Monday, September 30, 2019

Jefferson Wears A Tie

The story Jefferson wears a tie is about a man called Jefferson. His occupation is that he works as a sales administration manager at a firm. He is quite good and skilled doing his job and got quite the potential. He is a creature of habit in what he does, and driven by his routines. He struggles to work hard and to finish his deadlines but all that changes. He starts to put less time in his work and lacks that determination he once had. He shows up late for work and acts differently during the day and quickly people at his work start to notice this sudden change and noticing him a bit more than usual.That starts a bit of a chain reaction at work, people starts to talk about him behind his back and the rumor about him getting that promotion is closer than ever. One day when the managing director shows up he confronts him with a possible promotion wearing only pajamas where it’s questioned if he even wanted the promotion.2.Characterize Jefferson and his developmentJefferson see ms to be a rather reasonable man that sticks to himself; he got somehow a few routines that he like to do such as, getting that cup of tea and doing that small talk on his way to the office. A man that has a relative important role in the form, that means he got work on his table and need to make sure the quality of his work is in top notch quality, you could say that he takes a certain pride in his hard work. As the story progresses he develops different personalities, initially he cares a lot about his work and don’t have the need to socialize during work hours. But now he begins strategically different towards have himself noticed by his superiors.It’s now that he begins to socialize more, and enjoy reading the news with a cup of tea before he starts his work. He starts to feel less appreciated at work, feels that he is better than most of his fellow employees. Suddenly he chooses to rebel against his habits, his pattern changes and people quickly begin to notice hi m. It’s not only by work they can notice him it’s also his appeal as he starts to dress differently. This ongoing pursuit for a better position at work slowly decreases and he starts to think that his job is meaningless, so by other words he starts questioning his current position. It’s an admirable process that our main character goes though. He starts from being quiet and dissatisfied to evolving into a confident man that does  whatever he pleases.3.Comment on the environment at Jefferson’s workplace.The environment seems to be a quite common workplace in an office. A place also where nothing really matters in a way, there are all these fancy job titles and the boss has clearly no idea about what his employees are doing, or how they are doing it. The social aspect seems to lack in this place and judging by there are a few that talks and dreams about vacations to get away from the place.4.In a short essay (150-200 words) discuss why some people rebel a gainst the norms and others conform to the rules. Relate your discussion in the text. The reason I think why the most people adapts to the norms it’s because, it’s actually the easiest thing to do. But then, it’s hardest for the person to fall out from these norms because you risk being judged by other people. It’s also a good way of laying of the responsibility that you got for yourself, just obey orders like Jefferson and do what pleases other. People tend to be stuck at doing things their way, some people does not necessary embrace change into their life. They are at their comfort zone, safe doing the things they do, so why change it?People also seem to tend to rebel against some of the norms because some feel the urge to break free from the rules, it can be a fantastic feeling to be also true to yourself and not being â€Å"chained† by these norms. For example, Jefferson starts questioning his life and by that he takes more control of it than e ver. It’s also being said that sometimes you have to think outside the box, I believe this saying is perfect to this since you can achieve greatness other ways than following the path that already has been laid out for you.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Business Aims and Objectives Essay

Knowing that you are taking a qualification at Bloomsbury Regional Technical College, you have been approached by several friends who would like you to help with the setting up of their businesses. You enjoy business because the subject constantly changes and you can see the relevance of all that you are learning. You can also apply what you are learning to different situations. a. Alice is thinking of setting up a small restaurant in a village two miles from the town centre. The setting is attractive. Her restaurant will only cater for a maximum of 36 customers, for whom she wants to serve gourmet food. b. Perminder wants to create a small charity that locally supports children with cerebral palsy. She represents a network of 30 parents who experience the illness and she wants to make sure that the charity can provide them with many of the resources and experiences they require in order to make their lives more comfortable. 1. You meet both Alice and Perminder for a cup of tea. Explain why organisations need aims and objectives. (P1) Every organisation needs to set aims and objectives to be able to run the business more easily and effectively. Objectives are more like goals, it’s more realistic than aims. Objectives are far more sensible and achievable. Aims are what an organisation wants to achieve. These are long-term plans, probably over next 3 to 5 years. This allows the business to move forward. Objectives set out how the organisation will meet their aims. 2. Describe to Alice and Perminder how they could use their aims and objectives. As you do so, explain the purpose of setting SMART objectives. (P2) An obvious objective for Alice and Perminder is to achieve goals. Precise, measurable targets will help you do this. You will have to concentrate on doing your best as you achieve one goal at a time. You should set these goals using SMART objectives. * Specific- You needs a clear  statement about what will do. Usually, it is quantified, which means it has a number in it. * Measurable – achievement can be checked. Recording your progress and keeping a record of your completed assessments will enable you to measure your achievements * Achievable – you can attain your target if you work hard. You can do really well if you stretch yourself * Realistic- your target should be sensible so that you stand a chance of achieving it. * Time-constrained – every objective should include a date for achievement or review/ these acts as a warning, as well as a spur if you are falling behind. You either achieve a SMART objective or need a good reason for not doing so. These types of objective are important for managers and employees in a business to measure success in achieving business aims. 3. Produce a mission statement for Alice for her business as well as for Perminder’s charity, alongside a series of objectives. Many large organisations have a mission statement that briefly identifies the main purpose of the business and how it sees itself. Alice: Alice wants to open a small restaurant in a village two miles from the town centre. The setting is attractive. Her restaurant will only cater for a maximum of 36 customers, for whom she wants to serve gourmet food. This is known as a privately owned business and will focus on customers, employees. The cost of their products or how they give values for money. Sainsbury’s mission statement is: â€Å"Our mission is to be the consumer’s first choice for food, delivering products of outstanding quality and great service at a competitive cost through working ‘faster, simpler and together.† Alice’s Mission Statement: ‘We take pride in working together to providing the best quality food for our customers of outstanding value to delight our customers’. Objectives for Alice: To provide good services and must make a profit to survive, to make sure that you only break even or make a loss for a very short time or the business can fail. Perminder: Perminder wants to create a small charity that locally supports children with cerebral palsy. She represents a network of 30 parents who experience the illness and she wants to make sure that the charity can provide them with many of the resources and experiences they require in order to make their lives more comfortable. This is known as Not- For-Profit and voluntary organisations and focus on the services they provide, the causes they support their aims in helping those in need. For example the mission of the Oxfam International is an ‘international group of independent non-governmental organizations dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world’. ‘ Perminder’s Mission Statement: ‘Our mission is to support children with cerebral palsy. So that is no longer causing a disability and premature death to children. Objectives for Perminder: To raise money that is used to support children. To aim to make surplus, after the cost of the business have been deducted, and reinvest this into the business and the services it offers.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Specialty Hospitals and Community Hospitals Essay

Specialty Hospitals and Community Hospitals - Essay Example For instance, some cardiac hospitals had a tendency of treating cases that were more profitable as compared to the cases that community hospitals dealt with, whilst there was no conclusive determination as regards specialty hospitals dealing with surgical cases. Another realization of this analysis was the higher satisfaction from patients who received their treatment from specialty hospitals compared to other hospitals (Li & Wang, 2008). The conclusion drawn from this study was that specialty hospitals delivered care that was less uncompensated. However, the compensation of these costs came from payments done to corporate and property income taxes. Another mode of compensation was the failure to receive a disproportion share of hospital payments. On the other hand, the department of health concluded that some physicians usually referred patients to their private hospitals whilst still taking emergency calls from their departments in order to maintain their bases for referrals. These studied failed to identify a significant impact differential on both utilization and quality, and as such, recommended a modification on the prices of DRG in order to reflect costs much closely, as well as, eliminating any incentives provided. According to the studies and reports, it was impossible for MedPAC and the department of health to come up with a conclusive decision about the performance and activities of specialty hospitals. However, it was necessary to come up with a solid decision in order to determine the right position of specialty hospitals within the community. For instance, the CMS came up with certain decisions at the end of August 2006. It decided to follow up the recommendations made by the MedPAC in order to revise payments made to DRG for them to be much closer to other hospital costs as compared to hospital charges. In addition, it also seconded the proposed rule whereby specialty hospitals were to accept transfers of patients

Friday, September 27, 2019

Wal-Mart's Employees are Motivated to do Their Jobs Essay

Wal-Mart's Employees are Motivated to do Their Jobs - Essay Example If Wal-Mart treated its employees so poorly, they would not be motivated in their jobs and the corporation would not succeed. So, how does Wal-Mart motivate its employees? They are motivated because the working environment in the stores creates a team atmosphere, because they can move up in position and are provided good benefits by the company, and because they feel that they help customers. Wal-Mart retail employees work in departments that provide a positive environment by using teams that motivate the workers to perform their job well. Each worker in a department has a specific task, and all members of the department work together to achieve the department’s goal. Because all the workers have a task that leads to a goal, they all have to depend on each other. This interdependence makes the team strong and provides a sense of belonging for the employees. Just like a sports team, each Wal-Mart department needs employees that work together in order to be successful. If one pe rson does not work, the team will not achieve their departmental goal. So, the employees are motivated to do their jobs for each other. The feeling of belonging is one of the most motivating of all human needs, but employees need more than just a sense of belonging. Wal-Mart provides other needs of the employees by giving them great benefits. One of these benefits is the opportunity to move to higher positions. Wal-Mart promotes within the company, so an employee that works hard can become a store manager. Workers who have the chance to better themselves are more motivated to prove their worth at their current level. Wal-Mart also provides employees with health insurance and life insurance. One of the greatest of human needs is the protection of health and family. Since the company gives benefits that allow employees to provide for themselves and their families, the workers feel thankful and are motivated to achieve in their roles. While employees are working each day, they also ear n vacation and sick leave. This benefit allows employees to spend time with their families which helps provide for the social growth of the family. But, despite all these extrinsic motivations, the greatest motivation the corporation provides is intrinsic. The main reason that Wal-Mart employees are motivated to do their jobs well is because they are helping customers. Wal-Mart sells items that are necessities for many people. Without Wal-Mart, most Americans would not be able to purchase the goods needed for their families, especially since the current economy has closed many stores that once provided products now only available at Wal-Mart. Additionally, for many customers, Wal-Mart’s low prices allow them to purchase more food and other items than they normally would, which is also important in a economy in recession. Because of all these factors, Wal-Mart employees feel good about helping customers get the items they need. They understand that by doing their jobs well the y are helping customers’ lives, and these customers are people who are just like them. When employees feel positive about the work they are doing, they are motivated to work harder. Despite what many critics say, Wal-Mart retail workers are motivated to do their jobs. Wal-Mart provides an excellent team working situation that gives employees a sense of belonging. Also, Wal-Mart provides good benefits for its employees that allow them to provide for th

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Security Audits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Security Audits - Essay Example Network Security Audits. http://www.securityspace.com/smy) Furthermore, it can diminish the security loopholes or any flaws that exist in the company’s current IT infrastructure. In order to enforce this policy, one must understand that running a security audit can save an organization millions of dollars in case of a crucial emergency(2011). Network Security Audits. http://www.securityspace.com/smy). It can dynamically help an organization be prepared for disasters and mitigate the IT risks that can potentially threaten its sensitive information. Security audits are beneficial because they also ensure that the security systems are in fact working (2011). Network Security Audits. http://www.securityspace.com/smy). Without a doubt, there are numerous benefits of both internal and external auditing. Internal audits can be beneficial as they catch management’s attention in critical business issues (2001). Internal audit. http://www.entrepreneur.com/tra). It lets management understand and analysis the current weaknesses in the system of the control and make key suggestions to improve these controls (2001). Internal audit. http://www.entrepreneur.com/tra). Moreover, one cannot diminish the fact that internal audits clearly give positive reassurance to management when controls are operating in an effective manner (2001). Internal audit. http://www.entrepreneur.com/tra). It gives the organization confidence to rely on their systems and to penetrate the technology aspect to gain a competitive advantage. Lastly, internal auditing can give management an early notice of risk and potential problems that can be addressed before any harm is conjured. The best way to understand the necessity of a sec urity audit is to look at real-life scenarios. For example, a company can run sample testing on certain users who have unauthorized access to log on accounts which have been the root cause of financial

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Specific Powers Vested in the Federal Government by the U.S Essay

The Specific Powers Vested in the Federal Government by the U.S Constitution - Essay Example Some of the powers vested in the federal government by the U.S Constitution outlined in Article 1, Section 8 include the power to collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises uniformly throughout the United States and these will assist in paying the debts. According to the constitution, the federal government has the authority to control money and collect taxes but this should be done uniformly, that is, no state should be charged more for imports than the other. Another power vested in the federal government by the constitution is the power to borrow money on the credit of the United States, that is, the Congress is allowed to go into debts in order to pay for government programs and services. More so, the American constitution states that the federal government has the authority to control commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states as well as the Indian tribes and this implies that the federal government has the authority to regulate both interstate and international business activities. Therefore, the constitution allows the government to regulate all kinds of economic activities within states. In addition, the constitution states that the federal government has the authority to launch a uniform rule of naturalization so that no one is discriminated or prevented from becoming American citizens because of their nationalities. More so, the Congress has the power to set uniform laws on the matter of bankruptcies all over the United States and this allows the Congress to come up with a process that enables immigrants to become American citizens. More so, this clause allows the Congress to establish rules for indebted individuals and various firms to declare  bankruptcy.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Investment & Private Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Investment & Private Banking - Essay Example In this era, corporate issuers search for any form of low-cost funds and then use the derivatives market to alter those claims in a risk profile that cater the financing needs of the corporation (Bethel & Ferrell, 2006). The increased use of derivatives has given sophisticated institutional investors a way to attain risk exposures that they desire and the ability to manage their existing risk exposures in a dynamically cost-effective way. Derivatives are increasingly becoming more and more accepted in the financial markets with competitive prices and margins. But the margins earned by the institutions are declining and thus they have began to engineer more complex securities known as structured products. As the derivatives became more advanced, corporate as well as private investors wanted to protect their downside as well as upside participation in the bear market and bull market respectively. This paved the way for a new kind of derivatives called the structured investment products or structured finance products (Bethel & Ferrell, 2006). Structured products have no exact definition in the business or in the regulatory framework. Definition used by SEC, NASD and NYSE for structured products is that it is an instrument or security that is derived from another security, index, commodity or basket of commodities (Bethel & Ferrell, 2006). This is a broad definition that includes a wide range of products such as equity linked, collateralized debt obligations, credit-default swaps, commodity-linked debt and reverse convertibles. For this reason, according to Hens & Reiger (2009) structured products are also called equity linked or index linked notes that combine one or more assets such as stocks or bonds with a derivative providing a bundle that have specific characteristics for different investors like participation and protection of capital.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Review of the Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review of the Literature - Essay Example Some of the roots of this omission are the West-centric approaches of IR and rise of modernist theorists that highlight the practicality and plurality of the secular versus the religious. This paper reviews the concepts and theories on the resurgence of religion as a legitimate institution in shaping the public sphere and IR. Realist, liberal, and constructivist IR theories neglect the role that religion plays in the formation of nation-states and the development of international relations, and new theories on the religious should be produced to integrate religion into IR discourse. In â€Å"Religious Resurgence,† Elizabeth Shakman Hurd suggests a new approach to religion and international relations that confronts the realist, liberal, and constructivist assumptions that eliminated religion in Western politics. She argues that the religious has political authority, since it impacts local, national, and international politics. She suggests religious resurgence that has core con cepts, which would invite diverse theological politics. The chapter â€Å"The Overlooked Dimension† shows that Fox and Sandler agree with Hurd that religion should be brought into IR studies. Fox and Sandler stress that religion may not be the driving force in world politics, but IR would not be completely examined without considering the nation-state’s religious dimension. Religious legitimacy, they assert, affects policy makers and civil societies, as well as local religious conflicts that cross borders. They ask for western social scientists to insert religion into their social researches, not as a peripheral or incidental subject, but as an additional basis for organizing human society and governance. Religious resurgence underscores the pivotal role of religion in IR, since it is a fundamental component in most cultures and civilizations, and so religion should be viewed as a crucial driving force in international relationships. Hurd calls religious resurgence as the attempt of the religious to shape the secular in domestic and international levels. It is an attempt that found expression in various religious movements and activities, both traditional and fundamentalist. These expressions underline the power of religion in renewing traditional values and relationships. Kubalkova develops the concept of International Political Theology (IPT) in â€Å"Towards an International Political Theology.† IPT does not only focus on power and wealth, as traditional IR does, but includes the values and meaning that people place in human existence. She confirms the resurgence of the religious in IR discourse, because religion gives meaning to human existence and direction. She speaks from the perspective of constructivism, which is unlike positivism that sees religion as a direct opposite of reason. Kubalkova argues that the community of states adopts and changes rules and standards that also coincide or oppose religious beliefs and practices. She p roposes to use constructivism as the theoretical viewpoint to include religion, because it is more practical than positivism, as the former uses social construction in analyzing diverse interacting agencies and their effects on national and IR realities. Richard Falk, in â€Å"A Worldwide Religious Resurgence in an Era of Globalization and Apocalyptic Terrorism,†

Sunday, September 22, 2019

I would like to focus on the way behavioral economics effects a Essay

I would like to focus on the way behavioral economics effects a failing market - Essay Example The extent to which different markets are free, as well as the rules defining private property, is a matter of politics and policy (Concised Encycliopedia of Economics, Free Markets). This economic system where government allows a free hand to all the firms and entreprenuers is on the basis of some 'behavioural assumptions'. The two basic assumptions; that all the producers and consumers are rational in their behaviour and that they have complete information, has gone wrong and been violated numerous times! So, one has to be very clear about the reality that when the assumptions or the structure of a building is weak then how can it hold the burden and functioning of the entire economy. Here comes the need for Government Intervention and the system of 'laisaz-faire' is taken over by a 'mixed economy'! Economic role of the Government has four main components: 1. what is to be produced? 2. how is it to be produced? 3. for whom to be produced? 4. how are these decisions made? (Joseph St igletz, 2000). Now, lets see how an incentive structure can influence different markets. Institutional structure shapes the economic framework of a country. They build the basic structure of an economy which influences the level, pattern, and sustainability of growth. As an evidence, same macroeconomic models when applied to different countries produce different outcomes altogether! Institutions are a set of formal rules and informal norms that together with enforcement mechanism structure human interaction. They are to contain both incentives and disincentives which constraint human behaviour. The fundamental determinant of types of organizations emerging in a country is the institutions in place. Organizations are the players of the game and institutional framework are the rules of the game (Douglass. C. North, 1999). Organizations therefore try to play the game within the rules provided by the institutions. Institutions provide incentives for the organizations by reducing uncerta inty and risk .institution help in minimizing the transaction cost and the transformation cost. Countries all over the world are experiencing patterns of growth because of their institutional framework. Inefficient institutions provide high transaction cost and as a result the country struggle to grow. Incentives such as working hard are missing in inefficient institutions. Efficient institutions create an institutional matrix which strives for growth by reducing transaction cost and changing informal constraints through perceptions. Therefore once a country is stuck on a certain path of growth due to its institutions then it is difficult to revert back. The institutions drive organizations into a particular direction depending upon the incentive structure present. Through these incentives and disincentives embodied in rules they induce: efficiency, merit based solutions, hard work, competition and innovation. Hence, productivity increases and so does economic growth. In such an ins titutional framework organizations like 'Microsoft' emerge. Emergence of Microsoft was not a fluke; it was a direct result of institutions shaping the kind of organization. It has the highest sales in the entire World Industry of software. The reason is extensive research and development. It knows that if it's not at the cutting edge then it is going to get driven out of the market and go bankrupt. This will have backward and

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Performance Measurements Essay Example for Free

Performance Measurements Essay Performance measurements are used to characterize and define performance in a project. They are used to track and manage progress toward achieving specific project goals. Performance measurements help determine how decision-making processes of a project led to its success or failure, understanding these can help organizations make future improvements. It is a project managers responsibility to measure performance based on the triple constraints of time, budget, and quality of a project. There are many performance measurements a project manager can use based on the type of project at hand, this paper compares and contrasts the following measurements * Earned Value * Customer Satisfaction * Requirements Performance Earned Value Earned Value measures work performed in terms of schedule and budget of a project. It helps identify schedule and budget mishaps in all areas of a project. Earned Value is an approach where you monitor the project plan, actual work, and work-completed value to see if a project is on track. Earned Value shows how much of the budget and time should have been spent, with regard to the amount of work done so far (Haughey, 2013). It measures current performance in a project, which helps project managers determine what the future performance will be. Using earned value, project managers can determine how much work is completed vs. , how much was expected to be completed at a certain point in a project. Based on the earned value, project managers can make changes to the way the project is progressing in terms of specific tasks, schedule, and budget to bring it back on track for successful completion. Earned Value provides the project manager with an objective way of measuring performance and predicting future outcomes. This can enable him or her to report progress with greater confidence and highlight any overrun earlier. This in turn, enables the management team to make cost and time allocation decisions earlier than would otherwise be the case (Haughey, 2013). Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is a performance measure that determines if customer expectations are being met. At the end of a project, customer satisfaction is what determines if a project was a success or a failure. Project-driven organizations must consider customer satisfaction as a critical success factor. Organizations that deliver projects that disregard customer needs create negative experiences and ultimately cause huge problems for the organization (Karim, 2012). Project managers must make sure customer expectations and requirements are in line with the project continually during the life of a project. Following are some of the steps he or she can take to ensure customer satisfaction * Balance customer needs with companys customer service needs. Make sure customer requirements are deliverable and clearly communicate those that arent. * Gather continual feedback from customers to measure their satisfaction and improve current processes. * Customer satisfaction should be given as much importance as time, budget, and quality in project. * Include and inform customers when any changes are made in a project. * Effective communication between the customer and Project manager, and between the project manager and project team is very important. Requirements performance Meeting requirements is a key factor in measuring project performance. It is important to make sure that the right requirements have been gathered, and they are detailed as clearly as possible. Requirements in a project can be both functional and non-functional. If a project is meeting all of its requirements, it can be a key factor that indicates if it will be a successful one. To measure this factor you need to develop measures of fit, which means the solution completely satisfies the requirement. A requirements performance index can measure the degree to which project results meet requirements Fit criteria are usually derived some time after the requirement description is first written (Pennypacker, n. d. ). In conclusion, there are many ways to measure project performance and each project has its unique set of performance measurements. Performance measurements are important to track the progress of a project and to make sure the project is on target. Performance measurements are used to monitor and control a project to ensure its successful completion.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Development Of A Web Based Payroll System Computer Science Essay

Development Of A Web Based Payroll System Computer Science Essay Saving time considered to be a leading topic in this modern world where people try to get their work done in a least amount of time. Therefore time spent on simple things in day to day life made easier as web-online has conquered that place. With that intension this payroll system has been developed to organizations where small branches involved. Developing such web based payroll system may facilitate the process of attendance to paying wages for employees. Not only those employees will be able to print their payslips online with no hassle but also they will be able to view their attendance details in their payslip which would be an added feature compared to other systems. To develop the above said web application a research took place in finding which tools has to be used, how the system work, how many users should be involved, how it benefits the company and employees and how the taxations work. Therefore for the payroll web application php, mysql and apache has been used correspondingly in programming, database and web server which comes in a package as wamp for windows. In supporting the above chosen wamp server umlet, dreamweaver, css styles, java script used correspond to drawing uml diagrams, php codings, interface designs and codings. Further in calculating taxes, current tax code and percentages of taxes been used according to current rate of HMRC revenue. Hence, the current system of payroll in organizations has also been observed in concluding the whole process of payroll with the taxations. Payroll system is generally available and could be accessed multiply. An iterative and incremental approach applied throughout developing the payroll system where a piece of coding is tested as it went along with the development. This was useful in finding particular errors affected towards the system and not only that it helped to correct them but also it helped to step forward and trying new functions towards the goal. As php codes takes a major role in this payroll system, validations of functionalities based on it has been quite tricky and useful towards improving knowledge of php and the system. Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction 4 Chapter 2. Aims Objectives 4 Chapter 3. Prior research 5 Chapter 4. Literature Review 8 Chapter 5. Software Requirements 10 Chapter 6. WAMP server 11 Chapter 7. Design of the payroll system 13 16 Chapter 8. System architecture 17 Chapter 9. Development of Payroll System 19 23 Problem Log 26 List of figures 27 References 28 Appendices 30 Introduction Payroll system is a web application based on client server and electronic payment technology, which is aimed at developing a system that manages the payment of monthly wages of employees in an organization. It is supported by a database consisting of its employees details and their attendance details. According to that end of each month the salary is paid to the corresponding bank account of the employee. It also considers employees income tax regulations and NI contributions. Hence it shall deduct the appropriate amount of deductions at their salary if they earn more than  £647 per month. Further a payslip could be generated taking the above in to account. The following technologies have been used in developing the above said application. WAMP server CSS Macromedia Dreamweaver Umlet Aims Objectives The proposed system would allow the user to do their work in prototype. Hence, it has many gains compared to a manual system. In manual systems a main problem seems to be is maintaining the number of records and finding a particular record. Further calculating the final pay after income tax and other deductions would consume a lot of time. But the proposed system is capable of calculating the deductions automatically. Some of the features of the proposed system are given below: Maintaining the Database for Admin, Employee, attendance etc.. Attendance report. Generate payslips. Prior research Fact gathering techniques were used for the following reasons, To identify the problem in a payroll system. To avoid repetition. To complete these tasks following techniques has been used, 1. Interviews a basic source of quality information. Allows gathering information from an existing system where an administrator or manager could be the user. It facilitates to discover areas of misunderstandings, indication of resistance to the proposed system. An interview could be a structured or an unstructured in this state. In a structured interview questions are standardized and in an unstructured interview questions are worded to suit the respondent that provide the information about the areas overlooked or not thought to be important. Comparison of the structured and unstructured interviewing are detailed as below. Advantages: Structured: Ensures uniform wording of questions to all respondents. Easy to administer and evaluate. Less interview training required. Result in shorter time. Unstructured: Questions can be worded to suit the respondent. May produce the information about the areas overlooked or not thought to be important. Disadvantages: Structured: Cost of preparation is high. Such high level of structure may not always be suitable. Some respondent may resist to such structure. Unstructured: Inefficient use of interviewer and respondent time. Results take a longer time. Extra time required for the collection of essential facts. The success of the interview depends on the skill of the interviewer and his/her preparation for the interview. Analysts must also be aware of the kinds of difficulties at some interview, and must know how to deal with the potential problems. Conducting interviews determines qualitative information such as, Activities involved in process of taking the attendance. Activities involved in the process of Payslip generation. Limitation of existing system. Problems faced by the user in the existing system. 2. Record Inspection Analysing facts from documents, examining information which has recorded about the system and users. Examining forms, files about an existing system. Such records may include, Written policy manuals. Rules and regulations. Standard operating procedures used in the Payroll and Attendance System Forms and documents. A good documentation system provides relationships and interaction between them. Further would give an idea of the structure activities, procedures and flow of data. But it would not show how each task performed or where the decision making power lies. To gather details about the payroll system several kinds of records and reports has been reviewed such as, Standard operating procedure Reports generated by an existing system. Document flow (input/output) of the Payroll and Attendance System. Process of Preparing the Payslip. Process of deducting the salary for tax and NI contributions. Types and format of database registers. 3. Observation could bring missed facts, duplicate work done unintentionally. Its not the quantity of time observed is important but the unusual angles of observation of the work content and methods would be more useful. Observation may focus on, Operational inefficiencies. Alternate routes and procedures. Interruptions in the normal flow of work. The usage of files and documents. Informal communication channels, etc. On site observation provides a close view of the working real system, objects, documents and occurrences of events. Literature Review Considering the research took place towards developing a new payroll system the limits of the current system seems to be affecting in many ways not only the admin staff, manager or company but also to the employees concerning their wages and payslips. Check-in attendance to paying wages the whole process seems to be dragging and time consuming of admin, manager and employees. The attendance check-in system which is currently in operation has to be a double work where firstly the attendance is checked by paper in a prepared sheet for it and then will be entered to the system later with times when the employees started work and ended work. Therefore the each of employee has to look for his/her name in the registry which is in a paper and sign in/out with time ahead his/her name on it and then the admin staff who enters them in the system has also got to find the names on page in the system to clock him/her in/out. This system seems to be a hassle for the admin where it could be done in one go. So the new system would take away that headache from admin where he/she could do it one click per staff. When an employee logs in just a click in front of his name would clock him in and the time of work started will be recorded automatically. Like wise the when the employee finishes work clocked out time will be recorded and the attendance counts towards his pay. In the above case another popular scenario could be when an employee begins work at a late time, admin has to deduct the pay hours or pay corresponding to that. But because the times of clock-in will be entered to the system automatically there wont be any need of altering the timings of employees. Therefore again it facilitates the work of admin staff. Moving on with the attendance to the wages of employees, some of the companies account departments are outsourced simultaneously some others got their own accountants. So in transferring wages to employee bank accounts and for tax deductions account departments are involved and the attendance checked by admin staff will be forwarded to the appropriate account department. Account department uses the national rate of taxes for employee earnings according to HM Revenue Customs and the relevant amount of taxes will be deducted depending on employees earning. Even in this scenario it is another point where human resources could be saved a s software applications could be used which would process the attendance to final pay after calculating taxes. Therefore it is another advantage to be seen in the new payroll system. Not only that, chances of making mistakes in entering the attendances or pay to the system could be avoided in the new payroll system. Hence, the new payroll system shall lead towards paying wages to the employees. After making payments to employees keeping records of paid amounts and record of due amounts also seem to be an additional point when comparing against the previous systems where paid records kept at account departments. Therefore possibilities of misconception have been avoided between employees and management by having these records as proof. Looking at the employee payslips in the previous system it had to be sent by a separate department to the employees by post. But in the new payroll system, payslips made available online to employees where there wont be any need to wait for payslips to arrive. Retail giant Tesco reveals in The one (june) as below, Driven by security and environmental issues, the move to online notification of pay is set to take place this summer, saving postage and paper on up to 4.7million payslips a year. Further rather than just being a payslip provided in the new payroll system it also has the feature of displaying the attendance according to which the salary is paid. And also it is available to print in addition to viewing. Plus an employee will be able to view and print the salary sheets of the previous months too which has been another outstanding step in the new system. Even though it could be a large page of salary sheet due to displaying all the attendances, it is concerned as fact of giving the accurate information stored to the employees and this would build up confidence and trust towards the company. Software Requirements Functional Requirements Admin: In this module admin is provided with many services such as Add new employee, Update employee details, Mark in/out attendance, Update salary Details, view/print salary slips, payment to employees. Employee: In this module employee is provided with the services such as View earnings, View deductions, View and print salary slip. Non-Functional Requirements System can endure even though many number of users requested the desired service. By incorporating a robust and proven database, reliable performance and integrity of data is ensured. There must be a power backup for server system. Ensure sensitive data is protected from unwanted access by users and implementing appropriate technology to strict user- access criteria. WAMP server WAMP is an open source collaborated web development kit which contains all the ingredients such as Apache, PHP and the MySQL database you need to develop and create web applications It also comes with an inbuilt phpMyAdmin page which allows you to easily manage your databases. Further it is a solution kit that will allow you to reproduce your production server. One important aspect of the WAMP server is that once it is installed and is in play, the manager has the freedom to install as many latest releases of Apache, MySql or PHP. Functionalities of the WAMP Functions are very easy and less complicated; they are straightforward and can be viewed by just a click which will enable you to : Manage Apache and MySQL services Switch online/offline (give access to everyone or only localhost) Install and switch Apache, MySQL and PHP releases Manage server settings Access logs Access settings files Create alias Why an open source has been used They are free Totally free and available to the general public. Software developers and programmers can use them in improving their existing software or create new programs. Doesnt require a license or sales fee. They are cross-platform and technology-neutral. Programs are usable virtually by everyone as ensured by the open source community. Open source programs are not dependant on any individual technology or style and they are technology-neutral. It shall meet the criteria as long as it runs on more than one operating system. They must not restrict other software gives software developers the maximum control and flexibility. They embrace diversity open source programs cannot discriminate against any person or group of persons. Looking more into features of the above used, Apache 2.2.6 As its main job it parses files requested by a browser and display results according to the code. It is powerful and could achieve any virtual task that required. Authentication/authorization make simpler certain authentication configurations. Caching considering production quality. Configurations made simpler and modularised. Proxying load balancing provided. Large file support support files larger than 2GB. PHP 5.2.5 Stands for Hypertext Pre-processor and is a server-side scripting language which allows a website to be keep alive. Controls memory consumption between requests. Improved speed of arrays. MySQL 5.0.45 MySQL is a structured query language server which has been designed to process complex queries and for heavy loads. It enables PHP and Apache to work together to access and display data in a browser. For maximum efficiency and speed it allows many tables to join together as a relational database. Cursors server-side cursors supported. Triggers triggers supported. Views updatable, named views supported. Design of the payroll system Payroll system is designed for a small organization/branch/department where there would be less employees compared to a large number of employees payroll system. Admin and employee are the two main users of the system. Considering the system as a whole, the following steps have been taken in process of functionality. Add new employee personal details of the new employee would be added with a pay rate per hour. Edit employee details capacity of updating employee details Delete employee delete an employee when an employee is no more with the organisation Clock in/out marking the attendance according to which an attendance report would be printed and be paid to the employee. Attendance report to view/print attendance report. Salary sheet 1st of every month employees will get paid according to the hours worked and the salary sheet would include worked hours, hourly pay, NI contributions, income tax and net salary. The salary sheet could be printed/viewed. Payment payment is made according to the net salary of the employee. A record would be kept on payment details date, time, employee id and amount. Class diagram below shows the structure of the system with its classes, attributes and the relationships between the classes. CLASS DIAGRAM glass Relate to the design of the system as said above there are two users who get access to the payroll such as admin and employee. Use case diagram below presents a graphical overview of the functionalities of the payroll system in terms of actors, goals and their dependencies between use cases. It shall show what system functions are performed by admin and employee. USE CASE DIAGRAM System architecture Payroll system is a web based application created using three tier architecture and an iterative, incremental approach to design used in the process of development. Figure 1. three blocks which represents the client-server architecture Client block a client side application which runs on an operating systems graphical user interface. Passes the challenges to the middleware block and it handles the non-local services. Client also runs a component of the distributed system management which could be a simple negotiator to an entire front end application on a managed station. Server block a server side application which runs on top of a shrink-wrapped server software package. Server side depends on the operating system to interface with the middleware block which brings the requests. Server also runs a distributed system management which could be a simple negotiator on a managed PC to an entire back end application. Middleware block runs both on the client and the server side of an application. Likewise the above middleware also has a distributed system management component. As Orfali et al(1999)states in contrast to using other form of distributed software client server architecture inherits the following characteristics, Service client is a consumer of service and the server is a provider of service. Therefore, client-server provides a clean division of function based service. Shared resources server could provide service to many clients same time and regulate access to shared resources. Asymmetrical protocols clients always initiate with a request for service and servers wait for requests from clients. Transparency of location Mix and match client/server is independent of hardware or operating system software platforms. Able to mix and match between platforms. Message based exchanges message is the delivery mechanism for service requests and replies. Clients and servers interact through message passing mechanism. Encapsulation of services without affecting the clients server can be upgraded as long as the published interface is not changed. Scalability client/server systems could be scaled horizontally or vertically. In horizontal scaling with a slight performance impact client workstations could be added or removed. In vertical scaling, across multiple servers processing loads are distributed or larger and faster machines are migrated. Integrity server code and server data are centrally managed which outcomes in cheaper maintenance and protecting data integrity. Same time clients stay independent and personal. Development of Payroll System As mentioned above admin and employee are the two users of the payroll system. Many users could be added in the database as admin users. Therefore added all admin users shall be privileged to perform admin tasks in fulfilling their needs. A login process for any user involves few components such as, Form of submitting the login information A validation to confirm the information has been submitted. A database query which compares the submitted information against the stored information. After successful login as an admin staff view of the homepage would look like below, Admin homepage Figure 2. home page of admin staff with quick access icon. As shown above using icons of the homepage or using the tabs on top, corresponding page could be accessed. Further in addition to the tabs an admin could change his/her password using the icon on the homepage which would also update the database according to it. Doing so would give a conformation saying that the update has been successfully completed. Employee page allows admin to add a new employee with employee personal details and also allows updating details of employee. The details of employee would be saved in the database and further an employee attendance details, payments made, payment balance could be viewed. If an employee doesnt exist anymore his/her details will be deleted and this will remove his/her details from the database too.   Figure 3. a page which opens to update details of an employee from employee page. Update employee information An employee who is entered to the system in the database will automatically be inserted in attendance check-in in the attendance page. Therefore when admin staff does the attendance check employee name will be selected from the arrow-down list and it will display below to view which employees has arrived to work. Simultaneously database will be updated in the check-out table with the check-in information of the employee who has been clocked-in. By the time when the corresponding employee finishes his/her work shift, admin would check-out from the drop-down list again. Doing so would remove the check-in information of the employee from the check-out table in database and the attendance information will be entered to the attendance report and the payslip adding to his/her worked hours towards the final pay. Attendance check-in/check-out Figure 4. attendance check-in and out for employees by admin. Therefore admin staffs are able to view an attendance report of an employee in the employee page where it is referred to an employee. Not only that, the details of attendance will also be displayed in the payslips where could printed from the salary sheet page. In the salary page an admin staff can select the employee name which ever she/he wants to print the payslip of. Further after selecting the employees name, again admin is capable of selecting which months payslip she/he wants to print.   Doing so would open a page and enables to print it according to which was selected by admin.   Considering the deductions of taxes which are income tax and NI contributions, when the pay is calculated end of each month automatically the above taxes would be deducted in a rate 15% for income tax and 9% for NI contributions. Therefore the final net pay would be calculated automatically as the salary for each employee. An important factor here involved in deductions is, inclusion of a tax code to the pay.   At a national rate of 647 which reveals that up to a pay of  £647 per month the above said tax would not be deducted and who ever earns above the rate of  £647 will have to pay the above mentioned taxes. Therefore the above said taxes will automatically be deducted when an employee earns above the tax code.   Regarding salary payments to the employees, net pay for each month will be paid end of that month to the employee. In the payments page this could be done and who ever needs to be paid can be selected from the drop down list. When a payment is made to an employee a record will be kept in the database in the payments and also the recent paid payments records will also be displayed below in the payments page. Further if theres a balance due to pay it will record and could be viewed in the employee details. Therefore any remaining payments could be checked straight away and can get rid of under paying, shortages and keeping balance payments to employees. And also because the employee gets payments according to his worked hours there is no fraud involved or alterations cannot be made. In such way this payment could be considered as secure method of paying salaries.   Payslip of an employee Figure 5. Payslip of an employee which records not only the NI contributions and income taxes but also the attendance of an employee. Apart from functions of  payment and attendance an admin also can change his/ her password from the homepage using change password icon for a given admin username.   Finally taking admin privileges as whole, admin takes the responsibility of adding new employee, updating employee details, deleting employee, the attendance system which is checkin-in and out of employees in order to record their attendance towards their wages and the payment system which includes paying wages and keeping records of them.   Payments page where salary paid Figure 6. Paying wages for employees by an admin staff. In the event of employee user functions each and every employee will have their own passwords assigned by the admin when each employee registers with the payroll system. Doing so will create separate users for employees to access their attendance report and in printing their payslips. Passwords for employee login could only be changed by an admin user in edit employee details. Matching login details with the payroll database would allow the user to access his/her profile which contents the attendance report and the salary sheet of employee. Figure 7. Homepage of an employee user. Not only the tabs displayed would allow accessing the corresponding page but also the shortcut icons in the homepage would allow doing so. In the attendance page an employee could view his/her attendance so far and will also be able to print it. Likewise in the salary sheet page by selecting the necessary month of salary sheet allows to view and print the corresponding salary sheet. Figure 8. months of the salary sheets given to choose from. Figure 9. salary sheet for a chosen month of an employee. Problem Log Error Date Explanation Solution 1.fatal error: function name must be a string 03-05-10 appropriate brackets not used Change the brackets style 2.notice undefined index php 03-05-10 Post method not defined properly $fname = $_POST[fname]; 3.parser error: 25-05-10 Retrieving method not defined properly per row while($row = mysql_fetch_array( $result )) 4. Notice: Use of undefined constant id assumed id 27-05-10 Undefined id with brackets Define id with brackets 5. Parse error: syntax error, unexpected $end 01-07-10 No ending, missing brackets Include appropriate brackets 6. logging out to a blank page 02-07-10 Should revert to log-in page Include a header 7. Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_constant_encapsed_string 02-07-10 Using invalid symbol Use inverted comas appropriately 8. parser error 03-07-10 Unexpected ending Php headers and appropriate brackets List of figures Figure 1. three blocks which represents the client-server architecture 17 Figure 2. home page of admin staff with quick access icon. 19 Figure 3. a page which opens to update details of an employee from employee page. 20 Figure 4. attendance check-in and out for employees by admin. 21 Figure 5. Payslip of an employee which records not only the NI contributions and income taxes but also the attendance of an employee. 22 Figure 6. Paying wages for employees by an admin staff. 23 Figure 7. Homepage of an employee user. 23 Figure 8. months of the salary sheets given to choose from. 24 Figure 9. salary sheet for a chosen month of an employee. 25 Figure 10. Employee table in the payroll database 29