Evaluate consequences of global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluate consequences of global warming - Essay Example Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the consequences of global warming; its adverse impacts on the earth’s ecological system, and consequently on human, plant and animal life. The leading theory on global warming is that human industrial activity over the last century is the root cause of global warming, since it has been causing carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere. Similarly, modes of transportation such as cars and buses increase the emission levels. Further, the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests result in production of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, which remain in the atmosphere for several decades and even centuries (Behreandt, 2006). The accumulated gas prevents heat in the atmosphere from escaping into space, and the retained gas causes rise in the environmental temperature, termed as the greenhouse effect. This causes greater retention of heat by the earth, because carbon dioxide absorbs the earth’s heat radiation and acts like a blanket over the earth’s surface (Houghton, 2004). The rise in atmospheric warming activates natural processes that cause increasing release of greenhouse gases. Michaels (2005, p.50) states that â€Å"planetary near surface temperature has increased by approximately 1.5 degrees centigrade over the past century, and will continue at a higher rate for the next century†. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science agree that â€Å"greenhouse gases accumulating in the earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, cause surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise† (Behreandt, 2006, p.10). The melting of ice from high altitudes and glaciers alters unique landscapes,

Homeschool vs Public School Essay Example for Free

Homeschool vs Public School Essay The recent growth, popularity, and success of homeschool have left many parents wondering if public school is the right choice for their children. While public school is still the most trusted and convenient way for parents to have their children educated, many parents are starting to research and learn more about the option of homeschooling. For many parents, it is hard to think outside the box, when it comes to their children’s education, yet, more parents are convinced every day that this may be the right choice for their children. Parents considering homeschool are worried that they might not be able to provide the proper education, and learning tools, as well as the structure of public school. Others are simply worried that their publicly educated children will not be as well rounded or socialized if they are homeschooled. For many advocates, whether home school or public school, the environment offered by withers situation is definitely a determining factor as to whether their child should be home or publicly schooled. Proponents of homeschool think that children will thrive better in a safe, comfortable, familiar environment. Ironically, so do public school advocates. Homeschool parents believe that home is the safest, most secure environment for their children to learn. A decade ago a homeschooled teen had to miss out on school dances, band, sports, driver’s education and more. This is no longer the case. The options are endless depending on your local school district. Most junior and high schools support dual enrollment. This means that a child can be homeschooled and still go to the school for subject that the student along with the parents decides. This can be math, wood working, computer technology, and many more things. If the child is enrolled they are entitled to most if not all of the extracurricular activities that the school offers. In a home school setting, a child does not have to deal with fitting in, peer pressure, or cliques. Homeschool parents will argue that by homeschooling they prevent most of the negative social problems of school. Many argue that school is not like real life. In the real world you do get to choose who you associate with for the most part. You are not shoved into a room of your same age peers for 12 years or more. In public schools children are forced to deal with persecution because of the clothes they wear may not be the coolest, or their shoes may not be a brand name. Children are forced to deal with peer pressures to have sex, experiment with drugs, or truancy. Homeschool children are able to focus solely on their education. They are usually able to work at their own pace in their own style. While publicly schooled children are forced into a strict schedule, and everything is on a timed basis. Public school advocates argue that public school teaches the child to separate themselves from their parents, and begin to rely on themselves more. That it teaches responsibility. They also believe that the natural interaction between children in school is healthy, and it teaches them character, and individuality. As a matter of fact, many public school supporters believe that actual book learning is not as important as learning how to deal with others. Only you can decide which is more important for your child. Along with everything else, parents and their children have to consider the curriculum, and is this right for the individual circumstance. How your child learns is a major factor in determining if your child should be in public school or homeschooled. Most children learn the same basic skills whether they are public, or homeschooled. They learn to read, write, and basic math. Both sides agree that this is a good foundation. However, it is beyond the basics that the two types of schooling differ, and the argument begins. Homeschooled children tend to learn through individual experience. Regular public school children learn through relationships, and according to studies, that’s what builds character in a child. [www. publicschools. org]. this is clearly a huge argument in the war of Homeschool versus public school. Homeschool parents are able to choose the focus of their child’s education. Whether it is based on their religion and beliefs, or the child’s natural curiosity. This does not mean that a child is homeschooled based solely on religion or because they are religious. It simply gives parents an option to have religion incorporated in their children’s schooling. More parents said that they chose to homeschool a child in order to offer religious or moral instruction. This reason was given more than any other reason as the most important for homeschooling. This accounts for 36 percent of homeschooled students [The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U. S.  Department of Education (USDOE) Institute of Education Sciences (IES)]. Public schools have eliminated religion because the government feels that it may offend someone if we pray a certain prayer that a student with a different religion may not. So, they decided to separate church and state. This means that there are no more prayers in public schools or their events. There are â€Å"moments of silence†. Thus, many homeschool parents incorporate it into their lessons. Public school bases their curriculum on state based lesson, which aim to make the students reach and hopefully surpass their goals. This curriculum is constantly changing with the times. A drawback of public education curriculum is that there is not a lot of time to spend in depth on one particular subject, but students are exposed to a broad spectrum of subjects. Every parent is a teacher [www. phdinparenting. com]. Whether they realize it or not. From day one we teach our children, and never stop. It is the argument of homeschool advocates that if we can teach them life skills and basically everything they learn from day one, then why can’t we educate our children? Public school advocates argue that the difference is the time a teacher has spent learning methods and perfecting the art of educating a child. Homeschooled parents are concerned that their children are not having enough one on one time with teachers. They are concerned that the teacher to student ratio is out of control. The norm in public school is 31 students to 1 teacher. Most classes are 30 to 45 minutes in length. After roll call, going over the daily lesson, passing up homework, etc. , there is less than 1 minute available for each student to communicate with the teacher. Homeschool advocates are concerned that sometimes this means that the quality of education a child gets in public school is not as good as that of homeschool. Many students believe that the education they are getting is quite adequate. They are sure that half the things they learn in class they will not need in â€Å"real life† anyway. They assume the free ride through college from their high school football career will get them everything they need in life. Children who have this belief are sorely mistaken. If they are not equipped with the communication skills, and life skills, as well taught esponsibility then why have the great football career? They will have no idea how to negotiate terms, negotiate contracts, or how to properly spend and invest their income. These are all vital things that a child needs to be taught. Homeschool parents believe that they can instill in their children all of those things. No extracurricular activities for homeschoolers, you say? Wrong!! There are programs that allow homeschool children to take some of their classes in a private school type setting to allow them to play on the local high school football team. As long as their grades and transcripts are all in order, they can be just as successful and get scholarships just as a public school student. We, as parents have to make our own decisions about how our children are educated. Whether they are public or home schooled, we have to ensure that our children are getting the best possible education, in the best environment, by the best teachers. It is not our job to be sure that they are the most popular, or the class favorite. It is our job to make sure that they are educated, moral, responsible, well rounded individuals no matter the method by which they are educated.

Shakespeares Hamlet - The Reality of Appearances Essay examples -- Re

The Reality of Appearances in Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Within Hamlet the notion of appearances (through apparitions and mental afflictions) lies in direct dichotomy of reality.   This becomes evident through both plot and character.   The continual demise in Hamlet’s mental state is an important issue which leads us to question his actions and motives within the play.   In this essay I shall be attempting to elucidate how the reality of appearances is a central theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The play's plot is full of incidents and events that are not what they appear to be. One such incident is Ophelia's ambiguous death. When, from the Queen, the audience first learns of her passing, the girl's death seems very peaceful, poetic and accidental. But later, during the Graveyard Scene, when the clowns are discussing her death, they classify it as a suicide. Does Ophelia, as it appears, absent-mindedly set foot too far into the murky waters and, held down by her heavy garments, meets with her untimely death? Or, does she, mad with grief caused by Hamlet's "insanity" and her father's death, willingly march to her muddy grave? Another example occurs when Laertes, Ophelia's brother, and King Claudius devise the Triple-Pronged plan. They set up a duel between Hamlet and Laertes. Since both young men are presumably using bated swords, this confrontation appears to be a simple, ordinary fencing match, no one will get hurt. Despite its h armless... ...etations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 65-86 Findlay, Alison. "Hamlet: A Document in Madness." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 189-205. Hopkins, Lisa. "Parison and the Impossible Comparison." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 153-164. Rose, Mark. "Reforming the Role." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 117-128 Wiggins, Martin. "Hamlet Within the Prince." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 209-226.   

How the Role of Women Has Changed Essay

How much has the role of women changed in the last 30 years? Since the introduction of the pill on the NHS and the equal pay act we have seen massive changes in how women are viewed in society. In this essay I will be looking at how these have changed societies views and how they have affected women. I want to research this topic as I believe that there has been great leaps forward in how women are able to live and how this is now affecting the rest of the world. I will be analysing some of the recent changes in polices and attitudes that have taken place that have allowed women to become more productive members in the professional working environment. Over the last 30 years of feminism we have seen women shaking off the stereo typical attitude of females being second class citizens. Women are now able to go into higher education and thus allowing them showing great determination, will power, stamina and courage to apply and take on the role of many high powered jobs that were once only seen as a job for males. And now women have greater opportunities than ever before. But they are showing a lower sense off well being this seems to come as quite a shock as women have managed to liberate theme self’s from the traditional view.(http://www.dailymail.co.uk) Women have never had so much equity that they have now and we are now seeing female miners ,doctors and dentist which shows that they can get on any single job that they want. Women are still able to have children some as much two or three and are still managing to keep up a balance of family and work life.(http://www.dailymail.co.uk) The introduction of the pill has had the biggest social and family impact that has been seen in our time. When it was first introduced the government was not happy about providing it to all women as they did not want to be seen to promote promiscuity so they mainly issued it to older women who already had children and did not want to have any more. But in a controversial move in 1974 saw family planning clinics give the pill out to single women which made it a lot easer for theme to decide if they wanted to have children. It is now estimated that two million women in England and Wales take the pill and 70% of all women have at some stage been prescribed the pill.( http://www.bbc.co.uk)This was revolutionary for women at the time now they have a greater freedom than ever before. Women could now decide when they got pregnant which means they could go on to higher education and become a career woman not just a mother and house wife. The introduction of the Equal Pay Act 1970 ,now the Equity Act 2010, was supposed to close the gap on the amount that men got paid compared to women for doing the same job. But recent statistics show that men still earn more in 370 out of 426 job classification than women who earn more in only 53 job classifications. Ruth Sealy, Deputy director of the International Centre for Women Leaders at Cranford University said â€Å"it’s appalling how can this be when we have equality laws?†(http://www.guardian.co.uk) The government has made a decision to change one of it’s polices in the Equality Act that would have made companies disclose the percentage of pay differences between men and women by 2013 .Sealy believes that this policy is responsible for the 2 % decline in the pay gap between men and women in 2011 and now it is not in place the pay gap may start to increase again.(http://www.guardian.co.uk) Although this dose sound like the Equality Act is not working as it was intended to there is light at the end of tunnel. Lord Davies independent review into woman on boards has given Britain’s 100 biggest companies until 2015 to increase the amount of women who sit on boards from 12.5% to 25%. There has already been a marked improvement since the report has been published the figures have went up by 2.5% to 15% Lord Davies said† this is amazing progress†. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Family life has changed over the last 30 years we are now seeing more women going into work which means that there are now two incomes coming into the family home and people are now living better that they once did. Women are now living like men once did they are going out to work meeting new people and enjoying a social life away from the husband. And it seems that men are staying at home and spend more time with the children.(http://www.guardian.co.uk) A recent study carried out by the Equal Opportunities Commission found that 69% agreed that there life’s are becoming more similar in rearguards to how much time they can spend between work and family life. Now women are spending more time at work it means that they have to rush home to see the children before bed time or to care for a relative. Due to this change people are becoming more worried about family life how is it going to turn out if this sexual revaluation is going to continue we will need to start looking at the policy that are in place for the elderly and disabled so we can give them more of a say on how they want to live if the availability of family care is going to reduce.(http://www.guardian.co.uk) Women have moved dramatically forward in the last 30 years there have been so many changes in the attitudes of society that have enabled women to feel more empowered about the choices that they can make in their own life. The attitude that people have towards women is far from the typical attitude that people had in regards what role women should take on as they are no longer expected to be the house wife or the mum. Women are now becoming professionals and are now sitting on the boards of some of the most powerful companies in the world. This is all great but how is this affecting the way in which parents bring up families if men and women are now living similar life’s how will be able to bring up our family and give the parental support to the children if both the parents are out trying to promote there careers. If this is going to continue people will need to start thinking about the future of family life. We will have to find a way in which family’s will be able to function at a normal level and still be able to support women to carry on and progress even further. Is it going to be a case some fifty years down the line that the gender revaluation has went so far that the roles of men and women will have completely turned around. Our will the gender revaluation reach a point where both sexes are able to work and provide a healthy family life. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15984258 (Date accessed 20/03/2012) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1189894/Women-happy-years-ago-.html (Date accessed 25/03/2012) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1189856/M-S-boss-Stuart-Rose-Glass-ceiling-Women-good-workplace.html (Date accessed 02/04/2012) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/08/four-decades-on-equal-pay-yet-to-come (Date accessed 03/04/2012) http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/nov/23/equality.socialcare ( Date accessed 04/04/2012) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9090327/Lord-Davies-shakes-up-Britains-boardrooms.html (Date accessed 06/04/2012) Richard D. Gross (1994). Key Studies in Psychology. 2nd ed. London: Hodder And Stoughton. 100.

Is the Search for Extraterrestrial Life Doomed to Fail? Essay

The search for extraterrestrial life is not doomed to fail. Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Babylonians, Indians, and Sumerians had all believed in the existence of extraterrestrial life, even if they were principally focused on angels and demons in their belief. The Jewish Talmud stated that there are at least eighteen thousand other worlds. Hindu belief also revolved around multiple worlds in contact with each other. The Muslims’ Qur’an says, â€Å"All praise belongs to God, Lord of all the worlds† besides mentioning angels and jinns (â€Å"Extraterrestrial Life†). Thus scientists have enough support from historical and religious traditions of humanity to keep on searching for extraterrestrial life. This search may go on until humanity takes a quantum leap, or hits the point of a breakthrough in its endeavor. After all, most of the scientific discoveries and leaps did not occur without persistent efforts and firm faith in the fact that we will eventually make it through. Besides, scientists are some of the most persistent and confident humans on earth today, who know that they will make it through. James F. Kasting wrote, â€Å"Habitable planets are likely to exist around stars not too different from the Sun if current theories about terrestrial climate evolution are correct. Some of these planets may have evolved life, and some of the inhabited planets may have evolved O2-rich atmospheres† (291). We are assuming that other species on other planets in our universe may be living in conditions very similar to ours. In other words, in human understanding extraterrestrial life must involve the use of water, sunlight, air, etc. However, if we believe in angels and jinns of the historical and religious traditions, we are instinctively aware that these species do not rely on the kinds of terrestrial conditions that we rely on. Hence, we might have to change our focus IS THE SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE DOOMED TO FAIL? Page # 2 on terrestrial conditions in order to find proof of extraterrestrial life. We might discover, for example, that different uses of lenses to bend light or to employ it in a different way – would allow us to see angels. Our world has talked enough about Unidentified Flying Objects or UFO’s. Despite the photographs and eye witnesses of UFO’s, most people in the scientific community refuse to believe in UFO’s and also urge the public toward disbelief, because the majority of scientists searching for extraterrestrial life have not thus far had the opportunity to capture and dissect aliens coming out of the UFO’s. And yet, there is talk about alien capture from Area 51 in California. There are countless reports, in fact, about the existence of UFO’s. If all scientists were to believe in the phenomena of UFO’s at this point, one of the requirements to substantiate their belief would be a certain level of control over the extraterrestrial life. Seeing that scientists have not thus far managed to exercise control over UFO’s and aliens, the way they have control over their spaceships, most of them claim that UFO’s and aliens may be a falsehood. Once again, this is only because aliens and UFO’s have not subjected themselves to human scrutiny the way human beings give in to human biology experiments. NASA’s Chief Historian, Steven J. Dick has written that one of the most important tasks of NASA undertaken since the beginning of the Space Age has been the search for life beyond earth. As a matter of fact, in the year 1962 the Space Science Board of the National Academy of Sciences had declared that NASA’s nascent space biology efforts had the search for extraterrestrial life as the prime goal. Moreover, writes Dick, NASA believes that â€Å"Without organic molecules, the building blocks of life, life cannot exist. † To put it another way, the most IS THE SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE DOOMED TO FAIL? Page # 3 important scientific venture to search for extraterrestrial life does not even consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life being anything dissimilar to life on earth. In scientists’ view, extraterrestrial life must be based on conditions that are very similar to those for life on earth. As an example of its scientific victory in the search for extraterrestrial life, NASA believes that it has found evidence of water flowing on Mars. Alex Stone writes that the presence of water greatly increases the likelihood that living organisms once thrived on the planet, and perhaps still inhabit Mars today. And so, Stone states: Pictures taken by the camera on NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor suggest that rivulets of liquid water were flowing on the Red Planet within the past few years and may still be flowing today, welling up from beneath the Martian surface and streaming down gullies along the sloping walls of impact craters. †¦. But is the liquid flowing down these gullies really water? Probably, say experts at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but more evidence is needed to seal the case. â€Å"You can never be certain from orbit,† says Ken Edgett, a member of the research team that made the discovery. â€Å"But this is the best evidence yet of liquid water being present on Mars right now† (20). If we are only searching for extraterrestrial life that resembles what we have on earth, it may or may not take a long time to find extraterrestrial life. The search would not be futile still, for we will gather much evidence about other aspects of our universe in the process. All the same, IS THE SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE DOOMED TO FAIL? Page # 4 according to historical and religious traditions of humanity, angels are made of light and jinns are made of fire. It would perhaps be best for scientists to try finding life that is based on light and fire to boot. In other words, scientists have to consider the possibility that extraterrestrial life may be based on an infinite number of elements. Water, air, and sunlight may not be necessary to support other forms of life. Seeing that we have not by now discovered everything we possibly can about our universe, we also must assume that we have failed to consider the possibilities of other elements making up extraterrestrial life. Hence, scientists must be more open to exploration than before, taking into account both the historical and religious traditions of extraterrestrial life, in order for their knowledge base to be complete. After all, they still debate about the origins of life on earth – about God versus Darwin. In both of these belief systems, our understanding of life is incomplete. Neither God nor evolution has explained to human minds everything to know about the universe. Therefore, assumptions are necessary. Moreover, it is crucial for scientists to open themselves up to alternate theories of life. They may decide to start by trying to see angels of light and jinns of fire simply because these beings are referred to in the historical and religious traditions of humanity. Eventually, we are bound to find extraterrestrial life, even if it means that our earth may be destroyed by an asteroid before scientists can capture on a massive scale images of angels and jinns. In that case, we all might go through the experiences of those who have been near death, that is, there would appear an angel of light to each one of us and tell us what we needed to know. IS THE SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE DOOMED TO FAIL? Page # 5 Works Cited 1. Dick, Steven J. â€Å"The Search for Life. † NASA (2005, June 26). Retrieved from http://www. nasa. gov/mission_pages/exploration/whyweexplore/index. html. (28 February 2007). 2. â€Å"Extraterrestrial Life. † Wikipedia (2007). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_life. (28 February 2007). 3. Kasting, James F. â€Å"Habitable Zones Around Low Mass Stars and The Search for Extraterrestrial Life. † Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, Volume 27, Numbers 1-3 (1997, June), pp. 291-307. 4. Stone, Alex. â€Å"Like Water For Mars. † Discover (2007, February), pp. 20.

George Meade Essays - George Meade, Meade County, South Dakota

George Meade Essays - George Meade, Meade County, South Dakota George Meade George Meade Do you know who was the general for the Second Battle of Bull Run? Everyone kGeorge Meadenowswhat the Second Battle of Bull Run is but who was the general? Some people even knowthat the North won that battle. Most people do not know that General George Meadedefeated General Lee at that battle. General George Mead accomplished much duringwartime.General George Meade had many accomplishments during wartime. First of all, hedefeated General Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Why would not General Meadecrush General Lee at this battle and end the war there? Facts say that heavy fog and rainforced Meade to stop. Likewise, on June 1, !863 a surprise encounter forced his troopsinto the Battle of Gettysburg, the greatest battle on American soil. This battle came aboutwhen General Lee's army needed shoes. The two forces met here on accident and fought toa victory for the North. Lee acknowledged his defeat and retreated to Virginia. Not onlydid Meade serve in the Civil War, but also served in the Mexican War. He served in thebattles of Palo Alto, Monterey, and Veracruz. During these he served under GeneralZachory Taylor. To sum up, General George Meade accomplished many things during histime at war. Each of General George Meade's accomplishments had one major effect on howlife is today. To start, if Meade had not defeated Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run thewar would not have started off positively for the North. This was important because thesoldiers gained their confidence when they won this battle. If the North would have lostthe entire war the U.S. would be two different countries. Secondly, Meade's defeat of Leeat the accidental Gettysburg. This was a battle that turned the war around and gave theNorth the advantage. This was the North's first victory in a long time. Finally, if the U.S.had not have won the Mexican War, Where Meade served as a soldier, the U.S. would nothave gained the southwest portion of the country. This ,as you remember, was where thegold rush took place that caused the country to spread out over the land. As has beenshown, Meade's accomplishments had many effects on how life is lived today.There are many things that would be different if George Meade had never lived. For one thing, the North might not have won the first battle of the war causing the soldiersto lose confidence and maybe lose the war. If the South had won the war the U.S. wouldbe split into two countries right now. Also, if the north did not the greatest battle onAmerican soil, Gettysburg, it could have been the end of the war right there at Gettysburg. If the North would have lost the war the U.S. would be two different countries, as was saidearlier. Last, if the U.S. had not won the Mexican War we would have lost some of ourland to Mexico. The U.S. would have also not had the Gold Rush that took place inCalifornia. In conclusion, the country would have been very different if George Meade hadnever lived.General George Meade accomplished much during wartime. Most people do notknow that Meade defeated Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run . Some people even knowthat the North won that battle. Everyone knows what the Second Battle of Bull Run is butwho was the general? Bibliography Cleaves, Freeman. Meade, George Gordon. Collier's Encyclopedia. Vol. 15.1989.Sefton, James E. Meade, George Gordon. The World Book Encyclopedia. Vol.15. 1994.Meade, George G. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. Version 2.01vw.Carlsbad, California: Compton's New Media, 1994. CD-ROM.Meade, George Gordon. Encyclopedia Americana. Vol. 18. Danbury,Connecticut: Grolier, 1990.Meade, George Gordon. Who's Who in American History. Historical Volume.St. Louis,Missouri: Van Hoffman Press,1967.

Awkward Mistakes When You Write an Essay, and the Right Solution Finding Help

Awkward Mistakes When You Write an Essay, and the Right Solution Finding Help Writing assignments are an inescapable part of higher education. They’re always a challenge, often fun, but most times a chore. And, besides, so much can go wrong: grammatical errors, citing mistakes, structuring issues, plagiarism.So instead of facing the challenges blindly and alone, here are 10 of the most common mistakes made when writing academic papers – and how to avoid making them. (Note: The words â€Å"essay† and â€Å"paper† in this blog are used interchangeably) 1. Not Fully Understanding the Assignment Different writing assignments have different purposes. One may require a student to include certain items, certain sources, graphs, statistics, etc.; sometimes they require a specific kind of source or group of sources – and some writing assignments at the college level may have a student write in a particular style, or format, using a specific structure and incorporating certain kinds of content. The most ubiquitous kind of writing assignment is, however, one where the student is to make an argument and defend it with some sort of evidence. And while not every writing assignment necessitates an argument – there are, of course, ones that are analytical, descriptive and investigative, et al., in nature – most do involve the student making a case for something, much like that of the argumentative or persuasive essay. Avoiding any confusion on the assignment comes down to listening to instructions and asking the right questions, and knowing which kind of writing style and genre the assignment calls for. Doing the assignment incorrectly could result in a very low grade. Examples of not following the instructions of an assignment: A student should not be making an argument in a Chemistry research paper if the assignment doesn’t call for an argument – but only to discuss an aspect of chemistry at length. A student should not provide a summary of a book if they are to only critique the book. So the student must make conclusions: What kind of essay do I need to write? Am I to make an argument (as in a persuasive essay)? Do I provide only an overview of a subject or topic (like in a research paper), or do I analyze information (perhaps an investigative report)? What kind of sources do I need to use – and how many do I use? What kind of style is needed in this case – MLA, APA, or others? If a student is unsure of exactly what their assignment requires them to do, they should first speak with their professor for clarification. These articles are worth reading! 3 Steps to a Great College Essay Top 10 Mistakes Made During Essay Writing Part 2 APA Essay Format with a Free Example Custom Essay Writing Strong College Essay Writing Guide 2. Lacking a (Sufficient) Thesis Statement A professor, reading just about any college essay, should easily find and thoroughly understand its central theme (its Thesis) – in less than a minute, actually. It should generally be found in the first paragraph of a student’s paper, in just one or two very concise, declarative sentences indicating what the rest of the paper is essentially about. This becomes an essay’s thesis statement. Without one, the reader is left in the dark, so to speak, unable to follow the general flow of the essay, which then becomes ineffective. An idea cannot be effectively and successfully conveyed to a reader if that idea is put forth in a disorganized, unmethodical way. (This results in lower evaluations on such assignments.) An effective thesis statement is the result of the student selecting a central theme, it could be a solution to a problem, a defendable argument, a point of view, (depending on the type of assignment and what it calls for), and then putting it in writing, in a confident, assertive tone and stance. Formulating a thesis statement is not the result of the student’s initial response to a subject or topic, but a product of them taking an attitude toward a subject or topic, then gathering and organizing evidence that supports their stance. An example of a sloppy, ineffective thesis statement: Self-expression and sexuality were themes in Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. An example of a proper, effective, concise thesis statement: The overt themes of self-expression and sexuality in Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass was a subject of much controversy, thereby illustrating his era’s rigid views on both matters. 3. Failing to Plan Since well-written essays require a great deal of work, their success is rooted in the student’s ability to plan well the writing of the essay. After the student gets their assignment and considers all that has to be incorporated into it, how they are to write, how it should be written, etc., it works to their advantage if they create and then follow a detailed, five-pointed outline, with each one representing at least one paragraph of the essay. In the case of writing a persuasive/argumentative essay, the student must, before writing their first sentence of their paper, craft a concise, arguable thesis statement (the first point) – which is to be introduced in the paper’s first paragraph, serving as the premise to be maintained or proven throughout the paper. The outline should also include at least three defending points (body paragraphs, the next three points) that evidence the thesis statement, listing the points, and perhaps sources used, if they are needed or required, to validate the argument. Lastly, the outline should include a conclusion paragraph (the final, fifth point of the outline). Without this planning stage, without creating and following an outline to follow, the student runs the risk of turning in a sub-par paper, written with no cohesion, few traces of scholarship, putting forth a very weak argument, and most likely earning them a less-than-stellar grade on the assignment. 4. Lacking an Effective Introduction and Conclusion Paragraphs Without an effective introduction paragraph, the reader is not eased into the topic, in a strategic manner. Perhaps a real-life example may illustrate the need for this paragraph. If a student wants to convince their parents that they need a cell phone at college, they shouldn’t simply come right out and say, â€Å"I need a cell phone at college.† It is too sudden, coming off too aggressively. It will serve them better to start off with a few topical sentences instead, maybe about the importance of maintaining communication with one’s parents during the early-adult years, for example. The same applies to writing a paper. A paper’s introduction paragraph is meant to first get the reader considering a thought, a notion, a platform (which can be accomplished with first a few general, topical sentences). The introduction paragraph then eases into whatever exactly the writer is attempting to convey, whether it be an argument or more analytical or general in nature, in the form of the Thesis, just one sentencing declaring what the rest of the paper will be about. The last part of the introductory paragraph will generally enumerate the evidence that will be examined to support this idea or stance being conveyed. In case there was any confusion about an essay’s argument or central theme, the conclusion paragraph restates what was said in the introductory paragraph and body paragraphs – in total, the paper’s argument and its evidencing points. The conclusion paragraph indicates to the reader that, also, the essay has come to a close. 5. Inclusion of Weak Sources When an essay calls for the inclusion of sources, either to prove an assertion or offer a perspective on a subject or topic, these sources should not consist of dictionaries, encyclopedias, and Wikipedia (though these are great places to begin research.) Rather, academic writing calls for the incorporation of other, more academic sources and scholarly articles, ones that are published in academic journals, newspapers, and reputably published books, and ones that are found on academic search websites like JSTOR. Looking at the long-term effects of dire poverty in the American South, one may pull statistics from a newspaper article or research organization. They may refer to a geography book for help, to visualize the region; they may read about its history and socio-political influences. The student-writer should not consider general and common knowledge, the kind found in Geography and History books, as one’s primary sources in a writing assignment. For an assignment that, on the other hand, requires scholarly sources to discuss this topic at length, perhaps to confirm an assertion, a professor is expecting the student to use something an expert on the subject has written or said about this said topic – and not a simple fact that can be found anywhere on the Internet. Please read continuation of this article here: The Top 10 Mistakes Made When Writing Essays (Part 2)

The Rationale for the Serial Comma

The Rationale for the Serial Comma The Rationale for the Serial Comma The Rationale for the Serial Comma By Mark Nichol Do you employ a serial comma the final comma in a sentence such as â€Å"I bought one apple, two bananas, and three oranges†? If your work for or with a business or organization involves publishing content in print or online, that decision has been made (or should have been made) for you in a style guide, a manual to be followed in production of all the content published by that business or organization. If you determine a business or organization’s style, or you self-publish in print or online, the decision is up to you. In most journalistic print and online publications and in much other online content, the serial comma is omitted. (This omission is also common in British English.) However, in most books and in many other publications published in the United States, it is required. I strongly favor the serial comma. Why? In a sentence such as â€Å"I bought one apple, two bananas and three oranges,† no ambiguity exists. But in â€Å"I ordered ham and eggs, toast and jam and pie and ice cream,† the cavalcade of conjunctions gets confusing, and in contexts in which it’s not as clear which list items might be distinct and which might be linked, the absence of the final comma might require readers to reread the sentence to establish the organization. So, the solution in this case is to use a serial comma when confusion could arise. That means that no-serial-comma publications will print or post â€Å"I bought one apple, two bananas and three oranges† but â€Å"I ordered ham and eggs, toast and jam, and pie and ice cream.† The resulting obvious question is why not, for the sake of consistency, just insert a serial comma in all cases? Another complication is illustrated in this well-known hypothetical statement: â€Å"I dedicate this book to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.† Without the serial comma, the statement could be read as acknowledging four entities: two parents, an author, and a deity. But it could also refer to two parents, one of whom is an author and other of whom is a deity. Again, the presence of the serial comma eliminates the ambiguity. This issue may seem trivial, but the English language is constructed of myriad trivialities that combine into an imperfect system but one that has supported the world’s predominant language. (Yes, twice as many people speak Mandarin as English, but my reference point is global significance.) Commas are an abundant resource, and you can pull any ordinary one out of your comma bucket to serve as a serial comma. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with Heart50 Idioms About Roads and Paths50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases

Leadership and Emotional Intelligence Dissertation

Leadership and Emotional Intelligence - Dissertation Example Peter Salovey and John Mayer in their definition of emotional intelligence states that it is â€Å"a form of intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions† (Salovey & Mayer, 1990). One of the most common forms of research studies are based on connecting the aspects of emotional intelligence (as defined by Salovey & Mayer) with that of effective leadership. The literature on the leadership quotient has a remarkable number of theories that create a framework on the characteristics that define an effective leader, of which the two most distinct forms of leadership traits are, transactional and transformational (Mandell & Pherwani, 2003). In a transactional leadership, performance forms the main basis for rewarding or disciplining an employee. Emphasis is placed on timely completion of work, quality of work, and compliance with the companyâ₠¬â„¢s norms and values, while trying to affect an employee’s performance organizational punishments and incentives (Bass & Avolio, 1994). On the other hand transformational leadership functions through the notions of motivating and stimulating the co-workers, in order to create a completely different perspective on the organizational objectives, foster an atmosphere where the employees are motivated to achieve higher levels of capability, while inspiring the employees to put team interests before personal interests. Thus, transformational leadership functions of four basic pillars: intellectual incentive, edified influence, inspirational motivation, and consideration for each individual employee (ibid). From the conducted literature review it is evident that from that various studies on the results of effective leadership it is seen that the transformational form of leadership achieves better performance as a team (Keller, 1995), greater effectiveness and reparation (Hater & Bass, 1988), and better efforts from the junior employees (Seltzer & Bass, 1990). In this context, the researchers have also contended that to achieve effective form of leadership with positive outcomes for the entire organization, the aspect of transformational leadership must be combined with emotional and social forms of intelligence (Mandell and Pherwani, 2003).  

Procurement Policy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Procurement Policy - Case Study Example rights to a startup company's new drugs which was later turned into a new corporation worth $500 million a year. The end result of this engagement was that Merck sold 50 percent of its shares in the new corporation to Astra (Ghauri, 2001, p. 40). In so doing, consumers are able to acquire life-saving and life-altering pharmaceuticals in a timely manner. At the heart of this alliance is the notion that in order to effectively and efficiently manage a business such as Merck, there is a need for strategic supply management. In recent years Merck has embodied a strong shift from a predominantly domestic supply management strategy to one which has entailed global management strategies. This strategy operates under the assumption that procurement policy is central to the success of the company. This strategy can be characterized by two main elements: Arnold (1989) illustrated one of the most concise conceptualizations of the global supply management strategies utilized by Merck by delineating four very distinct procurement policy development stages. These stages are as follows: 1. The Traditional Procurement Policy. In this phase, the scope of the procurement policy is narrowly define and limited to domestic sources. ... One important characteristic of this phase is the understanding that there is no attempt to link the procurement strategy with the other components of the business process. Essentially, the traditional procurement process is somewhat haphazard and does not represent any long-term business strategy (Rai & Eisenberg, 2003). 2. International Purchasing. The second phase of the procurement policy is one which expands the supply sources to non-domestic sources. The underlying intent of this phase is to reduce the production cost by acquiring the necessary materials at a lower cost. During this phase, there is a systematic exploration of foreign sources with the aim of realizing a price advantage over its competitors by purchasing the raw materials at a lower cost without adversely affecting the quality of goods, the level of service provided to consumers and the delivery as well as the availability of goods. An example of this can be seen in the very presence of Merck in Japan. This can be both positive and negative with the positive implications very evident and a negative implication whereby there is limited American investment within the Japanese economy. Essentially, Merck's presence in Japan is solely for the purposes of acquiring materials at a low cost and exporting those materials for economic gain within the United States (Chen & Drysdale, 1995, pp. 141-142). 3. Strategic Procurement Policy. During this phase, the procurement policy of the organization becomes an integral part of its overall business strategy. It is utilized as a means of gaining a significant advantage over its competitors. One important component can be seen in the fact that global sourcing is exploited in such a manner as to improve the

Modern computer games can have a negative effect on the way young Essay

Modern computer games can have a negative effect on the way young people think and behave - Essay Example Children keep playing games till late in the night as a result of which they are not able to get up for the school in the morning in time. They arrive late at school and are preoccupied with the thoughts of the game. As a result of this, they are not able to pay attention at the lecture. This reflects in their poor academic performance. Students’ interest in the studies is also marred because they find the real life very uninteresting, unattractive, and boring compared to the fantasy world of gaming. Violent computer games have a tendency to make young players violent. Computer games diffuse the sensibility of the players over the passage of time. Murder, rape, bullying, racism, drug trafficking, and other different forms of violence that seem obviously condemnable in the real life become norms in the world of gaming. â€Å"Rather than just passively watching a rated-R violent movie, when kids play a game, they are one of the main characters† (John, 2013). Many young players are radically transformed into potential criminals before they can even realize the harm that has been done to them by gaming. Modern computer games have a huge role in creating negative stereotypes about gender. Women in the computer games are portrayed as objects of sex. The bodily features of the female characters in games are enhanced so as to give them perfect and ideal look to entice the young players. Many games require the male characters to seduce the female characters into different kinds of acts of fraud, adultery, and violence. For growing children raised in an otherwise controlled and regulated environment, computer games portray a world where there is a lot to explore in terms of freedom, and yet all of that is based on fantasy and is fake. Particularly the less conscientious and less agreeable children become hostile as a result of playing computer games (MNT, 2010). To conclude, modern computer games have a lot of

Argumentative eassy on current public issue Essay

Argumentative eassy on current public issue - Essay Example issues caused by high costs of health care, additional costs on employers, as well as the connection between high costs of health care and diminishing access for persons who require health services. Experts provide numerous explanations for the high and rising costs of health care. These include perspectives such as that the high costs emanate from external forces, the weakness of competitive health care markets in the health care system, excessive costs of health system administration, from undue market power of providers and the absence of robust cost-containment strategies (Keeler, Melnick and Zwanziger 73). However, it is apparent that the greatest basis of high and increasing health care prices is the lack of a free health care market system in the US. This paper will provide a comprehensive argument showing why such absence is the main cause of the current high cost in the US. Health care costs can be reduced significantly through the introduction of a free market. Within a free and competitive market, forces of supply and demand determine the price of commodities. This means that there are so many customers and suppliers that no single seller or buyer can dictate the price of a commodity or service, and all buyers are fully privy to adequate information to make sensible buying decisions. The health care sector consists of several markets that include patients getting physical and hospital services, employers selecting the best health care plans for their employees and health insurance organizations entering contracts with hospitals. At the level of patients seeking hospital services, free market means that patients would not only be responsible for certain costs, but will also have ample information on the prices of various providers and obtain low-priced services (Luft and Grumbach 78). At such a level, hospitals and physicians would have to lower their charges to attract customers (patients). In reality, however, patients do not buy hospita l and

Street Gang Violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Street Gang Violence - Research Paper Example Policing force and governments across the world have come up with strategies to control street gangs but the process has become very complicated, Street gangs are always a step ahead of the government control agencies making it a challenge to control them. Street gangs have evolved to be very influential and powerful becoming a major threat to the society and the economy yet they are almost uncontrollable as they are always a step ahead of the relevant agencies and devising strategies that work will be important for the safety of people and economic growth. History of Street Gangs Unlike what most people think, street gangs started many centuries ago in Europe. There were gangs in the in 1600s in England that wore ribbons to identify themselves. In the 17th and 18th century, there were gangs in Germany that did criminal activities. The gangs at the time were made up of two to five members but there were some that had as many as ten or twelve members. These gangs were not really stree t gangs but they started the path to street gangs. After the Industrial revolution in England and Europe, many people in the society became rich. At the same time, there many people who were poor and lived in the slums, which became common at that time. People in the slums were looking for ways to take what the rich had. They formed groups which were mostly made up of young people between the age of 14 and 20 years. Each of the gang wanted to take control of a certain region within the city. Many gangs like the Redskins, Black hands and beehives were formed in the early 19th century. The gangs were spread across Manchester, London and Glasgow (Covey, 2010). At the same time, street gangs also started to be formed in the United States. The forty thieves’ street gang from New York was formed around 1820. This gang is one of the most popular street gangs in the United States. The gang was formed by Irish Immigrants who were trying to take control of New York City. These gangs we re involved in illicit activities like pick pocketing, stealing and violence. Some of the gangs in both Europe and United States were well organized and grew to feared gangs in their regions. At first, gangs were formed by people within a certain age group for example the youth in Europe. As time passed, street gangs evolved to be formed by immigrant minorities in other countries for example the United States. United States was a major hub for immigrants in the 19th century as it was growing and progressing very fast. Irish people were among the first immigrants in the United States. To survive, they formed gangs for example the infamous forty thieves in the New York City. Immigrants from other countries specifically Italy wanted to compete with the Irish Gangs in New York City. At the same time, there were other Irish Immigrants who wanted to form their own street gangs rather than join existing Irish gangs like the forty thieves. By the end of the 19th century, there were more tha n five common influential and powerful gangs in the United States. This country became the new hub for the Street gangs in the world. The gangs were mostly in New York and Chicago at that time. These two cities were the most common with immigrants (Andrews, 2013). United States continued to attract many immigrants from all over the world. Irish, Italian and Polish gangs were most common in the United Sta

Argumentative eassy on current public issue Essay

Argumentative eassy on current public issue - Essay Example issues caused by high costs of health care, additional costs on employers, as well as the connection between high costs of health care and diminishing access for persons who require health services. Experts provide numerous explanations for the high and rising costs of health care. These include perspectives such as that the high costs emanate from external forces, the weakness of competitive health care markets in the health care system, excessive costs of health system administration, from undue market power of providers and the absence of robust cost-containment strategies (Keeler, Melnick and Zwanziger 73). However, it is apparent that the greatest basis of high and increasing health care prices is the lack of a free health care market system in the US. This paper will provide a comprehensive argument showing why such absence is the main cause of the current high cost in the US. Health care costs can be reduced significantly through the introduction of a free market. Within a free and competitive market, forces of supply and demand determine the price of commodities. This means that there are so many customers and suppliers that no single seller or buyer can dictate the price of a commodity or service, and all buyers are fully privy to adequate information to make sensible buying decisions. The health care sector consists of several markets that include patients getting physical and hospital services, employers selecting the best health care plans for their employees and health insurance organizations entering contracts with hospitals. At the level of patients seeking hospital services, free market means that patients would not only be responsible for certain costs, but will also have ample information on the prices of various providers and obtain low-priced services (Luft and Grumbach 78). At such a level, hospitals and physicians would have to lower their charges to attract customers (patients). In reality, however, patients do not buy hospita l and

Psychological Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Psychological Case Study - Essay Example Client Presentation The client is neatly dressed in her school uniform when she comes for counselling. She comes on time for each session and never missed an appointment. She was able to sustain her attention, maintained eye contact and displayed a cooperative attitude towards the counsellor. The client described her low mood and sadness due to the passing away of her grandmother. She has difficulty expressing her emotions but claims to be ‘feeling very very sad and missing her grandmother†. She was orientated to time and date and setting. Her speech was clear. No perceptual deficits were noticed . The form and content of her thoughts were assessed as appropriate. No immediate risk was noticed. She appeared to be intelligent. Problem Situation The client has difficulty expressing her deep emotions and feelings about the passing away of grandmother. She have told several times that she is â€Å"feeling very very sad† and badly misses her grandmother. She narrated th at she has lost her interest in doing things that she previously enjoys such as hanging out with friends after school, and participating in ballet and art classes. The client also stated to becoming easily frustrated and angry and would rather stay at her room alone and cry. Relevant Client History Development and Family history The client is an only child. From her infancy ,she has always been left under the care of her grandmother, as both of her parents are both working on full time basis. Her grandmother lives with them in their family home. Interpersonal Relationship The client is reportedly to be much closer to her grandmother than to her own parents.She used to hang out with friend’? after school to do homework and together and play afterwards. But after, the death of her grandmother the client reported that she has been keeping herself in her room and refuses to talk even to her parents and friends. Psychiatric History The client reported no previous psychiatric histo ry. Discussion of Evidence Based Theories Grief also known as bereavement. It is a profound sadness following a major loss of a loved one (Kaplan and Sadock,1996). According to John Colby it has 4 stages 1. Numbness or Protest – clients are characterized by distress, fear and anger. It could last from moments to months. 2. Yearning and searching for the lost figure – clients are pre occupied with thoughts of the lost person and are usually angry, restless and crying. This may last for several months. 3. Disorganization and despair – client are restless, withdrawn, irritable and repeatedly reliving memories with the deceased. 4. Reorganization – clients start to establish new patterns of goals, grief had recede and is replaced with cherished memories with the loss person. (Kaplan and Sadock,1996). The theories most suitable for this client were Cognitive Bahavioral Therapy (CBT) and Narrative Therapy (NT). The Studies shows that CBT is an effective goal or iented psychotherapy and successful in treating behavioural problems, as it teaches techniques to correct unhealthy thinking patterns and attitudes resulting to painful memories. Narrative therapy on the other hand, provides space for clients to retell their stories. NT believes that everyone has a story to tell, but it

The Relationship Of Text And Music During The Period From The Early Middle Ages Essay Example for Free

The Relationship Of Text And Music During The Period From The Early Middle Ages Essay In the middle ages, the music was both sacred and secular. Its relationship to text can be inferred from the overwhelming evidence of the manuscripts. Right from the middle ages, music never failed to echo the meaning of text. The composers of the middle ages were more likely to see the relation between text and music as one of abstract architecture, grammatical and syntactic structure,and perhaps even of acoustical properties rather than directly one of meaning. The relationship between text and music was not one of measuring, then there was no reason for one kind of music to be appropriate for one kind of text. Since the words and the music were not related in any semantic or emotional way, a monophonic dance-song, a polyphonic spring-song based on it, a song of praise or a lament song may be indistinguishable in musical style. Renaissance describes the development of civilization that marked the transition from mediaval to modern times. The Renaissance composers used their music to communicate with their audiences. there was a set of shared aural expectations between composers and listeners that governed the relationship between text and music. there was a close relationship between music and poetry and music was capable enough to stir the listeners emotions. Inspired by the classical world, Renaissance composers fit words and music together in an increasingly dramatic fashion which is very much evident in the manuscripts of the Renaissance period. In the Baroque era, music was considered to be a divine art. This idea implied that music was not considered on its merits alone, but a path to divinity. music was understood as a general principle of divine creations. Thus music of the Baroque era related to text as an image, an imitation or an anticipation of the heavenly life or the abode of The Omnipresent. At the end of the Baroque era the relationship of the text and music was as meaningful as the relationship of God with mankind.

Diet and Nutrition Case Study

Diet and Nutrition Case Study Warda Abdulkadir Ahmed Diet and Digestion TAQ 1) 3 day meal plan for pregnant mother This meal plan for an expectant mother was designed as firstly the calorie intake required daily is increased to supply the placenta and growing baby the required energy to grow healthily. An estimated 300 more calories in the second and third trimesters. I have chosen foods high in iron and folic acid as these are needed in abundance by both mother and baby. A pregnant woman needs 60mg of protein and 1200mg of calcium I have sought to incorporate this through lean servings of meat and fish daily as well as porridge oats with milk. Three day meal plan for elderly male patient Nutrition is an important determinant of health in an elderly person. I chose this meal plan as the meals are low in fat, refined sugar and sodium, and high in essential nutrients such as fibre, vitamins and minerals. Following this meal plan helps the individual avoid gout, stroke, high blood pressure, heart disease arthritis, cancer, respiratory disorders, and difficulty in passing stools, obesity and type 2 diabetes. One major concern in an elderly person is obtaining sufficient fluid intake. 3 day meal plan for Teenage Athlete Case in point average height and weight of 17 year old male to be 5’10 and 10 stones/63 kg – This body mass index falls in the 50th percentile of the mean average Taking into account average male calorific requirement (2500 calories), this is to be exceeded by around 35 – 65 % based on exceeded average energy expenditure for athletic performance/training as well as a general faster metabolic rate for a teenage male opposed to a mature male. The meal plan incorporates 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and a higher than average protein content mostly made up of chicken and fish and only one portion of red meat as to reach the protein threshold from a higher proportion of red meat is deemed generally as unhealthy, causing over a long period higher blood pressure and increased risk of stomach and bowel cancer. Due to the athletic activities to be undertaken there is an emphasis on consuming fluids and an excess and varied selection of carbohydrates is consumed daily. The diet is low in saturated fat and sugar TAQ 2) Type 2 diabetes can result from an inadequate diet, an inadequate diet can be defined as a deficiency, and a deficiency can be too great or too little of one specific food group in a healthy diet. Too much sugar in a person’s diet is a major factor in contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes. Specifically sucrose, sucrose and sugar are not actually required by the body so their consumption can be deemed as a deficiency in itself. Furthermore the excess consumption of sugar can lead to an increase in weight and obesity which in turn increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Higher than normal blood glucose levels cumulatively over a long period leads to insulin resistance. Atherosclerosis, the clogging of the arteries can be a secondary effect of having type 2 diabetes but in most cases is caused by too high a fat content in one’s diet, more specifically consuming too much saturated fat often found in processed foods and a lack of unsaturated fats with high density lipids and beneficial cholesterol lowering effect on the body. A diet with a frequency of fruit and vegetables has a negating effect as well as oily fish, nuts and seeds, sunflower and seed oils. Rickets is usually caused by a lack of vitamin D and/or calcium. Physiologically most of our vitamin D comes from sunlight not our food and the process of calcium absorption is very dependent on vitamin D levels in the body. However we do garner some vitamin D from food. Eggs, oily fish and cereals are all good sources of vitamin D and deficiencies in these food types regardless of UV exposure could contribute to the onset of rickets. Milk and other dairy products have the highest calcium content and a lack of dairy as well as green vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage can have a detrimental effect on calcium uptake in the body. TAQ 3) Digestion is necessary as it breaks down the size of food to make digestion a more efficient process food is broken down into smaller constituent parts so the surface area for the active sites for enzymes to occur increases. Proteins are broken down into peptides, which are then broken down into single amino acids that allow absorption into the bloodstream through the small intestine. Absorption occurs when the food enters the body as the food molecules pass through a layer of cells and into the bodies’ tissues. This occurs in the small intestine which has many villi that are specialised for absorption. Assimilation occurs when the food molecules becomes part of the bodies tissue. b) TAQ 5) The digestive tract, consisting of the stomach, small and large intestines. The stomach is made of three layers of smooth muscle fibres, an outer layer of longitudinal fibres middle layer of circular fibres and an inner layer of oblique muscle fibres. This arrangement allows for the churning effect of gastric activity. When the stomach is empty the mucous membrane lining is thrown into folds or rugae when the stomach has contents these folds are ironed out.Numerous gastric glands are situated below the surface in the mucuous membrane. The small intestine also has layers,the peritoneum is a double layer and connects the jejunum and ileum to the abdominal wall.The attatchment is short and fan shaped,large blood vessels and nerves pass between the two layers.Their is also a mucousa present here it contains villi and microvill it has a large surface area and many folds.Their are circular folds which act to mix chyme,the villi in this mucousal layer contibute to final stages of digestion.There are also lymph nodes within the mucousa which release defense cells against ingested antigens. The large intestine also has a mucosa ; made of simple columnar epithelial tissue. The mucosa is smooth, unlike the small intestine lacks villi however it does have a large number of mucous glands secreting mucus into the hollow lumen as to lubricate the surface of the large intestine and protect it from rough food particles. Surrounding the mucosa is a layer of blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue, the submucosa, which is there to support the other layers of the large intestine. The muscularis layer surrounds the submucosa and contains many layers of visceral muscle cells that contract and move the large intestine. Finally, the serosa forms the outermost layer. The serosa is a thin layer of simple squamous epithelial tissue that secretes watery serous fluid to lubricate the surface of the large intestine. protecting it from friction between abdominal organs and the surrounding muscles and bones of the lower torso. References Gerard J. Tortola, Mark Nielsen Principles of Human Anatomy, 13th Edition December 2013 2014 http://www.valuepenguin.com/nutrition. Last accessed 10/03/2015 John Evans, Alison Lansley and Michael J. Sanderson, (2006), Biology A level Richard Parsons (2010) AS/A2 Level Biology AQA Complete Revision Practice Smith, A. (2012). Get instant biology help. Available: http://www.tutorvista.com/biology/ Last accessed 05/03/2015 Waugh, Anne and Grant, Allison (2006) Ross and Wilson: Anatomy and physiology in health and illness. (10th edition). Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh.

Impact of Tone in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays

Jane Eyre: The Impact of the Tone The tone of Jane Eyre is direct, perhaps even blunt. There is no prissy little-girl sensibility, but a startlingly independent, even skeptical perspective. At the age of 10, the orphan Jane already sees through the hypocrisy of her self-righteous Christian elders. She tells her bullying Aunt Reed, "People think you a good woman, but you are bad; hard-hearted. You are deceitful!" and "I am glad you are no relative of mine; I will never call you aunt again so long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say that the very thought of you makes me sick." (In fact, when her aunt is elderly and dying, Jane does return to visit her, and forgives her. But that's far in the future.) With the logic of a mature philosopher, in fact rather like Friedrich Nietzsche to come, Jane protests the basic admonitions of Christianity as a schoolgirl: "I must resist those who ... persist in disliking me; I must resis t those who punish me unjustly. It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel that it is deserved." And this bold declaration, which would have struck readers of 1847 (in fact, of 1947) as radical and "infeminine": "Restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to pain sometimes ... Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a constraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer." Instead, the novel begins with the seemingly disappointed statement: "There was no possibility of taking a walk that [rainy] day," and counters almost immediately with, "I was glad of it; I never liked long walks." When excluded from Christmas revelries in the Reed household, the child Jane says, "To speak the truth, I had not the least wish to go into company." Jane's defiance, which doesn't exclude childlike fears, strikes us as forthright in the way of the adolescent temperaments of other famous literary voices -- Jo March of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," Huck Finn, Holden Caulfield and their now-countless younger siblings. Impact of Tone in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays Jane Eyre: The Impact of the Tone The tone of Jane Eyre is direct, perhaps even blunt. There is no prissy little-girl sensibility, but a startlingly independent, even skeptical perspective. At the age of 10, the orphan Jane already sees through the hypocrisy of her self-righteous Christian elders. She tells her bullying Aunt Reed, "People think you a good woman, but you are bad; hard-hearted. You are deceitful!" and "I am glad you are no relative of mine; I will never call you aunt again so long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say that the very thought of you makes me sick." (In fact, when her aunt is elderly and dying, Jane does return to visit her, and forgives her. But that's far in the future.) With the logic of a mature philosopher, in fact rather like Friedrich Nietzsche to come, Jane protests the basic admonitions of Christianity as a schoolgirl: "I must resist those who ... persist in disliking me; I must resis t those who punish me unjustly. It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel that it is deserved." And this bold declaration, which would have struck readers of 1847 (in fact, of 1947) as radical and "infeminine": "Restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to pain sometimes ... Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a constraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer." Instead, the novel begins with the seemingly disappointed statement: "There was no possibility of taking a walk that [rainy] day," and counters almost immediately with, "I was glad of it; I never liked long walks." When excluded from Christmas revelries in the Reed household, the child Jane says, "To speak the truth, I had not the least wish to go into company." Jane's defiance, which doesn't exclude childlike fears, strikes us as forthright in the way of the adolescent temperaments of other famous literary voices -- Jo March of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," Huck Finn, Holden Caulfield and their now-countless younger siblings.

Accounting Attachment Report

1. 0 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 The objectives of the Industrial attachment The purpose of industrial attachment is to bridge the gap between the theory and the practise of coursework learnt in the University of Botswana. It is meant to give students a clearer perspective of concepts learnt in the academic environment and in turn prepare them for the work environment upon completion of the degree programme. Internship is also aimed at give students a chance to apply the material learnt into a practical environment and get to know the work industry.In applying academic material, it is understood more and in familiarising with the work environment, a career option can be chosen. Part of the attachment was for students to create networks. networks are useful in securing jobs and getting information about the industry. 1. 2 Methodology The industrial attachment was conducted over the period between May 10th and July 27th 2012. This period amounted to a total of 10 weeks over the school holidays. It was after the third year of study in the degree. Each student, with the help of the internship coordinator had to find a company of their choice in the relevant field of study to work in.A place was to be secured through an application letter accompanied by a copy of a transcript, a letter of acknowledgement of student status from the University. A letter of acceptance would then be sent to the university by the company that agreed to attach a student and the area in which the student will work. Students were expected to work in various sectors of the company, but within their course of study while under attachment. The students were also to keep weekly log sheets which were to be signed by the supervisor with the work they had conducted. ? 2. 0 BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANISATION . 1 History of Great Advisory Services Dotaka Investments (Pty) Ltd was incorporated in Namibia in the year 2005. It has two businesses operating, an insurance brokerage called Coverage Insurance and an acco unting business called Great Advisory Services. The company has two directors namely Alex Mundey and Gracia Hunde. Mr Mundey is a non-executive director while Miss Hunde is an executive director. The insurance brokerage was the first business to be registered by the company in 2005 and has since grown to be one of the most renowned insurance broking firms in Namibia.The business headquarters are situated in the Windhoek International Finance Park while another branch operates in the Caesar International Office Park. This is because all insurance companies are found in the Caesar Office Park, making it convenient to get quotes upon request or to make an inquiry quicker. Having become a success and seeing the need for better accounting practise for the smaller businesses, the company diversified into the accounting field and registered a business named Great Advisory Services.The role of Great Advisory Services is to assist entrepreneurs to sustain their businesses by upholding proper and consistent accounting ethos. Great Advisory Services was registered in September 2011 and has been in operation since then. Not only does the business deal with accounting but it also in company secretarial and consultancy. It registers companies, sits as a director on the board and act as agents on submitting applications for permits. The staff includes Gracia Hunde, Elaine Chatonga and Palesa Mosa.Gracia Hunde is the executive director having gained all her knowledge from experience and is currently pursuing a degree in the University of South Africa. She mainly deals in company secretarial and business consultancy. Elaine Chatonga is the head accountant, having graduated with an Honourary degree in accounting and is pursuing chartered accountancy. She draws up the financial statements and calculates the tax returns due for all the clients and for the business as well. As head accountant, it is also her duty to supervise the work of the cler and make necessary changes.Palesa Mosa is the accounting clerk, having acquired an AAT qualification. As a clerk she does the day to day recording of accounts for the business and for the clients. She is also in charge of the petty cash book, answering calls, submitting tax returns and miscellaneous work. MISSION The mission of Geat Advisory Services is to provide accounting services to small, medium and large enterprises. In providing accounting services, the aim is to also influence the practise of proper accounting ethos and to improve the running and quality of business in the country.This is will be accomplished by building a relationship with the clients and explaining accounting procedures to them. By building relationships with clients and keeping a small number of clients, the company is able to focus on each client and not do a rush job. By targeting smaller businesses, the company is also able to probe into the finer details. Clientele These consist mainly of small businesses with very few employees as th ese are the main target of the business. Most of the clients are in the motoring industry and have just been contracted; hence there is not much history that has been built.The range of clients runs from auto mechanics to caterers, and interior designers. Clients are drawn in through word of mouth and through networking, as the company barely advertises itself. The biggest client of the firm is its own spear header- Coverage Insurance Brokers. Most of the clients are for accounting services as opposed to the other branches of the business. The business started with a small clientele base of 4, and has since increased to over 10 contracted clients in the accounting branch. 3. 0 MANAGEMENT, TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE INFORMATION 3. 2 Supervisor assistanceI was also debriefed on other office duties that I would be taught which would have nothing to do with schoolwork but were skills needed in the office for example, filing, photocopying, faxing, filling bank cheques and deposit slips and go ing to the bank. I was also told that I would not have any specific responsibilities but work would come up as and when needed which I would be given a briefing on how to do what at that moment. 3. 3 Qualities and skills possessed and developed The job called for speed, teamwork capabilities, versatility, fluency, flexibility and grasping concepts quickly.This I had no problem with, having gone through internship before and being a member of clubs that required teamwork. Being tossed around between jobs, and not knowing what to be doing when you get to work in the office ensured that I was always on my toes. As the job went by, I learnt to be quick but thorough, to ask questions; to be accountable- work was tossed form one person to the other. If I was capturing information, I had to be thorough so that the next person, in this case the accountant, would be able to use the information. If I gave her the wrong information, it would mess all the accounts up.I also had to learn to be r esponsible ? 3. 0 MANAGEMENT, TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE INFORMATION 3. 1 Job orientation A brief meeting was held on the first day of work in which an assessment of my course work and accounting knowledge was made. The information available on the transcript and curriculum vitae was used for the assessment. This same meeting was also used for the purpose of giving me a tour through the company, debriefing on company history and the services offered by the company. I also got the opportunity to familiarise with the business environment and the rest of the staff around.The next step was to test the skills I had I stated that I had. I was shown how to capture information form a receipt, change it, delete it and create a file for a company in the accounting software. After a series of examples, I was asked to do the same. I went through a series of tests in using the accounting system, which in this case was called Quick books. Having shown adequate knowledge, I was informed that I would as sist in that part of the job. The main job was capturing, but some more office jobs were to be done, which I was kindly briefed on.I was to be the extra hand in the office; hence I would be tossed around everywhere, having been given a short tutorial prior to execution of a task. There were no specific responsibilities that were given to me; most of the work to be done would be broken down before being done. Having been briefed on the jobs to be done, I was shown the office space that I would use. A few minutes later I was assigned to my primary role for the week- filing, organising documents prior to capturing, checking if transactions had been captured properly and at the correct amounts and banking.In between the small jobs, I was to familiarise myself with the software and practise before I could be given any work concerning that. 3. 2 Supervisor assistance My supervisor adequately explained all duties and responsibilities before I undertook them. The first question before doing anything was an enquiry as to whether I had done any such thing. If I answered in the negative, I was shown how to do it. I would then attempt the same job under her watch until I had perfected my work In cases were computer use was required, a different document altogether would be opened for the sake of demonstration.A supervisor was always ready to help if I did not understand anything. As this is a small company, help was easy to find as my slowing down would also affect the other operations. My supervisors were quick to explain and guide through new processes especially those that involved going to NURS, going to clients and going to Company registration. I would receive office calls whenever I spent more time than usual. During the first days in the office, I would also get momentary calls just to check on progress or if everything under control 3. 3 Qualities needed and qualities gainedVersatility and flexibility were needed to succeed in this position as I would be tossed i nto any work. This meant I would have to be a receptionist, or an accountant, or the driver so adaptation and was needed. There was much work to do in the office so I had to be quick to catch onto the job as I would often receive crash courses to do a new task. In a job where there were had no fixed duties, and work to do decided on each morning, it was critical to grasp the concept quickly. The job also called for an ability to work without supervision as there was a lot of work to be done between the three services offered by the company.There was a need to be organised and to ask questions to do with more clarification to get an understanding as soon as a task was given in order to curb backlog. The amount of work to be done was much so that made round the clock assistance rather impossible. Time keeping was also very critical. We all depended on each other as one person’s slow delivery affected everyone. There was a need to pay attention to detail when doing accounts so a s to come up with the correct financial statements and prevent reworking which would waste time.Ten client companies would expected their returns to be calculated every second month so each company had specific time slots for doing their books which had to be maximised in order to prevent a rush job being done or eating into another company’s time. Fluency in English and articulation was a needed quality because there were clients to talk to, going to the Registrar of Companies and calls to be answered when the clerk/receptionist was not around. Qualities gained during the process included the ability to think on my feet, tenacity, responsibility and team working.Concerning the ability to think on my feet, jobs done outside the office required decisions to be made quickly if things did not go according to plan this needed one to exercise discretion and take control without having to call the office first. Thinking on one’s feet required the ability to reason carefully and objectively. Over time, I developed tenacity. It became apparent that not only did the job call for work to be done, but to be completed on or before time. Working after hours became normality and not burdensome and neither was it something to complain over.The key was to understand the importance of completing a task before the next day, regardless of working hours. Honesty and responsibility came with the job. Whenever personal resources were used in incurring company expenses, they had to be accounted for. This called for keeping of receipts and disclosing the corrected amounts actually spent in order to qualify for a refund. These expenses also had to be incurred wholly towards the company and not be mixed with personal expenses. Every business can only achieve its goals through teamwork.Work was passed from one person to the other as processes were interlinked. The clerk and I did most of the primary work- capturing and organising files and it had to be understood by the ne xt user of the information. Having done my part for the day, I would not sit around as others worked but pitch in to also help in order for the task to be completed. ? 4. 0 SPECIFIC JOB INFORMATION 4. 1 Daily Responsibilities There were no specific daily responsibilities given as work arose as and when needed but there were things that became routine, for example filing, faxing and photocopying.The other jobs included capturing invoices and receipts into the accounting system, checking if receipts and invoices had been entered into the system, helping to separate receipts into different expenses and banking. Accounting Capturing accounting information from invoices was a daily task. Expenses had to be separated into cost of sales, company expenses and capital expenditures. That done, a list of all transactions entered would be printed and cross-checked with the corresponding receipts as an internal check on capturing all expenditure and at their correct amounts.Every month end, tax return forms were filled out and withholding tax charges calculated. For those companies which took the liberty to calculate their own taxes, their figures would be matched with those in the tax tables to ensure consistency. The difficult part of this was working with companies that pay employees through commission as they had a different way of calculating applicable charges. Bank reconciliation at the end of each month was a required duty.The task was to go through a monthly bank statement, reconcile the figures with those in the cheque book, adjust for unpresented cheques, account for stop orders and total the bank interest charges for the month. After that the money drawn out for personal use would be calculated for drawings. Filing The first thing upon receipt of files from a client was to sort them out in chronological order. This made it easier to account for the dates on transactions as the date would not be changed with each receipt, it also made it easier to find a missing receipt or to look fo r a query on the receipt if they were in order.The filing work included the tax returns that would come from NURS, documents from the clients in the form of bills, contracts and agreements made between the client and the firm. For withholding taxes, each company had a separate filing place for rental withholding taxes and employee withholding taxes. Printing, copying and faxing Accounting involves a lot of printing, faxing and photocopying. The responsibility assigned was to do exactly that. It was of utmost importance to make sure that the company had one file while the client also had another copy. BankingThis involved drawing up cheques for clients, having been given the due amounts, fill in cheque deposit slips whenever a client made a payment via cheque, signing and accounting for the cheque in the company books before going to the bank to deposit it. This also involved cashing some cheques and depositing them in the respective employee accounts at the en d of the month for salaries. 4. 2 Other responsibilities Messenger Jobs that were done outside the office included fetching files with client’s receipts and invoices for the month and returning them, submitting and collecting returns forms to NURS, getting clients to stamp taxes due forms.Being a messenger also involved following up on company or business name reservations with the Registrar of Companies. The other tasks at the Registrar of Companies were submission of forms for the change of directors and the transfer of ownership of a firm. All paperwork generated from this would be copied and sent to the concerned client Office jobs Part of the office odd jobs was answering the phone when the person responsible was not available. This would involve taking messages and answering for where the required person was, putting through phone calls and answering whatever questions a client had about the business.When clients arrived before their appointed time had to be attended an d entertained until their attendant returned. This was achieved by preparing refreshments and chatting up the client, sitting them comfortably and continuous reassurance that the required person would be with them. Ensuring office security involved locking up doors and cabinets, closing windows, switching off the air conditioners by the last person to leave the office. 4. 3 Knowledge from course work Three years of in the University of Botswana has come with grasping many skills and concepts.Some proved necessary, other premature and some skills use stood out more than others. Knowledge from Accounting Information Systems learnt in BIS309 was the most used and hence the most helpful. It offered a foundation to be able to use any accounting software. BIS309 also helped because it dealt with the daily running of business and how to enter daily transactions into the books of accounts, the separation of bills and invoices and how to create a debit or credit note. BIS309 also included ho w to account for a refund, how to add an account into the list of accounts.Most accounting now is done by software so the ability to use software and the knowledge of the way around the software was an added advantage Knowledge of basic accounting and bank reconciliations was taught in Financial Accounting I (ACC100) and it offered know how on entering costs into books of accounts and drawing up bank reconciliations and treating unpresented cheques. Some clients, being new, lacked adequate accounting information. This amounted to missing receipts and invoices, misnumbered invoices, missing bank cheques or narrations to the cheques.In order to deal with this one had to work backwards from the bank statement to find missing figures and asking for rough estimates for jobs done. Incomplete Records aught in Financial Accounting II (Acc200) was a useful resource. For the purpose of separation of business costs into cost of sales and expenses Introduction to Cost Accounting (ACC201) was ve ry useful. Some business incurred expenses that had to be charged to their cost of sales, not costs of running the business, for example the cost of delivery, the cost of assembly, etc.One company was a delivery company and conducted trade by going to South Africa and taking goods for delivery into Namibia, the cost of the job did not only include fuel to travel to South Africa but it included the driver’s accommodation and food and the cost of toll gates. Dealing with these expenses was leant in Managaemnt accounting applications ACC303. Final accounts are drawn at the end of each month and they have to be drawn up according to the formats in the accounting standards.Knowledge of accounting standards and presentation formats was acquired in Auditing I (ACC301) and Financial Accounting II (ACC 300. ) Upon the calculation of taxes for individual employees, calculating the gross taxes, doing a bank reconciliation, comparison of figures, checking if all receipts had been entered Microsoft excel was used. BIS 205 dealt with the primary use of computers and plugging in formulae. General Education Courses dealt with the use of computers and communication.Businesses require a lot of communication and etiquette. Gec 121,introduction to Computers was useful for the purpose of using email, Introduction to Communication (GEC111 and 112) helped in articulation and Introduction to Rhetoric and Public Speaking (GEC 364) helped in building confidence and addressing people. For the sake of company registration, the difference between a company and a business grasped in Introduction to Company Law (LAW351) was a critical tool in knowing the difference, lest the two be wrongly interchanged.This difference was also critical whenever capturing expenses, keeping in mind that sole traders were not separated from the business and withdrawals made were charged as drawings. 4. 4 Beneficial things to have learnt It would have been very helpful to have gone through an introductor y lesson in tax so as to understand the format, the applicable tax figures had and to fill in a tax from with understanding. Most of the workings in tax were done out of memory, having been briefed on before but with no adequate understanding as to why they were done that way for example amounts exempt from tax and the calculations of allowable deductions.Cash flow Statements are part of the final accounts drawn up at the end of the month. This was also something learnt on the job but without full comprehension of what exactly to be done and what to be done. 4. 5 new skills acquired The reservation of a company name and creation of a shelf company is one of the stand out skills I acquired on the job. A lot of companies open new branches, since Botswana is a developing country and there is positive economic growth, many businesses and companies are being opened as a result and know how in reserving a name and registering a business has become a crucial tool that one may use as an age nt.In learning how to reserve company names and creating shelf companies, it was inevitable that I had to learn how to change directors of a company. Some companies do not immediately operate upon been granted approval or even fail to start, these companies can then be taken over by other persons. Forms for changes in directors of a company are retrieved from the Registrar of Companies’ website. The website hosts many forms that can just be downloaded and printed without necessarily collecting them from their offices. I learnt how to collect a tax return form. These forms are collects directly from NURS.A tax return form has to types, one being for VAT and the other being income tax. The person collecting the tax returns forms has to have knowledge of their Tax Identity Number. Other small skills acquired include:- †¢Calculation of PAYE. Pay as You Earn tax is calculated using the tax tables. Each income has a specific tax matched to it and those that go beyond the norma l amount have a specific extra amount to apply. †¢How to register a company for tax. The form is collected from NURS and it contains various areas to be filled out including the type of business, the name of the business.The bank needs to also certify that an account by that person exists. †¢How to fax and photocopy. This was part of daily office work. No knowledge of such skills had been possessed before. †¢How to use Quickbooks. This was the accounting software used by the company. Knowledge of Pastel Accounting and the use of Microsoft in Accounting were the only prior knowledge. Most companies use Quickbooks so this is a relevant skill upon job search at the completion of the degree. †¢How to use office stationery properly. There is some stationery designed for office use that we fail to use properly.Documents need to be filed neatly and in an orderly manner. That said, learnt how to align a paper before punching, refill staples and to use the various types o f files. ? 5. 0 Conclusions and recommendation 5. 1 Career goals versus industrial attachment The Industrial attachment surely did bring some perspective. The daily work in accounting is significantly different from the theory learnt in school. Day to day accounts is routine and very simple. Within a short period of time, one begins to know the routine of recording and creating financial statements at the end of the year.That said, I realise now that accounting needs to be supplemented with other courses, for example ACCA, CFA, CIMA, etc. These professional courses give one the ability to review policies placed by the business in their accounting. They also help one to become more marketable in the industry and prevent the boredom inherent in most office jobs with routine tasks. Looking at the clientele of the business, there is a dire need for accountants and for people to learn to be ‘accounts smart’. Most companies do not even have a clerk and most small businesses d o not have an accounts department as the owner does everything and the results nd up being very poor. I have also come to realise that the lack of consultancy and knowledge of cost versus revenue makes some businesses fail or not realise their full potential as much is taken from the business without replacement via drawings. That said, may career goals really have changed and I would not want to end up sitting in the office, day by day, drawing accounts for people, but instead to give advice on running a business and creating strategies that work. I would like to move into explaining accounts to business owners and creating strategies for the purpose of cost reduction and ensuring longevity in a business.Clients constantly complain about the return on their taxes, some do not even know what it means or how it is calculated and are always disgruntled when they see an accountant coming through. Clients therefore need tutorials in the accounting field so that they just do not accept a nything or begin to distrust their accountants. 5. 2 derivations from the attachment Two stand out lessons were derived from internship, the first being that university education alone does not fully equip one for the work environment; one needs a bit of experience.The second lesson being, there is a lot of ignorance concerning accounting in Namibia, to the point of business owners doing their own book-keeping. This comes from a lack of appreciation of the role of accounting in business. Concerning the equipping by the University, there is not enough room for doing accounting practically. There are too many courses from other faculties that students are encouraged to take up in their first year, which leaves little room for proper accounting courses in the degree.The result is that most accounting is taught in a rush manner without adequate understanding and the result is that students cram without grasping concepts fully. This became apparent on the calculation of a businessâ€℠¢ daily expenses. In the examples given us in school, the figures are already summed up and apparent, most of the work involves drawing final accounts, but in businesses, final accounts are drawn up only once a month. The recording of a business’ daily expenses is critical and needs to be given attention in the foundation courses of the degree.Concerning ignorance of accounting , most businesses have no accountant and do not keep the relevant information used in drawing up accounts. The use of interns is also a wide spread normality among those who wish to have some form of book-keeping in their business. However, interns are fresh from university and often make mistakes. This results in backlogs during work as some of the books have to be redone. 5. 3 most significant learning experience The most significant learning process was that on the importance of teamwork. Business processes are intertwined that each person relied the other person.Slacking was therefore intolerable a s it affected everyone else’s progress. That said, I learnt to rely on other people, and to become a person to be relied upon. I also learnt to value the contribution of other people and the vitality of making a significant contribution in a team. 5. 4 self-evaluation The key strengths I possessed for this job were adaptation and quick-learning. I understood whatever work was assigned to me in a very short space of time. There was a lot of tossing around involved in the job as I had no specific responsibilities, this meant I had to be versatile and ready for anything.The ability to think quickly and summon best judgement in a rash situation was very useful when running errands and things would not go according to plan or clients were late. This required changing things or rearranging with a client on my own without calling the office first. The ability to work without supervision and being self-motivated was an added advantage. Because of the lack of space, I shared the offic e with the other company branch of Dotaka Investments called Coverage Insurance. This meant I had no round the clock supervision in my work. I however managed to complete all my work before time or on time.Being reliable is another quality I possess that the executive director would allow me to run errands for her with her car while she would be in the office. She relied on me to represent her well wherever she sent me on her behalf. Dress was no problem for me as I made sure I was clad formally and presentable each day. Articulation and fluency in English was an added quality as well that enabled me to win over clients and explain to them adequately what we required of them. im formal. time keeping My time keeping in the morning was not the most efficient.Most of the time i was not punctual to work and i would arrive a little bit after time. I however compensated for this shortfall by personally working during lunch or working late. 5. 5 recomendations for improvement in the organi sation Great Advisory Services needs bigger office space. During this period of attachment, there were five employees sharing two rooms. This meant that the main office had three employees which is too large a number for a small space. The room became crowded to the point that clients would notice and either mention in a joking manner or just showed unpleasantness.The company vision has to be printed and stuck on the wall and be used in company stamps. I only knew the vision when I had. A company vision helps in boosting employee morale by showing them that whatever they are doing is contributing to the achievement of the vision. Grievances in the company need to be addressed. There were matters that were swept under the carpet even though they were important. There were times were there would be some tension in the office or gossip over another person over things that were not properly stipulated yet could be solved with a sit down meeting.There needs to be an investment towards th e training of employees. An accounts consultant was employed by the firm for enquiries’ sake. However, his availability was after hours which could go on till midnight this was not an efficient way of working. The problem can be overcome by putting one of the accountants through an ACCA program. Also the clerks’ work was not up to standard as most of it had to be redone. Employee training should also be in answering calls, using appropriate register as there was a tendency for employees to use an incorrect tone or a colloquial term in a formal set-up. Accounting Attachment Report 1. 0 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 The objectives of the Industrial attachment The purpose of industrial attachment is to bridge the gap between the theory and the practise of coursework learnt in the University of Botswana. It is meant to give students a clearer perspective of concepts learnt in the academic environment and in turn prepare them for the work environment upon completion of the degree programme. Internship is also aimed at give students a chance to apply the material learnt into a practical environment and get to know the work industry.In applying academic material, it is understood more and in familiarising with the work environment, a career option can be chosen. Part of the attachment was for students to create networks. networks are useful in securing jobs and getting information about the industry. 1. 2 Methodology The industrial attachment was conducted over the period between May 10th and July 27th 2012. This period amounted to a total of 10 weeks over the school holidays. It was after the third year of study in the degree. Each student, with the help of the internship coordinator had to find a company of their choice in the relevant field of study to work in.A place was to be secured through an application letter accompanied by a copy of a transcript, a letter of acknowledgement of student status from the University. A letter of acceptance would then be sent to the university by the company that agreed to attach a student and the area in which the student will work. Students were expected to work in various sectors of the company, but within their course of study while under attachment. The students were also to keep weekly log sheets which were to be signed by the supervisor with the work they had conducted. ? 2. 0 BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANISATION . 1 History of Great Advisory Services Dotaka Investments (Pty) Ltd was incorporated in Namibia in the year 2005. It has two businesses operating, an insurance brokerage called Coverage Insurance and an acco unting business called Great Advisory Services. The company has two directors namely Alex Mundey and Gracia Hunde. Mr Mundey is a non-executive director while Miss Hunde is an executive director. The insurance brokerage was the first business to be registered by the company in 2005 and has since grown to be one of the most renowned insurance broking firms in Namibia.The business headquarters are situated in the Windhoek International Finance Park while another branch operates in the Caesar International Office Park. This is because all insurance companies are found in the Caesar Office Park, making it convenient to get quotes upon request or to make an inquiry quicker. Having become a success and seeing the need for better accounting practise for the smaller businesses, the company diversified into the accounting field and registered a business named Great Advisory Services.The role of Great Advisory Services is to assist entrepreneurs to sustain their businesses by upholding proper and consistent accounting ethos. Great Advisory Services was registered in September 2011 and has been in operation since then. Not only does the business deal with accounting but it also in company secretarial and consultancy. It registers companies, sits as a director on the board and act as agents on submitting applications for permits. The staff includes Gracia Hunde, Elaine Chatonga and Palesa Mosa.Gracia Hunde is the executive director having gained all her knowledge from experience and is currently pursuing a degree in the University of South Africa. She mainly deals in company secretarial and business consultancy. Elaine Chatonga is the head accountant, having graduated with an Honourary degree in accounting and is pursuing chartered accountancy. She draws up the financial statements and calculates the tax returns due for all the clients and for the business as well. As head accountant, it is also her duty to supervise the work of the cler and make necessary changes.Palesa Mosa is the accounting clerk, having acquired an AAT qualification. As a clerk she does the day to day recording of accounts for the business and for the clients. She is also in charge of the petty cash book, answering calls, submitting tax returns and miscellaneous work. MISSION The mission of Geat Advisory Services is to provide accounting services to small, medium and large enterprises. In providing accounting services, the aim is to also influence the practise of proper accounting ethos and to improve the running and quality of business in the country.This is will be accomplished by building a relationship with the clients and explaining accounting procedures to them. By building relationships with clients and keeping a small number of clients, the company is able to focus on each client and not do a rush job. By targeting smaller businesses, the company is also able to probe into the finer details. Clientele These consist mainly of small businesses with very few employees as th ese are the main target of the business. Most of the clients are in the motoring industry and have just been contracted; hence there is not much history that has been built.The range of clients runs from auto mechanics to caterers, and interior designers. Clients are drawn in through word of mouth and through networking, as the company barely advertises itself. The biggest client of the firm is its own spear header- Coverage Insurance Brokers. Most of the clients are for accounting services as opposed to the other branches of the business. The business started with a small clientele base of 4, and has since increased to over 10 contracted clients in the accounting branch. 3. 0 MANAGEMENT, TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE INFORMATION 3. 2 Supervisor assistanceI was also debriefed on other office duties that I would be taught which would have nothing to do with schoolwork but were skills needed in the office for example, filing, photocopying, faxing, filling bank cheques and deposit slips and go ing to the bank. I was also told that I would not have any specific responsibilities but work would come up as and when needed which I would be given a briefing on how to do what at that moment. 3. 3 Qualities and skills possessed and developed The job called for speed, teamwork capabilities, versatility, fluency, flexibility and grasping concepts quickly.This I had no problem with, having gone through internship before and being a member of clubs that required teamwork. Being tossed around between jobs, and not knowing what to be doing when you get to work in the office ensured that I was always on my toes. As the job went by, I learnt to be quick but thorough, to ask questions; to be accountable- work was tossed form one person to the other. If I was capturing information, I had to be thorough so that the next person, in this case the accountant, would be able to use the information. If I gave her the wrong information, it would mess all the accounts up.I also had to learn to be r esponsible ? 3. 0 MANAGEMENT, TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE INFORMATION 3. 1 Job orientation A brief meeting was held on the first day of work in which an assessment of my course work and accounting knowledge was made. The information available on the transcript and curriculum vitae was used for the assessment. This same meeting was also used for the purpose of giving me a tour through the company, debriefing on company history and the services offered by the company. I also got the opportunity to familiarise with the business environment and the rest of the staff around.The next step was to test the skills I had I stated that I had. I was shown how to capture information form a receipt, change it, delete it and create a file for a company in the accounting software. After a series of examples, I was asked to do the same. I went through a series of tests in using the accounting system, which in this case was called Quick books. Having shown adequate knowledge, I was informed that I would as sist in that part of the job. The main job was capturing, but some more office jobs were to be done, which I was kindly briefed on.I was to be the extra hand in the office; hence I would be tossed around everywhere, having been given a short tutorial prior to execution of a task. There were no specific responsibilities that were given to me; most of the work to be done would be broken down before being done. Having been briefed on the jobs to be done, I was shown the office space that I would use. A few minutes later I was assigned to my primary role for the week- filing, organising documents prior to capturing, checking if transactions had been captured properly and at the correct amounts and banking.In between the small jobs, I was to familiarise myself with the software and practise before I could be given any work concerning that. 3. 2 Supervisor assistance My supervisor adequately explained all duties and responsibilities before I undertook them. The first question before doing anything was an enquiry as to whether I had done any such thing. If I answered in the negative, I was shown how to do it. I would then attempt the same job under her watch until I had perfected my work In cases were computer use was required, a different document altogether would be opened for the sake of demonstration.A supervisor was always ready to help if I did not understand anything. As this is a small company, help was easy to find as my slowing down would also affect the other operations. My supervisors were quick to explain and guide through new processes especially those that involved going to NURS, going to clients and going to Company registration. I would receive office calls whenever I spent more time than usual. During the first days in the office, I would also get momentary calls just to check on progress or if everything under control 3. 3 Qualities needed and qualities gainedVersatility and flexibility were needed to succeed in this position as I would be tossed i nto any work. This meant I would have to be a receptionist, or an accountant, or the driver so adaptation and was needed. There was much work to do in the office so I had to be quick to catch onto the job as I would often receive crash courses to do a new task. In a job where there were had no fixed duties, and work to do decided on each morning, it was critical to grasp the concept quickly. The job also called for an ability to work without supervision as there was a lot of work to be done between the three services offered by the company.There was a need to be organised and to ask questions to do with more clarification to get an understanding as soon as a task was given in order to curb backlog. The amount of work to be done was much so that made round the clock assistance rather impossible. Time keeping was also very critical. We all depended on each other as one person’s slow delivery affected everyone. There was a need to pay attention to detail when doing accounts so a s to come up with the correct financial statements and prevent reworking which would waste time.Ten client companies would expected their returns to be calculated every second month so each company had specific time slots for doing their books which had to be maximised in order to prevent a rush job being done or eating into another company’s time. Fluency in English and articulation was a needed quality because there were clients to talk to, going to the Registrar of Companies and calls to be answered when the clerk/receptionist was not around. Qualities gained during the process included the ability to think on my feet, tenacity, responsibility and team working.Concerning the ability to think on my feet, jobs done outside the office required decisions to be made quickly if things did not go according to plan this needed one to exercise discretion and take control without having to call the office first. Thinking on one’s feet required the ability to reason carefully and objectively. Over time, I developed tenacity. It became apparent that not only did the job call for work to be done, but to be completed on or before time. Working after hours became normality and not burdensome and neither was it something to complain over.The key was to understand the importance of completing a task before the next day, regardless of working hours. Honesty and responsibility came with the job. Whenever personal resources were used in incurring company expenses, they had to be accounted for. This called for keeping of receipts and disclosing the corrected amounts actually spent in order to qualify for a refund. These expenses also had to be incurred wholly towards the company and not be mixed with personal expenses. Every business can only achieve its goals through teamwork.Work was passed from one person to the other as processes were interlinked. The clerk and I did most of the primary work- capturing and organising files and it had to be understood by the ne xt user of the information. Having done my part for the day, I would not sit around as others worked but pitch in to also help in order for the task to be completed. ? 4. 0 SPECIFIC JOB INFORMATION 4. 1 Daily Responsibilities There were no specific daily responsibilities given as work arose as and when needed but there were things that became routine, for example filing, faxing and photocopying.The other jobs included capturing invoices and receipts into the accounting system, checking if receipts and invoices had been entered into the system, helping to separate receipts into different expenses and banking. Accounting Capturing accounting information from invoices was a daily task. Expenses had to be separated into cost of sales, company expenses and capital expenditures. That done, a list of all transactions entered would be printed and cross-checked with the corresponding receipts as an internal check on capturing all expenditure and at their correct amounts.Every month end, tax return forms were filled out and withholding tax charges calculated. For those companies which took the liberty to calculate their own taxes, their figures would be matched with those in the tax tables to ensure consistency. The difficult part of this was working with companies that pay employees through commission as they had a different way of calculating applicable charges. Bank reconciliation at the end of each month was a required duty.The task was to go through a monthly bank statement, reconcile the figures with those in the cheque book, adjust for unpresented cheques, account for stop orders and total the bank interest charges for the month. After that the money drawn out for personal use would be calculated for drawings. Filing The first thing upon receipt of files from a client was to sort them out in chronological order. This made it easier to account for the dates on transactions as the date would not be changed with each receipt, it also made it easier to find a missing receipt or to look fo r a query on the receipt if they were in order.The filing work included the tax returns that would come from NURS, documents from the clients in the form of bills, contracts and agreements made between the client and the firm. For withholding taxes, each company had a separate filing place for rental withholding taxes and employee withholding taxes. Printing, copying and faxing Accounting involves a lot of printing, faxing and photocopying. The responsibility assigned was to do exactly that. It was of utmost importance to make sure that the company had one file while the client also had another copy. BankingThis involved drawing up cheques for clients, having been given the due amounts, fill in cheque deposit slips whenever a client made a payment via cheque, signing and accounting for the cheque in the company books before going to the bank to deposit it. This also involved cashing some cheques and depositing them in the respective employee accounts at the en d of the month for salaries. 4. 2 Other responsibilities Messenger Jobs that were done outside the office included fetching files with client’s receipts and invoices for the month and returning them, submitting and collecting returns forms to NURS, getting clients to stamp taxes due forms.Being a messenger also involved following up on company or business name reservations with the Registrar of Companies. The other tasks at the Registrar of Companies were submission of forms for the change of directors and the transfer of ownership of a firm. All paperwork generated from this would be copied and sent to the concerned client Office jobs Part of the office odd jobs was answering the phone when the person responsible was not available. This would involve taking messages and answering for where the required person was, putting through phone calls and answering whatever questions a client had about the business.When clients arrived before their appointed time had to be attended an d entertained until their attendant returned. This was achieved by preparing refreshments and chatting up the client, sitting them comfortably and continuous reassurance that the required person would be with them. Ensuring office security involved locking up doors and cabinets, closing windows, switching off the air conditioners by the last person to leave the office. 4. 3 Knowledge from course work Three years of in the University of Botswana has come with grasping many skills and concepts.Some proved necessary, other premature and some skills use stood out more than others. Knowledge from Accounting Information Systems learnt in BIS309 was the most used and hence the most helpful. It offered a foundation to be able to use any accounting software. BIS309 also helped because it dealt with the daily running of business and how to enter daily transactions into the books of accounts, the separation of bills and invoices and how to create a debit or credit note. BIS309 also included ho w to account for a refund, how to add an account into the list of accounts.Most accounting now is done by software so the ability to use software and the knowledge of the way around the software was an added advantage Knowledge of basic accounting and bank reconciliations was taught in Financial Accounting I (ACC100) and it offered know how on entering costs into books of accounts and drawing up bank reconciliations and treating unpresented cheques. Some clients, being new, lacked adequate accounting information. This amounted to missing receipts and invoices, misnumbered invoices, missing bank cheques or narrations to the cheques.In order to deal with this one had to work backwards from the bank statement to find missing figures and asking for rough estimates for jobs done. Incomplete Records aught in Financial Accounting II (Acc200) was a useful resource. For the purpose of separation of business costs into cost of sales and expenses Introduction to Cost Accounting (ACC201) was ve ry useful. Some business incurred expenses that had to be charged to their cost of sales, not costs of running the business, for example the cost of delivery, the cost of assembly, etc.One company was a delivery company and conducted trade by going to South Africa and taking goods for delivery into Namibia, the cost of the job did not only include fuel to travel to South Africa but it included the driver’s accommodation and food and the cost of toll gates. Dealing with these expenses was leant in Managaemnt accounting applications ACC303. Final accounts are drawn at the end of each month and they have to be drawn up according to the formats in the accounting standards.Knowledge of accounting standards and presentation formats was acquired in Auditing I (ACC301) and Financial Accounting II (ACC 300. ) Upon the calculation of taxes for individual employees, calculating the gross taxes, doing a bank reconciliation, comparison of figures, checking if all receipts had been entered Microsoft excel was used. BIS 205 dealt with the primary use of computers and plugging in formulae. General Education Courses dealt with the use of computers and communication.Businesses require a lot of communication and etiquette. Gec 121,introduction to Computers was useful for the purpose of using email, Introduction to Communication (GEC111 and 112) helped in articulation and Introduction to Rhetoric and Public Speaking (GEC 364) helped in building confidence and addressing people. For the sake of company registration, the difference between a company and a business grasped in Introduction to Company Law (LAW351) was a critical tool in knowing the difference, lest the two be wrongly interchanged.This difference was also critical whenever capturing expenses, keeping in mind that sole traders were not separated from the business and withdrawals made were charged as drawings. 4. 4 Beneficial things to have learnt It would have been very helpful to have gone through an introductor y lesson in tax so as to understand the format, the applicable tax figures had and to fill in a tax from with understanding. Most of the workings in tax were done out of memory, having been briefed on before but with no adequate understanding as to why they were done that way for example amounts exempt from tax and the calculations of allowable deductions.Cash flow Statements are part of the final accounts drawn up at the end of the month. This was also something learnt on the job but without full comprehension of what exactly to be done and what to be done. 4. 5 new skills acquired The reservation of a company name and creation of a shelf company is one of the stand out skills I acquired on the job. A lot of companies open new branches, since Botswana is a developing country and there is positive economic growth, many businesses and companies are being opened as a result and know how in reserving a name and registering a business has become a crucial tool that one may use as an age nt.In learning how to reserve company names and creating shelf companies, it was inevitable that I had to learn how to change directors of a company. Some companies do not immediately operate upon been granted approval or even fail to start, these companies can then be taken over by other persons. Forms for changes in directors of a company are retrieved from the Registrar of Companies’ website. The website hosts many forms that can just be downloaded and printed without necessarily collecting them from their offices. I learnt how to collect a tax return form. These forms are collects directly from NURS.A tax return form has to types, one being for VAT and the other being income tax. The person collecting the tax returns forms has to have knowledge of their Tax Identity Number. Other small skills acquired include:- †¢Calculation of PAYE. Pay as You Earn tax is calculated using the tax tables. Each income has a specific tax matched to it and those that go beyond the norma l amount have a specific extra amount to apply. †¢How to register a company for tax. The form is collected from NURS and it contains various areas to be filled out including the type of business, the name of the business.The bank needs to also certify that an account by that person exists. †¢How to fax and photocopy. This was part of daily office work. No knowledge of such skills had been possessed before. †¢How to use Quickbooks. This was the accounting software used by the company. Knowledge of Pastel Accounting and the use of Microsoft in Accounting were the only prior knowledge. Most companies use Quickbooks so this is a relevant skill upon job search at the completion of the degree. †¢How to use office stationery properly. There is some stationery designed for office use that we fail to use properly.Documents need to be filed neatly and in an orderly manner. That said, learnt how to align a paper before punching, refill staples and to use the various types o f files. ? 5. 0 Conclusions and recommendation 5. 1 Career goals versus industrial attachment The Industrial attachment surely did bring some perspective. The daily work in accounting is significantly different from the theory learnt in school. Day to day accounts is routine and very simple. Within a short period of time, one begins to know the routine of recording and creating financial statements at the end of the year.That said, I realise now that accounting needs to be supplemented with other courses, for example ACCA, CFA, CIMA, etc. These professional courses give one the ability to review policies placed by the business in their accounting. They also help one to become more marketable in the industry and prevent the boredom inherent in most office jobs with routine tasks. Looking at the clientele of the business, there is a dire need for accountants and for people to learn to be ‘accounts smart’. Most companies do not even have a clerk and most small businesses d o not have an accounts department as the owner does everything and the results nd up being very poor. I have also come to realise that the lack of consultancy and knowledge of cost versus revenue makes some businesses fail or not realise their full potential as much is taken from the business without replacement via drawings. That said, may career goals really have changed and I would not want to end up sitting in the office, day by day, drawing accounts for people, but instead to give advice on running a business and creating strategies that work. I would like to move into explaining accounts to business owners and creating strategies for the purpose of cost reduction and ensuring longevity in a business.Clients constantly complain about the return on their taxes, some do not even know what it means or how it is calculated and are always disgruntled when they see an accountant coming through. Clients therefore need tutorials in the accounting field so that they just do not accept a nything or begin to distrust their accountants. 5. 2 derivations from the attachment Two stand out lessons were derived from internship, the first being that university education alone does not fully equip one for the work environment; one needs a bit of experience.The second lesson being, there is a lot of ignorance concerning accounting in Namibia, to the point of business owners doing their own book-keeping. This comes from a lack of appreciation of the role of accounting in business. Concerning the equipping by the University, there is not enough room for doing accounting practically. There are too many courses from other faculties that students are encouraged to take up in their first year, which leaves little room for proper accounting courses in the degree.The result is that most accounting is taught in a rush manner without adequate understanding and the result is that students cram without grasping concepts fully. This became apparent on the calculation of a businessâ€℠¢ daily expenses. In the examples given us in school, the figures are already summed up and apparent, most of the work involves drawing final accounts, but in businesses, final accounts are drawn up only once a month. The recording of a business’ daily expenses is critical and needs to be given attention in the foundation courses of the degree.Concerning ignorance of accounting , most businesses have no accountant and do not keep the relevant information used in drawing up accounts. The use of interns is also a wide spread normality among those who wish to have some form of book-keeping in their business. However, interns are fresh from university and often make mistakes. This results in backlogs during work as some of the books have to be redone. 5. 3 most significant learning experience The most significant learning process was that on the importance of teamwork. Business processes are intertwined that each person relied the other person.Slacking was therefore intolerable a s it affected everyone else’s progress. That said, I learnt to rely on other people, and to become a person to be relied upon. I also learnt to value the contribution of other people and the vitality of making a significant contribution in a team. 5. 4 self-evaluation The key strengths I possessed for this job were adaptation and quick-learning. I understood whatever work was assigned to me in a very short space of time. There was a lot of tossing around involved in the job as I had no specific responsibilities, this meant I had to be versatile and ready for anything.The ability to think quickly and summon best judgement in a rash situation was very useful when running errands and things would not go according to plan or clients were late. This required changing things or rearranging with a client on my own without calling the office first. The ability to work without supervision and being self-motivated was an added advantage. Because of the lack of space, I shared the offic e with the other company branch of Dotaka Investments called Coverage Insurance. This meant I had no round the clock supervision in my work. I however managed to complete all my work before time or on time.Being reliable is another quality I possess that the executive director would allow me to run errands for her with her car while she would be in the office. She relied on me to represent her well wherever she sent me on her behalf. Dress was no problem for me as I made sure I was clad formally and presentable each day. Articulation and fluency in English was an added quality as well that enabled me to win over clients and explain to them adequately what we required of them. im formal. time keeping My time keeping in the morning was not the most efficient.Most of the time i was not punctual to work and i would arrive a little bit after time. I however compensated for this shortfall by personally working during lunch or working late. 5. 5 recomendations for improvement in the organi sation Great Advisory Services needs bigger office space. During this period of attachment, there were five employees sharing two rooms. This meant that the main office had three employees which is too large a number for a small space. The room became crowded to the point that clients would notice and either mention in a joking manner or just showed unpleasantness.The company vision has to be printed and stuck on the wall and be used in company stamps. I only knew the vision when I had. A company vision helps in boosting employee morale by showing them that whatever they are doing is contributing to the achievement of the vision. Grievances in the company need to be addressed. There were matters that were swept under the carpet even though they were important. There were times were there would be some tension in the office or gossip over another person over things that were not properly stipulated yet could be solved with a sit down meeting.There needs to be an investment towards th e training of employees. An accounts consultant was employed by the firm for enquiries’ sake. However, his availability was after hours which could go on till midnight this was not an efficient way of working. The problem can be overcome by putting one of the accountants through an ACCA program. Also the clerks’ work was not up to standard as most of it had to be redone. Employee training should also be in answering calls, using appropriate register as there was a tendency for employees to use an incorrect tone or a colloquial term in a formal set-up.