IBIS Technology Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

IBIS Technology Corporation - Essay Example A qualified opinion may be expressed for one or more of the following reasons: The auditor has concluded that there are material but not pervasive misstatements with respect to the appropriateness and application of accounting policies as well as the adequacy of disclosures in the financial statements The auditor cannot obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence on which to base an opinion but concludes that the possible effects could be material but not pervasive, including limitations imposed by management; and circumstances beyond the company’s control. There are uncertainties in relation to whether the company would be able to continue to operate as a going concern During the course of an audit it is a requirement that the auditors take into consideration the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern assumption in the preparation of the financial statements. The going concern assumption is a fundamental assumption in the preparation of financial statements. Going concern assumes that the business will continue in operation for the foreseeable future with no intention to liquidate. This type of qualified opinion suggests that the possibility exist that the organization may not be operational in the foreseeable future (BPP 2009). It indicates that there are a number of factors that could give rise to this including declining sales and profits or increasing losses. This is also an indication that an organization may not be able to honor its obligations as they fall due if it cannot generate the level of revenues necessary to do cover its costs and leave some in reserves. Additionally, if an organization continues to make losses thereby eroding reserves it may... During the course of an audit, it is a requirement that the auditors take into consideration the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern assumption in the preparation of the financial statements. The going concern assumption is a fundamental assumption in the preparation of financial statements. Going concern assumes that the business will continue in operation for the foreseeable future with no intention to liquidate. This type of qualified opinion suggests that the possibility exists that the organization may not be operational in the foreseeable future. It indicates that there are a number of factors that could give rise to this including declining sales and profits or increasing losses. This is also an indication that an organization may not be able to honor its obligations as they fall due if it cannot generate the level of revenues necessary to do cover its costs and leave some in reserves. Additionally, if an organization continues to make losses thereb y eroding reserves it may not be able to carry out any major investments or any projects in the form of research and development. In a case where an organization is no longer a going concern, the organization’s noncurrent (fixed) assets are valued at the price they are likely to fetch in a forced sale and their current assets such as stock and debtors will also be discounted to the price they are likely to fetch in a liquidation. This value will be substantially less than the values in the books which assume that the organization is a going concern.

Introduction to the city Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction to the city - Essay Example Cash flow can be defined as ‘the pattern of income and expenses, and its consequences for how much money is available at a given time’ The process of managing working capital would involve deciding what quantity of cash, other liquid assets, accounts receivable and inventories the firm would require to have at any given point of time. â€Å" The management of working capital is concerned with the management of assets such as cash, marketable securities, account receivable, investor prepaid expenses and the current assets; also liabilities such as accounts payables, wages payables and accruals.†2 Working capital can generally be generated by receiving short term loan from a bank or by placing aside a sum from the equity. Generally working capital can not be added up while taking a long term loan from a bank. According to Keynes a firm holds working capital for three basic reasons; to benefit from timely opportunities arising in the market, as a fund to deal with unforeseen crisis that require immediate action and to carry out the regular business activities of cash inflow and outflow. The process of working capital management is relatively complex and it is meant to ensure that a firm is capable to carry out its regular activities with optimum efficiency at the same time fulfill the short term debt requirements and forthcoming operational expenditures. This process requires an analytical approach towards the spending and receiving of the funds available on hand. â€Å"The analysis requires decisions to be taken for the following questions such as: how should the firm manage its cash? To whom should the firm grant credit? How much inventory should the firm keep? What should be the composition of the firm’s current debt? â€Å"3 The goal of managing working capital is to have cash inflow as early as possible and to delay the cash outflow as much as possible and at the

Submit short report that assembles the teams final results for Essay

Submit short report that assembles the teams final results for tackling a problem or creating a solution to the project - Essay Example It is affordable to all patients and readily available as the system is flexible, can move from one place to another. Congestion in hospitals by patients with fatal chronical diseases need to be at lower levels by administering health programs via PHM systems. It helps hospitals deliver a variety of health services to a greater population resulting in improvement in health conditions. A nation with improvement in health sectors obtains tremendous benefits like it readily consist of healthy individuals to provide labor. Improves country’s productivity reduces death rates to significant levels and provides the country with the chance of having innovation and creativity as well. The PHM project requires electronically intensive equipments making use of decision support systems. This reduces the manual work fatigue to medical staff if they are to perform the work, therefore; there is a reduction in workload of the medical staff. However, the system contains errors that would result in wrong medical description or diagnosis to the patients. The problems are in two classifications the system error and human errors. The system errors include the syntax and logical anomalies, which may be due to system malfunction. The errors can be because of overloading the systems or as well as unexpected errors, which would require repetition of the ongoing process to get the correct results. The human errors serve as the main setback towards achieving the set objectives of the program. The set objectives being, provision of sufficient medical attention to patients with chronic diseases. It is unfortunate and ironic that human beings have the audacity to be the factor that the project fails to be 100% successful. The significant human errors includes Although patients include false information in order to get medical treatment, it is unfortunate as there would be wrong results that can cause serious problems for both the p[patient and

Onboarding Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Onboarding Process - Essay Example ies, procedures, values, climate, and mission/vision statements; and (3) providing transition guidelines to assist the new employee in undertaking expected endeavors with greater efficiency and with the optimized use of the organization’s resources. Other strategies would be incorporated within the five stages of the onboarding process. The five stages of the onboarding process are: (1) preparation; (2) orientation; (3) integration; (4) engagement; and (5) follow-up (UNC Charlotte, n.d.). During the first stage, preparation, the new employee is expected to be acclimated on the â€Å"culture, team, work environment, and introduce to policies and procedures and online modules† (UNC Charlotte, n.d., p. 7). Therefore, the organization should design introductory modules that would apprise the new employee on the needed crucial overview information on the organization. The second stage, orientation, provides the new employee with additional modules designed to orient him or her towards enabling the undertaking of expected responsibilities. Orientation could be provided through lectures, online modules, an actual visit through the different departments, and introduction of relevant officers and personnel within the organizational hierarchy. employee’s attendance in HR staff development training† (UNC Charlotte, n.d., p. 7). This means that as a service personnel, the focus of integration is on the strategies towards performing one’s responsibilities in the most efficient and effective way. Likewise, any needed development training in the field of service and customer relationship would be undertaken. meeting performance expectations and contributing to the (organization’s) success† (UNC Charlotte, n.d., p. 7). As the word engagement means, the new employee is enjoined and encouraged to show commitment, dedication, and focus on the performance of his or her tasks; as well as in interacting with other stakeholders who would be instrumental in the performance

Functions of Planning and Organizing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Functions of Planning and Organizing - Essay Example As such, planning entails the design of a firm’s activities to respond accordingly to its goals and objectives. However, organizing involves selecting the suitable structure that promotes the implementation of the designed scheme (Hiles, 2011). Therefore, this piece incorporates the concepts of planning and organizing in developing a plan for promoting Macdonald’s. The paper starts by exploring the vision, goals and objectives of developing such a strategy for Macdonald. The paper first examines the state of the company by performing a SWOT analysis. Subsequently, there is a critical assessment of the appropriate strategies, which aim at highlighting the company’s strengths while addressing its weakness. An informed conclusion of the strategies that can promote company’s activities follows. Vision, Goals and Objectives of the Plan This plan’s sole vision is making MacDonald Inc a force in the world’s fast food trade in future. The goals of th e plan include boosting the company’s profits, establishing competitive attributes and addressing the company’s threat and weaknesses effectively. The main objective of plan is developing a comprehensive scheme, which centers on the company’s strengths while countering its weaknesses hence providing an approach that will enable the company to adjust to the dynamic market. The auxiliary objectives include conducting a Swot analysis in the company to propagate knowledge about its market status. Swot Analysis The Company Background Macdonald is a multinational company that significantly controls the world’s fast food supply. Since the date of establishment, the company has recorded incredible growth. Presently, it runs outlets in more than 118 countries. However, the organization is currently facing stiff competitions that are straining it growth. Strengths Strong command powers The company has a reputable market for its products as evident in the extensive supply networks. This is witnessed in most parts of the world; thus, generating massive sales. Fiscal stability The Company has a large business capital and is currently experiencing a period of financial harmony. Indeed, company’s sales are comparatively performing well in the market and returns are appealing. Adaptability to market fluctuations The company can adjust rapidly to the market changes since its large capital can allow a adoption of products diversification models (Kleindl, 2007). Weaknesses The company trades in dynamic products since the food industry provides assorted tastes and preferences that keep changing depending on the availability. Additionally, the company engages in expensive promotion campaigns, which are unproductive; hence, wasting funds. Opportunities Macdonald has the opportunity to venture into emerging food markets especially the provision of organic foods. As such, the company ought to shift its focus from fast foods, which are increasingly s hunned. Threats The emergence of new companies poses threats to Macdonald’s especially when they are small. This is because they require less capital hence their number continues to grow. Notably, the culture of distributing packaged foods though retail chains like supermarket is becoming popular in the market. Strategies Product Restructuring Marketing strategies are plans aimed at capturing the market to increase awareness and purchase of the company’s products. McDonalds can engage in innovative marketing

Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships in Lifelong Learning Essay Example for Free

Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships in Lifelong Learning Essay a) As Gravells (2012, pp.19) states, the legislation, regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to a teacher in the lifelong learning sector will â€Å"differ depending upon the context and environment in which you teach†. For example, different organisations and employers are likely to have differing policies and guidelines, such as dress-code, time-keeping, equalities, regulating the role of the teacher. When teaching accredited courses it is necessary to be aware of the requirements of external bodies, such as Ofsted, which may inspect provision, as well as awarding and funding bodies, such as an FE College, which will require evidence to assure the quality of qualifications and courses and course attendance. There is various legislation and codes of practice relevant to the role of the teacher. Generic examples relevant to my role as a trade union tutor are listed in the table below: There will also be legislation and codes of practice relating specifically to the subject area being taught, type and age range of students, and environment. Thus, the Children Act (2004) will be relevant to those teaching learners under 18 years. I have listed in the table below some of the legislation and codes of contact relevant to my role as a trade union tutor: Health Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations (1992)| Information Technology Codes of Practice| Trade Union Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act (1992)| ACAS Code of Practice: time off for trade union duties and activities| Legislation, codes of practice and regulations can change over time, and from organisation to organisation, and course to course. It is therefore important to check these regularly and ensure that, as a teacher, your knowledge and skills are up to date. b) â€Å"boundary n., pl. –ries. 1. Something that indicates the farthest limit, as of an area; border† Sinclair, J.M. et al, 1994, pp.187. Thus, boundaries both help to both define and limit our role as teachers; they are core to recognising our own areas of responsibility and expertise, and to recognising and respecting those of other professionals with whom we may work. The boundary between the role of the teacher and the specialist is seldom clear. Therefore, to more clearly understand where appropriate boundaries lay, it is important to understand the role of the teacher. These can be broadly outlined by the teaching cycle, which consists of five processes: identify needs, plan and design, deliver/facilitate, assess and evaluate. As a teacher I may encounter barrier in each of these aspects of the teaching/learning cycle, and I may need to seek the assistance or guidance of other professionals. For example, if IT equipment is required to deliver, then it is the responsibility of the IT Officer to set this up. Similarly, at times it is necessary to invite a specialist, such as a lawyer, to provide briefings on particular areas such as legislation or to consult with them in the development of course materials. As a trade union tutor I regularly work alongside colleagues in a variety of professional roles, including: lawyers and legal advisors, dyslexia and learning support services, trade union officials, technicians and IT support, Human Resources managers, college administrators and other tutors. As a teacher it is important to engage with other professional roles in a confident, respectful and professional manner, and to recognise and continually assess when aspects of my role can be more effectively dealt with by another trained professional. And again, as Gravells (2012, pp.16) says, â€Å"If you are ever in doubt about the boundaries of your role, always ask someone else† c) â€Å"The IfL Code of Practice states: Members shall take reasonable care to ensure the safety and welfare of learners and comply with relevant statutory provisions†. (ibid., pp. 51) Having identified barriers to learning, it is then important to identify the correct services to which learners may be referred. These points of referral can be simply separated into internal and external support services. Internal services are generally those provided by the education provider or organisation. Thus, many FE colleges have student support services which might include counselling, financial support, learning support etc. Trade unions may provide less internal services for learners, but there is generally an Education Officer or department, which can provide support to learners, and sometimes bursaries, and there is usually an IT department which can provide technical support and assistance. Many unions also have Learning Organisers, who can provide specialist advice and referral, and access to Union Learning Fund (ULF) resources. In addition, full-time union officials can assist learners in negotiating time off and financial and other assistance from their employers, and will work with them to develop an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). External support services generally refers to specialist organisations can refer to organisations such as Samaritans, Lesbian Gay Switchboard, NHS Direct, which provide specialist support and advice on specific issues which may affect learners. Within trade union education, external support services may also include referring learners, with their consent, to their employer. Many employers can provide financial and other assistance with learning, and offer support for staff with dyslexia and those for whom English is a second language. There are also other organisations, such as NIACE and the Workers Education Association (WEA) which provide additional training courses. d) â€Å"A good first impression will help establish a positive working relationship with your students.†, states Gravells (2012, pp. 10), â€Å"The way you dress, act, respond to questions, offer support†, all of these factors and more will place a part in setting the boundaries and establishing appropriate behaviours amongst learners. As a teacher it is vital to set a positive example, and to facilitate learners in establishing ground rules for behaviour during lessons, such as arriving on time, keeping phones on silent and listening respectfully to others. Learners’ involvement in establishing the acceptable standards of behaviour is key to gaining their buy-in, and thus in maintaining and regulating behaviour on an ongoing basis. Establishing routines in the learning context can be helpful, and it is necessary to constantly monitor, review and evaluate the behaviours within the lesson at all stages of the teaching/learning cycle, and to encourage and engage with feedback from learners regarding their experiences. In each situation it is necessary to determine appropriate actions; if unacceptable behaviour is repeated by one or more individuals, it may be necessary to address this with learners on a one-to-one basis in order to identify and, hopefully, to address the causes of any problems or issues. Bibliography Gravells, A (2012) Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector – The New Award, 5th Edition, London: Sage. Lefrancois, G.R. (2000) Psychology for Teaching, 10th Edition, Wadsworth. Sinclair, J.M. et al (1995) Collins English Dictionary Updated Edition, Harper Collins.

Category Specific Impairments in Recognition and Naming

Category Specific Impairments in Recognition and Naming Category specific impairments in recognition and naming: fact or not? - Question: What’s black and white and looks like a horse? Answer: Hmmmmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..a black and white horse? Question: What do you call a guy who can’t tell the difference between an apple and a barn? Answer: Uhhhh.†¦ what’s the name for a thing with two legs, two arms and a head and, well, they look familiar†¦ they are, like, everywhere†¦ oh, I give up†¦ - Introduction to a Both Sides of an Issue In the above riddles the answers may seem strikingly obvious almost anyone. That is, anyone except what is termed â€Å"semantic impairments† in which there is a marked disability of the individual to pair up the meaning of what they see (visual semantic disorders), hear (auditory semantic disorders) or even touch (tactile semantic disorders) with the ability to identify the object. This represents essentially a disconnection between what a person knows and what they can readily express. As there are numerous specific documented cases such as those studied in Capitani, Laiacona, Mahon Caramazza’s review of 79 patients for the purpose of assessing the ‘division’ line of the impairment with regards to specific semantic categories such as â€Å"animate/living† and â€Å"inanimate/artifact†-type items (Capitani, Laiacona, Mahon, Caramazza 2003, p.213). In a different setting, Tyler and Moss present the interesting case of â€Å"DrO†, a 61-year old male who suffered particular deficits with regard to abstract words (i.e., love, hope, trust vs. concrete words such as bird, cup, etc.) following a cerebro-vascular incident. This study thoroughly details a number of testing procedures to compare his abilities to a group of peers as well as significant data in regards to his perceptual acuities such as hearing and vision. In their investigation, these utilize DrO as a literal test bed against the various theories regarding ‘traditional’ category-specific deficit disorders and the way that words and ideas might be encoded into memory. In the end, though DrO looks like a â€Å"classic† case of category-specific deficit, the researcher conclude that it is more likely to due an auditory ‘input’ problem in which they endorse the model proposed by Plaut Shallice in which concrete words are posited to ha ve greater semantic features, that is, they are easier to ‘grab on to’, and thus typically evidence faster recall and recognition (Tyler Moss, 1997, p. 315). Though it seems clear that cases exist which exhibit the phenomena of category-specific disorders, as the above example of the case of DrO indicates, things may not always be what they seem as it is not necessarily the memory that is at fault but more likely the ‘connections’ that allow one to have full mastery of the information stored in one’s own brain. In Support of Category Specific Disorders†¦ To begin, one must understand that the brain is essentially a storage bin of some sort for intangible inputs and outputs. The real trick of the matter is to know the nature of the bins†¦ specifically, how are they divided and how do they function? What is the hierarchy or taxonomy of stored sensory information? Are experiences broken down into the different sensory components? Is it stored chronologically? Most of these eclipse the current state of knowledge yet, by carefully observing the output, an idea can be formed about how the system might work. It is by these means that the idea of a category-specific impairment came to be when researchers noted, in ‘normal’ subjects, a difference in picture identification between natural objects and other artifacts suggesting that memories were stored or accessed according to some categorical hierarchy (Humphreys, Price Riddoch, 1999, p.118). Issues such as these manifest themselves in the classic ‘naming difficultyâ €™ tests such as the patient who was presented with a picture of celery and responded, â€Å"†¦it is green and you have it as a main course†¦ I dip it in salt†. This type of response, in which the subject demonstrated extensive knowledge about the object, was heard numerous times as the issue of category-specific impairment certainly seemed to be a logical explanation that fit the theory of memory in which data is separated and stored in logical â€Å"bins† to retrieve on cue later (Humphreys, Price Riddoch, 1999, p.122). Operating under the assumption that such a disorder exists, one interesting aspect that the categories while logically infinite seem to limit themselves to a comparatively very few key groups: biological categories (possibly subdivided into ‘animals’), food (often fruits vegetables) and artifact-type items with musical instruments a popular sub-category (Capitani, et al. 2003, pp. 225, 235-244). In terms of the type of impairment reflecting the proposed model, the most frequently occurring impairment has exhibits a disability to retrieve information related to the properties of an object or its associative knowledge of the item in a given category (Capitani, et al. 2003, pp. 228-229). One potential rationale for the division of categories is the within-category similarity of items. For example, categories such as â€Å"musical instruments† or â€Å"animals† have a greater perceived degree of within group similarity than categories such as â€Å"jewelryâ⠂¬  or â€Å"beverages†. Accordingly, this same justification can be utilized to rationalize the breakdown of particularly large heterogeneous categories such as â€Å"animate/living† (Sartori Lombardi, 2004, pp. 441-442, 446). Additional insights are provided when one observes impairments in items that have both â€Å"functional† and â€Å"perceptual† qualities such as would be the case in which deficits were observed in both musical instruments and living objects, thus defying the heretofore idea that deficits were limited to semantic ‘categories’. Based upon these findings, it has been hypothesized that the perspective of perceptual attributes are primary memory sorting parameters and then category-specific attributes (i.e., living vs. non-living) play a potential secondary role (Devline et al. 1998, pp. 77-78). Also, the idea that categories such as â€Å"living things† are stored/recalled by perceptual attributes while inanimate objects are stored/recalled by â€Å"functional† attributes, thereby establishing a fit for perceptual and functional priorities (Berndt, 2003 , p. 101). A popular understanding of the brain is that functions are laid out ‘topographically’ such that differing item attributes are focused in different physical locations in the cortex. Though it may seem overly simplistic, there is research to support a topographical model as evidenced by imaging studies that have demonstrated a different location of activity for living versus non-living items (Humphreys Riddoch, 2003, p. 263). Consistent with the topographical view is the â€Å"sensory/functional theory† one of the early hypothesis on how memory ‘works’ with regard to category-specific impairments. According to this theory, experiential data is organized in the brain by sensory modality and, secondly, that the primary differentiation in stimuli is determined by its sensory or perceptual properties and by its functional attributes (Caramazza Shelton, 1998, p. 4). Despite some support, a problem with these models occurs in the cases of non-focal, widely distributed legions such as those produced by Alzheimer’s or Herpes simplex encephalitis patients have produced the same type of category-specific deficit as would be expected with a highly localized lesion (Devline et al. 1998, p. 78). In attempting to explain cases from this theoretical perspective, category-specific disorder cases similar to DrO in which the problem was believed to be an ‘input’ or ‘processing’ failure, a key factor is that the impairment should not be mode-specific in that the issue should reside at the â€Å"semantic† node from which all inputs and outputs pass. That being the case, for a case to be a ‘real’ category-specific disorder, the problem should be isolated to instances in which the stimulus is presented not just in a solely audible or visual form (Caramazza Shelton, 1998, p. 13). Explaining Things Based on the existence of category-specific disorder, Humphreys and Riddoch began to seek to postulate a model that would explain the myriad complexities of both normal and deviate cases. Extending from the information presented previously on the division of categories, researchers suggest that perceptual and functional memory associations are recalled by correlated perceptual features. For example, â€Å"has a trunk† is likely to be highly correlated with an elephant whereas â€Å"has four legs†, while quite accurate, does not exude the same strength as the previous descriptor (Sartori Lombardi, 2004, p. 439; Humphreys Riddoch, 2003, p.265). This model is referred to as the â€Å"distributed semantics† model as a consequence of the features of memory being stored in numerous ‘places’. Taking this model a step further, Humphrey and Riddoch proffer the Hierarchical Interactive Theory (HIT) the allows the use of a flexible (but fairly standard) metho d of categorization by individual. In this model, there is a hierarch of processing levels that include, â€Å"the structural description system through to the semantic representations [functional attributes]†¦ or names†. With such a structure, one the means by which it differs from the distributed semantics or other models is that is acknowledges ‘up-front’ that processing can occur at level rather than a fixed ‘processing spot’ (Humphreys Riddoch, 2003, pp.266-267). In summary, though memory is, at best, only a partially understood concept, the existence of disorders such as category-specific impairments provide researchers with both a challenge and the key to solving a portion of the puzzle. By understanding the dynamics of what can happen when the system is ‘working right’, one has the opportunity observe the differences. Works Consulted Capatani, E., Laiacona, M., Mahon, B. Caramazza,A. (2003). What are the Facts of Semantic Category-Specific Deficits? A Critical Review of the Clinical Evidence. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 20 (3,4,5,6), 213-261. Caramazza, A. Shelton, J. (1998). Domain-Specific Knowledge Systems in the Brain: The Animate-Inanimate Distinction. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 10 (1), 1-34. Devlin, J., Gonnerman, L., Andersen., E., Seidenberg, M. (1998). Category-Spefic Semantic Deficits in Focal and Widespread Brain Damage: A Computational Account. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 10 (1), 77-94. Humphreys, G., Riddoch, M. (2003). A Case Series Analysis of â€Å"Category-Specific† Deficits of Living Things: The HIT Account. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 20 (3,4,5,6), 263-306. Humphreys, G., Price, C. Riddoch, M. (1999). From Objects to Names: A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach. Psychological Research, (62), pp. 118-130. Sartori, G. Lombardi, L. (2004). Semantic Relevance and Semantic Disorders. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 16 (3), 439-452. Sloan-Berndt, R. (2003). Lexical-Semantic Aspects of Language Disorders. In K. Heilman E. Valenstein (Eds.), Clinical Neuroscience, 4th Edition. (pp. 92-107). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. Tyler, L. Moss, H. (1997). Imageability and Category-specificity. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 14 (2), 293-318.