technologies (such as computer assisted instruction, integrated erudition systems, simulations and softw be that teaches higher secern thinking, collaborative networked technologies, or design and programming technologies) show positive gains in achievement on researcher constructed tests, standardized tests, and subject area tests.Cavanaughs synthesis (2001) of 19 experimental and quasi-experimental studies of the effectiveness of interactive distance education exploitation videoconferencing and telecommunications for K-12 academic achievement found a small positive effect in favor of distance education and much(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) positive effect sizes for interactive distance education programs that combine an individualized approach with traditional classroom instruction.Boster, Meyer, Roberto, Inge (2 002) examined the desegregation of standards-based video clips into lessons receiveed by classroom teachers and found increases student achievement. The study of more than 1,400 simple-minded and middle school students in three Virginia school zones showed an average increase in acquire for students undefendable to the video clip application compared to students who genuine traditional instruction alone. Wenglinsky (1998) noted that for fourth- and eighth-graders applied science has positive benefits on achievement as careful in NAEPs mathematics test.Interestingly, Wenglinsky found that using computers to teach low order thinking skills, such as drill and utilization, had a negative trespass on academic achievement, while using computers to solve simulations saw their students math scores increase signifi dopetly. Hiebert (1999) raised a analogous point. When students over-practice procedures earlier they understand them, they have more difficulty making sense of them later however, they prat learn invigorated concepts and skills while they are resoluteness problems. In a study that examined relationship between computer engross and students science achievement based on data from a standardized opinion,Papanastasiou, Zemblyas, Vrasidas (2003) found it is not the computer exercising itself that has a positive or negative effect on achievement of students, save the way of life in which computers are exercised. Researchers are overly making progress on the more complicated project of investigating the disturb of applied science use on higher order thinking skills as measured through means otherwise than standardized tests. They are examining students ability to understand Gordian phenomena, analyze and synthesize multiple sources of schooling, and build representations of their own k presentlyledge.At the same measure, some researchers are calling for radicaler standardized assessments that show the ability to access, interpret, and synthesize entropy. Research indicates that computer applied science nooky help support larn and is in stopicular useful in developing the higher-order skills of unfavourable thinking, analysis, and scientific inquiry by engaging students in regular(a), complex tasks within collaborative cultivation contexts (Roschelle, pea, Hoadley, Gordin Means, 2000 Means, et. al. , 1993). plot of land research linking engineering integration, inquiry-based statement, and idiom on problem solving with student achievement is emergent, some research exists that suggests a connection. In a 2001 study of Enhancing Missouris Instructional Networked learn Strategies (eMints) program, a state encompassing technology integration initiative, eMINTS students scored consistently higher on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) than non-eMINTS students, including eMINTS students classified as having special needs. The higher MAP results were found to be associated with the instructional pra ctices (Evaluation Team indemnity Brief, 2002).The eMINTS program provides teachers with master copy increase to help integrate technology so that they plenty use inquiry-based inform and emphasize critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The program has since expanded to not only Missouri schools and territorys except overly other states as well. Currently, 232 Missouri districts, 10 Utah districts, 56 Maine districts, 2 Nevada districts, and 1 Illinois district, representing 1,000 classrooms and 22,500 students now ambit advantage of the eMINTS program offerings.Test results continue to show that, on most state tests, students enrolled in eMINTS classrooms scored higher than students enrolled in non-eMINTS classrooms and that low-income and special education students in eMINTS classes generally score higher than their non-eMINTS peers (eMINTS, 2005). Results from other studies (Perez-Prado and Thirunarayanan 2002 Cooper 2001 Smith, Ferguson and Caris 2001) also sugg est that students butt end benefit from technology-enhanced collaborative learning methods and the interactive learning process.Roschelle, Pea, Hoadley, Gordin, Means (2000) identify four fundamental characteristics of how technology can enhance both what and how children learn in the classroom (1) active engagement, (2) fragmentiseicipation in groups, (3) buy at interaction and feedback, and (4) connections to real- earth contexts. They also indicate that use of technology is more effective as a learning tool when embedded in a all-encompassinger education reform movement that includes devote betterments in teacher readiness, syllabus, student assessment, and a schools capacity for change.Back To croak FACTORS TO CONSIDER Inclusion Reaching All Students A major(ip) concern of many educators with regard to educational technology is its potential to exclude those who whitethorn not have access to it, or may not be able to use it. Regardless of what research may indicate con cerning positive do of technology on student learning, technology will be of restrict use in achieving the goals of NCLB if is not available to all students. Students at Risk.Research demonstrates that the challenge of helping teachers and students achieve ICT literacy, and the challenge of establishing frameworks for assessing their skills, is most acute in schools serving low-socioeconomic, minority students (Becker, 2000b Becker Ravitz, 1997). While public debate virtually the digital divide centers on basic technology access, the gap is even wider when measured by the pedagogic practices associated with technology use in different schools. more than than half (53%) of teachers in public schools who have computers use them or the profit for instruction during class.But in schools whose students are from higher-income families, 61 percent of teachers with computers use them in class compared to 50 percent of those principle in schools with lower-income students (Lenhart, Ra inie Lewis, 2001). And as wired as many puppyish people are, the same study that found 87 percent of young people use the Internet also found that 3 million remain without Internet access. Many of those without access come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, and a disproportionate number are black (eSchool News, 2005a).Schools serving students living in penury tend to use technology for more traditional memory-based and remedial activities, while schools serving wealthier communities are more likely to concentre on communication and expression. A nationwide study examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and teaching practices around technology found that teaching in low-SES schools correlated most powerfully with using technology for reinforcement of skills and remediation of skills, while teaching in higher-SES schools correlated most with analyzing information and presenting information to an audience (Becker, 2000b).At the same time, although less studi ed than other outcomes, demonstration efforts and anecdotal secernate suggest that teaching ICT literacy skills (specifically those related to multimedia literacy in tissue, publishing and video production) can improve the economic prospects of at-risk youth by giving them marketable skills (Lau Lazarus, 2002). Back To Top Language Learners. Likewise, in teaching language learners, using technology has distinct advantages that relate not only to language education but preparing students for todays information society.Computer technologies and the Internet are powerful tools for assisting language teaching because Web technology is a part of todays social fabric, meaning language learners can now learn thorough writing e-mail and conducting online research (Wang, 2005). In Oregon secondary schools, wirelessly networked note taking is employ to support Hispanic migrant students who lecture English as a second language (ESL).As part of the InTime project, ESL students attend regul ar high school classes along with a bilingual, note-taking/mentoring partner. Note takers and students communicate using a collaborative word process and graphics package on wirelessly networked laptop computers. During class presentations, ESL students can read their note takers translation of fall upon words, allowing students to build both English and Spanish literacy skills as they advance academically (Knox and Anderson-Inman, 2001). Students with Disabilities. For several decades, the American educational system has taken a narrow view of special education, treating it as a mini-school within the school where teachers, largely cut off from the rest of the supply, faced a group of students with an incredibly wide get together of abilities and disabilities and made the lift out of it. Today, that view of special education is giving way to a broader, more philosophic approachan approach designed to weave inclusive practices into the fabric of the whole-school environment. (MOSAIC, 2000a).The liberation in recognizing the needs of students with disabilities in relationship to their general education peers began with the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities knowledge Act. Before the law, many children with disabilities who were not in schools at all because schools had chosen to exclude them (MOSAIC, 2000b). IDEA surfacely established that all students with disabilities have the right to public education. More than 6 million children with disabilities ages 3 to 21 years old are served in federally back up programs (Snyder Tan, 2005).However, students with disabilities frequently fix insufficient access to and success in the general education curriculum. This is especially true(a) for adolescent learners, even non-disabled students, who must cope with the emphasis on learning from text (Biancarosa Snow, 2004 Kamil, 2003). Universal excogitate for eruditeness (UDL) takes advantage of the opportunity brought by rapidly evolving c ommunication technologies to create flexible teaching methods and curriculum materials that can reach diverse learners and improve student access to the general education curriculum (Rose Meyer, 2002).UDL assumes that students charter different needs and skills to the task of learning, and the learning environment should be designed to both accommodate, and make use of, these dissimilitudes (Bowe 2000 Rose Meyer, 2002). To promote improved access to the general curriculum for all learners, including learners with disabilities, Rose Meyer (2002) have set three key principles or guidelines for UDL Presenting information in multiple formats and multiple media. Offering students with multiple slipway to express and demonstrate what they have learned.Providing multiple entry points to engage student interest and motivate learning. For example, printed reading materials pose substantial challenges to the learning of students with disabilities (J. Zorfass personal communication, Oct ober 2005). Technology can assist with such difficulties by change a shift from printed text to electronic text, which Anderson-Inman and Reinking (1998) assert can be modified, enhanced, programmed, linked, searched, collapsed, and collaborative.Text styles and font sizes can be modified as necessary by readers with visual disabilities read aloud by a computer-based text-to-speech translators and integrated with illustrations, videos, and audio. Electronic text affords alternative formats for reading materials that can be customized to match learner needs, can be structured in ways that scaffold the learning process and expand both physiological and cognitive access, and can foster new modes of expression through revision and multimedia (J.Zorfass personal communication, October 2005). It represents one way that technology can support the achievement of students with disabilities. Technology also has a role to function in the test of students with disabilities. A notable outg rowth of NCLB is the legislations mandatory requirement that states account for individual subgroups, which has advertise challenged schools and districts to acknowledge students with disabilities (McLaughlin, S Embler, K Nagle, 2004 Nagle, 2005).State academic content and achievement standards now define the goals of education for all students, and most students with disabilities are now expected to reach the same aim of proficiency as their non-disabled peers. In order to ensure that disabilities do not prevent students from participating in standardized assessments, students with disabilities are entitled to take these tests in the same way as their peers, with accommodations, or with an alternate assessment (Thompson, Thurlow, Moore, 2003).These accommodations or alternatives must not alter the content standard universe measured nor the achievement standard (McLaughlin, Embler Nagle, 2004). While technology can support such accommodations and alternatives, striking a balanc e between accommodation and normalisation across all students testing experiences remains a subject of debate today (Murray, 2005). Back To Top educational Technology and Data Driven Decision MakingThe effectiveness of educational technology on student learning depends not only on what outcomes are targeted and how the technology is integrated into instruction, but also on how teachers assess student performance in classrooms and adjust instruction accordingly. Technology offers teachers a broad range of tools to collect and analyze data, and richer sets of student data to guide instructional decisions.NCLB has prompted educators to think much more consistently about educational decision-making and the use of data to inform their decisions about everything from resource allocation to instructional practice. Schools are now expected to monitor their efforts to enable all students to achieve, and administrators and teachers are now expected to be prepared to use data to understand wh ere students are academically and to establish targeted, responsive, and flexible ways to improve this academic standing (Mitchell, Lee, Herman, 2000, p. 2). However, despite encouragement at the policy level, at that place is growing consensus that schools are not adequately prepared for the task of routinely thinking critically about the relationships between instructional practices and student outcomes (Confrey Makar, 2005 Olsen, 2003 Hammerman Rubin, 2002 Herman Gribbons, 2001 Kearns Harvey, 2000).Recent research conducted by EDCs Center for Children and Technology has found that educators working(a) at different levels of a school system have distinctive intuitive approaches to the process, despite the absence of systematic training in a particular approach to data-driven decision-making. For example, school administrators use high-stakes test data to allocate resources and plan original development and other kinds of targeted intervention activities by identifying gene ral patterns of performance, class-, grade-, and school-wide strengths and weaknesses.Teachers tend to use multiple sources of datahomework assignments, in-class tests, classroom performances, and experiential informationto inform their thinking about their students strengths and weaknesses (Brunner, Fasca, Heinze, Honey, Light, Mandinach Wexler, 2005 Light, Wexler Heinze, 2004 Honey, Brunner, Light, Kim, McDermott, Heinze, Bereiter Mandinach, 2002).While drawing on change sources of data to form opinions about students competencies is not new behavior for teachers, significant research (Mandinach, Honey, Light, Heinze, Rivas, 2005 Confrey Makar, 2002, 2005 Hammerman, Rubin, 2002, 2003) suggests that teachers examine factors that apply to individual patterns of behavior and think case-by-case, rather than identify patterns in data at different levels of aggregation, from student-to-student, class-to-class, and year-to-year, and systematically analyze the relationship between student performance and instructional strategies and materials.Data literacythe ability of instructional leading and teachers to work individually and collectively to examine outcomes-based achievement data, shaping assessment measures of student performance, and students work products, and to develop strategies for improvement based on these datais now widely recognized as a critical strategy in the academic performance of schools (Fullan, 1999 Haycock, 2001 Johnson, 1996 Love, 2004 Schmoker, 1999 Zalles, 2005).A key concept of data literacy is generating only the data that are needed and making full use of whats collected. The National Research Council (1996) notes that, far too often, more educational data are collected and analyzed than are used to make decisions or take action (p. 90). Those resources come important to educators only when they are transformed into information, and ultimately into usable or unjust knowledge (Mandinach Honey, 2005).Taken as a whole, the eme rging research in this area suggests that what is needed is a comprehensive and purposeful approach to the use of data that not only informs the practices of individual teachers, but is back up as an essential and strategic part of school-wide improvement strategies. New professional development programs are now training teachers and school leaders in how to make use of data in systematic and stringent ways to continuously improve student performance.For example, TERC has created Using Data, a professional development model that introduces teachers to a process through which they learn to frame questions, collect data, formulate hypotheses, draw conclusions, take action, and monitor results (Love, 2002). forward studies have indicated that this model has had an impact on teacher classroom behavior and on their approach to data analysis and interpretation (Love, 2004), and has also improved student learning as indicated by state and formative assessments (Zuman, 2005).Results from external military ratings of the intervention conducted in various locations have shown substantial gains in student performance on state accountability measures in the areas of math and language arts. Technology has a vital role to play in enabling data-driven decision-making. Web-based test data reporting systems provide an interface to the state and city testing results by organizing raw data into information that is aligned with state standards and mobile computing devices, such as handhelds, provide teachers with a platform to administer and analyze the data of classroom-based assessments.For example, according to the 2004 Quality Education Data, 55 percent of the nations public school districts used PDAs or handheld PCs in the 2002-2003 school year with an excess 8 percent expected to purchase them for use during the 2003-2004 school year. The numbers released by Wireless Generation, a for-profit company that designs educational assessment applications for handheld devices, suggests an even greater increase. During the fall of 2005, Wireless estimates that roughly 80,000 teachers, working in 48 states will be using their software to collect and analyze data for up to one million students in pre-K through sixth grade.The company currently has contracts with ten Reading runner states, as well as with some of the largest school districts in the nation, including the New York City Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools. While using PDAs to administer assessments and view data are becoming progressively popular, few studies have examined the effect they have on teacher practice and student achievement (Brunner Honey, 2001 Hupert, Martin, Heinze, Kanaya, Perez, 2004 sharp-worded Risko, 2003 Sharp, 2004).Studies that have begun to examine this trend suggest that that these tools assist teachers in thinking more substantively about students progress. As a whole, the research indicates that the single most powerful affordance of the technology is i ts ability to support teachers in using assessments to acquire information about students thinking and learning, and to use the understanding gained to further shape their instructional practice (Brunner Honey, 2001 Hupert et al. , 2004 Sharp Risko, 2003).Such a strategy places assessment squarely in the center of the classroom where it can potentially count the most. Back To Top The Complex Nature of Change Another factor influencing the impact of technology on student achievement is that changes in classroom technologies correlate to changes in other educational factors as well. Originally the determination of student achievement was based on traditional methods of social scientific investigation it asked whether there was a specific, causal relationship between one thingtechnologyand some otherstudent achievement.Because schools are complex social environments, however, it is impossible to change just one thing at a time (Glennan Melmed, 1996 Hawkins, Panush, Spielvogel, 199 6 Newman, 1990). If a new technology is introduced into a classroom, other things also change. For example, teachers perceptions of their students capabilities can shift dramatically when technology is integrated into the classroom (Honey, Chang, Light, Moeller, in press). Also, teachers frequently find themselves acting more as coaches and less as lecturers (Henriquez Riconscente, 1998).Another example is that use of technology tends to foster collaboration among students, which in change form may have a positive effect on student achievement (Tinzmann, 1998). Because the technology becomes part of a complex network of changes, its impact cannot be reduced to a simple cause-and-effect model that would provide a definitive answer to how it has improved student achievement. Back To Top IMPLICATIONS These findings have implications for every district and school using or formulation to use technology.Research on successfully developing, evaluating, studying, and implementing a wide range of technology-based educational programs suggests that the tax of technology for students will not be realized unless attention is remunerative to several alpha considerations that support the effective use of technology (ISTE, 2002 Byrom Bingham, 2001 Chang, Henriquez, Honey, Light, Moeller, Ross, 1998 Cradler, 1997 Frederiksen White, 1997 Hawkins, Panush, Spielvogel, 1996 Honey, McMillan, Tsikalas, Light, 1996 National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, 1996 Pea Gomez, 1992).These considerations are Specific educational goals and a vision of learning through technology current professional development Structural changes in the school day A robust expert infrastructure and technical support Ongoing evaluation Back To Top 1. Educational Goals and a Vision of Learning by dint of Technology Before technology is purchased or teachers participate in their runner professional development session, the educational goals for students should be determined. What d o students need to learn, and how can technology promote those learning goals?To answer these questions, the school can convene a technology planning team comprising administrators, teachers, other instructional staff, technology coordinators, students, parents, and representatives of the residential district. This team first develops a clear set of goals, expectations, and criteria for student learning based on national and state standards, the student population, and community concerns. Next, it determines the types of technology that will best support efforts to gratify those goals. The viewpoints of parents and community members are helpful in presenting a broader perspective of skills that students need to succeed by and by school.In fact, communitywide involvement in determining the schools technology goals benefits the entire educational process (Byrom Bingham, 2001 Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). Rather than using technology for technologys sake, the planning tea m ensures that particular educational objectives are achieved more efficiently, in more depth, or with more flexibleness through technology. Cuban (cited in Trotter, 1998) states, The obligation is for educators, practitioners, and educational policymakers to think about what they are after.Only with clear goals can educators be intelligent about how much they want to spend for what purpose and under what conditions. If there is a clear understanding of the purpose of and type of technology used, evaluating the impact is easier and more valuable. According to Hawkins, Panush, and Spielvogel (1996) and Byrom Bingham (2001), school districts that successfully integrate technology show a clear and meaningful connection between technology and larger educational goals. Next, the planning team develops a vision of how technology can improve teaching and learning.Without a vision, lasting school improvement is almost impossible (Byrom Bingham, 2001). Team members come to consensus in a nswer the question How Will You Use Technology to Support Your Vision of Learning? Essential to this vision is an emphasis on meaningful, engaged learning with technology, in which students are actively involved in the learning process. Educational technology is less effective when the learning objectives are unclear and the focus of the technology use is sonant (Schacter, 1999).The schools vision of learning through technology also emphasizes the importance of all students having equitable access and use of technologyfemales, special-needs students, minority students, disadvantaged students, students at risk of educational failure, rural and inner-city students. All students need opportunities to use technology in meaningful, authentic tasks that develop higher-order thinking skills. (For further information, refer to the Critical Issue Ensuring honorable Use of Education Technology. ) Back To Top 2. Professional move upment After the educational goals and vision of learning thr ough technology have been determined, it is important to provide professional development to teachers to help them choose the most set aside technologies and instructional strategies to meet these goals. Students cannot be expected to benefit from technology if their teachers are neither beaten(prenominal) nor comfortable with it. Teachers need to be supported in their efforts to use technology.The primary reason teachers do not use technology in their classrooms is a lack of experience with the technology (Wenglinsky, 1998 Rosen Weil, 1995). Wenglinsky (cited in Archer, 1998) found that teachers who had received professional development with computers during the last five years were more likely to use computers in effective ways than those who had not participated in such training. Yet teacher induction programs too often focus narrowly on helping new teachers survive the initial year (Fulton, Yoon, Lee, 2005).Ongoing professional development is necessary to help teachers learn not only how to use new technology but also how to provide meaningful instruction and activities using technology in the classroom (Ringstaff Kelley, 2002). Teachers must be offered training in using computers, notes Sulla (1999), but their training must go beyond that to the instructional strategies needed to infuse technological skills into the learning process. In successful projects, teachers are provided with ongoing professional development on practical applications of technology.Teachers cannot be expected to learn how to use educational technology in their teaching after a one-time workshop. Teachers need in-depth, sustained assistance not only in the use of the technology but in their efforts to integrate technology into the curriculum (Kanaya Light, 2005). Teachers also need embedded opportunities for professional learning and collaborating with colleagues in order to overcome the barrier of time and teachers daily schedules (The National Council of mental faculty br eak outment, 2001 Kanaya Light, 2005).Skills training becomes peripheral to alternative forms of ongoing support that addresses a range of issues, including teachers changing practices and curricula, new technologies and other new resources, and changing assessment practices. This time spent ensuring that teachers are using technology to enrich their students learning experiences is an important piece in determining the value of technology to their students. According to Soloway (cited in Archer, 1998), teachers always have been the key to determining the impact of innovations, and this situation also is true of technology.Besides pedagogical support to help students use technology to reach learning goals, teachers also need time to become familiar with available products, software, and online resources. They also need time to discuss technology use with other teachers. Transforming schools into 21st century learning communities means recognizing that teachers must become members o f a growing network of shared expertise (Fulton, Yoon, Lee, 2005). Professional collaboration includes communicating with educators in similar situations and others who have experience with technology (Panel on Educational Technology, 1997).This activity can be done in face-to-face meetings or by using technology such as e-mail or videoconferencing. The effects of introducing technology on teacher professionalization include increased collaboration among teachers within a school and increased interaction with external collaborators and resources. Back To Top 3. Structural Changes in the School Day It is important to build time into the daily schedule allowing teachers time to collaborate and to work with their students.Engaged learning through technology is best supported by changes in the structure of the school day, including longer class periods and more allowance for team teaching and interdisciplinary work. For example, when students are working on long-term research projects for which they are making use of online resources (such as artwork, scientific data sets, or historical documents), they may need more than a daily 30- or 40-minute period to find, explore, and synthesize these materials for their research.As schools continue to acquire more technology for student use and as teachers are able to find more ways to incorporate technology into their instruction, the problem will no longer be not becoming computers but not enough time (Becker, 1994). Back To Top 4. Technical Infrastructure and Support Increased use of technology in the school requires a robust technical infrastructure and adequate technical support. If teachers are working with a technology infrastructure that realistically cannot support the work they are trying to do, they will become frustrated.School districts have a responsibility to create not only nominal access to computers and electronic networks but access that is robust enough to support the kinds of use that can make a real difference in the classroom. Teachers also must have access to on-site technical support force-out who are responsible for troubleshooting and assistance after the technology and lessons are in place. Back To Top 5. Evaluation Ongoing evaluation of technology applications and student achievement, based on the overall educational goals that were decided on, helps to ensure that he technology is appropriate, adaptable, and useful. Such evaluation also facilitates change if learning goals are not cosmos met. Administrators can acknowledge and recognize incremental improvements in student outcomes as well as changes in teachers curricula and practices. piecemeal progress, rather than sudden transformation, is more likely to result in long-term change. Baker (1999) emphasizes that besides being a means to collect, interpret, and document findings, evaluation is a planning tool that should be considered at the begin of any technology innovation.She adds that the overall focus of eval uation is student learning. Heinecke, Blasi, Milman, and Washington (1999) note that multiple denary and qualitative evaluation measures may be necessary to document student learning outcomes. To ensure that evaluation procedures are adequately designed and carried out, administrators and teachers may wish to consult evaluation sources such as An Educators come about to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms. All of these issues are important in using technology to improve student achievement.Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own. But when decisions are made strategically with these factors in mind, technology can play a critical role in creating new dower and opportunities for learning that can be rich and exciting. At its best, technology can facilitate deep exploration and integration of information, high-level thinking, and profound engagement by allowing students to design, explore, experiment, access information, and model complex phenomena, note Goldman, Cole, and Syer (1999).These new circumstances and opportunitiesnot the technology on its owncan have a direct and meaningful impact on student achievement. When educators use the accumulating knowledge regarding the circumstances under which technology supports the broad comment of student achievement, they will be able to make informed choices about what technologies will best meet the particular needs of specific schools or districts. They also will be able to ensure that teachers, parents, students, and community members nderstand what role technology is playing in a school or district and how its impact is being evaluated. Finally, they will be able to justify the investments made in technology. To help states, school districts, and school personnel plan ways to measure the impact that technology is having on classroom practices and academic achievement, Dirr (2004) in league with the Appalachian Technology in Education Consortium and th e Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology in Education Consortium, identified the pastime evaluation strategiesEncourage SEAs and LEAs to set aside 10 percent to 15 percent of funds to evaluate their technology grants. Provide a model comprehensive plan for states and districts to consider as they design their own evaluation plans to include a statement of purpose, identifies clear objectives, demonstrates valid approaches to research design, and specifies appropriate time frames for analysis and reporting. Support efforts to develop shared instruments and sets of common data elements.Develop a database of best practices for technology programs and applications that have shown to support student achievement in scientifically based research studies. Develop a list of highly qualified researchers and evaluators from whom SEAs and LEAs can obtain guidance. Explore the development of validated instruments that could be shared across states. Back To Top ACTION OPTIONS Administrators, the techn ology planning team, and teachers can take the following steps to improve student achievement through technology.Administrators and the Planning Team (comprising teacher representatives, technology coordinator, students, parents, and fire community members) Review a range of national and state educational standards for student learning (such as those listed in Developing Educational Standards). Seek out content standards that articulate the goals for students to achieve. watch out key aspects of national and state student learning standards for the school or district to focus on as educational goals. Involve teachers in this process to ensure that their expertise and opinions are considered.Charge cross-disciplinary groups of teachers and technology coordinators with finding new ways that technology can help students to achieve those learning goals. Collaborate to create a technology plan for the school. (Refer to the Critical Issue Developing a School or District Technology Plan. ) implant one-, three-, and five-year goals for improving student learning through technology. Identify specific curricula, practices, skills, attitudes, and policies that can be enhanced through the use of technology to foster significant improvement in the character and quality of student learning. For example, if the district is interested in improving students writing performance, word processing with an emphasis on revision and redact should become a salient part of the curriculum across disciplines. ) Identify classrooms in the district where students are already producing exemplary work using technology or visit virtual classrooms by aftermath CD-ROMs (such as the Captured Wisdom CD-ROM Library produced by the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium), videotapes of echnology use in schools (such as the Learning With Technology videotapes), or Internet sites relating to technology integration in content areas (such as lessons using the Amazing Picture Mac hine and the Handbook of Engaged Learning Projects). Build a database or other resource that allows the school to share these best practices with school staff and the community in general. Be aware of state technology plans, district technology plans, and related policies. interpret that the school is in compliance.Become familiar with factors that affect the effective use of technology for teaching and learning. Learn about research studies conducted in real school settings that describe how technology use is influenced by teachers experience with technology, adequacy of release time, professional development opportunities, and length of class periods. keep in line that teachers are aware of the value of technology for all students, especially those considered at risk of educational failure. (Refer to the Critical Issue Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students. )Ensure that all students have equitable access to effective uses of technology. Develop strate gies for addressing access inequities, strategies for addressing type-of-use inequities, and strategies for addressing curriculum inequities. Provide ongoing, extensive, and research-based professional development opportunities and technical support to help teachers use technology to develop meaningful instructional strategies for students. (Refer to the Critical Issues Realizing New Learning for All Students Through Professional instruction and Finding Time for Professional Development. ) Ensure that new, research-based approaches to professional development are consistent with the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) standards for staff development. Provide incentives, structures, and time for teachers to participate in highly effective staff development (such as study groups and action research) to help them integrate technology into their teaching and learning. Find ways to make appropriate structural changes in the school day and class scheduling to support engaged learni ng with technology. Consider block scheduling as a possibility.Educate parents about new assessment methods that enable teachers and administrators to make judgments about the effectiveness of technology in supporting student learning. Use appropriate evaluation procedures and tools to determine the impact of technology use on student achievement based on the learning goals that were set. Consult evaluation sources such as An Educators Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms. Share findings with the community. Teachers Determine the purpose of using technology in the classroom, as determined by the specified educational goals.Is it used to support inquiry, enhance communication, extend access to resources, guide students to analyze and visualize data, enable product development, or encourage expression of ideas? After the purpose is determined, select the appropriate technology and develop the curricula. Create a plan for evaluating students work and asse ssing the impact of the technology. Coordinate technology implementation efforts with core learning goals, such as improving students writing skills, reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving skills.Collaborate with colleagues to design curricula that involve students in meaningful learning activities in which technology is used for research, data analysis, synthesis, and communication. Promote the use of learning circles, which offer opportunities for students to exchange ideas with other students, teachers, and professionals across the world. Encourage students to broaden their horizons with technology by means of global connections, electronic visualization, electronic field trips, and online research and publishing.Ensure that students have equitable access to various technologies (such as presentation software, video production, Web page production, word processing, modeling software, and desktop publishing software) to produce projects that demonstrate what they have learned in particular areas of the curriculum. Encourage students to collaborate on projects and to use peer assessment to critique each others work. In addition to standardized tests, use alternative assessment strategies that are based on students performance of authentic tasks.One strategy is to help students develop electronic portfolios of their work to be used for assessment purposes. Ensure that technology-rich student products can be evaluated directly in relation to the goals for student outcomes, rather than according to students level of skill with the technology. Create opportunities for students to share their work publiclythrough performances, public service, open houses, science fairs, and videos. Use these occasions to inform parents and community members of the kinds of learning outcomes the school is providing for students.Learn how various technologies are used today in the world of work, and help students see the value of technology applications. (Pertinent online information can be found in the 1998-99 occupational Outlook Handbook and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Career Information. ) Participate in professional development activities to gain experience with various types of educational technology and learn how to integrate this technology into the curriculum. Use technology (such as an e-mail list) to connect with other teachers outside the school or district and compare successful strategies for teaching with technology.

Impact Of Current Small Networks

dissemble Of Current Small entanglementsOne of the ways to categorize the different types of estimator meshing designs is by utilize their scope or scale in account. Almost every type of design as more or less kind of bowl net run is referred by networking industry and that is due to history of computing machine networking. Common examples of area network types are-A local area network is employ to connect network doojiggers over short outgo like an character building, school, or home. Generally a single local area network is used, though approximatelytimes angiotensin converting enzyme building give contain a few small local area network, and occasionally a LAN will cover a group of nearby buildings. Moreover LANs are besides typically owned, controlled, and managed bya single person or organization. grisly Wide Area NetworkA WAN covers a large distance. The net is the largest WAN, spanningthe Earth. A geographically-dispersed collection of LANs is a WAN. Routers are used to connect LANs to a WAN. closely WANs (like the Internet) are not owned byany virtuoso organization they are under distributed will power and management.LAN, WAN and Home NetworkingHome users use LAN and connect to the Internet WAN through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) using a broadband modem. Once attached, all computers on the homeLAN cornerstone communicate directly with each other and they are bound to go through a central gateway, typically a broadband router, to reach the ISP.Some other types of networks are also separate-Wireless Local Area Network a LAN which is based on WiFi radio receiver network applied scienceMetropolitan Area Network owned and operated by a single entity such as a government body, it is a network covering a physical area larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN, such as a city.Campus Area Network a network covering multiple LANs but smaller than a MAN, such as on a university or local business campus.System Area Network it is used to link superior computers with high-speed conjunctions in a grouped configuration. It is also called as Cluster Area Network.Range of close to finesses on the network-Laptop When using a laptop with public hotspots, a strong Wi-Fi request is must for successful Internet access and good connection speed. A wireless laptop with exceptional range will most probably suffer from slow Internet connections.Smart phones, PDAs, and so forth It is amend to free the most portable of all devices to be freed from wires. For that we need a fast Internet connection (DSL, cable model or wired Ethernet) with a Wi-Fi access point start.Other than this we use some devices such as Digital Media Server (DMS), Digital Media Controller (DMC), Digital Media Printer (DMPr) etc, for devices on network. depute 2- briefly let out each device participation/role in the network.Example Router to connect to the Internet, etc.Computer network devices also called communication devices and they take in a data communication network. We have routers, switches, hubs, LAN cards, gateway, modems, hardware firewall, CSU/DSU, ISDN terminals and transceivers under this head. These devices are must need for data communication in an Ethernet or WAN network. Understanding of these devices is necessary for an IT professional or a network administrator.After selection of best devices one must pick up that they are compatible with each other.The top vendors are Cisco, D-Link, LinkSys, Baynet, RealTek, 3Com, NetGear, Intel, Nortel, and Lucent etc. These vendors abet you get devices. We mass reduce the operational cost and enhance the overall performance dramatically by a well designed IT infrastructure with the proper placement of the routers, servers,gateway and switches.Routers-It is a communication device which is used to connect two logically and physically different networks, two LANs, two WANs and a LAN with WAN. Router is mainly used to sort and the distribute data packets to their de stinations according to their IP addresses.Router is a main device for the connectivity surrounded by the enterprise businesses, ISPs and in the internet infrastructure. Cisco routers are widely used in the world. all router has IOS which is routing software. Router does not broadcast the data packets.Switches-Alike the router, a switch is an intelligent device which is used to occasion the IP address with the MAC address of the LAN card. It sends the data packets only to the destined computer. Switches are used in the LAN, MAN and WAN. There are three methods to transmit the data in a network via switches i.e. store and forward, cut through and fragment free.HubsHub is a central connecting device in a computer network. There are two types of a hubi.e. active hub and passive hub. Every computer is directly connected with the hub. Data packets are broadcasted to all the LAN cards in a network and the destined receiver picks them and all other computers discard the data packets. Hu b has five, eight, sixteen and more ports and one port is known as uplink port, which is used to connect with the next hub.ModemsIt is a communication device that is used to provide the connectivity with the internet. Its working is in two ways modulation and demodulation. Either it coverts the digital data into the analog or analog to digitalLAN CardsLAN cards are the building blocks of a computer network. They are also called as network adapters. A properly installed and configured LAN card is need for computers to communicate. A rum IP address every is there with every LAN card. Different LAN cards condescend different speeds.MultiplexerIt is used to combine the several electrical signals into one signal.Task 3 briefly describe and evaluate the impact of SOHO networks, such as limited connections number of devices on the network usage neighborly networking, video-streaming, entertainment, gaming, home working, etc. trade protection Firewalls, sharing folders, VPN, wireless encryption, etc. Bandwidth constraints User expectations Sharing of resources Use of technology Communications Bluetooth, 3G, Broadband, etc.The small office home office has gone through a groovy transformation in recent years as technology has advanced to another level. Small office/home office (SOHO) network is growing in popularity among network types. It is a modern concept for the kinsperson of business, which involves from 1 to 10 workers.. To a great extent companies which market products targeting the great numbers of small businesses that have a small or medium sized office use SOHO. Basically it includes less than 10 PCs and may not include servers at all. Network resources such as DNS server resolution and e-mail servers are generally located offsite, either hosted by an ISP or at a corporate office. Cable, DSL, or perhaps ISDN are used to provide internet access for the SOHO network. An inexpensive router is used for the boundary between the LAN and the WAN connection s. This router may also serve double duty as a firewall to harbour the SOHO network from malicious activity. To provide interconnections between client PCs and the router, and many routers include an integral hub or switch.It has comfort that is why Ethernet is generally the LAN standard used to wire the SOHO network. Wireless standards such as 802.11b are starting to appear for a vital use in the SOHO market. It eliminates the need for adding LAN wiring in the home. When a small office needs to connect to a corporate environment with security twisty then some sort of VPN device is either built into the router itself or on the LAN.We must ensure security for SOHO networks. As there is increase in number of employees so are their sophisticated computer networks in their homes. It comprisea mix of personal and company equipment. Many enterprises believe that practice of conducting work at home on employee-purchased PCs or networking equipment will save them money. However, we are b ound to face security problems when users link personal systems to the corporate network. This is most in the cases when enterprises fall prey to false assumptions about the associated risks. sequence working from home on network-connected personal systems, enterprise data move be dangerously uncovered by employees. For security before turned in for service, users must be warned about the characterisation risks of go away personal and business data on personal systems. PCs with preloaded safeguards such as disc encryption can be a solution too. At least, encouragement should be there for employees to use system passwords and disk encryption.A combination of policy control, configuration lockdown, personal firewall, and central firewall filters to block installation of the better-known file-sharing and remote-control programs can be used. Similarly protection methodology can be used for personal systems.Enterprises shouldnt rely on employees personal equipment and networks conf orm to enterprise security and privacy standards. They should follow best practices to ensure security. Training and sentiency programs will help remind users of the risks of data exposure and the potential damage such exposure can cause to themselves and the enterprise. They can implement thin client computing solutions, which minimize the risk of data exposure on non enterprise-owned systems.

Competitive Advantage In The Banking Industry

Competitive Advantage In The Banking IndustryOnline banking is a self dish engine room that is used by customers of the bank to carry away in real meter activities such as, hire of bills, check account balance and transfer funds. It is worthwhile to none that online banking can be used to swerve cost for banking institution. For instance Hernandez-Murillo et al (2010) tout ensembleude that the cost of a customer doing online banking accomplishment, in a brick and mortar bank in the United State is about one percent of the cost of the customer utilize the traditional banking method.Esser (1999) reported some of the advantages of online banking to the customers. The findings wereCustomers can easily manage their accounts as they can admission their accounts each time of the day. The customers do non also need to visit the bank premise to request for go such checking loan rates, view their transaction history etc.Customers can set up a standing order to pay bills and can also schedule new bills or stop hire of bills, when the need arise but this is subject to availability of the meshing.Specialised serve wells such as ordination for checks, changing user profile or address can all be done finished the online banking.Messages are sent to customers via encrypted email.It should however be subscriber lined that the use of net profit by bank is not seen just as an innovation and a convenient way for customers to use banking services, but also as a way to make more profit and to reduce operating cost for the bank (Arnaboldi and Claeys, n.d.). meshwork banking services are expanding rapidly in the developed countries mainly due to the availability of computers and easy of access to the internet. Its word sense is developing countries was at a slower pace, until recently when banks in developing countries are pass internet banking against the limitation they face (Jenkins, 2007).Another noteworthy point is that online banking can also act as a disa dvantage to banks, for instance a troubled bank that has low deposits and could not for borrow from the interbank, when the discussion of the banks distress leaked out, most the customers withdrew their deposits through the internet without facing the issue of queuing in the banking hall and opening time (Janson, 2009). This could not have been possible without the online banking facility.Customer felicity is affect by several factors that can hinder or improve the adoption of online banking by the customer. One of these important factors is personalisation, which demands politeness, courtesy, and friendliness from the employees of the bank toward the customer (Simmers et al, 2008). However, the self-service technology has made a remarkable change in the way the bank interacts with its customer (Simmers et al, 2008). about of the explorees on online banking explore the factors affecting the adoption by banks. The focus of their inquiryes were on the physical exertion of online banking by banks as a reaction to the adoption decisions of the industrys competitors (Hernandez-Murillo et al 2010).Hernandez-Murillo et al (2010) study the factors that determine the adoption of online banking by banks in United States during the period 2003-2006. The Multimarket Contact index was used by these researchers as a substitute of the strategic force required by banks to adopt online operations as a rivalrous reaction to the rivals actions. The authors results suggest that strategic consideration plays an important role in the adoption of online banking by geographically localised market. tan and Teo (2000) base their study on studying the factors namely, attitudinal, social and demeanour control, that affect customersthe adoption of online banking in Singapore. The theories of think behaviour and diffusion of innovations were used by the authors to evaluate their hypothesis. The authors argue that the consumers attitude, his subjective norms and his perceive behav ioural control, all contributes towards his adoption of online banking.Amin (2009) examines the factors affecting the acceptance of online banking by people in Malaysia through the use of a technologically accepted sticker called a linear regression. He propose through the study that the qualities, perceived tranquillity of use, perceived public utility, perceived credibility and social norm were statistically important while perceived sport was not important.Another factor affecting the adoption of online banking by customers is security of the account accessed through the internet. For customers to regain secure and make use of online banking, the bank must offer online security systems that protect customers assets and information (Smith, 2006).The research to examine the intensity of the impact of online banking on the financial performance of community banks carried out by Acharya et al (2008), both sampling and statistical procedures were used to build a broad online bank ing index. The basis of their study was on analytical frameworks which used both the structural equation modeling ( turn-order factor epitome) and multiple regression analysis. profits banking seems to represent a possible means of allowing new entrants into the banking industry (Arnaboldi and Claeys, n.d.). Smith (2008) uses Porters five force model to analyse the competition within retail banking in an increasingly financially troubled surround. In his analysis where used data from 22 banks, Smith suggests that the barriers to entry identified may not prevent right smart number of entrants into the banking industry. He also observed that the true competition amongst banks may be found in the differentiation of their internet banking products.The paper is based on an exploratory research for a sample of night club banks from each country, a web survey is conducted to collect data for each internet bank apply an analytical framework based on a three dimensional model.Both the ad vancement in technology and change in social trends, such as the increase in customers preference to perceived convenience, have caused a high reorganisation of the financial institution. Banks have to re-examine their marketing strategies and also speedy growth in the adoption of self-service technologies (SSTs) (Loonam and OLoughlin, 2008).Very little research has explored the role of SST in a high involvement service such as that of financial investments.Customer satisfaction with banking services was researched with reckon to their interaction with tender and technology. It was discovered through the use of multiple regression that consumers overall satisfaction is predicted to be influenced more by human race rather than technological encounter (Haytko and Simmers, 2009). While consumers show they are displeased with failure in transaction that involve a bank employee, they tend to accept responsibility for any kind of failure they come across during or after the use of o nline banking and may continue its usage (Haytko and Simmers, 2009). It should however be note that the focus group used in the research by Haytko and Simmers were students who already has high affinity for the internet. Liao and Cheung (2008) employ the use of service quality (SERVQUAL), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and transaction cost analysis to measure customer behaviour to the use of online banking. In their empirical studies, six elements of SERVQUAL namely, usefulness (USE), ease of use (EOU), reliability (REL), security (SEC), responsiveness (RES) and continuous improvement (IMP) , were used to relate to consumer satisfaction in internet banking services (CSIBS). The study wasLaukkanen et al (2008) provides more insight to barriers erected by bank customers to the adoption of online banking. The researchers split the non-adopters of online banking into three groups namely the postponers, opponents and rejectors. They suggest, through survey papers submitted by some cus tomers of banks in Finland, that mental barriers are higher determinant of resistance to adoption than ease of use and its value.Bauer and Hein (2006) carried out another research to gain more knowledge about the consumers point of view in the adoption of online banking. They use micro-economics possible action of consumer utility maximisation to model how consumers make decisions on adopting online banking.Simmers et al (2008) relatively examine how the impact of the human services and those provided by technology affect the consumers satisfaction. The authors through two studies both use the six-item and five-point Likert scales conclude that human encounter was initially more important than technology encounter until the convenience of banking online prevailed. The first study was carried out through the survey of some undergraduate students, with most of those that responded mingled with age 19 and 21 eld. The second study was carried out with as survey of 153 bank custome rs at the university, with most less the 24 years of age.It could be seen from these studies that students who have higher affinity to the internet are used for the two studies. It should also be noted that the research is carried out in US, but will most bank customers in UK mug convenience higher than online banking security?Joseph and Stone (2003) investigated the customer perception of the impact of technology onservice delivery in the banking sector. According to the findings of this research . . .high scores on the ability to deliver service via technology appears to be correlatedwith high satisfaction with services deemed most important to customersHence, availability of internet banking services appears to be veryimportant for banks for customer satisfaction and retention. However, availability ofinternet banking services itself is not a sufficient factor to increase customersatisfaction. User friendliness of the internet banking services appears to be animportant factor fo r customers to use these servicesResearch has been carried out on performance of the internet as an alternative or complementary channel used in delivering some bank services, like ongoing accounts. For instance Gondat-Larralde and Nier (2004, cited by Arnaboldi and Claeys, 2008) carry out a research on the competitive process in the UK market for personal current accounts between 1996 and 2001. The rate at which the market shares changed with respect to price differentials between the brick and mortar banks and the direct banks that use the internet and telephone to operate. The results of the research point to the significance of customer electric switch cost as a key determinant of the competitive process in banking industry.Mukherjee and Nath (2003) suggest note that the physical separation between the bank operation internet service and the customer introduce an environment of insecurity. The authors develop a structural equation model, called Lisrel, and through empirical te st carried out on 510 internet users in India.Nearly all research work refer to the US banking system and research attempts on the performance of online banking are few (Arnaboldi and Claeys, n.d.).IBM (2005) identify three shortfalls of customer satisfaction researches, the first one is that plenteous attention is not paid to the different behavioural segment customers belong, the research usually take a general view of the customer base. The next one is that most of the researches are not analytical as they fail to show the impact the different elements of the customers experience might have on the brand certify and emotional link. Lastly how customer satisfaction is measured is a poor forecaster of to future behaviour of customers.This research differ from other studies in that it will be carried on banks in UK and as thither are little research done on the use of online banking as a tool competitive advantage in the banking industry. The author will survey focus groups made up of bank customers in UK will be use to analyse the reason for adoption of online banking and finally the evaluation of satisfaction come by the bank customers. Qualitative data analysis research will be

Stages of Building Construction

Stages of Building ConstructionBuilding a labor movement involves various stages including initial preparation of the clients brief, scheduling and research, specifications and construction development. Plans, constructs and mixtures occur throughout a count on, inevitably, therefore there mustiness(prenominal) be a unified desire for communication, understanding and agreement.Design/ preparationIn order for a endure to develop into an eventual(prenominal) success communication, understanding and agreement atomic number 18 essential. Comprehensive consultations concerning desires in name of design, constructability and practicality be imperative. An insight into the clients personal requirements and expectations give also prove fundamental to sustain achievement. However clients are not always exact to the exaltedest degree all the characteristics of their requirements professional teams therefore act as advisors. As opinions change plans leave alone bugger off to be a ltered consequently to accommodate the new indigences (Ashworth 2005).Sufficient supply and designing must be under taken before all sort of construction commences on any development. Planning bes of the early congregation of information and ideas before a detailed design and construction process is exemplified. During this outcome parties involved in the development should identify any particular requirements, discuss important issues, resolve any disparities if any and assign tasks amongst other requests. Before advanced designing and development flowerpot begin, planning administration must consent to the proposed project after comprehensive assessment. In some cases warrants must be given for shiting work to begin on a state of affairs, most contractors require this to demolish or build on a site (Civitelo 2007).As the size and/or scale of a project increases cost leave behind ultimately also go up (Ashworth 2005), therefore the planning team allow for have to combine the design of the project with cost saving solutions. This may mean making sacrifices in terms of some materials used in the project this go out for example reduce costs and allow the capital to be transferred to building a project of wide-rangingr magnitude as costs rise. For this designer the planning stage is extremely important as conclusions will have to be drawn as to how practically space is actually required for the development, too little and the project could be considered a disaster, too a good deal and it could prove wasteful.There are many standards and regulation in the construction industry these are come down up for the benefit of the client making use of the development. Other code on the other go past is packed at protecting the environment and wildlife. The purpose of legislation is to provide a regulatory body to take care the efficient build of safe places for work and discussion. A forthright view held by many is that legislation and standards add to costs and are not munch benefit at all yet these claims take aim to be carefully dissected. Legislative requirements are aimed at increasing safety and are approved by a professional body having conducted tests and analysis.Projects, however small, are affected by an immense set legislation primarily because efficient development is profoundly reliant on safe places of work and the safe travel byling of construction material and localises. As a result of this projects will always consist of a large team including clients, engineers, architects, contractors, government and regulating bodies and labourers (Ashworth 2005). An addition to this team is lawyers. When plans are drawn up for a project the parties involved must agree to contracts containing clauses with regards the development in question. Content of the contract may include articles with contemplation to budget, time and materials amongst other clauses. These wish to be carefully examined as they tolerate prove to become the reason for the downfall of a failed project.During the design process planners and designers must outline the function and suitability of materials whilst taking into context economic and ecological consequences (Hinze 2010). Architects for example would be most involved in the design considerations of a project, however as some parts of a plan cannot be considered without first finding out about planning consent, because of this a reasonable amount of significant decisions cannot be considered.When designing a project plans submitted must take into account expenses as prices are relentlessly rising. Today, most projects involve an organization which is able to economically forecast costs of not only principal costs but also costs of experience function. The establishment also find the most economical ways of ensuring that a development does not exploit over budget. Before plans are put forward a review must be taken on designs to assure that the ideas can be implem ented in terms of both construction techniques and materials. The aim of these reviews called Constructability Reviews is to minimize the number of changes at a later stage, reduce delays and rising costs (Palmer 2002).Constructionin one case construction is ready to begin, preliminary work needs to commence to allow initial works to be carried out, these include the clearing of the work site, a ground survey to asses the ground conditions, setting up of well facilities, water/power supplies and offices and storage areas. Sufficient welfare amenities will need to be conventional on a construction site for use by workers throughout a development, this will need to be arranged by the project manager in advance.Provisions will include abide rooms, toilets, storage rooms, changing rooms and washrooms as well. (Hinze 2010) These facilities will be essential for the length of a project to evade disturbance to a project. In some circumstances however, the project manager may not require some facilities and will instead be able to make use of permanent services available on site. For example, the client may allow the construction team to use toilets already installed on site. This will therefore reduce costs which may have been incurred if the welfare facilities were required. When welfare amenities are required the project manager should aim to locate these in various locations and not a bingle area, this reason for this is that having them in one area may prove to be an inconvenience. For example if the site is rattling large, then the project manager may find that time is wasted going to and from the welfare facilities instead than using the time constructively.When the preliminary works have been completed demolition on the site can begin, since the site is located on a 10 ha site of old forest 5 miles out of the town centre suitable access and transportation will need to be arranged for plant/machinery. The demolition stage will result in the recycling of m aterials, the forest trees for example can be recycled for timber use during the construction process this increases the developments sustainable considerations.After the site has been fully cleared, minelaying will be completed to create the required ground conditions, be it flat or, according to the design specifications. In many cases the land in which a project is developed can provide difficulties in terms of workability. Loose soil, often at a shallow depth, is an inevitable problem that can be solved using deep foundations in this case however, shallow foundations will be used as outlined in the brief (Palmer 2002). The excavation stage will also prepare the site for eventual service installation and the construction of the substructure. Excavation will be carried out using various machines, plant is required during the construction process in order to increase production, minimize labour requirements, conduct high standards of constructions and also possibly reduce overall costs (Cooke 1997). During the planning process decisions must be make with regards the availability and use of plants.The substructure will consist of reinforced concrete foundations to allow sufficient documentation of the buildings by transporting the load to the ground, this will be especially vital for the companionship hall which will consist of a firebrand frame and metal cladding roof. Service works will also need to be carried out during the substructure stage to allow for pipes/cable routes to be considered also, drainage and refuse systems will need to be allowed to pass through and leave the various sites, be it below ground or through walls. Services however must not pass below foundations (Hinze 2010).The superstructure on the other hand will require lengthy work, relating to the floors, walls and roofs these will all be subject to the design specifications. Scaffolding will be required when working on raised platforms i.e. first floor levels, roofs etc, these will consist of steel or aluminium alloy tubes. As the development will consist of a 200 office housing estate, the homes will be of identical layout and size, for this reason pre-fabricated timber roof trusses will be delivered and hoisted into stance before being placed on the supporting walls. The floors and ceilings in the homes will be timber constructed where as the community centre will consist of a concrete floor and metal cladding roof. The walls in the homes will be brick and block masonry fully insulated cavity walls, these will be plastered inside.Completion of the substructures and superstructures will then allow the services to be introduced to the buildings these include drainage, pluming, gas and sanitary works. Some services will require installation below ground, specifically in trenches. Service works generally cause general disruption to the public, especially to traffic through road works there should be a importantly lower impact however, since the housing projec t is being developed on an old forest site. local anaesthetic authority permission must be granted before work commences, this will involve in the inspection of works carried out already and final tests being conducted. The plumbing works, which are installed above ground, will benefit from construction after the basic structural works have been completed.The finishes relating to the build require extensive organisation to ensure that they are completed accordingly as certain processes cannot begin until others have been completed. For this reason, a larger number of workers should be employed to carry out the finishing works simultaneously when possible, to ensure timely completion. The landscaping with regards this project should not be very costly as the location elect for the project is an old forest, in comparison to some builds which are built in an area which requires more(prenominal) greenery and trees to be planted. Methods of circulation and travel will need to be establ ished however including roads and footpaths. With regards the community centre security will need to be addressed as a priority as it will be serving the local community, including children for example.The project will not be completed until the site has been fully cleared and inspected. All surplus material and debris will not to be transported and given up of accordingly or recycled if possible. Plants, offices and huts will need to be dismantled and cleared as well. The site must be left in a very good condition to allow inspection by various teams and bodies to ensure the development is both up to standard, matches the design specification and is also safe for blood line (Cooke 1997).