The Causal Relationship Between Government Revenue and Spending free essay sample

Given their fiscal circumstances, our investigation should help determine proper reforms for these countries to cope more effectively with their current economic challenges. A crucial challenge facing Egypt is unemployment. According to current official estimates, unemployment of about 8 percent is accompanied with an annual growth rate of 3 percent in labor force. To reduce unemployment to more manageable levels, it is estimated that Egypt needs to achieve a healthy and sustainable annual growth rate of at least 6 percent in real GDP. In an attempt to reach this goal, Egypt has utilized a private-sector-led growth policy. Privatization and transition to a market economy are intended to improve productivity, efficiency, and competition in the domestic economy. However, the low levels of domestic saving and investment create an impediment for economic growth in Egypt. Improvements in the domestic saving rate stem from improving productivity, which, in turn, makes privatization an impo rtant factor in reducing unemployment and poverty. Promoting a more efficient pension system, restructuring the inancial system, and further developing capital markets have provided additional ways to increase the domestic saving rate. Eliminating the budget deficit is a further step to ensure the availability of domestic saving for private investment. To this end, it is essential for the government to implement policies that reduce and eventually eliminate the budget deficit. It is therefore the aim of this paper to offer such policy actions, using the evidence on the causal relation between government revenue and spending in Egypt. Unemployment is also a crucial challenge facing Jordan. According to current official estimates, unemployment of about 15 percent is accompanied with an annual growth rate of 4-5 percent in the labor force. It is estimated that Jordan also needs a healthy and sustainable annual growth rate of at * Bassam AbuAI-Foul,Departmentof Economics and Public Administration,American Universityof Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, [emailprotected] ac. ae;Hamid Baghesteni, Department of Economics and Public Adminislration,American Universityof Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, [emailprotected] ac. ae. The authors gratefullyacknowledgethe commentsof an anonymousrefereeon an earlierdraftof this paper. See the WorldBankGroup(2001). ume 28 * Number 2 * Summer 2004 261 least 6 percent in real GDP to stabilize unemployment. 2 To encourage economic progress, Jordan has focused on a private-sector export-oriented growth strategy. The government has aggressively pursued privatization of most public enterprises in transportation, electricity, water, and telecommunications. In addition to increasing efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness of privatized companies, the aim has been to encourage domestic saving and stimulate private investment. In terms of exportoriented growth, Jordan has established several free zones, including the Aqaba port along the Red Sea, Zarqa, the Sahab industrial estate, and lrbid. Private sector participation is encouraged through investment tax incentives. Licenses to operate within a free zone area are given to private companies if they have the potential of bringing new industries and technology to the country, utilizing local raw materials and components in the process of production, improving the Jordanian labor skills, and lowering the countrys imports. Despite these structural reforms, a healthy and sustainable growth in real GDP has not yet been realized. In addition to the lack of concrete export competitiveness, barriers to faster growth include the low levels of domestic saving and slow response of private investment. 4 Besides privatization, other efforts to increase the saving rate include further development of the pension system, the financial system, and the capital markets. As in the case of Egypt, eliminating the budget deficit in Jordan is essential to ensure the availability of domestic saving for private investment. Providing evidence of the causal relation between government revenue and spending should thus help determine ways to reduce and eventually eliminate the budget deficit in Jordan. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. The next section theoretically discusses four hypotheses of government finance: (i) the tax-and-spend hypothesis, (ii) the spend-and-tax hypothesis, (iii) the hypothesis of causally independent tax and spending decisions, and (iv) the fiscal synchronization hypothesis. Citing some empirical evidence, mostly on developing countries, augments this theoretical discussion. The third section describes the data and the econometric methodology. Such tests as a unit root and cointegration are necessary to identify the appropriate bivarlate model for investigating the directions of causation between revenue and spending. However, our sample periods are not sufficiently long to get any power for these tests. To overcome this problem, the causality tests are performed using three bivariate models. These are (i) the vector autoregressive model in levels, (ii) the vector autoregressive model in first differences, and (iii) the error-correction model. The causality test results for Egypt and Jordan, presented in the fourth section, are not sensitive to the choice of the model. Accordingly, in the fifth section, we rely on these test results to discuss the policy implications and conclude the paper. Theoretical and Empirical Background Several alternative hypotheses of government finance characterize the causal relation between spending and revenue. The tax-and-spend hypothesis, championed by Friedman (1978), theorizes a causal relation running from revenue to spending. It views spending as adjusting, up or down, to whatever level can be supported by revenue. Control of taxation, according to Friedman (1978), is essential to limiting growth in government. In reducing the budget deficit, for instance, one should not rely on raising taxes, since higher revenue invites higher spending. Like Friedman, Buchanan and Wagner (1977, 1978) advocate the tax-and-spend hypothesis. But they warn that the tax-and-spend prediction may be distorted due to the fact that tax rate changes are accompanied by intense political debate and controversy over economic impact and income distributional issues. Deficit financing 2Seethe WorldBankGroup(2003). J See JordanlnvesanentBeard(2000). One should,of course, be mindfulof the fact that the political instabilityof the region is another impedimentto fitstereconomic8rowth,moreso in filecaseof Jordan than Egypt. 262 JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE 9 Volume 28 9 Number 2 9 Summer 2004 ather than tax financing by politicians may then become the source of growth in spending. Empirical evidence in support of the tax-and-spend view is presented by Baffes and Shah (1994) for Brazil, by Danat (1998) for Turkey, by Darrat (2002) for Lebanon and Tunisia, by Cheng (1999) for Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Paraguay, and by Ewing and Payne (1998) for Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala. The spend-and-tax hypothesis relies on the reverse relation, with revenue responding to prior spending changes. In line with the Ricardian equivalence theorem, Barro (1974) maintains that the public fully anticipates and capitalizes the future tax liability implied by present government borrowing. Thus, in the absence of fiscal illusion, increases in government spending lead to increases in taxes. Peacock and Wiseman (1979) see natural, economic, or political crises as justifications for spending hikes that are subsequently approved by tax increases. According to this hypothesis, spending cuts are the desired solution to reducing the budget deficit, especially in the absence of crises. Empirical evidence by Mithani and Khoon (1999) and Ram (1988) supports the spend-and-tax hypothesis, respectively, for Malaysia and Honduras. The third hypothesis emphasizes the institutional separation of allocation and taxation functions of government and the independent determination of revenue and spending. With respect to the U. S. , this hypothesis emphasizes the absence of coordination between spending and revenue decisions due to the lack of agreement between the executive and legislative branches of government participating in the budgetary process. [See Wildavsky (1988) and Hoover a~d Sheffrin (1992). Consistent with this view, Baghestani and McNown (1994) conclude that neither the tax-and-spend nor the spend-and-tax hypothesis accounts for post-World War II budgetary expansion in the U. S. Instead, they show that both the expansion in revenue and spending is determined by iong-rnn economic growth. With respect to developing countries, Ram (1988) provides empirical evidence in support of the institutional separation hypothesis for India, Panama, Paraguay, and Sri Lanka. The fourth hypothesis indicates bidirectional causation between revenue and spending. [See Musgrave (1966) and Meitzer and Richard (1981). This f ~ t l synchronization hypothesis postulates that the revenue and spending decisions are made simultaneously, by analyzing costs and benefits of alternative government programs. Therefore, this view precludes unidirectional causation from revenue to spending or from spending to revenue. Empirical evidence in support of the fiscal synchronization hypothesis is presented by Baffes and Shah (1994) for Argentina and Mexico, by Cheng (1999) for Chile, Panama, Brazil, and Peru, by Ewing and Payne (1998) for Chile and Paraguay, by Kimenyi (1990) for Kenya, and by Li (2001) for China. For a comprehensive survey of the empirical evidence on the tax-spend debate for both developed and developing countries, see Payne (2003). Data and Methodology This study utilizes the annual data on government spending, government revenue, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These data for Egypt (1977-1998) and Jordan (1975-2001) are obtained from the International Financial Statistics tapes. Following Bohn (1991), among others, government revenue and spending are expressed as a ratio of GDP. While controlling for GDP, this treaunent alleviates the question of whether the revenue and spending variables should be in nominal or real terms. The difference between the VAR-D in (2) and the ECM in (3) is the inclusion ofR,. I andX,. l. These series, of course, are from the long-run equilibrium relation in the ECM. The VAR-L in (1), as noted by Baghestani and McNown (1992, p. 130), is not inconsistent with the long-run equilibrium relation but requires restrictions across the two equations. 5 In order to determine the appropriate model, it is necessary to conduct unit root and cointegration tests. However, as also indicated by Hakkio and Rush (1991), a very long sample is required to get any power for such tests. The lack of a long sample for Egypt and Jordan, therefore, prevents us from conducting the tests of a unit root and cointegration. To overcome this problem, all three bivariate models in (1)-(3) are employed in this study to investigate the causal relation between Rt and X,. A common practice in causality testing is to specify a common lag length on RI and X, in the VARs and ECM. Lee (1997) warns against this practice due to inherent misspecifications. Therefore, in line with Cheng (1999), among others, we utilize Hsiaos (1981) version of the Granger causality test. http://www.cbj.gov.jo/ https://jic.gov.jo/portal http://www.worldbank.org/

Queensland Health Implementation Project †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Queensland Health Implementation Project. Answer: Introduction The Accounting Information System is described as a computer based system which helps to collect, evaluate, store and process the organizations accounting and financial information (Islam et al. 2017). The Queensland Health Department is the chosen company which is being review in this report. The purpose of this report is to analyse the information given in the Queensland Health study and Payroll System implementation failure. The report focuses on COBIT and COSO frameworks to analyse its implementation in Payroll System project in Queensland Health study. The first two phases, planning and systems analysis, of system development life cycle are discussed in this report with reference to the Queensland Health study. The outline of the report is literature review of COBIT and COSO frameworks, their application towards the case study and analysis of situation using SDLC. The report at the end includes summary of finding and recommendations. Literature Review: COBIT Framework According to Mangalaraj, Singh and Taneja 2014, COBIT framework is a comprehensive framework for Information Technology governance. The COBIT framework assists enterprises to achieve their goals and objectives for the governance and management of IT enterprise. This framework helps enterprise to create optimal values from Information Technology enterprise. The optimal values achieved through maintaining a balance between resource use and, realized benefits and optimized risk levels. The COBIT 5 framework provides five category procedures in two different domains, management and control, for achieving successful business process (Mutiara, Prasetyo and Widya 2017). The frameworks has also been selected in finance and banking sectors. This can be illustrated through a case study on COBIT 5 framework use in banking and insurance sector. The case study results show significant differences of adoption of COBIT frameworks in banks and finances (Vugec, Spremi? and Bach 2017). The maturity le vels of COBIT and business opportunities were increased in the selected banks and finances. Hence, the COBIT 5 framework should be implemented for the successful running of the Queensland Health Payroll system. The COBIT 5 framework provides end-to-end business approach of the Information Technology enterprise governance. COSO Framework According to Alavi 2017, the failures of big companies were due to the formation of COSO in 1985. The COSO was then revamped to provide final outcome that includes risk assessment, controlling environment and activities information, and monitoring and communication. The COSO framework benefits the organizations internal control framework where they get better understanding of direct, reciprocal and indirect associations. This association is among the information and communications dimensions (accuracy, openness and feedback flow) (Rae, Sands and Subramaniam 2017). The COSO framework works effectively if a company has effective communication environment. However, there are criticism related to COSO that it is too much focused on financial report of an organization. The COSO framework is maintained in a feasible level of safety and security (Magruder 2015). This is because of realization that all the COSO components cannot be satisfactorily implemented at any framework level as expecte d by the organization. Hence, COSO framework 2013 should be implemented in the Queensland Health payroll system. This version of framework helps to identify the gaps present in the organizations program. Frameworks Implementation in the Queensland Health Project The development of the Shared Services Initiative (SSI) by Queensland Government has been found that it was earlier developed to LATTICE by informing the Queensland Health department. However, the LATTICE system was considered to be unsupported. Hence, Queensland Health initiated the Shared Services Initiative in order to minimize the risks associate to the unsupported system (Bartens et al. 2015). Therefore, in the mean time, IBM and CorPpTech revamped and restored their prior systems with SAP finance, HR and the WorkBrain solutions. Thus, the WorkBrain system was inclined to procedure the transport and timesheets to the organizations SAP system. The notification was sent the department that the standardization of the project, Finance and Payroll System was made necessary for all the departments of the Government (Huygh et al. 2018). This resulted in the formation of a special unit of Government named CorpTech to manage all the implementation of Finance and Payroll system project. C onsequently the payroll and finance systems project implementation in Queensland Health included three necessary key groups of stakeholders (Cohen, Krishnamoorthy and Wright 2017). This stakeholders team include staff members, IBM and CorpTech. The staff members are the necessary stakeholders which are responsible for the internal control of the department. The IBM stakeholders are considered as the primary consultant of the Queensland Health implementation project (Boyle et al. 2015). However, IBM was not responsible for the implementation of Queensland Health project in the remaining Queensland Health departments because of financial planning. CorpTech stakeholder was responsible for organizing or running the roles and responsibilities of IBM working. The CorpTech was responsible for managing the overall project of Queensland Health including IBMs working process also. Therefore, from above it can be said that the Queensland Health was responsible for the implementation of the frameworks, and managing and control within the Payroll project of Queensland Health (Larson and Herz 2017). Their responsibility also includes training to the existing staff and defining business requirements. The responsibility of CorpTech was to examine the full implementation of the project in all the Queensland Health Government departments including management of IBMs work. The IBMs responsibility was to handle the incorporation of the implementation of the project including analysis of SAP finance and HR, and WorkBrain solutions. Analysis: System Development Life Cycle The system development life cycle is referred to a six step procedure which involves planning phase, analysis phase, design phase, examining phase, organizing phase and maintenance phase (Khan, Parveen and Sadiq 2014). These six phases are the major components to create a software system, hardware system or a combination of software and hardware system. The below discussions only focuses on the first two phases of the system development life cycle and they are Planning phase, and System analysis and requirement phase. These two stages have been evaluated to examine the Queensland Health implementation project of Finance and Payroll Systems. Planning Stage The planning phase of system development life cycle is evaluated in this section with reference to Queensland Health project failure of Payroll system. The project failure was calculated as 300% over the budget limit and it was delayed by 18 months that means it was behind the defined schedule (Valacich, George and Hoffer 2014). It has also been found that the workers including staff, nurses and doctor were incorrectly paid or not paid. The projects total cost was $ 1.25 billion AUD which includes cost of implementing, managing, maintain and stabilizing of Queensland Health system project (Mustaquim and Nystrm 2015). The multiple reasons for the Payroll system failure included strikes in industries, health minister resignation and loss of existing member due to new employees. The Queensland also incorporated the enquiry form in Australian Government to know the exact reasons for the disastrous failure of the project. The Queensland Health also arranged an enquiry for the security of future projects in the Information Technology field (Fang et al. 2015). The enquiry resulted in the issues that were the reason of the failure of Queensland Health project. The issues were related to Governance and project management. System Analysis and Requirement Stage The system analysis is the second phase in System Development Life Cycle which is evaluated in this section with reference to Queensland Health implementation project failure. The Queensland Government is composed of three types of firms. They are Government departments and agencies, general statutory body and Government owned corporations (Wasson 2015). The Queensland Health provides services in healthcare regarding medical, dental and services to old-age people across Queensland. Queensland Health provides facilities and service to about 40,000 people and has 85,000 staff (Bano and Zowghi 2015). The large number of employees and their vast skill sets resulted in the occurring of complexities in the payment process to the employees. The current structure of payroll system shows that the organization needs to follow about 24,000 calculation combinations related to payroll system (Bano and Zowghi 2015). The payment to the staff of Queensland Health was done through unequal payroll sys tem implementation named LATTICE and ESP engine. These systems worked efficiently for six years. However to accommodate additional structures such as incentives and award, the payroll system needed some modifications. The LATTICE system in 2005 became unsupported and hence there was requirement to replace the system with new payroll system in Queensland Health department (Modi, Singh and Chauhan 2017). The payroll system project was implemented through Queensland Health staff, IBM and CorpTech. The project failure was the reason due to inefficiency of these three stakeholders management. Summary of Findings The summaries of findings for Queensland Health implementation Payroll system failure are given below in the following paragraph. The main reason of the failure of Queensland Health implementation project was due to the unsupported LATTICE system used for paying the employees of Queensland Health. The IBM and CorpTech were the stakeholders however they were not effective to provide benefit to the implementation of the new payroll system. This was the major blow to the Queensland Health which contributed to the failure of the new payroll system. The COBIT 5 and COSO 2013 frameworks are the major frameworks to analyse and manage risk controls for the implementation of the new payroll system. This is explained in the prior section. They should be implemented in the Queensland Health for effective evaluation of the new payroll system. The further investigation of the project failure through analyzing two phases, Planning and System analysis, of System Development Life Cycle are done. The investigation through these two stages shows that there were gaps in the implementation of the new payroll system. The gaps were related to the Queensland Health internal and external operations. Their inappropriate systems and inefficient contribution from the stakeholders contributed to the payroll system failure. Therefore, for future projects they should opt for COBIT and COSO frameworks to establish a more functioned and improved implementation of project. Recommendations The above discussions shows that there are some gaps which needs to be filled for the effective implementation of the project, payroll system, in Queensland Health department. The recommendations for the Queensland Health department are given below in the following points. Analysis of the project requirements- The projects should be analyzed before working upon it and the requirements should be planned and gathered. These will help to avoid any future complications. Time consideration- Time is an important factor which is needed for the correct and accurate implementation of any project. Queensland Health department should focus on time management for future researches. Experienced In-charge for the project- Queensland Health should appoint experienced and skilled In-charge for the whole process of implementation of a project. This is because the In-charge will be solely responsible for the project complexities. There will be no need to administer individual people or group for the process of project implementation in future. Choosing the right stakeholder/partner- Queensland Health should choose correct stakeholders for the implementation process of the project because they are the primary stakeholders who will be responsible for giving support. They should be chosen wisely and with proper research. Sharing of good and bad new- Queensland Health should share good and bad news with the people related to the project implementation to avoid any confusions and complications. Conclusion Therefore, the above discussions conclude that to implement a new project or any type of project within Queensland, they require accurate frameworks, and maintenance and controls. There is a need of this accuracy to implement the project accurately and these are the major factors for Queensland Health to take into account. The frameworks and controls should be implemented to overcome the complexities of the implementation process within the Government department such as Queensland Health. This is necessary to avoid any conflict and any type of confusion. The discussions show that improper and inappropriate implementation of the project resulted in incorrect payment of staff. These should be avoided at highest priority because staffs are the most important asset of Queensland Health department. Therefore, for future researches, Queensland Health needs to take the discussed points into account for any future complications. References Alavi, H., 2017. Risk Management Techniques and their Application to Documentary Discrepancy in Letter of Credit Transaction.European Journal of Economic Studies, (6), pp.4-17. Bano, M. and Zowghi, D., 2015. A systematic review on the relationship between user involvement and system success.Information and Software Technology,58, pp.148-169. Bartens, Y., De Haes, S., Lamoen, Y., Schulte, F. and Voss, S., 2015, January. On the way to a minimum baseline in IT governance: using expert views for selective implementation of COBIT 5. InSystem Sciences (HICSS), 2015 48th Hawaii International Conference on(pp. 4554-4563). IEEE. Boyle, J.F., Gramling, A.A., Hermanson, D.R. and Hermanson, H.M., 2015. Audit committee material weaknesses in smaller reporting companies: still struggling.Journal of Forensic Investigative Accounting,7(1), pp.110-121. Cohen, J., Krishnamoorthy, G. and Wright, A., 2017. Enterprise risk management and the financial reporting process: The experiences of audit committee members, CFOs, and external auditors.Contemporary Accounting Research,34(2), pp.1178-1209. Fang, L.L., Valverde-Prez, B., Damgaard, A., Plsz, B.G. and Rygaard, M., 2015. Life Cycle Assessment as Decision Support Tool for Development of a Ressource Recovery Technology. In9th IWA Symposium on Systems Analysis and Integrated Assessment (Watermatex 2015). Huygh, T., De Haes, S., Joshi, A. and Van Grembergen, W., 2018. Answering Key Global IT Management Concerns Through IT Governance and Management Processes: A COBIT 5 View. Islam, K., CH, A.R., Bilal, A.R. and Ilyas, M.U.H.A.M.M.A.D., 2017. Accounting Information Systems: Traditions and Future Directions (By Using AIS in Traditional Organizations).The Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce,22(2), pp.1-13. Khan, M.A., Parveen, A. and Sadiq, M., 2014, February. A method for the selection of software development life cycle models using analytic hierarchy process. InIssues and Challenges in Intelligent Computing Techniques (ICICT), 2014 International Conference on(pp. 534-540). IEEE. Larson, R.K. and Herz, P.J., 2017. Research in Accounting Regulation. Magruder, J.S., Lewis, S.X., Burks, E.J. and Smolinski, C., 2015. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)-Who Is Running Organizations?.Journal of Accounting and Finance,15(1), p.55. Mangalaraj, G., Singh, A. and Taneja, A., 2014. IT governance frameworks and COBIT-a literature review. Modi, H.S., Singh, N.K. and Chauhan, H.P., 2017. Comprehensive Analysis of Software Development Life Cycle Models. Mustaquim, M.M. and Nystrm, T., 2015, June. A system development life cycle for persuasive design for sustainability. InInternational Conference on Persuasive Technology(pp. 217-228). Springer, Cham. Mutiara, A.B., Prasetyo, E. and Widya, C., 2017. Analyzing COBIT 5 IT Audit Framework Implementation using AHP Methodology.JOIV: International Journal on Informatics Visualization,1(2), pp.33-39. Rae, K., Sands, J. and Subramaniam, N., 2017. Associations among the five components within COSO internal control-integrated framework as the underpinning of quality corporate governance.Australasian Accounting Business Finance Journal,11(1), p.28. Rogers, M., 2017. IT Governance Framework Proposal. Valacich, J., George, J. and Hoffer, J., 2014.Essentials of systems analysis and design. Prentice Hall Press. Vugec, D.S., Spremi?, M. and Bach, M.P., 2017. IT GOVERNANCE ADOPTION IN BANKING AND INSURANCE SECTOR: LONGITUDINAL CASE STUDY OF COBIT USE.International Journal for Quality Research,11(3). Wasson, C.S., 2015.System engineering analysis, design, and development: Concepts, principles, and practices. John Wiley Sons.

11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing

11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing 11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing Writing blogs are some of the best resources to become a better writer, which lets be real, is the goal of all writers.You already know this:Writing is hard.It’s so difficult, in fact, that there are countless writing tips and resources online dedicated to helping you better understand and improve the craft.We here at Self-Publishing School are even committed to giving you the best advice out there.But we wanted to offer you more by highlighting blogs about writing that contain solid advice for writing.Weve compiled a list of the best writing blogs on the internet for you to learn and grow from.Here are the best writing blogs we’ll cover for you:The Write LifeWriters DigestWrite to DoneThe Write PracticeCount Blogula by Jenna MoreciThe Creative PennTerribleminds by Chuck WendigDaily Writing TipsBetter Novel ProjectWell-StoriedShayla RaquelIf You’re Ready to Start Writing NOW Watch This FirstDon’t waste any more writing time than you already have.Before we get into the meat of which writing blogs are the best and what unique qualities they have to offer, let’s set you down the path for success.You’re here because you want to learn which blogs about writing are the best.We get it. 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From prepping to writing to marketing, she has you covered.As an editor and seasoned writer herself, Shayla works one-on-one with authors nearly every day. She has edited over 300 books and launched Amazon Bestselle rs making her experienced and competent! Click here to check it out Shayla Raquel!All of these writing blogs have something unique to offer that you won’t find any anywhere else. When it comes to learning any craft especially writing it’s important to broaden your search and learn as much as you can from as many talented minds as you can.ARE YOU READY TO BECOME AN AUTHOR ON YOUR OWN?Your writing blog and expertise could be up here one day with some of the best!But you have to commit to taking action and writing your book first.And we’re here to help you on your journey to write, market, and publish your book. But only if you’re serious about making this a reality.

The Drew Carey Show Essays - The Drew Carey Show, Drew Carey

The Drew Carey Show Actor, comedian, author and television comedy sensation Drew Carey stars in The Drew Carey Show as an average single everyguy struggling to stay financially and romantically afloat in the unpredictable '90s. From Mohawk Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television, this half-hour comedy depicts the life of a wannabe upwardly mobile guy whose looks, well, wouldn't get him work modeling Speedos, but at least he's got a brain and maybe a few dates along the way . . . There's just nothing like sharing a beer, a game of pool and a genuine conversation with your best buddies after a hard day's work. Relationships, careers, the Zen of People magazine--it's what life's all about. And with every day on the job involving some sort of crisis, Drew is given a continuous supply of perspective and attitude from his lifelong pals, Kate (Miller), Oswald (Bader) and Lewis (Stiles). Gorgeous, grown-up tomboy Kate recently broke the heart of package-delivery guy Oswald by ending their relationship on their wedding day. Realizing that she and Oswald are better off as friends, Kate sets out to achieve emotional and professional independence. For his part, Oswald remains humorously bitter about the breakup. Meanwhile, Lewis, a janitor at the rarely seen DrugCo pharmaceutical company, seeks a promotion but ends up at odds with his mysterious employer. Drew's an honest guy who achieved middle-management success as the assistant director of personnel at Cleveland's Winfred-Louder department store through hard work, determination and knowing when to play by the rules. Finally, after many years of dedicated service, Drew has received a long-awaited promotion. But, still healing from his own broken engagement, he's at a crossroads in his life. Drew finds himself questioning his past personal and career choices--and considers making radical changes. While some aspects of Drew's professional life have improved, others never will, such as his cold and ruthless boss, Mr. Nigel Wick (Craig Ferguson), and Wick's obnoxious assistant, Mimi (Kinney), the world's most horribly made-up woman. Straight from England, Wick reigns over the department store, imposing his own caste system over the poor peasants who work under him. Now that Mimi's mad romantic attraction for him has run its course and she has trained her sights on another hapless victim, Wick embarks on a quest for self improvement. As Drew endures Wick's sadistic joy in other people's hardships, he must continue to keep his cool under fire from Mimi's endless insults. He's even taking pride in sticking it right back to her. After three years of co-existing in the same office, Drew and Mimi have actually developed an endearing love/hate tango of childless pranks and put-downs. Drew finds refuge at home, where inevitably one of his friends and fellow entrepreneurs might be bottling their business, Buzz Beer, a burgeoning idea that took root when Drew feared his job would be cut. As long as Wick is around, Drew's not about to give up brewing. It's probably true that Drew takes adulthood more seriously than Oswald, Lewis, Kate and of course, Mimi. But even with deadlines to make and goals to attain, nothing gets in the way of friendship and fun. In fact, even a rainstorm can't keep Drew from his daily game of billiards on the pool table outside of the house he inherited from his parents. And with his lifelong friends by his side, growing up definitely does not mean growing old. The Drew Carey Show is executive produced by Bruce Helford, Drew Carey, Clay Graham and Deborah Oppenheimer and created by Drew Carey and Bruce Helford. Poetry

Hawthorne essays

Hawthorne essays Hawthornes Picture of Puritanism The Puritans were a group of people who came over from England to the new world for religious freedom. They believed that the Anglican Church of was not strict enough. They first attempted religious freedom in Holland, but they were not happy there. They were not happy in Holland, so they saved their money and came to America. Puritans believed that the purpose of life was to get to heaven. Their time here was a passage way to heaven or hell. Although they believed that their lives were predestined, they tried to live their lives without sin in hopes that they would go to heaven, not hell. They thought that God had already chosen who would be going to heaven and who would be going to hell as far back as when he created the world. William Bradford encapsulates Puritan ideas in his writing. We see this in his story set on the Mayflower. There was a young man on the boat. He was putting down the poor on the ship because they were seasick on the way over. Bradford says, and did not let to tell them that he hoped to cast half of them overboard before they came to their journeys end, and to make merry with what they had (314). This young man was sinning as far as the Puritans thought. He was doing harm onto another person. And as far as the Puritans believed, something like this would send you to hell. Further in the passage, But it pleased God before they came half seas over, to smite this young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the first that was thrown overboard... (Bradford 314). The young man on the ship has threatened the chosen people and in turn God protects them by striking the young man sick and having him being the first to be cast off the boat. We have read two stories by...

Correctional Staff Attitudes Essays

Correctional Staff Attitudes Essays Correctional Staff Attitudes Essay Correctional Staff Attitudes Essay Correctional Staff Attitudes and its Effects on the Entire Facility Teresa McCroskey CJ503 – 01NA Organizational Behavior Unit 3 April 13, 2010 Instructor Colleen McCue Correctional Staff Attitudes and its Effects on the Entire Facility The correctional staffs work environment is largely a part of the issue of why it is hard to keep efficient staff. The correctional supervisor must be able to find solutions for staff to be able to handle the hostile work environment, job dangers, shift work, and dealing with the family stressors. This can cause many issues such as lack of sleep, issues with child care, along with dangerous inmates the correctional officers deal with, medical issues, among a few. This causes many of the officers to have absenteeism from work, and develop negative attitudes, work habits, and feelings towards the people he/she is supervised by or receive promotions before them. Correctional workers work in a unique work environment. (Dial Johnson, 2008) Correctional officers can develop medical issues that can cause them time off work called stressors. These stressors can come from lack of sleep which can disrupt much of an officers day. Some of the symptoms are what is called Shift lag. â€Å"Shift lag is impaired performance. Lack of sleep can cause gastrointestinal issues, depression and apathy, sleepiness or falling asleep at work, and sleep interference during the daytime. Medical issues that can come from the stressors of lack of sleep can cause much disruption in an officers work day. Some of the symptoms are: shift lag, impaired performance, gastrointestinal dysfunction, depression and apathy, sleepiness/sleeping at work, and sleep disruption during the daytime sleep. Women face the issue of cardiovascular and obstetric problems more so then men. Women face having low birth rate babies, preterm babies, and spontaneous abortions. Where men may have issues with cardiovascular issues and sleep disorders. † (Dial Johnson, 2008) There was a study done and in this study there was nine correctional norms found. The nine norms or beliefs found among the officers and supervisors. They were: â€Å"That the officer is to protect his partner, bring no drugs to his partner, no turning on another officer, never make an officer look bad in front of an inmate, lways help an officer against an inmate, do not be a goody-two-shoes, all officers stand together against all outside groups, show positive concern for all fellow officers†. (Dial Johnson, 2008) The senior officers train the trainees to help them learn the ropes of the inmates. The trainees are taught that the inmates are the enemy and can not be trusted. The first thing one is to suspect is that one can anticipate trouble at any time. More often than not there are signs of issues brewing. Look for signs of noise change whether quieter or louder. If the offender refuses to be searched then that could be a sign as well. These are all signs that a senior officer will teach a trainee to help him/her fit in the subculture of the prison. Different officers use different techniques to gain control of the inmates. Some use force some use psychological pressure. No two officers use the complete same technique or are two offenders the same. Training of racial and mental health inmates are trained by the senior officers to the new officers because it is a different subculture to face. Peer pressure is one of the issues that cause prison guards to be vulnerable or negative. The dependency on support and response of other staff , new staff orientation includes a â€Å"code of silence,† this gives a message that administration does not care about safety and will not allocate what is needed to do the job â€Å"the right way,† and which means the job gets done â€Å"our way. † (Cocoran, 2005) Without the extra training it can be it can be extra stress from the more difficult inmates and there would be more employee turnover, sick leave, and possible peer pressure from the officers trying to fit in and not being able to do so. Experienced practioners, program specialists, and evaluators conducted interviews and did observations on all shifts. This team went into the cultures formal and informal. The stresses of the job, the patterns of the job, the patterns and unique values held by the members of the shift members of the job and attitudes and behaviors. â€Å"This can cause possible misalignment of management and line staff. It can affect the core value of the policy and practices. Others understand the issues like another police officer or correctional officer. (Cocoran, 2005) If all are available to one another it is easier for officers to deal with the job stressors. Support should always come from another officer or officer support program. In the testing of the Westville Correction Center, which is a medium security prison, 100 officers volunteered to take and be involved in the survey and experiment. This was a year long experiment, which in turn lessened assaults, grievances, the number of escapes , and the amount of overtime. According to the guards, and inmates the program is to help the administration, supervisors change the culture to help prison guards and inmates with the values, norms to be positive and create policies where the everyone can be safe and treated fairly, as well establish communication through the environment where the environment practices in the institutions and promote a safe environment where people are valued for what he/she can give. A subculture at work may cause an officer to act in a way that may violate his beliefs. This can cause him/her issues at home, inner conflict, and at work. Then a coworker can come into play on helping to finding a social support group to relieve the stress and perception that has been caused from that subculture. † (Dial Johnson, 2008) â€Å"The three aspects of the social support group comes from supervision and management, helping to stop burnouts and vital in assisting with alleviating stressors, intervention in the job and work setting such as: pressure designed to force them to resign or transfer, no backing when attacked or goaded by inmates, and no support in dealing with public problems with visitors, protestors, press. (Dial Johnson, 2008) The next biggest issue of many correctional officers is not only the officers’ health issues, job efficiency, and job satisfaction is how the organization that the officers work for care about handling the needs of the officers long term. In most cases are looked at through long term surveys and testing when hiring correctional officers and afterwards by correctional facilities. If supervisor can identify what makes one’s life stressful it can help assist in making the correctional officers’ stress reduction easier. Dial Johnson, 2008) The most often caused stressors are controlling his/her own stress, recognizing and helping stressed – out workers cope with their stress, and improving physical conditions as well as mental outlook of workers. à ¢â‚¬Å"The community offers very little support to correctional officers, which causes family issues, and the divorce rate was twice that of other workers in 1983. † (Dial Johnson, 2008) â€Å"Correctional officers let off the tensions of work in wrong places (at home), excessive discipline at home, spent less time at home on days off. (Dial Johnson, 2008) Officers experiencing stress at work took it out on the family and damaged the family and caused major family damage with his/her spouse and children. Shift work, long hours, overtime made it difficult for officers to function in a family oriented capacity and weaken the ties of family support more. Shift work, long hours, and overtime make it difficult for officers to attend important family functions; further weakening his/her ties to a family support system. The most important seems to be peer support in a dangerous job like Corrections. It tends to be because of the alienation and cynicism that the officers feel. The officers that the coworkers were trustworthy had issues about the job on surveys. It was found on the surveys that often correctional officers worked against one another which caused dissatisfaction on the job. The researchers gathered data for the present paper through surveys they administered to correctional staff attending regional in-service training for a southern prison system. This region has 13 correctional institutions that oversee offenders from all custody designations. These prisons hold the death row inmates as well as the high – security prison. The survey was given seven times within three months. Then the researchers coded and tabulated the surveys. â€Å"This survey excluded people that were not in service for fewer that eight months of training. † (Dial Johnson, 2008) The person had to be in direct contact with the inmates was the only qualification for the sample selection. No demographics were made to race or gender. Women also face other issues more so than men such as cardiovascular and obstetric problems. The obstetric issues are low birth rates, preterm deliveries, and spontaneous abortions. (Dial Johnson, 2008) â€Å"Sharing information is important and this can be done at town meetings and on the department of corrections website. † (Cocoran, 2005) Like in many employment situations the officers work long hours and spend more time with coworkers and less time with his/her families. At times the officers view the coworkers view his/her a family. Often the coworkers bring in food and share it instead of eating the food cooked by the inmates. It is good for team building and unity of the coworkers even though most of the employees still will not become friends. The team building through officers bringing food and sharing is seen as a challenge for officers to care and feel pressure and can feel stress from officers. Administration can create an environment where workers are invited to show concern for one another. (Dial Johnson, 2008) Job satisfaction and job stress can be decreased if officers and supervisors can instill concern for each other between coworkers. Officers have indicated that if he/she believes that coworkers do not care about them, officers experience bitterness and burnout and officers feeling fear at the hands of coworkers than the inmates and the deceitfulness of the officers and inmates. (Dial Johnson, 2008) Some of the officers had great experiences with supervisors being positive, showing great unity with the team, and being clear minded. One officer stated he/she loved his shift and unit. (Dial Johnson, 2008) â€Å"New officers report higher levels of work stress than other officers. The survey also showed that mentors should be carefully selected for new young officers. Due to the young officers could get swallowed up by the pitfalls of prison employment. The relationship may foster between mentor and employees. † (Dial Johnson, 2008) Correctional supervisors and administration staff need to make sure that the employees have the support needed to help them stay emotional, mentality, and physically fit to deal with the daily stressors of the inmates in the institution he/she manages. If he/she sees that employee issues are starting, then he or she needs to start looking at the problems and finding solutions to the problems. It could be more than the person itself.

Ikea-ERP Management Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ikea-ERP Management Information Systems - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that IKEA leads in the world as a furniture retailer dealing with home appliances, ready-to-assemble furniture and accessories. The company has over 313 stores and operates in more than thirty-eight countries. IKEA launched a project aimed at introducing a Geographical Information System (GIS) into the wood sourcing system of the company in the year 2007. The problems that the GIS aimed to solve involved; availability of forest resource data on sub-country resource level, and region of origin in wood tracing. Using the GIS, the company could solve problems by getting the data, inputting into computers and storing them for reference and retrieval by the managers and other workers interested in using them. Implementation of the GIS by IKEA The company developed a forest tracing system for the regions of origin. According to IKEA, the region of origin referred to a unit of the territorial division of a country, which the company suppliers refere nced in the declarations of wood origin. The territory, in this case, was a forest management unit or had an administrative status. The company failed in the implementation of the system in that there was no clear definition of boundaries of the territories. In addition, the company’s forestry policy implementation failed due to lack of clear characteristics of the territorial divisions chosen. There was not enough information about the forest resources of the territories leading to failure in the implementation of the system. If the units were smaller than they are, data management would have been easy. However, as we have seen, the company used large areas and thus the territories were large. This made reporting from such units irrelevant and reduction in the credibility of doing so. In this case, the suppliers had problems in using the division structure to separate wood flows. Furthermore, there was a large variation in territorial sizes in both territorial division units and territorial divisions of a country. The forest resource, data availability at regional levels should be according to tree species groups or tree species. However, the company failed to implement the system according to this criterion. There was a lack of crucial statistical information such as growing stock and cuttings in some cases. For example, Romania had no reliable data giving the growing stock in the region. These problems, therefore, lead to generalizations. For instance, the data on three groups rather than on individual tree species leads to complete uncertainty and thus difficulties in using GIS successfully. The GIS functionality According to the IKEA Company, there could be three users of the GIS. These users include the forestry staff, suppliers and buyers. The forest staff was to use the technology in the following ways: 1. Entering, visualizing and editing the data of forest tracing system and that of wood procurement planning 2. Performing risk assessment at th e regional level defined for the purposes of audit planning 3. Obtaining summaries of the wood volume from wood procurement planning and forest tracing data 4. Exporting and saving tables, maps, wood procurement planning, and forest tracing data.