Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Case Study Example According to the patient’s history and physical report, she experiences â€Å"severe, short-distance, lifestyle limiting right lower extremity claudication,† which is the reason why she is being admitted to the hospital. The patient typically develops paresthesias as well as complete numbness to her right foot after walking for more than 20 yards. However, if she walks for an approximation of 20 yards, she experiences pain in her right calf, which goes away after she gets some rest. From these considerations, it is possible to determine that she meets the criteria for admission based on the severity of her illness, since she experiences an acute loss of the ability to move a body part as set out in the hospital’s admission criteria. On the other hand, the plan set is for the patient to undergo operative intervention, whose intention is to repair the injury in the femoral artery. This was after tests were conducted, thereby revealing evidence of a mild narrowing o f the artery, presumably due to the previous catheterization. It is possible to determine that the patient meets the admission criteria based on the intensity of service, given that the plan is to operate on her within 24 hours, once the operating room is free. On the other hand, palpable pulses are not present in the patient’s right lower extremity. This factor meets the intensity of service requirements outlined in the admission criteria, which establishes that the patient meets the criteria for admission to the hospital.

Definition of Reading

Definition of Reading Definition of Reading Reading is a mental process. There are many definitions of reading. Reading is when someone looks into a written text and starts to absorb the information from the written linguistic message. In Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistic, reading is said as: Perceiving a written text in order to understand its contents. This can be done silently (silent reading). The understanding that result is called reading comprehension. Saying a written text aloud (oral reading). This can be done with or without understanding of the content. Other definition by Collins English Learners Dictionary is that reading is an act of looking at and understanding point. This is very true because reading entails the use of vision to understand several words in a sentence and make them meaningful. Same goes to each sentence in order to understand the entire text. Besides all the definitions from the dictionary there are also definitions made by several people. According to William (1984), he defines reading as a process whereby one looks at and understands what has been written. Rohani Ariffin (1992:1) in her book entitled Anthropology of Poetry for Young People defines reading as a highly personal activity that is mainly done silently, alone. There is a clear understanding that reading is something related to the activity of acquiring information and it is done either silently or aloud. Reading is an interactive process between the reader and the writer. Brunan W.K (1989) for instance defines reading as a two way interaction in which information is exchange between the reader and the author. Smith (1973) also shares the same attitude. This is proved by his line: Reading is an act of communication in which information is transferred from a transmitter to a receiver (Smith 1973:2) Despite all the definitions given, there is also definition of reading given by teachers as well as by students. According to Stallfter (1969), teachers define reading as: a complicated procedure. Readers read to get information from the printed pages. They should be able to pronounce and comprehend the printed words, signs, letters, and symbols by assigning meaning to them. As for students, they define reading which cited from Jensen and Petty (1918) as: where words go into your eyes and out of your mouth. They said that books are written with many adventures and time and time again there are spots where they say I know it! it is interesting to them as they open the book, words flow out and float across the mind In order for a person to be able to read, there is in need of other skill to support the reader while reading. Reading is a mental process as mentioned earlier so it needs other skills to be integrated with such as listening, speaking and writing. According to Chitravelu et. al (1995), reading is not a single skill that we use all the time in the same way but it is multiple skill that used differently with kind of test and fulfilling different purpose. This was earlier being stated by Thomas and Loving (1979) where they alleged reading as a communicative skills along with listening, speaking writing and thinking. Purpose of Reading Many or any people can read a text but hardly can understand what the writing was all about. This is because the reading was not providing any information to the reader. Why is this happen? This happened when the reader merely read the text without understanding the content. So it defeats the purpose of reading as a means to gain information. According to Mariam (1991) she proposed that a major avenue of learning is through reading. Yet, if we do not understand what we are reading, we cannot learn or remember it. Comprehending is a major concerned, then, of all teachers who use printed material in the classroom. Since reading is very important in learning second language, a great effort has been given to develop reading skill. Although many ways have been promoted in order to improve reading skill among students, reading is still something that is seems problematic. Students cant understand English text. These problems occurred because according to Noormah (2000) the students are lacking of vocabulary, hardly understand the words and less interest to English subject. Besides that, there are also several factors contributing to the diffident of this particular skill. Based on Sivaguru (2000) those factors are home, school and social environment. If the student is living in a family where English to them is a familiar language, frequently spoken by the members of the family then the student will have the advantage of being exposed to the language. Unlike student with no English familiarity in his family where English is seen as a bizarre language to be spoken, this kind of environment demodula tes his motivation to learn the language. Moreover, school is also one of the factors that contribute to the incompetence in reading. This is where the role of teacher in promoting the language to the students. Some teacher just might not fully use English during English class especially in the primary school. This is just because the teacher intended to suit her level with the students and as a result a lot of code switching is used. This early exposure to the lack of using English in class causes a serious impact when they further their study in a higher education level. To them English is not something important. Even if it does, they still can code switch as what their teacher did during their schooling period. Another factor is the environment factor. We are from what we come from. If the environment around us allows us to speak English for example to have colleagues who are willing to speak English, this would be a good drive. But what actually happen in the Malaysian society is that people are hesitate to speak English in public among friends, neighbors etceteras. Although the factors discussed are concerning around the speaking skill, but as mentioned earlier that all skills are related to each other. When the students are no longer interested to speak in English, their passions for the language will also deteriorating. These will also affecting their reading skills and their ability to understand English text. Models of Reading This study will be focusing on the students of a tertiary level. Students of tertiary level are different from students of a secondary school in reading purpose. Secondary school students read because they are forced to read by their teacher. It is hard to find students who do extensive reading by themselves. Students of tertiary level on the other hand read because they have to. They have to read to keep up with lectures and assignments. If they do not read, they will be left behind. There are three theories related and being use in this study. The first theory is the traditional view of reading (Dole et al, 1991). According to this theory, novice readers needs to acquire a set of hierarchically ordered sub-skills that consecutively build toward comprehension ability. Contained in this theory, the students have the ability to comprehend the texts by making sense of the words within the context of the sentence. According to Nunan (1991), being able to read using this view is being able to interpret a series of written symbols to the auditory equivalents as a way for the readers to make sense of the text they are reading and to reproduce the meaning of the reading itself. In other words, this process is called the bottom-up. The bottom-up reading is done step by step as mentioned by Mariam Mohamed Nor and Rahmad Sukor Abd. Samad (2006). The technique begins with the eyes identifying visual information in the materials and this technique begins with the identification of the letter and the sounds follows subsequently. Next, the identification of the lexical items is done through grapheme-phoneme correspondence and being put in the short term memory (STM). This is where the phrases, clauses and sentences are being constructed. This model requires an accurate comprehension, sequential identification of letters, words, phrases, clauses, sentences and the pronunciation. The other meaning of this view is that it is also a process of outside-in as mentioned by McCarthy (1999). To make it simple, the bottom-up model recommends that reading should begins from the low-level processing. The printed texts that being read by the reader can only be interpreted and understood by the reader himself. Apart from the definition given below, this traditional view of reading always been under attack because of the insufficiency and lacking one or more of the usual forms of grammatical inflection mainly the words and structure. The second theory is the three major types of schemata. The types of schema mentioned by Carrell (1984) are the linguistic schemata, formal schemata and content schemata which are related to the reading comprehension. The linguistic schemata refer to the existing knowledge that the readers have in vocabulary and grammar. It is the foundation for other schemata as it is essential in helping the readers to grasp and decode the text they read. If the readers do not have this schema, it will be hard for them to understand and to decode texts they read. The more linguistic schema the readers have, the easier for them to understand and decode what they are reading. The second schema is the formal schema. This schema has been explained to be abstract, encoded, internalized, and having coherent patterns of meta-linguistic, discourse and textual organization that are being used to understand a text. The reader tries to use any information that they have in order to understand and to comprehend the English text they are reading at that particular of time. But the formal schema offers less power in the reading process as mentioned by Carrell (1984). In this study, the formal schema helps the students to make relations between the background knowledge that they have with the new one that they just bumped into under the same topic. This is to help them in comprehending the reading English texts in the possible way as they can. The third schema in the schemata theory is called content schema. In other terms, this schema explains about the reader having the information or background knowledge on the topic that is being brought up in the texts they read. A language is not only the combination of vocabulary or grammar but it also involves the culture of the language and this is where the information came. With the content schema, it can complete the lack of language schemata and thus helps the students in comprehending texts and to be able to put aside any ambiguities and irrelevant words or sentences in the texts. The third theory used in this study is the affective filter hypothesis by Stephen Krashen. This theory involves the attitudes towards the target language and its relationship with the input achieved by the students. It shows that how attitude is very important in learning language. If the students have a very high or strong affective filter, they tend to have less input. If the students do understand the input, the input will not reach part of the brain that takes charge of the language acquisition. It is different to students who have low affective filter who will have the tendency to obtain more information and because they have more positive attitudes to the language they are learning, they are more open to the input they obtain.

Adrenoleukodystrophy and Myelin Essay -- Biology Essays Research Paper

Adrenoleukodystrophy and Myelin: Where's the Connection? Adrenoleukodystrophy. Also known as ALD. Ten years ago many people would not be familiar with this extremely rare childhood disease. But now awareness has increased as a result of the 1992 MCA Universal film, "Lorenzo's Oil". This true story movie shows the struggles of a family whose son is dying from this disease and their fight to try to save him and children like him. After seeing this movie myself I became very interested in ALD and the possible ways to cure or treat it. In the last decade there has been some amazing research done in conjunction with this disease and the few others who, like it, occur as a result from the breakdown or loss of myelin in the brain. The first step in understanding adrenoleukodystrophy is to ask what it is and how it works. According to the fact sheet put out by the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD in 1997, "ALD is a rare, genetic disorder characterized by the breakdown or loss of the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells in the brain and progressive dysfunction of the adrenal gland" (1). This disorder affects fatty acid metabolism which causes the dysfunction of the adrenal glands, the nervous system, and the testes (2). This leads to progressive neurological disability and death (3). Physical symptoms include, but are not limited to, visual loss, deafness, learning disabilities, seizures, dysarthria (poorly articulated speech), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), strabismus (crossed eyes), fatigue, disturbance in gait and coordination, vomiting, paralysis, blindness, melanoderma, and dementia (1) (2) (4). But this disease does not stop with merely physical changes, there are many behavioral changes which are parti... ...gs are almost never what you think they are. WWW Sources 1)Adrenoleukodystrophy, http://www.ninds.nih.gov/HEALINFO/DISORDER/Adrenoleukodystrophy/adrenoleuko.html 2)Adrenoleukodystrophy, http://www.healthanswers.com/database/ami/converted/001182.html 3)NCBI: Adrenoleukodystrophy, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/ALD.html 4) ADRENOLEUKODYSTROPHY , http://www.kid-med.org/pedbase/adrenole.htm 5)The Myelin Project , http://www.myelin.org/ 6)TMP Newsletter , http://www.myelin.org/112698pr.html 7)Virtual Hospital: Radiology Resident Case of the Week Adrenal Leukodystrophy (ALD) , http://www.vh.org/adult/provider/radiology/RCW/012696/012696.html 8) Neurodegenerative Disorders of Childhood- Dr. Greene's House Calls , http://www.drgreene.com/21_525.html 9) Metachromatic Leukodystrophy , http://www.duke.edu/~pdrh/MLD.html

Frankenstein Analysis ; Essay Essay

I. The pursuit of knowledge is at the heart of Frankenstein. In the letters at the beginning of the novel, Robert Walton had been writing to his sister of how he longs to travel the seas and attempts to surpass previous human explorations by endeavoring to reach the North Pole. Due to his pursuit of knowledge, he finds himself in a dangerous position trapped between sheets of ice. Victor’s pursuit of knowledge started from when he was just a child. The narrator begins to pick apart and identify the aspects of his personality that will eventually lead to his downfall. He possesses what he calls a â€Å"thirst for knowledge. † Thirst, of course, is a fundamental human need, necessary to one’s very survival. Victor’s desire to learn, therefore, is driven by nothing so insubstantial as curiosity. It is instead the precondition of his very being. The fascinations of the human soul and how the body works, intensifying his thirst by reading the books of Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. As Victor attempts to surge beyond accepted human limits and access the secret of life, his creation ends up destroying everyone that he had care for. Although the two had a thirst for knowledge, one quickly realized that they had chosen a dangerous path, Robert Walton. â€Å"You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been. † ( letter IV pg 39)From the wise words of Victor, Walton ultimately pulls back from his treacherous mission, having learned from Victor’s example how destructive the thirst for knowledge can be. The theme of the pursuit of knowledge leads into the theme of secrecy. Victor keeps his studies and his experiment of his creation a secret. He also keeps the knowledge of Williams killer a secret because it was his creation of the monster that murdered the innocent boy. II. In chapter two, Victor witnesses the destructive power of nature when, during a raging storm, lightning destroys a tree near his house. â€Å" It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribands of wood. I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed. † (pg 48) Therefore Victor had witnessed the destructive powers of nature and was astonished that something so beautiful could be destroyed so abruptly. The world of nature that is expressed in the book can be argued that it affects the moods of characters in the novel. The sublime natural world, embraced by Romanticism as a source of unrestrained emotional experience for the individual. It initially offers characters the possibility of spiritual renewal. Mired in depression and remorse after the deaths of William and Justine, for which Victor responsible, Victor heads to the mountains to lift his spirits. The harsh winter that Victor endured symbolised depression and remorse. As well, after a the hellish winter of cold and abandonment, the monster feels his heart lighten as spring arrives. The influence of nature on mood is evident throughout the novel, but for Victor, the natural world’s power to console him wanes when he realizes that the monster will haunt him no matter where he goes. By the end, as Victor chases the monster obsessively, nature, in the form of the Arctic desert, functions simply as the symbolic scenery for his primal struggle against the monster. III. Victor has been in a stage of secrecy since he was a child. Because of his interests and ambitions that no one could understand, he stayed in secrecy. Victor conceives of science as a mystery to be examined and discover its secrets, once discovered, must be jealously guarded. He considers M. Krempe, the natural philosopher he meets at Ingolstadt, a model scientist: â€Å"an uncouth man, but deeply imbued in the secrets of his science. † Victor’s entire obsession with creating life is shrouded in secrecy, and his obsession with destroying the monster remains equally secret until Walton hears his tale. Whereas Victor continues in his secrecy out of shame and guilt, the monster is forced into seclusion by his bizarre appearance. Walton serves as the final confessor for both, and their tragic relationship becomes immortalized in Walton’s letters. In confessing all just before he dies, Victor escapes the stifling secrecy that has ruined his life; likewise, the monster takes advantage of Walton’s presence to forge a human connection, hoping desperately that at last someone will understand, and empathize with, his miserable existence. IV. The way Mary Shelley wrote the novel Frankenstein is in first person point of view. By having the book in first person the reader is able to witness Victor’s life story on a different level. This helps the reader have a better understanding of what’s going on in the novel. If the novel was written in another form, the reader would probably have great difficulty understanding Victor’s story. Other pieces of works were also mention in the novel such as Paradise Lost. The texts and languages strongly associate with the story as well with other themes in the novel. â€Å"It moved every feeling of wonder and awe, that the picture of an omnipotent God warring with his creatures was capable of exciting. I often referred the several situations, as their similarity struck me, to my own. Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but state was far from different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator, he was allowed to converse with, and acquire knowledge from, beings of a superior nature, but I was wretched, helpless and alone. † (Ch. XV, page 116) As stated in the quote, the monster is comparing himself and the relationship of him and his creator to the story that he reads in Paradise Lost. The reader can relate to the monster and can see his point of view of how he is mistreated by his creator unlike Adam in the Story. V. In Victor’s case, his isolation comes from pursuing his ambitions, choosing his ambition over the people around him. Even when Victor finishes creating his creature, his feelings of melancholy and guilt overwhelm him so that he cannot have solace from those around him. Though Victor is alone once the Creature has killed his family, this isolation could also be considered brought upon by Victor himself. Victor’s isolation, then, should create in him a sense of guilt or atonement for his creation of a Creature who stripped him of those friends and family surrounding him; however, Victor only seeks vengeance and his continued state of melancholy. The Creature, on the other hand, is isolated because of Victor. Victor was the Creature’s creator and should have provided and taught the creature, taking responsibility instead of running away. He also is isolated by society because of his appearance, which is, again, not the Creature’s fault. Compared to Victor, the Creature is far more isolate, and we can see that this isolation is superior to that of Victor because of the drastic measures the Creature takes in order to be with people. Victor does not really consciously attempt to engage with those around him, but the Creature does, craving companionship and a way to release himself from his isolation. Ultimately, the Creature cannot become part of any community so this isolation creates rage inside of the monster and leads him to commit the acts that ultimately isolate Victor. VI. In the novel Frankenstein by mary shelley there is a clear comparison between the creature and Victor to God and Satan. Victor and the creature are mostly compared to God and Satan. Victor was so blind by his determination to recreate that he was too late to realize exactly what he was creating. He saw that he wasn’t creating life but he was just twisting death. God also regretted his creation after it was too late. In the novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley intertwines the relationships between her characters through their insatiable desires for knowledge. The actions of these characters, predominantly the monster, allude to Satan, in John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost. Both the monster and Satan are fixated on vengeance because of the parallel rejection they are faced with in their respective works. Vengeance becomes the principal theme during the course of both works and it fuels the fire for the consciences’ of the monster and Satan’s every judgment. Rejection by creator plays a vital role in the plots of both the monster and Satan. Victor’s creature, born innocent, tried to fit in the world that he was put into. But the constant rejection and isolation from the very beings that he longed to interact with caused him to evolve into a self-acknowledged Satan, from Paradise Lost. The monster immediately upon setting eyes on the world is abandoned and rejected by Victor Frankenstein. The monster states, â€Å"It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. † (Shelley 194) VII. Throughout the novel, Victor has been struggling with his identity. He was isolated because of his interests in philosophy that no one else had. â€Å" When i was thirteen years of age, we all went on a party of pleasure to the baths near Thonon:†¦ i chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa†¦I communicated my discovery to my father. My father looked carelessly at the titlepage of my book, and said, â€Å"Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this: it is sad trash. † † ( pg 46 chap II) Victor’s interest were not accepted therefore he kept to himself and became non social. Thus hindering the aid of finding his identity. The creature also struggled with his quest to find his identity. His creator was filled with disgust at the first sight of him. Without hesitation he shunned his creation and ran away from him. The monster was left with no one to teach him how to love, no one to teach him social skills, how to live, the creature had to fend for himself in every case. This left the monster to question his identity, â€Å"Was I then a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled, and whom all men disowned. † This leads him to doubt himself, and actually contemplate suicide. Not knowing one’s identity can be troublesome for someone. It can make one question everything they do, every move every thought questions. This can put a strain on ones life and cause them to feel depressed and suicidal. We can see this in the monster and Victor throughout the novel. Although the creature starts to realize that he is alone, there is no other like him. This helps him create an identity for himself. He can characterize himself as an outsider. The theme of identity helps the reader to have a stronger understanding of the characters. In the novel of Frankenstein it can be argued that the theme of religion has been illustrated within the book. While many people view Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein† as a horror novel, it is also to be believed it has more of a religious background due to the insertion of â€Å"Paradise Lost† into the story. The story of God creating Adam is a popular topic in this story and is also believed that Shelly had intended for â€Å"Frankenstein† to be an allegory for the story of creation. In the instructional novel of How to read Literature Like a Professor, chapter five and seven can be used to make a connection with the novel of Frankenstein. In chapter five of the instructional manual of How to read Literature Like a Professor, the author explains how stories overlap in a way. Book are never totally original. They all use similar characters with similar personalities. Authors use other authors to influence their style of writing and what they write about. In the novel, Mary Shelley introduces the story â€Å" Paradise Lost†, to make a comparison and difference between the creature with Adam. â€Å" But ‘Paradise Lost’ excited different and far deeper emotions. I read it, as i had read the other volumes which had fallen into my hands as a true history†¦ I often referred the several situations, as their similarity struck me, to my own. Like Adam. † This quote can prove that the creation referred to the story of â€Å"Paradise Lost† and used it as a comparison to its own situation. Therefore stories indeed did overlap in a way. In chapter seven of the instructional manual of How to read Literature Like a Professor, it is mainly about how every piece of literature is somehow related to or referring to the Bible. They all involve things such as temptation, betrayal, denial, etc. Also, writers refer to the Bible because almost everybody knows at least some of the stories from the Bible. The novel Frankenstein expresses religion because Victors obsession with recreating life. He takes a place as God and the creature takes the place of Adam. The story of God and Adam was used in the novel to draw out the use of religion. Chapter seven also connects to Frankenstein because he felt the temptation of knowing the secrets of nature. † The world was to me secret which i desired to divine. † As quoted, Victor had temptation for knowledge. Therefore temptation was involved in the novel. Therefore, the instructional manual of How to read Literature Like a Professor and the novel Frankenstein are relatable. The manual is solely based on teaching rising students like me how to think, and change my perspective in order to get the deeper meaning behind a piece of literature. In Frankenstein the Monster, who is thought to be illiterate, watches the Frankenstein family and teaches himself to eat, sleep, and hold himself like them. He teaches himself to be a more sophisticated human being by watching this family similar to the way millions of students are teaching themselves to be more sophisticated by reading this manual.

Implementation of an Information System for a Financial Institution

INTRODUCTION Background Ribeiro and David (2001) state that information technology over the years has had a number of significant impact on organizations. Such impacts are: †¢ It has created opportunities for competitive advantages amongst competitors in any industry †¢ It has improved the relationship existing between customers and organizations †¢ It has helped with the development of new products as well as services †¢ It has allowed organizations to perform tasks which would have remained impossible without the use of a computer system. It has reduced the total cost incurred in transaction processing for banks and other financial institutions. History of the I. T manager Having applied for the post of the I. T systems manager, listed below are my qualifications and information about my past work experience: †¢ A master’s degree in Information systems with technical background in Windows Server and Desktop technology †¢ Professional qualificati ons in CISCO and MCSE with an understanding of some server grade applications including IIS, Apache, SharePoint, DNS, SQL and Foundstone Reasonable knowledge of large enterprise LAN/WAN environments †¢ 8 years experience in project management, leadership and organizational skills †¢ 7 years IT managerial experience in other financial institutions †¢ 5 years experience with client technologies †¢ 4 years working experience developing effective IT for financial institutions History of Progress bank Progress bank was established in 1999 and up till now does not have any I. T department in place. Their customer base is relatively small as well as the number of staff. Recently, it mergered with another bank in a bid to make it stronger and this has led to increased operational activities, increased customer base and more staff and a decision to introduce and implement an effective I. T department for the bank. The board decided to set up the department in order to ease their work, to allow free flow of communication between the various departments, to hasten decision making processes, to improve the turn-around time in their daily operational activities. The board members of the bank want the I. T manager to report directly to the Head of Operations of the bank. About 10 – 12 information technology specialists would be required to work with him in the new department and the roles and responsibilities are to develop, maintain and support the banks cash and commercial product management systems, to reconcile accounts, to manage the cash systems and control disbursement of funds. Some recruitment consultants were consulted to help out with the recruitment of appropriate candidates and so far, 8 people have been recruited to work with the I. T manager. These people include network technicians, network assistants, and network engineers. Responsibilities of the I. T manager The major tasks and responsibilities of the I. T manager have been identified to be: 1. Development of an information system for the bank. 2. Coordination, monitoring and supervision of the supporting staff for the development, designing, coding, maintaining and modifying application programs for a limited area and small number of projects. 3. Extensively working with the business units of the bank in support of their business processes, electronic business communication and also transactional needs. . The provision of analytical support for applications-related activities including customer experience, marketing, technology, human resource and also the operations department. 5. Leading the deployment of advanced information technology solutions relating to commercial product needs. 6. Recommendation and suggestion of strategies as well as hardware and software enhancements to increase employee productivities. 7. Administering, recommending and im plementing changes to policies that affect the employees of the various departments. 8. Making the flow of information within the organization easier and faster through the development of the intranet. 9. Making communication a two- way thing i. e. vertical and horizontal. 10. Developing a customer database for the bank. 11. Selecting, developing and evaluating personnel to ensure the efficient and effective operation of assigned functions. 12. Ensuring that the project budget, schedules and performance requirements are completely met. 13. Regular interaction with customers and some peer group managers. 14. Ensuring that the organization operates fully in accordance with the established procedures and practices. How to measure the implementation success The success of the implementation of an information system can be measured by taking note of the following: i. User satisfaction with the system or with the outcomes of using the system. ii. Favorable attitudes on the part of the users towards the system. iii. The overall payoff to the organization. iv. The extent to which the system accomplishes the organizational objectives. Limitations The major limitation to be considered is the cost. It would be costly for the organization to fully introduce and to implement an effective information system. A major factor to be considered is the need for training and development of the existing members of staff of the organization. Training and development sessions, on-the-job training, meetings and discussions need to be arranged for the members of staff in a way that it would not interfere with the day-to-day operational activities. The whole process of change may be a cumbersome one for the employees because they would have to transfer the information and data from the various departments from files which were their major form of storage to the computers. INFORMATION SYSTEM This refers to the interaction between people, processes, data and technology. It refers to the way people interact with technology to support the business processes. Information systems are different from the information and communication technology (ICT) and also from business processes although it has an ICT component and it also helps to control the performance of the business processes (Zhu and Meredith, 1995). An information system can be defined as a work system involving activities that are necessary for the processing (capturing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, manipulating and displaying) information (Wang and Strong, 1996). An information system can be considered as a semi-formal language that supports decision making as well as actions. Components of Information System There are different components of the information system and they include: i. I. T comprising of the hardware and the software. ii. Data/ Information. iii. Procedures/Policies. iv. People. v. Purpose and vi. Communication Networks. Hardware Standards There are different standards of computer hardware, the hardware consists of the things that can be seen. The standards will be reviewed and revised occasionally based on the emerging desktop technologies and development in software (Avgerou, 2001). It is recognized that in the bank, the ability to share vital information easily and quickly is very important. Apart from the quick sharing of information, the software environment is also important especially those used for word processing, databases for the customers, spreadsheets, network browsing and electronic mail. Therefore, the development of a wide computing infrastructure which is based on good hardware and software standards will improve the day-to-day operational activities and interactivity between the various departments of the bank. The standards would also help facilitate the quick exchange of information as well as important documents both within and outside the bank. According to Stair and Reynolds, the hardware standards are based on the present technology that is available in addition to the present needs of the bank which then applies to both the windows and the mackintosh platforms. However, for each hardware configuration, some considerations have to be made which include: i. Easy connectivity to the bank’s network. ii. Easy connectivity to the external systems and other organizations. iii. The in-house experience with the chosen product and the configuration. v. The maximum period which the machine can effectively function. v. The presence of service provided by external hardware repairers. Different types of computers can be purchased but regardless of the type purchased, the minimum configuration should be: i. Intel core 2 Duo processor. ii. 2 G RAM because we’ll be using windows Vista. iii. 60 GB hard disk. iv. CD – ROM/DVD drive. v. Network connection. vi. 3 years warranty. Because of the nature of the tasks performed by the bank, there will be a need to archive data, so a DVD+R drive is recommended. Recommendations on what to purchase Monitors: Flat panel monitors with high resolutions are recommended due to cost constraint, but as time goes on, we could change them to dual monitors. Printers: HP Laser jet P2015dn (monochrome) and HP Color Laser Jet 2605dn (color) is recommended. Scanners: USB scanners are recommended. Other Peripherals such as Modems, NICs and Drives: From previous experience, a personal relationship has been developed with MNJ Technologies Direct so it is recommended that supplies be purchased from them. Software Standards The software standards have a lot of advantages and these include: 1. An improved data sharing to ensure: . The sharing of data between applications such as word processors, databases, spreadsheets and so on. b. That there are identical resources on each of the desktop to provide easy transfer of information and to serve as a consistent tool-set for all the bank workers. c. A consistency of file format to provide optimal file sharing between individuals, units and departments within the organization. 2. An improved training which focuses on: a. Team training in various courses and workshops for different levels of user proficiency i. e. the introductory, intermediate as well as the advanced stages. b. Computer – based training courses which is centered on selected software packages. 3. An improved support from the I. T support staff to focus on: a. The depth of knowledge of application instead of the breadth of the large number of applicants. b. Product expertise. 4. Smoother software installation and upgrades to ensure: a. The proper installation of the different software for the new computers usually making it a part of the initial hardware installation. b. That routine installation is made instead of a specialized process for each individual resulting in maximization of time and resources. c. That upgrades are tested and properly documented in order to reduce potential incompatibilities. Types of software standards 1. Fully supported software: it is my responsibility as the I. T manager to ensure that the appropriate software is installed, to troubleshoot software problems, to provide training courses and to provide the documentation of selected packages. Office productivity suite includes Microsoft word, Microsoft excel, PowerPoint, Access, and MS Office. i. Electronic mail/calendar ii. Web browser which includes internet explorer 6, safari 1 (Mac OS 10. 2), Firefox 2. iii. Web course development : Desire2Learn. v. Web page development: Dreamweaver MX. v. Image Editing: Adobe Creative Suite 2. 0. vi. Operating Systems: Windows XP and Windows Vista. vii. File transfer: Transmit, Filezilla 1. 7. viii. Other utilities: PowerArchiver 2000, Norton Antivirus 10. 15, Print Key 2000. ix. Network operating system: Netware 6, Microsoft server. x. Network clients: Netware client 4. 9 SP2 (Win XP). 2. Partially supported software: This may include some versions of the fully supported software and in some cases; it includes a new release of a standard application. These includes: i. Mathematical software: Maple 10, Matlab 2006. i. Telnet: Host Explorer (Telnet) 4, Putty (Win). iii. Operating systems: Windows 2000, Mac OS X 10. 3. iv. Statistics: SPSS 15. x, SPSS 12. x, Minitab 15. x. v. Office productivity suite: MS Office XP. 3. Non- supported software: these are some software that the I. T will not install nor provide follow-up support for because they are considered as obsolete. Examples of these include all Microsoft DOS and Windows 3. 1 based software. 4. However, changes will be made regularly by the I. T department to the computer hardware and software standards and this will be communicated to all members of staff. Sufficient time will be allowed for the migration to new standards; changes will also be made regularly to the hardware configurations as technology and prices change and would also be communicated to all members of staff. Operating systems Operating systems are the most important software which runs on the computer. Without it, the application software which is designed to communicate with the hardware through the operating system cannot run. There are different types of operating systems and these can be classified into: a. Single program operating system and . Multi tasking operating system The single program operating system is a type of OS that allows only one program to run at a particular time. This was later converted to the multi tasking operating system because it was found out that it was time consuming and not very practical and professional to close one application in order to open another one especially if you want to copy or transfer data from one application to anothe r. The multi tasking operating system is a type of OS that enables a single user to have more than one applications open at the same time. It usually gives the computer the option of determining how many time slices will be allocated to each program. The main program gets the most and the rest is distributed to the remaining programs depending on their rates of activity. There are basically three types of the multi tasking operating systems. These are: Single user multi tasking systems, real time operating systems and the multi user operating system. The real time operating systems are usually used to control scientific instruments, industrial systems and so on. The user has little control over the activities performed by this type of system. The single user multi tasking system allows a single user to open and run different applications at the same time. Examples of this type are Windows of Microsoft and the Macintosh of apple. Multi user operating systems are systems that give access to the resources on a single computer to many users at the same time. An example of this is the UNIX. However, the operating system that is commonly used are Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP (coming in two versions as the home and the professional), Windows Vista, Windows CE, Apple Macintosh, Unix, Solex etc (Charette, 2005). Network Security The computer networks can either be public or private. They are used daily to conduct transactions and to hasten communications amongst individuals, business and groups within an organization. The networks comprises of ‘nodes’ which can be referred to as ‘client’ terminals and one or more ‘servers’ or ‘host’ computers. They are usually linked by communication systems which could be private which could be used within a company and public which can be accessed by members of the public such as the Internet. However, due to technological advancement, most of the companies host computers can be accessed by employees within the offices over a private communications network outside the offices through normal telephone lines (Tatnall et al. , 2002). Network security can then be described as involving all the activities that the various organizations, institutions, enterprises and so on take to protect the value of their assets and the integrity and continuity of their operations. In order to make the network secure, threats should be identified and strategies put in place to combat them by making use of the different network security tools. Threats to network security There are different threats to network security and they include: a. Viruses: these are computer programs that have been written by programmers with the aim of infecting computers when triggered by a certain event. b. Trojan horse programs: these are delivery vehicles for destructive codes which could appear as a harmless software program or as a useful one. c. Vandals: these are some software applications that can destroy the computer. . Attacks: This could be information-gathering activities which collect data that is used to compromise networks, access attacks which exploit network vulnerabilities gaining entry to e-mails, databases and the corporate network and denial-of-service attacks which prevent access to some part or all parts of the computer system. e. Data interception: This involves the altering of data packets that are being transmitted. Some network security tools that can be put in place include: a. Antivirus software packages: These are used to counter most of the virus threats. They need to be updated regularly in order for it to be effective. b. Secure network infrastructure: firewalls and intrusion detection systems provide protection for all the areas of network hence enabling secure connections. c. Virtual private networks: these are used to provide accessibility control and data encryption between different computers on a particular network. It allows the safe connection of workers to the network without the risk of someone else intercepting the data. d. Encryption: these are used to make sure that messages cannot be read by anyone else other than the authorized recipients. . Identify services: are services that identify users and control their activities as well as their various transactions on the network. Services used here include authentication keys, passwords etc. However, no single solution can protect against the variety of the afore mentioned threats, as a result, multiple layers of the security tools should be put in place. Network security i s usually accomplished through the hardware as well as the software, with constant update of the software to further protect from the emerging threats. In order for the network security system to be effective, it is important to note that all the network security tools work hand in hand to minimize maintenance and to improve security. Client Server Computing Client server computing can be defined as a distributed computing model where the requesting of services from the server processes is done by client applications. Here, both the clients and the servers run of different computers that have been interconnected by a computer network. Basically, it is server software that accepts requests for data from the client software and returns the results to the client. The major focus in client-server computing is on the software. A common example of the client-server computing is the use of the internet which could be the collection of information from the World Wide Web. However, client server computing generally applies to systems in which the organization runs various programs that have multiple components distributed amongst different computers in a particular network. The concept is linked with the enterprise computing which ensures availability of the computing resources. Client server systems are important and useful in the banks because it allows easy accessibility of account information on a central database server amongst other things. This will be very useful in the day-to-day operational activities. All the access is done through a PC client which provides a graphical user interface (GUI). Data such as the individual account numbers can be entered into the GUI along with the different types of transactions made on the account be it withdrawal or deposits. The PC client validates the data, transfers it to the data base server and eventually displays the results. Client Server Toolkits It has been observed that a lot of software toolkits for the effective building of client-server software are available today. These toolkits are referred to as middleware and examples are the Open Software Foundation (OSF) Distributed Computing Environment (DCE), Distributed component object model (DCOM), Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM) and the Transaction processing monitors (TPM). Data Base Management System This is a collection of programs that enables effective storage, modification and extraction of information from a database. Its primary goal is to provide an environment that is convenient and efficient for the storage and the retrieval of information. Different types exist which range from small systems running on personal computers to huge systems running on mainframe computers. Examples of database management system are Microsoft Access, My SQL Server, Oracle and FileMaker Pro. Examples of the use of the database systems include: †¢ Automated teller machines(ATM) †¢ Computerized library systems †¢ Computerized parts inventory systems †¢ Flight reservation systems Employee information systems †¢ Company payroll †¢ Credit card processing systems †¢ Sales tracking systems and so on The internal organization determines the ease and flexibility of information extraction. The requests for information from a database are made in form of a question. This information can be presented in different formats. The database management system includes a report writer program which en ables the output of data in the form of a report; some also include a graphics component which allows the output of information in the form of graphs and charts. The major purpose of a database system is that it provides users with an abstract view of data. Data is usually stored in complex data structures bit users see a simplified view of the data. Model View Controller Model view controller is a design pattern that is used by applications which need the ability to maintain multiple views of data. It focuses on a separation of objects into three categories such as: †¢ Models: for the maintenance of data †¢ Views : for the display of all or a portion of data †¢ Controllers: for the handling of events affecting both the models and the views. Due to the fact that it can be categorized, there can be interactions between multiple views and controllers with the same model and there can also be interactions between new views and controllers that were never in existence with a model without necessarily forcing a change in the design of the model. Model view controller can be represented graphically as shown below: [pic] The controller can change a model or a view or change both due to certain events. When a controller changes the model, all the dependent views update automatically and similarly, when a controller changes a view, the view gets data from the model to update itself. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) This is a term that is used to describe the set of activities supported by multi-module application software that helps businesses and companies to manage the important parts of its business. It is a package that promotes the seamless flow of information in any organization. The information from the ERP system provides visibility for key performance indicators that are necessary for meeting corporate and business objectives. ERP software applications are useful in managing product planning, providing customer service, purchasing, inventories and tracking orders. Enterprise resource planning includes application modules for the finance and the human resources aspects of any business. Typically, it has both modular hardware and software units that communicate on a local area network. This allows a business to add or to reconstruct modules while preserving the integrity of the data. Some of the players in the ERP market are SAP, PeopleSoft etc, while the new comers include Oracle, IBM and the Microsoft. Before an organization implements the ERP, certain issues need to be addressed and they are stated below: †¢ The popular information systems †¢ Fluctuations in the choice of technology The ability of the market players to stay in tune with ERP †¢ The effective ways to implement business applications like ERP †¢ Ways to benefit from it in order to lead to competitive advantage †¢ The necessity for the innovation of software applications All these are important to take note of and will eventually determine the business mod el of the organization. The implementation of ERP is a very crucial factor in the ERP system. The success of a good ERP implementation lies in quicker processes making training very important. The speed and extent of the training eventually determines the worth and the value of the ERP. Decision Support System This is a term that describes computer applications which enhances the user’s abilities to make decisions. It describes a system that is designed to help decision makers identify problems and to make decisions to solve those problems by using information from a combination of raw data, personal knowledge, business models and communications technology (Hanna et. al, 2003). Information that can be gathered and presented by a decision support is: †¢ Comparative sales figures from one period to the other †¢ Projected revenue figures which are usually based on assumptions on new product sales A stock of all the current information assets which could be data sources, data warehouses, data marts etc. Components of Decision Support System According to Bhargava et. al,(1999), the components of Decision Support System can be classified as: †¢ Inputs: which include numbers and characteristics that are used for analysis †¢ User knowledge and exp ertise: which are inputs that require manual analysis by the users †¢ Outputs: which are transformed data that aid the generation of the DSS decisions †¢ Decisions: these are the results generated by the DSS Applications of Decision Support System Decision support system can be used and applied in various fields. Some of them are stated as follows: 1. It can be used for medical diagnosis in the clinics. 2. It is used extensively in business and management to allow faster decision making, better allocation and utilization of resources and the early identification of negative trends which could pose as threats to the organization. 3. It is used in agricultural production systems to facilitate decision making at the farms and at policy levels. 4. It can also be used in forest management for long-term planning. 5. It can be designed to make useful decisions in the stock market or even in the marketing department of the banks to decide which segment or target group to design a product for. It is basically useful in any field where effective organization is necessary. Benefits of Decision Support System Some of the benefits of an effective DSS include: 1. It helps to create competitive advantage amongst an organization’s competitors. 2. It facilitates interpersonal relationships between the employees of a particular organization. 3. It increases control in an organization. 4. It speeds up the process of problem-solving in an organization. . It recognizes the importance of training and development within an organization and it promotes this. 6. It encourages innovative thinking as well as discovery of new areas of the decision maker hence improving motivation of the employee CONCLUSION It is worthy to note that the implementation of an effective information system is a continuous process t hat starts from the period the original suggestion was made and continues in the system as new users are introduced. Implementation plays a major role in the management of information technology and as such steps should be taken that it is done properly. REFERENCES Avgerou, C. , (2001). The significance of context in information systems and organizational change. Information systems Journal, Vol 11, pp 43 – 63. Bhargava, H. K. , Sridhar, S. & Herrick, C. (1999). Beyond spreadsheets: Tools for building decision support systems. IEEE Computer, 32(3), 31-39. Charette, R. N. 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